Wondering where these breathtaking photos were taken?
Your next destination… Washington State!
In late August, I was eager to visit somewhere for the summer. Anywhere. So, I decided to travel to “The Evergreen State” and experience four incredible, sunny days in the busy city of Seattle.
We arrived in a peaceful city called Issaquah, a 30-minute drive from the Seattle Tacoma International Airport, and stayed in a very nice hotel called SpringHill Suites Seattle Issaquah. I rate this hotel a 9/10 for cleanliness, amenities, free breakfast, and hospitality, but a 7/10 for location since you will have to walk about 7-10 minutes to the bus station and places for food. However, it's important to note that the hotel is not located in the heart of downtown Seattle, but Issaquah is very peaceful and safe, and you can get a nice view of the mountains in the distance. I am very satisfied with the bus system in Seattle/Issaquah compared to other bus systems I have used. The seats are very comfortable, and the bus is clean. Their train system is a little confusing but took us to where we needed to go.
We used an app called CityPASS, which offers discounts on tickets for tourist attractions, which is super helpful and will save you lots of money. We visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass Garden which exhibits Tacoma native Dave Chihuly's incredible glass works. We also got to see a demonstration of glass blowing by one of the staff. Did you know that it doesn't take much of your lung strength to blow glass. You should take small and steady breaths to maintain the shape of the glass. The glass works and other artifacts are not covered by glass panes, so you can admire all the beauty close-up.
We quickly realized that a lot of the main Seattle attractions are within walking distance from each other, so we decided to walk to the Space Needle, an observation tower built in 1962. Standing at 605ft, this tower offers spectacular views, and you can even stand on a glass floor and look at the city below and around you. This is quite a busy attraction, so pick an earlier or late time to visit. You can also catch the sunset or sunrise for cool pictures.
Then we saw the Museum of Pop Culture which showcases all sorts of interesting artifacts related to pop culture. From Nirvana to Jimi Hendrix, both famous Washington State born artists, to K-pop light sticks and a tower of instruments. They even have a hands-on level where you can sing, play instruments, and learn to produce music. This is a great attraction for families. We took a direct train back to Westlake Center and ate at the food court. Westlake Center is where you can access the train that will take you straight to the attractions in about three minutes.
The next day we took the bus to visit the University of Washington. It was a nice experience just to sit on the bus for almost an hour plus and see the different cities like Bellevue and go on the bridge over Lake Washington. We ate at some nice restaurants in Issaquah like The Great American Diner & Bar who have delicious burgers (10/10), and Ms. Saigon Kitchen which serves Vietnamese food (6/10).
Our last day was spent on the bustling waterfront pier of Seattle where we briefly visited the Pike Market, saw the newly expanded Seattle Aquarium, and other attractions. The Seattle Aquarium was an okay visit for me. Its design is captivating but we had trouble finding the new building added to the site so I would rate it 5/10. We visited a cool, very underrated amusement ride called Wings Over Washington, which is like Soarin' Over California at Disney California Adventure. It's very short, only 15 minutes in length. I would have preferred more movement from the ride and for it to be longer, especially considering the price of tickets. After that, we went on the 1-hour Argosy Harbor Tour which had to be one of my favorite attractions out of all of them! The tour guide / host was so much fun and knowledgeable about the city, and it was her birthday! We then made a spontaneous decision to go on a ferry to visit Bainbridge Island. We got off the ferry and unfortunately didn't have much time to visit the island, so we went back on the ferry to Seattle. The ferry is huge and has great seats and views. It's a nice way to end a long day.
Overall, I really enjoyed visiting Seattle – 9/10 – and would recommend it for your next holiday trip! Or even, your next film? Seattle offers majestic scenery (lots of mountains and trees, sparkling blue waters, and a gorgeous city skyline) and is the famous location for the long-running TV show, Grays Anatomy (although the show is mostly filmed in LA).
Many productions have been filmed or set in Seattle and the surrounding areas:
- Sleepless in Seattle
- Fifty Shades of Grey
- 10 Things I Hate About You
- The Vanishing (Seattle)
- The Ring (Seattle)
- Malignant
- Twilight
- Twin Peaks (Seattle Southside)
Honorary Reporter, Ziga Poromon, #WeAreHere, Asia Lab.
