We absolutely love exploring new places and when Shane’s brother moved to Seattle, Washington we jumped at the chance to go visit!  If you have never experienced Seattle before, it’s an incredible place to visit!  We arrived on what we were told was the sunniest day they had seen in months!  Apparently we brought the sunshine with us ;).  Seeing Mount Rainier out the window of our plane was breathtaking and if we ever go back we’d love to explore that area, but being the typical photographer tourists that we are, we saw the sights and experienced all the best sights that Seattle is known for!  Starting out at the Ballard Locks we photographed every eucalyptus tree, palm tree, and moss-covered forest we could find!  We drove down to view the Olympic Sculpture Park and found a few seagulls hanging out at the rock “beaches” by Pier 70.  It wouldn’t be a trip to Seattle without a stop at Starbucks – the ORIGINAL Starbucks in fact!  Strolling through the farmers market was one of our favorite places and all the fresh produce was incredible as back home we were still experiencing “winter”.  We ate cheese from Beecher’s and ordered steak and seafood at Pike Place Bar & Grill – with a great view of Pike Place Market‘s iconic sign.  Following lunch we were on a quest to visit one of the places you either love or hate: the Gum Wall.  It was like nothing we had ever seen before!  Sadly, we did not contribute to the wall – maybe next visit! 😉   We did, however, contributed some change to Rachel the Piggy Bank!

It wouldn’t be a trip to Seattle without experiencing one of America’s most recognized landmarks: The Space Needle.  We took alllll the photos we could from every angle and captured every minute from golden hour to after the sun had set!  There is just something about skylines with sunsets that makes Anna’s heart sing!  The next morning we set off to explore the docks of Kirkland, drove to see the famous Skagit Valley Tulip fields, and stopped for lunch at Mod Pizza.  We drove through epic forests and arrived at Deception Pass Bridge logging hundreds of shutter clicks and soaking in every minute of our adventure!  We stopped at beaches along the way throughout Whidby Island and found the best photo op spots with driftwood ever.  Just after taking our photo standing on a large fallen tree, we literally saw two whales!  Ok, so they looked like they were about the size of a quarter from where we stood but it TOTALLY counts for checking it off Anna’s Bucket List.  We caught a ferry to Port Townsend and explored the shops.  The next time we visit we will have to spend an entire day in Port Townsend – the homes, shops, and sailboats make you feel like you stepped into a dreamy seaside movie set.  Our final stop was to Pegasus Coffee House on Bainbridge Island before catching the ferry back to Seattle.  This trip was a dream and we are so thankful for our travel guides, Gabe & Naomi for allowing us to squeeze in ALL the best spots in Washington!