When you earn a “Lifetime Achievement” badge from your fitness band, you know you walked a lot over a 2 day period. Friday we walked to Pike’s Market and met family from across The Sound. They had ferried over to spend the day and be our tour guides. We stopped at the coffee and pastry joint across from Pike’s Market that had the shortest line, then fought the crowds through the market to the Pig statue. What an amazing place! The sights, sounds, smells….rather crowded early in the morning, but when we walked through later in the day the crowd had thinned significantly. The crowds this day were fun, though, as the Special Olympics National Games were that weekend. We saw teams from Indiana, Kentucky, and Southern California.

The famous fish monger was just inside, so we waited to see the fish throwing before making our way down to the waterfront. The nice thing about local tour guides is they know where secret elevators are. It made our trek down (and back) that much easier.

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Our next stop was Wings Over Washington. A virtual reality tour over Washington State. The floor drops, the seats slide forward to a 180 degree screen with 5K cameras, and you are off an flying along with a “spirit eagle” through Olympic National Forest, Mt. Ranier, Snoqualmie Falls, the San Juan Islands, and back to the Seattle Great Wheel. It lasts about 10 minutes, but is worth every penny, at least once.

Lunch was the next order of business at Elliot’s. Fresh seafood, good beer, and great conversation catching up with everyone.

A quick stop at the Copperworks Distillery where they make vodka, 2 kinds of gin and a whiskey, all from beer. We shared two tastings between 6 of us, and probably could have done with just one. Intimate place, and very friendly staff. A cruise through the antique store across the street, farewell to our tour guides, then back to the hotel to get ready for the welcome reception.

Husband, daughter and I were just a tad hungry from the days activities, and ready early for the reception. We opted to stop for a nosh at the Purple Cafe on our way. Great wine selection, and the lobster mac & cheese was out of this world. BIG chunks of Maine lobster throughout.

We walked a few blocks further to Pike Brewing Company where the reception was in full swing. A fun evening reconnecting with family and making new friends. A nightcap in the hotel bar, then off to bed so we could squeeze in more before the wedding!