Last September, I had the fortunate opportunity to be the best man for my friend’s wedding in Seattle, Washington. I flew up a few days early to explore the city and capture its’ beauty. Come journey along with me as I share my experience in this fine city!

Day 1

As I walked out of the airport and arrived at the train that takes you to the city, I was welcomed by the cool and sunny weather, which is something that rarely happens in Seattle.

I arrived at my AirBnB 3 hours before I was able to get into it so what did I do with my spare time you ask? I grabbed my giant bag of luggage and pushed it to the nearest Indian restaurant!

After stuffing myself with rice and Chicken Tikka Masala, I still had 2 hours to kill. Once again, I pushed my heavy luggage around and explored the surrounding neighborhood. Do you want to know what I quickly learned about Seattle? There are a lot of hills, and believe me, hiking up huge hills with heavy luggage is not fun.

Despite the frustration of hauling my luggage around the city, I was able to capture some great photos. The pictures below are some of the ones I took while walking around. You can tell that fall was soon to arrive with all of the colors of the leaves! I eventually arrived at Raveena Park. It had a large bridge that crossed over the ravine and I was even able to hike down into the ravine. It was really cool!

I was finally able to settle into my very disappointing AirBnB (it was literally a basement) and drop off my things. There were so many sights I wanted to visit like the Space Needle, the nearby parks, and anything else interesting along the way.

I took a bus and traveled 45 minutes to the Space Needle. I was immediately impressed when I got my first glimpse of it! The clear skies, golden sunlight, and the glow that reflected off of it made for a stunning view. I was blessed to have immaculate weather while I was there. It was one the things that continually stood out to me and it definitely elevated my entire experience in Seattle.

My next stop was Olympic Sculpture Park, which was only several blocks away. As I arrived, my jaw dropped. The scenery, the golden sun, the sky, and the people were all so beautiful. I immediately started snapping shots. I was in photographer’s heaven!

I remember thinking “Wow, these people get to experience this anytime they want to. How amazing!” Eventually, I got to the scenic portion of the park where you can see the famous sculpture and the trail that overlooks the coast. I stayed there for about an hour to just relax, take in the moment, and capture the sights around me.

Heading down to the ground level felt like entering a whole new park. There were large fields, bicycle lanes, beach volleyball, and of course more people. I’ve always gravitated towards taking photos of people sitting alone. It’s almost therapeutic for me to capture these solitary moments, and the one below was no different. It was the perfect end to my time in the park before heading back to my AirBnB for the night.

Olympic Sculpture Park overseeing the coast

Mountains at a distance at Olympic Sculpture Park

Day 2

On day 2, I explored the city, and not just downtown, but China Town. I’ve been to China Towns in a few different cities and the complete change in the environment, community, and food never ceases to amaze me! I was excited to experience what Seattle’s version had to offer.

As I hopped off the train, I looked around and felt like I was transported into a whole different country. I love how cultural towns like this exist here in America. It reminded me of how diverse this country is and how blessed I am to live in such a place.

One area that caught my eye was this small park called Hing Hay Park in the middle of the town. It had a little shrine-like building with people sitting nearby and a ping pong table set up to play on. I could tell the community was enjoying being outside in the beautiful weather.

After spending a good part of the day in China Town, I left to go meet up with my friend to spend time with him for the rest of the day!

Man reading the newspaper at the Hing Hay Park

Day 3

Day 3 began some of the wedding festivities, so I was up and out of the AirBnB early to explore some more before I had to be at the events! I was warned before I went to Seattle that people can be rude there, but I didn’t believe it until I stopped for my morning coffee. Apparently it’s highly offensive to get back in line to get a straw…

After crying over my morning latte, I headed to the University of Washington. As I stepped onto the campus, I felt like I was walking into Hogwarts. Looking around me at the gothic style buildings transported me back in time to the Middle Ages. The brick buildings and the grandeur of the entire campus made for some beautiful photos.

I wasn’t able to spend as much time as I would have liked at UW, because I was in a time crunch. My last stop before I head to the wedding rehearsal was Discovery Park. It was a bit of a hike to get all the way there and back in time, but I couldn’t let that stop me!

I got off the bus at the park and hiked the 3 mile trail toward the coast. The forest trail was beautiful with the sun’s rays piercing through thick forest trees, but when I got to the coastal trail, I was blown away. It was breathtaking. I couldn't stop taking photos of the landscape, the lighthouse, and the people there enjoying the view.

After spending some time at Discovery Park, I headed back for my friend’s rehearsal dinner for the rest of the evening.

Day 4

Day 4 was the wedding day! I didn’t take a lot of photos, but I did get a few of my friend getting ready, some of the groomsmen, and the boat houses nearby. Below are a few of those photos from the day. I don’t have much to share about this day other than that it was a joy and an honor to stand beside my friend on his wedding day and I was blessed to be able to be his best man.

Day 5

On my last day, I wanted to explore one of the most famous spots in Seattle, the Pike Place Market. I arrived around 7am before the market opened and it was a very peaceful morning. As I explored around the area, I began to think about the homeless population in Seattle. I noticed that there was rarely one person alone, but rather entire communities of homeless people who were gathered together. I saw them camped out in tents on the side of the roads.

As I walked around, I began to hope and pray that these people would be given opportunities to have a new start in life. I love the way that intentionally looking at people can make us think more deeply about them and the things they may have been through in life.

As the market opened, I picked up my camera and was enthralled by everything going on around me. At the Pike Place Fish Market, the workers were chanting as they threw around fish, like the Vikings singing as they rowed their ship. The women at the flower stands were hard at work making arrangements to sell to their customers. There were people everywhere just going about their day.

Another attraction I really enjoyed was the original Starbucks. It was cool to see where it all began. Did I get any coffee form there you may ask? Nope, the line was way too long and I had too many things to see! This day was one filled with fast-paced, busy people going about their day sometimes barely noticing the beauty around them, much like most of us do in our every day lives.

Going Home!

I really enjoyed exploring Seattle. There was so much to see and do there and I definitely didn’t have enough time to do everything I wanted to. I can’t wait to visit again and to explore more of the city! I hope you all enjoyed coming along with me on my trip. I love getting to share the experience with you.

Until next time!

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