Just for FUN and because I get to be a guest on Seattle Refined today, I’m sharing a SHORT list of my Seattle FAVORITES—things I love to do and see when I visit my hometown.

ONE. My granddaughter, Audrey—and her mom and dad of course. My son, Clark is currently attending dental school at The University of Washington and Lauren and Audrey are home and supporting him. They had their first-ever family photos taken a couple of weeks ago and HELLO? Being a grandma is awesome. I’m working hard to meet current deadlines so that I can drive over for Halloween 🎃

TWO. Speaking of Lauren—today, October 20th happens to be Lauren Day (you can read more about Family Days here) and I just sent her two bags of Boom Chicka Pop with Amazon Fresh (just for FUN). And speaking of Amazon, my number two Seattle pick is the The Amazon Go store. I know, maybe not your usual tourist stop, but I’m telling you it’s SO CRAZY cool. Before you go, you need to download the Amazon Go app and then sign-in with your Amazon account. Then you simply walk in, select what you want, put it in your bag and WALK OUT —or I guess I should say, GO! A few moments later you get a notification that you’ve paid and a list (with pictures) of exactly what you “purchased.” IF you in Seattle or visiting and haven’t experienced this yet, I say do it!

THREE. Ivar’s Fish and Chips—specifically the Pier 54 location. This to me is an absolute Seattle experience. You order and eat outside (even when it’s chilly or rainy) and you can smell The Sound and hear the seagulls and feed them your “chips.” This is a page from one of my Stories I Love albums, featuring one of my all-time FAV photos of Clark. I also used this stamp set and this one too!

FOUR. The Gum Wall—and yes, it’s a thing. It’s totally gross, but actually smells pretty good—think all the combination of chewing mint wrapped up together. In my book, it’s a must photo back drop. Just don’t get too close 😆

FIVE. You really ought to visit Chihuly Garden & Glass at least once. It really is mind-bending to recognize the genius and dedication that goes into works of art like those pictured here. AND, here’s a tip: Go at night—there is so much to SEE during the day in Seattle, that it’s nice to know what you can do in the evening and this is it—because after you wander the museum inside you’ll exit through the gardens and they are especially stunning after dark!

SIX. Ok, I’ve got to add one more (for now) The Ballard Locks—officially named the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks this is where you go to SEE boats move between the fresh water of Lake Washington and the seawater in Puget Sound—two bodies of water that vary by 22 feet. These locks are the busiest in the US and also feature an amazing fish ladder where, if you go at peak season (July to August) you can see salmon returning to fresh water spawning areas where they were born. They do this just once, before they die, completing a remarkable life cycle. The locks are surrounded by gardens and on a clear day there isn’t a more beautiful or fascinating place to visit.

❤️ I’m hitting publish, but I’ll keep adding to my list. I’d LOVE to learn what you love about Seattle—if you live there, have lived there or have visited, leave me a comment with some of your favorites!