I was told a few months before our 4 year anniversary that my husband Denny was whisping me away to location by flight to a city neither of us had visited before. My guesses were New York City, Boston, Hawaii, or Seattle. This vacation idea was perfect for me because I love surprises, most women do! Not only was this a surprise trip but everything was paid for via our travel hacking points: flights, car rental and our hotel (The Sheraton).
[Note: I am a professional photographer but all these photos were taken with my iPhone. I wanted no distractions.]
Lengths I Took for a Surprise:
I was so determined to keep the destination a surprise that while we were in the airport I kept my eyes on the ground when we neared the gate. About 60 times later to the song of “Thousand Foot Krutch Absolute” on repeat we landed at our surprise anniversary destination. I know, it’s ridicious I listened to that song that many times, but the surprise was worth it. Side note, did you know that the flight attendent and airplane pilot frequently talk on the intercom? I had my iPhone on hand to turn the volume up anything someone came on the intercom. Technology is sometimes not a friend to surprises. During the flight I also steered away from the time. I was in a music bubble for a span of time.
My first hint to our destination….jpg "IMG_5358.jpg")
At this point I was guessing Washington or Alaska.
When we got off the flight I was looking for a sign to figure it out. Denny took a picture of my expression when I realized where we were at. Husbands a anniversary destination surprise will sweep her off her feet. Props and lots of thanks goes to my creative husband, Denny. Thank you Denny for the thought, planning and effort you put into our 4 year anniversary..jpg "photo 1.JPG")
The following day we enjoyed two Seattle Free Walking Tours: Seattle 101 and The Market Experience. Jake was an awesome tour guide. The tours were the best I have ever experienced. Jake was entertaining and very informative about the history, restaurants and sites to visit. He was so convincing about the Fish and Chips at the Owl Irish Pub that after the tours Denny and I ventured there during the “half-off” happy hour special..jpg "IMG_5405.jpg")
At Pike’s Market Center we saw…
Cheese being made
The epic and second dirtiest place on earth: Seattle’s gum wall.
The gum wall started because a comedy place started to forbid customers from chewing gum inside. While customers waited in line they started to stick their gum on the wall, hence the gum wall was born. This idea is similar to the locks on a chain link fence in Paris, France. What kind of community building will you start locally?
We learned there are four main ingredients in beer.
We learned secrets about Seattle. This sewer lid is actually a map of the downtown Seattle area.
These purple squares are not normal tiles but skylights for the underground original Seattle city.
A glimpse to the underground Seattle city.
The man the city was named after.
The saddest history we learned about Seattle was that because it started based on lumber 1,000 year old trees were cut down. Today only about six 1,000 year old trees still stand. Sound familiar to any Dr. Seuss books?
We of course enjoyed some chowder with entertaining seagulls.
We saw the original Starbucks…
and the oldest Starbucks.
Here’s the original Starbucks logo. Did you know that Moby Dick influenced the owners on how they named Starbucks?
While you are visiting Pike’s Market don’t forget to see the sites on Post Alley.
We enjoyed some coffee while we took in the sites. Seattle is known for it’s espressos. Here’s a cappichino from Moore’s Coffee Shop.
If you live in Seattle, or visit for an extended amount of time, I highly recommend taking advantage of the affordable flowers at Pike’s Market. The bouquet’s were gorgeous and a 1/4 of the price to the normal flower shops. Jake, our tour guide bought his wedding flowers for an extremely good price.
While we were at Pike’s Market we got a chance to see the famous Pike Place Fish Market fish throwing. Did I catch the fish? Watch the video and find out.
On our trip Denny also surprised me with attending a Murder Mystery dinner in the countrysides outside Seattle. They also have events in Phoenix, AZ.
The following morning we attended a Marshill sermon at the Bellevue location. Mark Driscoll’s sermons have had a huge impact on Denny and my walk together and individually.
Altogether our anniversary surprise trip was romantic and a bunch of fun times together.
Where would you like your husband to whisk you away to?
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