Wow this summer is flying by. I haven’t had a chance to update much because I’ve had a lot on my plate from hosting marketing workshops, attending conferences, teaching yoga classes and keeping up with my marketing consulting clients. I’ve been fortunate enough to explore some amazing places this summer despite my busy schedule and am grateful that I designed a career which grants me the freedom to travel at my leisure. I recently shared my adventures from Terranea Resort located in the beautiful Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Immediately after returning from my trip to paradise, I hopped on a plane to the Pacific Northwest! I landed in Seattle which is a town I have been to before but this was the first time I was actually going to have an opportunity to explore the city.

My trip was a combination of visiting friends, family and business so I definitely hit all the birds with one stone. If you remember my trip in March to Chicago, I brought the San Diego sunshine! It was 70s and sunny my entire stay. I brought the San Diego sunshine to Seattle too! It sprinkled on my first day. After that it was perfect sunny weather. In Chicago, I navigated the city utilizing Facebook recommendations and Foursquare tips and uncovered many hidden gems in the city that even my friend and cousin who both live there didn’t know about. In the Pacific Northwest, I once again turned to Facebook and Foursquare to learn about that hotspots in both Seattle and Portland (My Portland trip will be in another post!). The Seattlelite Foursquare list had so many things that I was already planning to do. I also purchased the Seattle City Pass which I highly recommend. It includes passes to 6 attractions for only $69 including the world famous Space Needle. If I purchased the tickets individually it would have cost over $130.

Click on the Facebook image below to check out all the recommendations:

Facebook recommendations for the Pacific Northwest

I love attending sporting events. There is always so much excitement and positive energy. I’m a die hard San Diego Padres fan but I always think it’s fun to catch a baseball game whenever I travel. In fact, my goal is to attend a baseball game in every MLB stadium. So far I’ve been to 7. I attended my first Mariners game at Safeco Field. I also attended a Sounders Soccer game at Centurylink Field which is definitely something everyone needs to experience when visiting Seattle.

I celebrated 4th of July in Seattle by watching the fireworks at the renowned Gasworks Park at the “Family 4th at Lake Union” event. It was a gorgeous evening and an amazing fireworks display. Even when it’s not 4th of July, I recommend a visit to Gasworks park. They have group photo ops and you’ll see unique displays that can’t be found anywhere else.

Other must sees in Seattle include the Pacific Science Center. I was in awe of the Michael Jackson laser show. I had no idea what to expect since I’ve never seen a laser show but I highly recommend it. I fell in love with the butterfly garden at the Pacific Science Center. The beautiful delicate creatures were fluttering all around and sometimes stopping for a photo op.

Anyone who visits Seattle needs to make a stop at the world famous Pike Place Market. It’s a giant farmer’s market that’s always open and buzzing with excitement with flying fish, curious tourists and hungry locals seeking the freshest of the fresh fare. The flagship Starbucks is found here too.

Being from San Diego, I’m lucky to have the World Famous San Diego Zoo in my backyard. Visiting the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle however was very relaxing. It’s a lot smaller than the San Diego Zoo so I didn’t feel rushed to try and see every exhibit. I enjoyed feeding the birds and watching the animals lounge around. Since I use Foursquare to explore new cities, I was excited to discover a check in special at the Zoo. They gifted guests with a plush animal toy with check in!

Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Hiram what?! That’s what I said when someone tried to explain to me what the “locks” were. All I know is that it’s something unique that I recommend experiencing. I was fortunate enough to experience the locks both on a boat and on land! I’ll let Wikipedia take it from here and explain what the locks are.

If you want to feel like a kid in Charlie’s Chocolate factory, $6 is all is takes for a grand tour of the Theo Chocolate Factory. All of their chocolate is organic, fair trade and made right in Seattle. The tour began with chocolate education and then they let you taste more chocolate than you’ll ever need while giving you a sneak peek at all the contraptions used to churn out their delicious chocolate.

I mentioned that this was also a business trip. A quick shout out to my Seattle based client, Insect Shield. I have been consulting with them for the past couple years  but I have never met their team in person. I love that the power of technology allows me to help people with their marketing even if we’re not in the same location. Insect Shield’s Marketing Director initially connected with me on LinkedIn so it was a pleasure to finally meet her in her home town. I celebrated my Grandpa’s 87th birthday in Seattle too. By the end of my trip, I was an official Seattleite! I even have the shiny Foursquare badge to prove it!

I conclude this post by once sharing my gratitude for opportunities to travel, explore new places and spend time with friends and family. I’ll definitely be going back to Seattle sometime. If you plan to visit, I trust that I’ve given you a few great recommendations on what to do during your stay.