Cooper at the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington

We started our road trip to Seattle, Washington, in the middle of the night at 2:30 AM. Cooper's dad, my husband, did the majority of the driving — he prepared himself prior by getting a full 5-hour sleep for the mentally strenuous drive. We made it to southern Oregon at around sunrise. The first stop was at a gas station where we filled up on gas, went to the restroom, and fed Cooper and Sachi (it was their breakfast time). Then we continued our extended road trip.

Our first full rest stop was at Adelman Peony Garden Shop in Salem, Oregon. They have an extensive collection of peonies covering 25 acres in the Willamette Valley. Best of all, they're dog-friendly! We were here a little too early for the peak bloom, around early June. However, our time here was much-needed, and the peonies were gorgeous — we learned about the pastelegance and that they cost $167 a stem (one of the pricey peonies).

Following the peony garden, we returned to the car and drove to Portland, Oregon. It was pretty warm in Portland, giving us enough reason to stop by Wailua Shave Ice. The shave ice here is always delicious and a definite stop in Portland. The other stop was Nong's Khao Man Gai — we ordered the original khao man gai and asked for chicken skin, making the entire dish even better.

After our refreshing pit stops in Oregon, we braced ourselves for the last leg of the trip. It was around 4:00 PM when we arrived at Cedarbrook Lodge in SeaTac. The check-in process was easy, and we got a room in the Dogwood area with a king-sized bed and tub. The room had all the amenities we would need and even a lounge area outside our room. This was the ideal place for us following a 12+ hour drive; the lodge was warm and welcoming — truly a home away from home. The best aspect about Cedarbrook was the 18-acre access to the lush outdoor space. Dogs were welcomed here, and our pups had access to the outdoor lawn, outdoor restaurant, and throughout the grounds — there's even a pathway by the wetland where we could walk the dogs.

For dinner, we dined in at Copperleaf Restaurant & Bar out on the outdoor patio space where the pups can enjoy the refreshing evening with us, surrounded by lush greeneries. There was even a wood-burning fireplace to truly give that Northwest ambiance. The cuisine is seasonally-inspired, and most of the vegetables are grown and harvested at the lodge. We ordered risotto, octopus, roasted duck, and salmon for dinner. All the dishes were well-done and prepared accordingly. The food was excellent, and we didn't have to go out after checking in.

Right after dinner, we took a relaxing evening stroll during sunset hour alongside the wetland before heading back to our room and calling it a day. A well-earned escape from a long drive.

Day 1

For our first full day in Seattle, we thought it would be best to tackle all the main tourist attractions from the beginning. We got ourselves coffee and pastries for breakfast at Cedarbrook and headed out. We drove to a well-known Vietnamese cafe called Coffeeholic House in Columbia City — 20 min from Cedarbrook — to fuel us more for a long day ahead. We ordered the purple haze drink, and it might just be one of the best ube lattes we've had.

We spent most of our morning and afternoon at the famous Public Market Center (aka Pike Place) and the extraordinary Seattle Center. It was our second time at Pike Place; the first was during our road trip through the PNW. Given that my husband has never been to Seattle, so this was a must-visit where he could experience Pike Place for himself. At Pike Place, we stopped by Ellenos and got the marionberry yogurt — tarty and delicious. We opted out of seeing the Market Theater Gum Wall, but it still exists if you wish to see it. Before Pike Place Chowder opened, we walked around the downtown area and visited opened stores. It was dog-friendly everywhere we went, and the pups were enthusiastically welcomed in. As we walked back to the Pike Place Chowder, a line was already forming before it opened. We promptly stood in line, and it moved relatively quickly upon opening. Once it was our turn, we ordered the sampler (you can choose between 4 or 8) and went with 4 chowders — lime and coconut, seafood bisque, crab and oyster, and the original new England. Honestly, the best tasting one had to be the crab and oyster with chorizo.

