Hi guys, sorry it’s been a while. We got back from Washington two months ago and let me tell you, I have been babysitting a ton, catching up on sleep, working on getting a Youtube channel started (I accidentally deleted my entire 14 minute long video and need to start from scratch..), trying to declutter my home and of course keep up with my wild, active, strong willed girl! I got a few DMs asking if I was still going to keep blogging which made me realize that it has been so long since my last post. Our trip to Washington was spectacular! I have so many things to blog about like travel tips with toddlers, what we ate, what I bought (it wasn’t much), what I wore and more.. but first, I will be telling you all about the activities we did in Washington! I put kid friendly in the title because Kobe was with us for every single activity. Me and my husband are homebodies who don’t really like to go out. So, if you’re looking for tips on Washington’s night life… this ain’t it.
My husband is based out of a really tiny town called Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island which is an island off the coast of Washington. Although it’s 2 hours north of Seattle, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is typically the airport you’d fly into. Bellingham and it’s airport are an hour north of Oak Harbor but don’t have nearly as many flights compared to SeaTac making it much more expensive. I don’t even know if a direct flight from Honolulu to Bellingham exists.
In Washington we spent time in Bellingham, Whidbey Island and Seattle. Here were some of our favorite activities!
Walking along Front Street- Coupeville, Whidbey Island
Coupeville is a small town on Whidbey Island with a population under 2,000 people. My husband had been to a restaurant there called Front Street Grill and wanted to bring me and Kobe there too. Front Street is the cutest street with little restaurants, bakeries, an ice cream shop and some boutiques. For all of my ‘Oahu locals, it reminded me of Waialae Ave. There is ample, free street parking.
I found the cutest children’s store on Front Street called The Honey Bear. They sell candy, toys, books and so much more! I wanted to buy EVERYTHING there for Kobe but only left with one set of Brain Quest flashcards.
Right next store to The Honey Bear is a designer consignment store called Posh Upscale Resale. Although I found a few pieces I liked, I left empty handed. #BallinOnABudget
They have a wide selection of handbags! 
I loved these Manolos but felt they were a bit overpriced given the condition. 
This Gucci wallet is to die for. If I bought it, I’d have no money left to put in it!
Front Street has a neat book store called Kingfisher Book Store. It was overwhelming as they had a huge selection of books! The layout wasn’t like a traditional book store, it looked more like a library. I also found out that the owner lives right above the store, how cool!
As a mom, I am always looking for children’s books. They didn’t have a “kids” section so I really had to hunt. Fortunately, my husband had Kobe while I was in here. It would have been impossible to look for books with her.
I found 5 books for Kobe. They were all $1 each! 
Not your typical book store.
Kobe loves walking! If we’re out for short periods of time, we don’t need our stroller. 
FACTS.
Overall, we had such a fun time. Between lunch, walking around and checking out a few shops we spent about 2 hours here. If you’re on Whidbey Island, you should definitely check out Front Street.
Bellevue Square Mall, Bellevue
Before I had Kobe I loved shopping. I still do but my financial priorities have shifted, haha. Diapers aren’t cheap y’all! Pre-Kobe you could find me hitting up all of my favorite stores. But now, whenever I go to the mall I always look for areas that Kobe can play in, the elevator (stroller problems) and coffee! Bellevue Square Mall has a huge, free parking lot. Like most malls, it can be hard to find a good spot near the entrance.
Bellevue Square has a “Kids’ Cove” which is a safe, carpeted place for kids to be kids! 
Kobe had so much fun here! She threw a major fit when it was time to leave.
I’ve been to all 5 Nordstrom stores in Seattle- Downtown Seattle, Alderwood Mall, Northgate, South Center and Bellevue Square. I can honestly say that the Bellevue Nordstrom is my FAVORITE!!! The layout is gorgeous, the store is huge without being overwhelming and here’s the gag- they have not one but two E-bars (coffee shop)! Every single Nordstrom we’ve visited always has the nicest employees and they never hesitate to offer Kobe a balloon in the Kid’s Shoe department!
