See what city left us sleepless, in all THE BEST of ways

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Did you guess which city we’re referring to yet? Unless you live there, odds are that you have no idea there’s a giant troll living underneath one of the areas major bridges (!), or that it’s the fastest growing, most literate city in the US (!!), or that it’s home to the world’s first completely hands-free automatic car wash, the first gas station AND the world’s first Starbucks!!!

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Plain and simple, we fell head over heels, in love with SEATTLE and here are a few reasons why:

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You can catch incredible views of the city from just about every angle! This one below was captured at Kerry Park, a favorite for sunset lovers too:

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Or how about the view of Mount Rainier from the top of the famous”400-Day Wonder,” the Space Needle, built in just 400 days for the 1962 World’s Fair:

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And you can’t forget about the JAW DROPPING VIEW from the top of the Columbia Center, the tallest building in all of Seattle!

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Located on the 73rd floor of this 76-story skyscraper is the The Sky View Observatory, open daily from 9am-10pm offering the absolute best 360-degree views any time of day. We happened to make it just in time to capture the city’s glistening transformation to night:

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We could even see the Seattle Great Wheel down on Pier 57!

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With all this focus on the Space Needle, most people forget to look at what lies beneath this 605-foot flying saucer:

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Chihuly Garden and Glass, one of the most spectacular displays of Dale Chihuly’s studio glass, is situated right under the city’s famed landmark, and while you can visit day or night, we fell in love with the lighting effects of our nighttime visit:

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Something that we just can’t go without mentioning is the Pike Place Market:

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Due to the immense number of tourists and the persistent smell of fish its not exactly our absolute favorite place to be, but there is still something special about the lineup of neon signs, the incredible $4 bouquets of fresh flowers and that silly ole Bubble Gum Alley:

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Tip: Before you find Bubble Gum Alley be sure to stop at the shop above the staircase and buy some Double Bubble, because 5 sticks of Orbit later, we were still struggling!

One of our favorite new discoveries? The Seattle Pinball Museum!!:

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Home of Hercules, the world’s LARGEST pinball game, this hands-on museum boasts games dating as far back as 1934! Though, we can’t forget to mention the fact that it also has some sparkling new gems, including the digital, HD, LED Wizard OZ! (monthly updated game list here):

Complete with flying monkeys, that evil Wicked Witch laugh and those shimmering red heels, Drew couldn’t peel me away from this one… until he found Galaga…

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And then Baby Pac Man…

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Luckily we had the multi-entry, all-day-play pass so we could go out for lunch/dinner… and keep coming back for more! At least until they closed at 10pm 🙁

We had way more fun than we ever could have anticipated, especially once we discovered the dual player Pinball games! and the beverage bar, complete with sodas, ciders and other fun bubblies!

Some other must-see Seattle things to mention include: Archie McPhee (Seattle’s #1 WEIRD destination, see squirrel in whitey tightys below), Tom Hank’s Sleepless in Seattle houseboat down on Lake Union, biking/running along the Puget Sound Waterfront, sailing any/every Tuesday night of summer for Duck Dodge, walking across the Center of the Universe, meeting a 16-foot statue of Lenin, eating an incredible vegetarian meal at Cafe Flora or Sunlight Cafe, sipping on coffee at Zoka (GREAT for wifi) or Fuel, visiting the Ballard Locks (which carry more boat traffic than any other lock in the US) and our ultimate favorite? Exploring one of the many breathtaking trails of Mount Rainier!