Shortly after, we finished Pike Place and headed towards the Settle Center to see the Space Needle. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in the Space Needle, but they are allowed around the grounds of the Seattle Center. This place reminded me of the California Science Center near USC in Los Angeles. Check out the Chihuly Garden and Glass if you're visiting Seattle Center without dogs. We were able to see some of the glass artwork that was displayed outside but couldn't go in with two dogs. Another fantastic place was the Museum of Pop Culture; Cooper and I were okay with admiring the exterior architecture. The entire Seattle Center was a lot of fun to walk around — the dogs had a great time exploring and rubbing themselves on the lawn. Once we had a walk through the entire place, it was time for lunch. Nearby is a Japanese restaurant called Katsu-Ya. They have an outdoor patio and allow dogs. We ordered the rakumori bento, power lunch bento with miso cod, corn tempura, and toro royale roll. The pups got fresh cold drinking water from the restaurant. Overall food was great! The fish was fresh, and it satisfied our hunger for the afternoon.

We got boba at Don't Yell at Me for the second half of the day — they were dog-friendly. We ordered osmanthus jasmine tea and roselle honey chrysanthemum that hit the spot — and spent a couple of hours in the Fremont area. For a fun trip, we went troll sighting under the Aurora Bridge. The Fremont Troll is a neat mixed media colossal statue of a troll clutching an actual VW car.

There's a Fremont "funky" downtown area next to the Fremont Troll that we went to. It had a lot of unique boutiques and eateries, and the statue of Lenin is also there. This area is not commonly frequented by out-of-town folks. I found it quite lovely and would suggest this as a shopping destination to do some perusing. We went into a couple of shops, such as Pipe and Row — there was a "dogs are welcome" sign right outside; obviously, we had to go in. As we were nearing the end of the day and inched closer to dinner time, we popped over to Biang Biang Noodles. Our orders were the Mala beef spicy dry mix and pork dumplings. The noodles were fantastic, and they really tasted homemade. It is comparable to the noodles I had in New York. This place is not dog-friendly as there is no outdoor space, but they do takeout (which we would suggest doing if leaving your dogs in the car is not ideal as you dine-in).

Mala beef spicy dry mix biang biang noodles

Before we headed back to Cedarbrook to call it a day, we had to drop by a park. We drove to Lincoln Park, a 135-acres park in West Seattle that sits alongside Puget Sound. This was amazing. There's ample parking here, so finding parking was a breeze. The park consists of forest trails, a paved walkway along the beach, athletic fields, picnic shelters, and a heated saltwater swimming pool. We walk alongside a forest trail towards the beach area. Cooper and Sachi had a great time here. The highlight of this park was seeing a family of five cardigan welsh corgis.

Just like that, our day 1 in Seattle came to an end, and we were completely knocked out in the comfort of our bed at Cedarbrook Lodge.

Day 2

The next day, we woke up rejuvenated and efficiently packed up to check out of Cedarbrook Lodge. Cooper and Sachi will miss the lush lawn and wide-open outdoor area. For Day 2, we're exploring more of Seattle and checking a few places off our list to experience. Following our seamless check-out of Cedarbrook Lodge, we drove to Hello Em for coffee.

Hello Em is Seattle's first Vietnamese coffee roastery! At the cafe, we ordered cà phê lá dứa (pandan Vietnamese coffee) and bạc xỉu (Vietnamese latte). I wished I could have ordered the entire menu because everything on it sounded terrific, the pandan coffee was incredible, and the latte really woke me up. This place was simply amazing. The space seems to be dog-friendly but asks the front just in case you decide to bring a furry friend in.

The next place we went to was Seattle Fish Guy, a cafe and market hybrid that offers fresh poke, chowder, and seasonal seafood. They have a large outdoor area that makes it dog-friendly. We got the 3 poke entree and the famous smoked salmon belly. The poke reminded me of Hawai'i in its authenticity; even ordering it reminded me of Hawai'i. But the star of the show was the smoked salmon belly — smokey and buttery with a bit of crunch from the skin.

With happy bellies and wide awake minds, we drove to Kerry Park to see Seattle from a vantage point. Kerry Park is a small public park that offers a great viewpoint of the south slope of Queen Anne Hill and overlooks Downtown Seattle. It is located along West Highland Drive. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Rainier in the distance on the right of the Space Needle. Unfortunately for us, there was an overcast, so we missed seeing Mt. Rainier. However, the view here was great.

From Kerry Park, we went to check out another dog-friendly park. One that was a lot bigger. Like 545-acre. Discovery Park is Seattle's largest park on the shore of Puget Sound in the Magnolia neighborhood. There are 11.81 miles of walking trails and a cultural center within the park. To walk off the food we ate, we walked around Discovery Park and checked out the West Point lighthouse at the shores. Personally, I prefer Lincoln Park more — Discovery Park felt overwhelmingly huge.

