We got a bit of a late start, which was fine, as we had all day to make the trek back over to Seattle for the night, before flying home the following day, with no real plans besides the drive.  We took our time getting all of our belongings packed, and left the hotel right at 11am, checkout time. From our hotel, we could see the end of another spit, with the middle being the Ediz Hook Reservation for Native Birds, with an oil refinery at the mouth, and a US Coast Guard base at the tip.  We’d talked about checking out the sanctuary in previous days, and Nala was sure to remind us before we left the area.  So once we got the car cleaned up and got everything packed in the car, we made our way out to the reservation.  While we didn’t see many birds, we were surprised to find that the spit had become home to feral cats, of which we saw at least a dozen.  We were all ready to eat by the time we drove off the spit, and found a conveniently located breakfast and lunch spot right off the spit called The Empossible Eden Café.  Everyone there seemed to be locals, and the staff were all extremely friendly.  I was pleasantly surprised by my salmon burger, and intrigued by the shrimp cold slaw.  The girls all enjoyed their pancakes, and helped Laura eat her eggs and bacon.

We started headed east on 101 toward Seattle, and got about 10 minutes outside of town, when we realized we’d never gotten a group picture at the national park sign, which is a huge requirement for each national park trip.  While we debated turning around for a few minutes, we decided that we’d surely regret it if we didn’t go back.  While there wasn’t anyone else at the sign when we were there, and there wasn’t a post to put a camera or phone on, I was able to set my phone on the ground in some mulch, use the timer on it, and make the picture work.  While it didn’t come out too well, we at least got our picture.

This time, we decided to drive an hour and a half to Bremerton, and take the ferry across the sound from there into Seattle, where the ferry terminal was only a couple blocks from the hotel.  This would avoid driving up I-5 from south of the city on a Friday afternoon.  We arrived at the Bremerton terminal just as one ferry was departing, though were first in line for the next, just under an hour later.  Luckily the girls stayed entertained while we waited in the car for the next ferry to arrive. We were amazed at how many walkers, bike riders, motorcyclists, and cars came off the boat.  Having been first in line, we also had a front row spot to see out the front of the ferry on the way over, and were first off in Seattle.  While we considered going up a couple decks to check out the ferry and stretch our legs, we decided it was too cool and windy for that to be enjoyable, so stayed put in the car.

One arriving in Seattle, we check on valet parking at the hotel, and determined it’d be much better to wait a bit, park on the street, pay the meter until there’s no longer a charge at 7pm, and have a free night of parking.  Therefore, we drove a couple miles north and parked about a block from the Space Needle, as we wanted the girls to see of the iconic landmarks of the city.  It started drizzling as we were leaving, so we hopped back in the car, drove to the area around the hotel, and were very lucky to find an empty spot less than a block away in the meter zone that would allow us to pay for a couple hours and then be good until after the time we’d need to leave for the airport in the morning.

We stayed at the Kimpton Alexis Hotel, which we got for free by using my annual anniversary night through my Chase IHG rewards card.  We were thrilled with everything about it from the time we walked in the door.  As always at Kimptons, the front desk had goodie bags for the girls that included stuffed animals, coloring books and crayons, snacks, and apple juice.  We were also pleasantly surprised to see our room, as it was very spacious, well decorated, and had a personalized welcome card and free amenities, as a thank you for being a IHG Elite member.

I ran out for a bit to check out a couple shops, including one where I snagged a cute Seattle shirt for each girl.  After checking in at the room, I ran out again for dinner:  fish and chips (halibut for me, cod for Laura), salmon soup for myself, and the girls finished up the PB&Js and snacks we’d accumulated.  While I wanted to go check out a nearby brewery after dinner, Linley was being a daddy’s girl that night and wanted me around, so I waited it out a bit until they were ready for bed.  A quick Uber ride had me at Cloudburst Brewing, just 45 minutes before close, where I started talking to two guys at the bar next to me (not together) along with the bartendresses, one of whom was from Bloomington, IN!  After shutting the place down at 10, the other two guys and I decided to grab a couple more pints at No Anchor, a place I’ve been wanting to check out for years for their food menu and tap list.  We had some awesome conversation.  Anyone who knows me knows that if there’s beer and conversation with strangers involved, I always enjoy myself.  Another Uber ride back to the hotel, and I was fast asleep within minutes.