Seattle Center, Seattle
The Seattle Center is huge and filled with tons of amazing attractions! It’s home to the infamous Space Needle and so much more. I purchased City Pass’ for us. It’s such a neat concept. You purchase a “City Pass” and it gets you entry into 5 of Seattle’s top attractions for a fraction of the price! The Seattle City Pass gets you into Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, Argosy Boat Tour and then either Museum of Pop Culture OR Woodland Park Zoo and Chihuly Garden and Glass OR Pacific Science Center.
When having to decide between the various attractions we chose Woodland Park Zoo over Museum of Pop Culture and the Pacific Science Center over the Chihuly Garden and Glass because we knew Kobe would enjoy those more.
Pacific Science Center (PSC) Okay let’s start out with the parking situation. As we pulled up the sign read $15 and the Asian in me was like heck no! Fortunately, my husband is on board with my cheap ways so we drove around in attempts to find either a cheaper lot or street parking. It took us about 10 minutes of driving around but we found a spot on 3rd Ave and Thomas Street. We had to walk about 10 minutes uphill to get to PSC but to me it was worth it. Burning off lunch and free parking? Score! Admission for adults 16 and up: $34.70, children 3-5: $18.70 5-15: $24.70 and 65+ is $31.70! The City Pass covered our entry.
Got a gorgeous view of the Space Needle on our walk! 
We had a blast here!
Stroller: Babyzen Yoyo Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (bronze/copper lilac mirror) Sweater: Topshop size XS, Belt: Gucci size 75, Jeans: Fashion Nova size 1 (I used to shop at Fashion Nova a lot but I’ve realized that they steal a lot of their designs and their models are either photoshopped or have an unrealistic body type) Boots: Steve Madden size 8
What made PSC so much fun was that we met up with my childhood best friend Kelli and her baby girl Sienna! Kelli and I have the best memories together and I cannot wait for our daughters to be besties too!
PSC has a butterfly room, a butterfly landed on Kobe’s foot! 
I love being your aunty, Sisi! 
Who doesn’t love a fun mirror?
PSC is HUGE. We spent about 3 hours here and definitely did not see everything. I know for a fact that we will be back. Kobe had a lot of fun and I know she will enjoy this place even more as she gets older. I think kids up to the age of 12ish will enjoy themselves here! There was so much to do and so much to learn! Random site note: they do allow strollers inside! I only mention this because the children’s museum in Honolulu doesn’t allow strollers inside and neither did our next attraction.
Space Needle This was both me, Kobe and my hubby’s first time going up the Space Needle! We went to Seattle twice in 2018 and at times I have a hard time believing that we didn’t go up the Space Needle until our third visit! Honestly, I’ve never wanted to pay to get in but I knew we’d regret not coming up once my husband is know longer stationed in Washington. The City Pass covered our entry but adult admission: $37.50, children 5-12: $28.50 and 65+: $28.50.
No strollers allowed! They have stroller “parking”. I hate to think the worst but I always fear our stroller will get stolen! 
Poor Kobe hadn’t napped all day and finally fell asleep once we got down around 3:30 pm. 
VIEWS.
Kobe’s romper: North Face size 18-24M
Since they don’t allow strollers up the Space Needle, I put Kobe in the baby carrier (on my back) the entire time up there. I learned how to put Kobe on my back a few months ago and it’s been life changing! I love it so much! It definitely helps with my back pain and allows me to bend down if I need to with ease. The benefits are endless.
My aunty and niece who live in Bellevue joined us and were trying to purchase their Space Needle tickets online beforehand. When purchasing tickets online, you must select a timeframe (all 15 min increments) It caused some confusion for us because she was asking us what time our tickets were for and I wasn’t sure! Because the City Pass got us entry into Space Needle, we already had our “tickets.”
There is a booth at the bottom of the Space Needle where you can either purchase tickets to get in or exchange your City Pass for your ticket. My sister who was with us ended up purchasing a ticket for herself and for my aunty and niece at the booth. If you get your ticket online, I don’t know if you can present your phone to the attendant or if you need to exchange it for a physical copy at this booth. If you get your tickets in person at the center you have to select a 15 minute time frame as well. To prevent the line for the elevator getting clogged, you can only enter 15 minutes prior to your entry time. I know it sounds confusing, but it seems like a really good system to prevent any back up! I have no idea what they would do if you miss your time frame… I couldn’t imagine them turning you down.
Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle
Kobe LOVES animals (she can currently say dog, woof, cat, meow, sheep, cow, moo, baa and a few other animals sounds) so we knew we had to make a stop at the zoo! I took Kobe to the Honolulu Zoo once. The only con is that it get’s really hot at home! The Woodland Park Zoo has a spacious, paid lot. It was $6. Adults (13 and up): $22.95, children 3-12: $13.95 and senior (they’re website did not specify the age range): $20.95.
The zoo had tons of open space for Kobe to run around. Although she loved looking at the animals, I think she had a lot more fun getting to run freely. Kobe was 17 months during our visit and not as interactive as she’ll be in the future. We will definitely visit this zoo again and I know she’ll have a blast!
Downtown Seattle
Downtown Seattle is filled with history, culture and fun! It is home to the iconic Pike Place Market, first ever Starbucks, first ever Nordstrom and a lot more. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to see everything that we wanted to! Parking in (any) downtown is always tricky. Downtown Nordstrom offers reasonably priced valet parking. 1-4 hours is only $7.50! The only bummer is that the Nordstrom valet service stops after 7 pm. We’ve also parked at Target before! If I remember correctly it was about $17 for 2-ish hours.
Downtown Nordstrom I know I said that the Bellevue Nordstrom is my favorite.. but Downtown Seattle Nordstrom is #2 on my list! It has 6 floors and features an Anastasia brow studio, personal stylists, beauty stylists, a spa, a coffee shop (E-Bar), two restaurants, a bar, nail salon and a wedding suite!
Kids’ department has coloring pages, crayons and markers! 
We left right around closing and they gave us all of the balloons because they were going to get tossed anyway. Kobe was happy.
Seattle Aquarium The Seattle Aquarium is located in Downtown Seattle along the waterfront. One of Kobe’s first words were “fish” so we knew we had to take her there! The parking situation is a hot mess express. The aquarium doesn’t have a designated parking lot. It’s all either metered parking or parking structures that cost an arm and a leg. Seriously. Some signs we saw read $20! Just like Pacific Science Center, I was determined to find FREE street parking even if it meant driving around for 10 minutes! We found street parking in Belltown it was a 15 minute walk each way.
Walking to the aquarium. 
Had to stop for a snack break!
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (green mirror), Shirt: Topshop size 2, Sweater: Sun & Shadow (Nordstrom brand) super old size XS, Jeans: ya’ll already know, Boots: Steve Madden size 8
We spent about 1.5 hours at the aquarium. Kobe really loved it. We probably would have stayed longer if it weren’t for the timing. We had a really late start to our day and by the time we left the aquarium it was 3:30 pm and Kobe desperately needed to take a nap.
Pike Place Market Pike Place Market is one of the oldest farmers’ markets in the country still in operation. Pike Place Market is the most popular tourist destination in Seattle and the 33rd most visited attraction in the world!
Jacket/vest: Juicy Couture, Jeans: Mother Denim, Diaper Bag: Skip Hop, Sippy cups: Dr Browns
Chinatown-International District, Seattle
International District is a melting pot of cultures and consists of three different neighborhoods- Chinatown, Japantown and Little Saigon. We ate lunch here one day and per usual Kobe was getting really cranky so my husband took her outside. Little did I know they would stumble across a park just a block away..
International Children’s Park was perfect for Kobe! 
Gorgeous cherry blossoms at the park.
I wish we got to spend more time in ID! Besides the delicious food ID has a ton of shops. Massage parlors, gift shops, tea stores, book shops and more! A notable attraction we weren’t able to see due to lack of time is the Wing Luke Museum. The next time we’re in Seattle I 100% want to go. At the end of this post I will make a list of all of the attractions we weren’t able to see.
