Saying Goodbye to Seattle

We saved some of the biggest Seattle highlights for our final day in town and were a bit worried when we woke up to thick fog.  Fortunately, the cloud cover burned off and we were able to spend our last day in a very sunny Seattle.

The first tourist attraction on our list was a walk to Seattle Center to see the Chihuly Garden & Glass.  The entrance fee alone was absurd and Chris was worried that we'd have to sell our house if Ava broke something, but Ava was on her best behavior and was enthralled by all the shapes, light, and color.

For lunch we rotated 360 degrees at 500 feet above Seattle in the Space Needle where we had unobstructed views of the entire city.  Kids can write notes and leave them on the outer ledge for other people to respond.  Ava could read and respond to questions - about her name, where she was from, whether she would go out with them, and whether god was alive - from these unseen friends.

Crossing the city, we took a tour of CenturyLink Field, the home of Derrick Coleman and the Seattle Seahawks.  After decades as the AFC West's doormat, the Seahawks have turned things around with a gorgeous stadium and are in the NFC and Super Bowl champs.  

Highlights of the tour included the visitor's locker room 

And a visit onto the field. 

After some rest back at the hotel, we rode the LINK to Safeco Field to see Robinson Cano and the surprisingly good Seattle Mariners.  Ava has now seen games in 10 different major league stadiums (stadia?).

Prior to the game, Ava ran around the playground. 

We took a break during the Mariners' 2-0 shutout of the hapless Twins to take pictures,  

Visit the Dave Niehaus statue,  

And visit the Moose Den to get a photo and autograph of Mariner Moose.

Despite a few minor hiccups (getting drenched in Vancouver, some bumps and bruises, and some long lines), Ava had a solid, 5-star vacation and looks forward to a future trip back to the great northwest.