What to do with a Free Day in Seattle: A Parents’ Staycation

If you find yourself with a free day in the city of Seattle, you’re bound to want to get out and explore. 

I work from home and Josh is a   daddy to our 2 kiddos and getting around everyone, every day, trying to get everything on our to-do list done is easier said than done. Josh and I were so excited when we were invited for a parents’ staycation right in the heart of Seattle!

We live across the sound in Kitsap County and have been to Seattle many times – it’s easy and fun to catch a ferry and before you know it, you’re in the city. Not to mention, the views on the way over are spectacular. That being said, we’re always up for seeing new parts of our city.

After driving off the ferry, Josh and I found our way to CenturyLink Field to watch the Seattle Sounders face off with Minnesota United (you can walk here from the ferry as well). We met up with some friends and had some great seats to watch the game from. We always love the local food and beer served at the games as well. I have to admit I spent a lot of time talking and catching up with a friend during the game but I always love being in the middle of all the fans and experiencing soccer culture. It’s really like no one sport out there.

After the game, we checked into our hotel, Hyatt at Olive 8. We were told that we’d been upgraded to the Governor’s Suite and we were so excited! I mean, check out that view…

Josh and I are relatively big introverts so we took a little time to settle in, take a shower, and get cozy.

After settling in, we meandered downstairs to Urbane, the restaurant located right in the hotel. 

We ordered a daiquiri which was fruity and tart and then I ordered the Sunrise Valley Butter Chicken and Josh ordered the Grilled Skuna Bay salmon.

They were both so good. My food reminded me of our favorite family-owned Indian restaurant that we used to eat at all the time before we moved! Josh agreed and ended up stealing some of my meal 😂 Our server also told us that some of the produce used in our meals was actually grown right on the hotel roof! How cool is that?!

After dinner we decided to wander around our block and chat and hold hands and do cute couple things together. We talked about how weird it felt to be able to simply get up from dinner and walk outside without having to grab something from the room first, make sure we had everything the kids needed, and of course hold the kids hands so they don’t run into other tables on our way out 😂 It reminded me of when we were dating!

We came across this restaurant/bar called Rider which had a really cool speakeasy feel to it. It smelled like wood burning when we walked in from the large open fireplace in the back of the restaurant. We sat at a dimly lit booth by the bar and each ordered a signature cocktail with PNW feels to them. 

After drinks, we made our way up to the Cheesecake factory and indulged in a piece of cheesecake, each. Worth the calories? Debatable. Would we do it again? Undoubtedly.

Our stomachs were so full that we debated turning in early to get a head start on self-loathing but we decided to let the night live on.

Across the street, we walked over to the movie theater where we caught a late showing of the Joker which we had been wanting to see!

We almost never get out to the theaters anymore unless it’s to see a new Lego movie with the kids, so it was so fun just to have the two of us seeing something that we actually wanted to watch haha. No offense, Lego Movie.

After the movie, we headed back to the hotel and crawled in bed. We slept until we felt like getting up the next morning (which consequently is a lot earlier than it used to be before kids).

In the morning, we had a couple’s massage booked at the Elaia Spa right in Hyatt at Olive 8. We changed into robes and sandals and were greeted by Stacy and Jen. We spent an hour with them in a private, cozy room relaxing and letting them work out knots, tight muscles, and tension. 

After the massage, they lead us to an open lounge where we could grab a healthy breakfast and relax for a while before heading back to the room. We also spend a little while in the steam rooms which I loved doing before taking a shower because they really help to open up the pores and flush out toxins!

After our spa experience, I asked Josh what he genuinely thought (he’s typically not the type to get excited about a stranger touching him). But he told me that he actually really enjoyed doing it together and he’d do it again! 

We had such a great time at Hyatt at Olive 8 and experiencing our city in a new way! We were so sad to leave! We definitely plan to visit again someday soon.

If you plan to visit Seattle soon, consider staying at Hyatt at Olive 8. They’ll make sure you have absolutely everything you need to have an amazing and comfortable stay while exploring everything Seattle has to offer!

And if you do plan a visit, let them know Chelsea recommended it! 😉