My visit to the Columbia Tower Observatory on the 73rd floor was nothing short of amazing. The…read moreviews are absolutely breathtaking--truly one of those experiences where you find yourself stopping just to take it all in. Seeing Seattle from that height gives you a completely new appreciation for the city and its surroundings. What made the visit even more enjoyable was the staff. Every employee I encountered was incredibly welcoming, friendly, and genuinely pleasant. Their warmth made the experience feel even more special, and it was clear they take pride in creating a positive atmosphere for visitors. One observation I did have relates to the elevator experience. It has been two years since my last visit, and unfortunately, the elevator's video system is still not functioning. I remember when the observatory first opened, and the video played during the ride up--it added an engaging and memorable element to the experience. Without it, the ride feels noticeably less enjoyable. Interestingly, others seemed to feel the same way. I mentioned how long the video system has been out of service while riding up, and a couple riding up with us--visiting from Australia--commented that it would have been nice to have something to watch during the ascent. As an alternative, it might be a wonderful opportunity for the elevator operator to share a few interesting facts during the ride up. A brief, engaging introduction--highlighting that this is the tallest building in Seattle, along with a bit of history about its construction and facts about its tenants--could really enhance the experience and help pass the time in a meaningful way. Additionally, with all three video screens currently not working and visibly cracked, addressing this issue would make a noticeable difference. Either repairing or replacing the screens--or even temporarily covering them--would create a much more polished and welcoming feel for visitors and help elevate the overall experience. You can't beat the view though!

If you're deciding between the Sky View Observatory and the Space Needle, I'd strongly consider Sky…read moreView. The experience felt much more laid back, with fewer crowds and plenty of space to take in the views. It is also technically taller than the Space Needle. The observatory floor goes all the way around and has lots of helpful information and displays explaining what you're looking at, which made the experience more engaging than simply taking photos from an observation deck. There's also a café w/ bar upstairs, making it easy to relax and spend some time enjoying the scenery. One of the biggest advantages is that you get incredible panoramic views of Seattle including the Space Needle itself, which makes for some great photo opportunities. We got lucky and it was a beautiful afternoon and were able to watch the sunset from there. Between the views, the atmosphere, and the overall value, this ended up being one of my favorite stops in Seattle.

Spontaneously stopped by since we were nearby and needed to kill some time before lunch…read more This is a huge blueberry farm. Lots of blueberries but small, perhaps it was the variety of blueberry. I didn't ask for the name of variety. Endless rows of blueberries. The farm is next to a trail so there were joggers passing by. $2.5/lb with minimum 2 lbs. So you need to pick 2lbs worth otherwise you're still charged for $5. There's a small flower and produce shop on the property.

Loved that this farm was relatively close by for me. I desperately needed a lot of berries for an…read moreoccasion where I promised I'd make plenty of blueberry jam so just googled what is within a short driving distance and found this. I think if I had more time I would have been more patient to find the bigger more juicer berries but the ones I picked did the job and were delicious. Pretty big farm but the parking lot is a little small so I'm not sure what that would look like on the weekends. Prices were affordable. I got about 4 or 5 pounds of berries for 11 dollars.

We visited Duris Strawberry Farm on the first day of strawberry picking (Jun 13, 2026) and it was a…read morecomplete madhouse. This was about 30 minutes after opening and the small parking lot was completely full. Cars were parked haphazardly all along the street, making it difficult for two way traffic (we had to drive on the grass). Luckily as soon as we pulled into the parking lot a car reversed out. Score! Picking is hectic but organized. They give boxes out at the main stall and have a flag system to mark how far down the row has been picked. The problem is that most people didn't actually use the flags. On the other hand, it's not like the rows were picked very well in the first place. We started at a random one in the middle and there were still plenty of huge and juicy ripe strawberries even on the first couple of plants. We ended up filling our entire box, weighing in at 8.25 pounds by around half way down the row. At $4.75 that was almost $40 in strawberries! The employees said that they would rotate to a second field of strawberries later in the day for more fresh picking. The strawberry variety of the day was Puget Crimson. Since this was the first day, the cream of the crop were still available, meaning huge, juicy, flavorful, ripe strawberries all over. Puget Crimson typically seen at farm stands and markets are medium and small size; these were massive, with the larger ones averaging over 35 grams a piece. Nicely sweet too - I measured a mash of five strawberries at 10.9 brix and a second at 12.1 brix! This particular variety has a decent amount of acidity, but are all full flavored, unlike the first pick of Sweet Sunrise I had a couple of weeks ago, which were huge but somewhat watery. They are deep red/crimson in color, especially for the extremely ripe ones, and mostly conical, although we found a small number of mutants, one looking like 4 or 5 strawberries fused together! Check out is easy. Pro-Tip: there are two checkout lines, one on each side of the stall. The line furthest away from the pathway to the strawberry fields seems to always be shorter. In my case, only 3 groups in line instead of 20+ groups. Warning: these strawberries are planted on top of very sandy dirt, which sticks to the strawberries. Even after soaked and scrubbing, dirt still sticks onto the skin! I will definitely be revisiting Duris Strawberry Farm next year for their first day of strawberry picking!

We stopped and bought some strawberries today and they were spectacular. We received the tip to…read morevisit Duris today from our waitress Lisa at Mama Stortini's during lunch. She said they have great produce so we stopped there on the way home along River road and I'm so glad we did. They had big juicy sweet strawberries picked today just like she said. It was a great tip so I'm paying it forward for anyone who is looking for strawberries. It's best to call them before you go since when they run out, they close and we barely made in time after a late lunch. They only had a few half flats of strawberries bu the time we got there. GPS got us there the back way but once we found it, I have to say it's very easy to find.

Bellevue Botanical Garden is a beautiful place. And the fact that it is always free too! It's open…read moreevery day even holidays! To be a small botanical garden, there's a nice walking path and many, many beautiful flowers and plants to see. There are often local community events hosted here. Activities for the young to adults. They have classes that you can find and sign up for on their website as well. And the classes are affordable!! You may even see people taking wedding photos here because again it's beautiful. The park is ADA friendly. The path is dirt and pebbled but can be navigated with a wheelchair. There are bathrooms on site and a small shop. I have never purchased bulbs or plants from here but I know there is a big community around that. The coffee shop in the garden can get busy. But a benefit is we were able to charge my husband's wheelchair there on a visit. While the park is open every day, the coffee shop is not. Definitely this should be a spot for all locals. And not just a one time visit either.

This was a nice little find. We got here late as my sister had to take her son to this de's appt…read more By the time we got to Seattle, it was already 1 pm. Once the entire family met up, we climbed back into the car and headed to Bellevue. Not sur if it was due to the time. But we were surprised there was a lot of parking available. We spent a good 2-hrs here which included getting lost and finding other street entries into the botanical park from a school and from other busy street corner at the bottom of the park. Nice and shaded, quiet little creeks, plenty of seating for those that were inspired to journal, plenty of elderly people using this time to exercise and stretch. We enjoyed the different areas like the swinging bridge, the Japanese garden and even the little cafe they have there. Fairly priced items and plenty of tables to enjoy a refreshment and snack. By the time we were done, the gift shop was already closed. So I took the opportunity to drop a donation into the box instead.