Instagram: @zigaporomon
Twitter: ZiigCreatives
Wondering where these breathtaking photos were taken?
Your next destination… Washington State!
In late August, I was eager to visit somewhere for the summer. Anywhere. So, I decided to travel to “The Evergreen State” and experience four incredible, sunny days in the busy city of Seattle.
We arrived in a peaceful city called Issaquah, a 30-minute drive from the Seattle Tacoma International Airport, and stayed in a very nice hotel called SpringHill Suites Seattle Issaquah. I rate this hotel a 9/10 for cleanliness, amenities, free breakfast, and hospitality, but a 7/10 for location since you will have to walk about 7-10 minutes to the bus station and places for food. However, it's important to note that the hotel is not located in the heart of downtown Seattle, but Issaquah is very peaceful and safe, and you can get a nice view of the mountains in the distance. I am very satisfied with the bus system in Seattle/Issaquah compared to other bus systems I have used. The seats are very comfortable, and the bus is clean. Their train system is a little confusing but took us to where we needed to go.
We used an app called CityPASS, which offers discounts on tickets for tourist attractions, which is super helpful and will save you lots of money. We visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass Garden which exhibits Tacoma native Dave Chihuly's incredible glass works. We also got to see a demonstration of glass blowing by one of the staff. Did you know that it doesn't take much of your lung strength to blow glass. You should take small and steady breaths to maintain the shape of the glass. The glass works and other artifacts are not covered by glass panes, so you can admire all the beauty close-up.
We quickly realized that a lot of the main Seattle attractions are within walking distance from each other, so we decided to walk to the Space Needle, an observation tower built in 1962. Standing at 605ft, this tower offers spectacular views, and you can even stand on a glass floor and look at the city below and around you. This is quite a busy attraction, so pick an earlier or late time to visit. You can also catch the sunset or sunrise for cool pictures.
Then we saw the Museum of Pop Culture which showcases all sorts of interesting artifacts related to pop culture. From Nirvana to Jimi Hendrix, both famous Washington State born artists, to K-pop light sticks and a tower of instruments. They even have a hands-on level where you can sing, play instruments, and learn to produce music. This is a great attraction for families. We took a direct train back to Westlake Center and ate at the food court. Westlake Center is where you can access the train that will take you straight to the attractions in about three minutes.
The next day we took the bus to visit the University of Washington. It was a nice experience just to sit on the bus for almost an hour plus and see the different cities like Bellevue and go on the bridge over Lake Washington. We ate at some nice restaurants in Issaquah like The Great American Diner & Bar who have delicious burgers (10/10), and Ms. Saigon Kitchen which serves Vietnamese food (6/10).
Our last day was spent on the bustling waterfront pier of Seattle where we briefly visited the Pike Market, saw the newly expanded Seattle Aquarium, and other attractions. The Seattle Aquarium was an okay visit for me. Its design is captivating but we had trouble finding the new building added to the site so I would rate it 5/10. We visited a cool, very underrated amusement ride called Wings Over Washington, which is like Soarin' Over California at Disney California Adventure. It's very short, only 15 minutes in length. I would have preferred more movement from the ride and for it to be longer, especially considering the price of tickets. After that, we went on the 1-hour Argosy Harbor Tour which had to be one of my favorite attractions out of all of them! The tour guide / host was so much fun and knowledgeable about the city, and it was her birthday! We then made a spontaneous decision to go on a ferry to visit Bainbridge Island. We got off the ferry and unfortunately didn't have much time to visit the island, so we went back on the ferry to Seattle. The ferry is huge and has great seats and views. It's a nice way to end a long day.
Overall, I really enjoyed visiting Seattle – 9/10 – and would recommend it for your next holiday trip! Or even, your next film? Seattle offers majestic scenery (lots of mountains and trees, sparkling blue waters, and a gorgeous city skyline) and is the famous location for the long-running TV show, Grays Anatomy (although the show is mostly filmed in LA).
Many productions have been filmed or set in Seattle and the surrounding areas:
Honorary Reporter, Ziga Poromon, #WeAreHere, Asia Lab.
Instagram: @zigaporomon
Twitter: ZiigCreatives