Once we were done with our park escapades, we drove to Fuji Bakery for some light carb snacks and then towards Sip House to get refreshments. Sip House is another of Seattle's Vietnamese cafes; they offer coffee and tea. We opted out of coffee and ordered tea drinks instead — honey-lime lemongrass green tea and lychee lemongrass green tea. The drinks really hit the spot, and I absolutely loved how refreshing the drinks were (and it was not too sweet).

Since we've been to plenty of parks for one day, we moseyed over to Ballard's hip waterfront shopping district. If I were to say what neighborhood I had liked so far in Seattle, it would most definitely be Ballard. A few of the shops we went in were September, Lucca Great Finds, and Woodland Mod. Some of them had treats for Cooper, who was highly enthusiastic about receiving them. By around 4 PM, we had to leave and check in at the Grand Hyatt Seattle. I made a mental note to return to Ballard to explore the remaining shops.

The Grand Hyatt Seattle is conveniently located in the center of Downtown Seattle, and it was easy for us to get to from the Ballard/Fremont neighborhood. The check-in process was a breeze, from the valet and bell service to the front desk. The great thing to note about the Grand Hyatt is that all pet fees are waived! Once we got to our room, I was blown away by the view. Looking out, I was able to see Pike Place Market and the waterfront from a distance. And already in our king suite were large pet beds and dog bowls for food and water for the pups. The opulent bathroom was spacious and had marble accents.

As Cooper immediately laid claim to both pet beds, I discovered that the room came with remote-controlled floor-to-ceiling blackout curtains. After marveling at the space and view, it was time to unpack and get ready for dinner. Given that we are at the heart of Downtown Seattle, we wanted to get dinner within walking distance. We picked Di Fiora in Capitol Hill; it was about a 15-minute walk from the Grand Hyatt. A break from driving for the evening was much-needed.

I called Di Fiora about bringing Cooper with me; Sachi was too tired to leave the hotel. When the restaurant said we could bring Cooper, we headed out. We felt comfortable leaving Sachi behind at the hotel as we knew she had everything she needed and just wanted to be left to herself. Di Fiora is an Asian-European-inspired restaurant featuring curries, pasta, meat dishes, and cocktails. The interior decor was made for Instagram as you walk in. We ordered DiFi crispy wings, lava scallop, crispy langoustines tamarindo, salmon tartare, and Dungeness crab omelet fried rice for dinner. They all came out beautifully plated and tasted scrumptious. My favorite had to be the crab omelet fried rice; definitely, one of the best I've had — the egg was cooked perfectly, and the fried rice flavor was just right. There was plenty of crab inside the dish as well. All the other food we ordered was great as well. We got the purple rain mocktail for a drink — it was a little too sweet for me, but I diluted it a bit with water, which turned out to be perfect. Overall, a fantastic dinner.

As we headed out of Di Fiora and back to the Grand Hyatt, it started to rain. Since we were not too far from our hotel, I was not concerned about the walk back. It was quicker since we were mainly going downhill. As we returned to our room, Sachi was in the same spot as we had left her — she didn't even budge once and did not even greet us at the door. She was exhausted. Cooper knocked out on the Grand Hyatt pet bed immediately after coming back from dinner.

Day 2 was well-spent, and it was lights out for us for the rest of the night.

Day 3

Waking up to a grand view of Downtown Seattle at The Grand Hyatt was a joy, but coffee and a light breakfast were definitely needed for another full day of adventures in Seattle. We headed over to O8 Bagel Shop, 400 feet walking distance from The Grand Hyatt Seattle. The bagel shop is set within the Hyatt at Olive 8; we got coffee and a lox bagel — great news, they're dog-friendly! Once we got our drinks and food, I wanted to check out the market at The Hyatt Regency, located on the second floor. Cooper got a puppaccino there, so it was a worthwhile morning trip.

