We finally crossed the border the first time since we had moved to Canada! While the US border is only an hour from where we live in Vancouver, due to COVID-19, we had no chance to travel there until very recently.

However, now that the US-Canada border is open, there is a lot to do south of the 49th parallel. This blog post covers our trip to Seattle!

If you have two days, or a long weekend, Seattle is the perfect place to go with lots of activities for kids, and adults alike.

Places to Stay

First off, finding a good place to stay is essential. We have tried some of the motels in the US, but given their price and quality, they are just not worth it. Instead of paying 90$ /night for a very shitty place, one might as well "splurge" a bit extra and get a much better place for $150/night. We stayed in Bellevue at the Marriot Convoy which was an extremely delightful place and a very safe location. It wasnt too close to a highway but close enough to get downtown in 20 or so minutes. Most of the hotels downtown were also sold out, but we had decided that Bellevue would be a good location to stay. 

Woodland Park Zoo

I love zoos, mainly because it is just so exciting to see animals. And one of the best zoos I have been to is the Seattle zoo, known as the Woodland Park Zoo. There is another entire post on it, because I liked it so much. The zoo is a recipient of over 65 awards across multiple categories!

Pikes Place and Downtown

One way or the other, you will want to see the downtown, and no better way to start the day then at Place Market. Mind you, we weren't the biggest fans for the market (the fishy place) but it does have some great eats. We also noticed that everyone seems to buy flowers from here. We found out later that later in the day, evening time, the flowers are heavily discounted so definitely good to grab your blossoms for date night. 

Besides Pike's Place, there are a bunch of other things to check out while you are in downtown. First off, its just fun walking around and seeing the stores. There are also a few museums downtown that you can hit up. One is the Seattle Art Museum, which is just up the hill from Pike Place Market. We recognized the building from the Hammering Man statue just outside it. And guess what? We had seen the Hammering Man in Seoul as well, close to where we lived. The Hammering Man is a series of monumental kinetic sculptures by Jonathan Borofsky that symbolize workers throughout the world. In the US, there are around 7 of these statues, in Europe, there are 4 and finally, there is only 1 in Asia and that was in Seoul.

Seattle Center

This area touristy and fun with a few attractions such as the Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center and the Chihuly Garden and Glass. Each of them is ticketed. We skipped the Space Needle and ended up going the Pacific Science Center and the Chihuly Garden and Glass, both which were very enjoyable. I personally liked the science center more but that's because we are all nerds and also because kids have more activities there.

The Pacific Science Center had a section on dinosaurs, a butterfly garden and toddler play area, so there's enough to do for 2-3 hours for the kids.

Chihuly Garden and Glass is filled with really beautiful glass work but you won't need to spend more than 45 minutes here, if that. If you are short on time (and money), skip this

Ballard 

The Ballard area is really neat, with lots of lovely cafes! From here you can also walk all the way to the Ballard locks. These aren't the prettiest things to look at but worth looking at if you are into engineering. The locks are essentially gates that keep the salt water of the Puget Sound separate from the fresh water of the lakes on the channels that connect them and also adjust for a height difference—meaning you can watch as ships and boats load into the locks and be raised or lowered. You can also check out a salmon ladder under the locks! The locks are next to a nice park/ botanical garden that you can check out.

Fremont

Like Ballard, another amazing neighbourhood to check out is Fremont, with its ample amounts of unique things to see and places to eat. It’s the perfect place to see a less touristy side of Seattle, as well as a good mix of what makes this city a fun place to be. You can easily park and walk between all of the sights in Fremont.

Seattle Waterfront 

Seattle waterfront is also quite a bit of fun. There is music, a ferris wheel, a number of eating establishments and all around fun. 

While most of the paid attractions in Vancouver are quite often not worth it, the Vancouver Aquarium is definitely something that should be on your visit-list especially if you have kids. It is definitely nicer than the official "Zoo" and arguably more fun than Science World. The Vancouver Aquarium is also the first public aquarium in Canada (it opened in 1956) which conducts marine research, animal rehabilitation, and environmental conservation. 

