Seattle Adventures May 2018

I travel quite a bit for the Food Fanatics Shows I photograph. Last year there were 18 that were not in Illinois and I traveled to them all alone. I was proud of myself because that was never something that I did before. But let me tell you, traveling alone is not as magical as you think. Kudos to those who do it on pursue and love it! But I found that I did not enjoy some of these places like I could because I had no one to share it with or for safety reasons. Being a tiny woman doesn't mean I can't take care of myself but it does mean I need to be smart and shouldn't run away in the woods alone.

So when I found out one of the shows was in Seattle I told my family whoever wants to come should tag along! It had been on my list of places to see for awhile. My mom and sister were able to come with on the adventure. They got there a day before me while I videoed a wedding so they took advantage of some of the must see tourist attractions like the space needle. 

When I got there and wasn't working, we explored Chinatown and ate at the oldest Chinese restaurant in Seattle. We randomly stumbled upon The Queen Anne Historic District which ended up being one of my favorite things we did. We also got to shop at Pike's Market as well hike a little though I'd say we were one of the least prepared hikers ever! Or I should say I was. I wore my vans and a semi nice outfit because I don't hike ;)

It was a great few days adventuring with my mom and sister and I am so glad they were able to come hang out with me. Oh! We even tried Seattle Dogs which had cream cheese on them. Never would have thought to put cream cheese on a hot dog but it was AWESOME.

I will be honest I wasn't in love with Seattle. While we had a fantastic time I was amazed by how dirty the downtown area was and just how high the number of homeless was. It was so sad. I think it was a great lesson in not idolizing any one city. Every city has its pros and cons and there is always room for improvement. For years I saw Seattle as this photography meca and while I can totally see why photographers love to shoot there (mountains, sea, city... so many gorgeous options) it also reminds me of how much I love where I live and appreciate I can check these places out but then go back to my favorite neighborhood at home! 

I will say though I was incredibly impressed with Seattle's efforts to be more environmentally friendly. They had a carpool lane only on the highway to reduce single car usage. They also don't use plastic bags and just banned straws! If you have talked to me recently you will know my hatred for straws and how I have been trying to not use them anymore but instead use silicone reusable options. It is a work in progress but I am proud to be contributing to less waste in the ocean!