We ate our lox bagel back in our room at The Grand Hyatt Seattle, then prepped ourselves and proceeded to grab the car from the valet. I wanted more coffee because one cup is simply not enough. The next cafe we checked was Phin, another one of Seattle's Vietnamese Cafe. Phin had a lax atmosphere and made us take a morning pause — the purpose of Phin was designed around the phin-brewing method that has been long associated with Vietnamese coffee. We ordered the cà phê ₫en (brewed black coffee) and cà phê cốt dừa (coconut slush coffee). It really hit the spot for us, and we chilled in the cafe with the pups for half an hour before getting hungry. For lunch, we got Chinese BBQ at Kau Kau BBQ. Our order was the lunch special for $10 consisting of bbq pork fried rice with roast duck and bbq pork. For the price and how delicious it was, this place was definitely worth it for a visit. The bbq pork was sweet, tender, and juicy — the same goes for the roast duck. Even the fried rice was excellent! There is a "takeout" section before you go into the restaurant where I had ordered, so I was unsure if they're dog-friendly (Cooper and Sachi were in the car with my husband while I did the order).

Once we had lunch, we drove to one of Seattle's beloved parks: Green Lake. The park has a freshwater lake at the center of north-central Seattle. The sun was out, and so was everyone that afternoon. Upon arrival, we saw a lot of geese there — this also meant that our pups were more than likely will go for geese poop. There is a walkway path around the lake, and we walked alongside half of it. Once the pups were happy with the park, we went back to Ballard to see the remaining shops.

When we arrived at Ballard again, the first shop we went into was the pet store called All the Best. They are a Seattle-based pet store chain that's been around for 35 years. Cooper and Sachi were thrilled to be there and got plenty of treats at the counter.

A couple of other shops we visited in Ballard were Ascent Outdoors, re-souL, Fair Trade Winds, Studio RA, simple and just, Prism, and Standard Goods. The pups were welcomed in all the stores and had a great time window shopping and getting pets. I needed another drink with all the walking, so we went into Anchored Ship Coffee Bar and got a pistachio matcha latte drink, which really hit what I needed. My husband wanted a taco, and luckily Asadero Prime was right around the corner. We got seated outdoor with the pup and ordered the wagyu taco as a quick bite. My husband said it was one of the best tacos he ever had, and the wagyu tasted great — I concur.

Since we got our fills, we headed over to another park! We visited Gas Works Park, which came highly recommended to us on Instagram as a park to visit. This is a public park on the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant site. The scenery reminded me of Howl's Moving Castle, with the steampunk aesthetic being overrun by greeneries. The view of the water and Downtown Seattle in the distance, coupled with the rolling hills at Gas Works Park, truly make this the ideal picnic spot. Out of all the parks we've been to so far, this has been my favorite. We stayed here a lot longer than expected and enjoyed slowing down for a moment to watch the view on a sunny day.

After Gas Works park, the next place we went to was Fremont Bowl. They serve up homestyle Japanese comfort food, but we were mainly there for the chirashi bowl — we've heard the fish was fresh, and it was what we were craving. And wow, the chirashi bowl was incredible — they had some of the freshest fish in a chirashi bowl I've ever had. 10 out of 10, I would get this again. And obviously, we were thirsty afterward. We headed to Young Tea and ordered two drinks, the osmanthus oolong tea with chia seeds and the passion fruit oolong tea. A boba tea shop is great where they brew the tea right as you order, and the tea taste was prominent.

With some time to kill before our dinner reservation at Niku Niku Steakhouse with an old friend of ours, we took the dogs to Northacre park so they could get more of their energy out. Niku Niku is an indoor restaurant, and dogs are not allowed, so the intention was to leave our pups in the car. The weather was in the low 50s, and we felt it was safe and comfortable for them to be in the car while we got dinner. We had the idea of letting them run around and do their business before sleeping in the car while we ate. We also got treats from the pet store earlier, so they have something safe to enjoy while we were gone.

Northacre park is located near the freeway and is surrounded by a forest of fir; there is a dog off-leash area here, and it was the ideal place for us. This park was a lot of fun, and we thoroughly had a grand time here. Dinner for us, the humans, was at Niku Niku Steakhouse. It is a Japanese bbq that offers a Japanese-American menu of house-cut wagyu. We ordered 2 steamed eggs and 2 of their wagyu tasting set, which was enough food for three people.

After a great dinner with good company, we headed back to The Grand Hyatt Seattle. I can also confidently say that we survived the James/Union St. exit. Be careful with this exit when you're driving in Seattle. And on that note, we completely knocked out from Day 3 of Seattle.