Location and Accessibility

The location is ideal - it is nestled at one corner of Stanley Park and easily accessibly by bus, walking or biking from downtown Vancouver.  I would highly advise taking public transit to the aquarium due to the fact that the parking lot fills up, especially on the weekends. If you do find parking there, I would advise getting a day pass (~$15) instead of paying by the hour since you can easily lose track of time, and easily spend 3-4 hours in the aquarium. In terms of accessibility for wheelchair users, there are plenty of toilets throughout the museum, including accessible bathrooms for wheelchair users. You can also rent wheelchairs and walkers should you need it.

Ticketing and Membership

Even though it is a not-for-profit aquarium, the tickets are steep, at $45/person, but the aquarium has a lot to see in it. Children under 3 go free, and those aged between 3 and 12 years of age pay a lower amount. It is perhaps best to buy tickets in advance as they are slightly cheaper. If you reside in Vancouver, it might be a worthy investment to get an annual membership which costs around 73.5 CAD for the year and you get unlimited entry as well as priority access to special events. This is in fact an excellent deal, especially since the aquarium can be visited on rainy days as well and for those who don't know, it rains like 80% of the time in Vancouver.

We visited the Vancouver Aquarium during my birthday weekend, so my husband treated me there! It was one of the only attractions we hadn't seen in our four years in Vancouver and it was the last week for me and the kids in Vancouver before our imminent move to London. It will take atleast 2-3 hours with kids, and if you have patient kids, you can easily spend about 4-5 hours there. We maxxed out at 3 hours but still had a few exhibits we didnt properly see. 

Food

There are quite a few food and snack options at the aquarium that aren't unusually expensive. You can enjoy the Courtyard Cafe and Bar for lighter snack and fast food options, as well as coffee. The coffee isn't anything to rave about but you will get caffeine in your system should you need it (we did because we visited while we were caring for a newborn - read disturbed sleep.) For finer dining options, there is also the Upstream Bar + Grill, an environmentally-friendly restaurant that uses compostable plates and cutlery. There is even another option, the Bicycle Bistro, which stays open until 6 pm every day. 

Visit to the Aquarium

The exhibits are breathtaking and definitely get you excited about nature and marine life. The exhibits are not focused on purely Canadian marine life, but instead have tropical and other exotic wildlife which are marvellous. A few of the exhibits are:

The Tropics

This exhibit was our favorite. Even though one doesn't expect an exhibit from the Tropics on the Pacific coast, it is arguably the most colorful and interesting ones, especially for kids. This section is home to bright and flourescent colored fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including turtles, sharks, and jellyfish. You’ll get to see coral reefs and mangrove forests as part of this incredible exhibit that transports you far away from British Columbia and much closer to the equator.

The Graham Amazon Gallery

This is also a pretty cool exhibit where the focus is on the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest, both in and out of the water. This exhibit is home to sloths, crocodiles, iguanas and so much more. You can even experience a thunderstorm simulation and get a sense of how intense the rainforest weather can be! There 

Pacific Canada Pavilion

This exhibit focuses mostly on Canada’s native marine life. To be fair, it wasn't our favorite mainly because most of the Pacific fish we saw weren't as colorful or exotic looking. If anything, they looked creepy:-|

B.C.’s Wild Coast Exhibit

This exhibit is part indoors and part outdoors and you can view marine mammals here, namely otters, seals, and sea lions. You can also learn about Vancouver Aquarium’s amazing conservation efforts and what you can do to help protect Vancouver’s coastlines.

Wet Lab

There was also a wet lab in the aquarium where kids can put on gloves and feel the fish. Quite often, it might be in use by schools and there is a ridiculously long line -up. We unfortunately did not have a chance to check it out but if you aren't pressed for time, this is something to definitely check out.

Wondrous Jellies

Oh my word! Who doesn't love jellyfish! I would spend hours just staying at them as they grace. This Wondrous Jellies exhibit is home to a huge variety of jellyfish from all over the world, and seeing these colorful gelatinous blobs floating around is surprisingly relaxing when you know they can’t sting you!

Besides these exhibits, there is an exhibit on frogs and on Canada's artic as well as a few others. However, we had already spend three hours there and by that time, our toddler and newborn were spent. So we had to call it a day! However, this aquarium would be best enjoyed in a series of visits.