Seattle's Japanese Garden #Japan #garden

Seattle's Japanese Garden is a much more formal garden than what we toured with the Kubota Garden.  Still very pretty, but much smaller.  It is also not free entry, though entry was not too bad.  You could also feed the koi in the pond if you wanted.

Visiting Seattle's Kubota Garden #Japanese #garden

The Kubota Garden was a lovely public park hidden in the back of a neighborhood.  With lots of walking trails, we encountered a few other walkers including dog walkers.  It was organized, but still looked very natural.  I loved walking the trails.

Seattle day 2 continued: Aquarium #Seattle #Aquarium

After exploring the area around the Space Needle, we went to the Aquarium.  Being a volunteer at the Georgia Aquarium, I really like to explore the other aquariums when we travel.  The Seattle Aquarium is considerably smaller than ours, but that doesn't make it less interesting.  I loved watching the interaction with the harbor seals.  Their octopus was easier to locate, though the exhibit was less interesting.

Not bad for a small aquarium.

Exploring Seattle day 2: downtown and Space Needle #Seattle #SpaceNeedle

We had a rental car to get around with, but we decided instead to park at the light rail station and take light rail into the downtown area.  From there, we caught the monorail to the Space Needle area.  There was a cool playground in front of the Sound Museum.  There was also a fountain that kids (and adults) could play in.

Selfies and pictures in front of the Space Needle.

From the top of the Space Needle.  I hadn't originally planned to go up, but decided to grit my teeth and go.  I couldn't look out the window of the elevator and I stayed to the inside at the top.  Only time I got close to the edge was to get a quick photo.  I really don't like heights.

We didn't visit Chihuly Garden or the Science Museum.  We were picking a choosing based on cost.

Exploring Seattle day 1 : Museum of Flight #Seattle #Washington

After spending a week onboard the cruise ship, we decided to explore Seattle and surrounding areas.  We started by spending a full day a the Museum of Flight.  With several buildings/exhibits to explore, it was definitely a long day.  There are two cafes on site with a very simple selection of foods, primarily burgers and hot dogs.

It was easy to find fun photos to take as well.  I'm with the astronaut, my daughter posed with the captain and flight attendant.