Seattle Premium Outlets, Tulalip
The Seattle Outlet mall is 45 minutes north of the city. It features stores like Burberry, Hugo Boss, Nike, Kate Spade, Lululemon and more.
I got these jeans from Lucky Brand (size 24) for only $25! 
Kobe had so much fun getting to walk around and play in these toy cars!
I will say that the food court here is terrible. We ended up eating dinner here just because we were all getting hangry. Options were limited to Subway, Italian, Japanese and Chinese none of which were authentic. If you plan on coming to the outlet I would eat before hand!
John Storvik Playground, Anacortes (Whidbey Island)
No exaggeration.. I don’t think I will ever find a cuter/cleaner park! Before we headed out I googled “children’s park in Anacortes” and to my surprise Google pulled up the cutest, most vibrant park I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I knew Kobe would be so thrilled to play there!
Boulevard Park, Bellingham When traveling with a toddler you’ll find yourself googling “parks” more often than you think. After we ate lunch in Bellingham, I wanted to find a park for Kobe to run around in. I googled “Bellingham parks” and a few popped up. After reading some reviews I was immediately drawn to Boulevard Park because it has a Woods Coffee literally right on the park property. EVERY MOM’S DREAM.
Can you spy Kobe’s bright pink romper? 
Not as cute as the park in Anacortes.. I think my standards are too high now.
This park is right along the water. We were here in March and it was FREEZING. I wish it wasn’t so cold, we would have stayed much longer!
We had such an amazing time in Washington and I cannot wait to come back again. Unfortunately due to lack of time and me and Kobe getting sick one weekend, we weren’t able to see and do EVERYTHING we wanted to. Here are a few things that we didn’t do during this visit.
- First of all, I get so mad thinking about the fact that we didn’t end up doing the Argosy Boat Tour (Seattle) that was INCLUDED in my City Pass purchase. It’s a one hour, narrated boat tour of the city. It’s path is West of Seattle and in the Pacific Ocean. The adult price is $31 which I’m keeping in mind if we were to visit again and it’s something we wanted to do!
- Second, although I didn’t get any pictures we did visit Downtown Oak Harbor! It’s similar to Front Street and has tons of little stores, restaurants, nail salons, fitness studios, etc. If you are ever on Whidbey Island you should check it out!
- When we came to Seattle in August last year, we visited Kubota Garden. It wasn’t too far from the airport. We weren’t able to squeeze it in this trip but was absolutely breathtaking.
- We didn’t visit the Gum Wall (Downtown Seattle) out of fear that Kobe would lick it. Literally. Toddlers have no chill.
- I mentioned this earlier but we didn’t get the chance to see the Wing Luke Museum in ID. Adult entry is $17 and kids <5 are free!
- Kerry Park is a park in Seattle with dope views of the city! Next time we go to Seattle I’d love to buy lunch to go and do a picnic!
- Seattle Art Museum is located in Downtown. When Kobe is a bit older and can appreciate some art, I’d love to take her there. As of right now I’m sure we’d get kicked out because she will touch EVERYTHING.
- The Seattle Great Wheel is located at Pier 57 and is the tallest ferris wheel on the West Coast. I wasn’t sure how Kobe would do in there so I didn’t even fathom going. Plus, I am kind of scared of heights. If you’re into ferris wheels, check it out because I’m sure the views are amazing.
- If you’re into musicals the 59th Avenue Theater (Seattle) is the place to be! I can’t wait for the day Kobe and I can watch a musical in peace… it’ll be in about 8 years.
- We’ve driven past Cedardale Orchards (Mt Vernon) at least over 20 times and have yet to make a stop! They are literally right on the side of the free way right before Mount Vernon. From reading the Yelp reviews, I’ve learned that this place is “unmanned” and using the honor system you drop your cash into a little box. They don’t have change so you either leave a generous tip or get more apple cider than you were intending to!
What was Kobe hiding from? 
Kubota Garden 2018
I’m sure I could add a ton more to this list but I’ll leave it as is for now. Washington residents, what are some must dos and must sees?! Has anyone else here been to Washington State? Drop a comment with your favorite activities!