Day 4

Today was our final day in Seattle before we set off to Snoqualmie for the weekend. We had a bittersweet goodbye to the incredible view of Downtown Seattle, and reluctantly checked out of the Grand Hyatt Seattle. This was truly the ideal place to stay and be in the heart of Seattle to explore everything the city has to offer.

Once we got our car packed, we immediately drove to The Flourbox to line up before they opened. This place came highly recommended by everyone we know, and they had mentioned that the wait can last up to 2 hours. So it was evident that we had to stand in the pouring rain 45 minutes before opening. The Flourbox is a small bakery cafe in Hillman City, and they are famous for their rotating handmade filled brioche donuts, from-scratch baked goods, and locally-roasted coffee. The menus for the day we went were kimchi everything, coconut kaya, gen-matcha, and dole whip. When it was our turn, we ordered one of everything. For drinks, we got the shy bear fog (Iron Goddess of Mercy oolong tea with oat milk and house-burnt honey) and their popular strawberry milk. Once we got everything, we sat down outside in their charming and aesthetic outdoor patio to enjoy the goods. The kimchi everything brioche was one of the best savory baked goods I have ever had out of the four brioches — it was obviously my favorite, following is the gen-matcha. The other two flavors were good, but they did not "wow" me as much.

After we were content with our baked goods, we decided to drive around Bellevue and Kirkland before going to Snoqualmie. We came across a lovely park called Meydenbauer Bay Park. This park has everything! There were paved and unpaved trails, picnic tables, a playground, a restroom facility, and a beach! This was the area where Cooper decided it was a great idea to go for a swim. He had a blast, and we really loved this park; it was also empty and made for a peaceful stroll around.

For lunch, we went to Supreme Dumplings — a new soup dumpling restaurant in Bellevue! They're not dog-friendly, though, but the pups stayed in the car (all tuckered out from Meydenbauer). My husband and I ordered the supreme pork xiao long bao, black truffle & chicken xiao long bao, spicy shrimp & pork wontons, and wild mushroom fried rice. Our honest truth was that Din Tai Fung has better-tasting XLB and spicy wontons. Overall, a good dumpling place for being very new.

Then, we drove out to Snoqualmie, a 45-minute drive from Seattle. By around 4 PM, we arrived at Salish Lodge & Spa — yes, it's the hotel from Twin Peaks! Salish Lodge happens to nestle in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, overlooking the 268-foot Snoqualmie Falls. It was built in 1916, and in 2019 The Snoqualmie Tribe purchased the Salish Lodge & Spa and the acreage surrounding Snoqualmie Falls. This place was incredible, and I was immediately in awe at the lodge's location. The moment we walked through the entrance of Salish Lodge & Spa, it had a warm and earthy scent that felt incredibly welcoming. The check-in process was smooth, and we had excellent bell service that helped us move our things in. Our room had an oversized tub, a king-sized bed, and a private outdoor patio with a gas fireplace. Cooper had the ultra pampered paw experience with an all-natural bee-shaped dog biscuit waiting for him, a comfy dog blanket, a bone-shaped collar tag, and an on-site green space that's ideal for playtime and convenient access to poops bags. This place truly has everything a human and hound need for a weekend retreat.

After settling in and exploring our home for the weekend, we took a short 5-minute walk to view Snoqualmie Falls. There is a parking lot structure next to the lodge where you can park if you're only visiting the falls. There are multiple access areas to see the falls and plenty of places to explore. Fun facts are that the falls flow over an extinct volcano more than 20 million years old, and you can see peregrine falcons nesting at the cliff during spring. It was an incredible sight to watch, and given that it was getting later in the day, we did not see many people.

We headed back to the lodge and decided to stay in our room, where we ordered room service for dinner from The Dining Room. We ordered Manila clams for the first night here, hen of the wood mushroom tempura, pan-roasted Alaskan halibut, and the Salish ground tenderloin burger. The food was exceptionally delicious — we thought we had ordered too much, but we cleaned our plates. It was one of the best in-room dining services we've had. And on the dot at 8 PM, the gas fireplace gets routinely lit. We enjoyed ourselves outside before sleeping in the high-quality Parachute feather bedding. This place is a dream.

Day 5

As the sun came up, so was Cooper and me. We had initial plans to hike at Rattlesnake Ledge in the North Bend area of Snoqualmie. My husband could not trek with us given his current medical condition, so he stayed at the lodge with Sachi. Cooper and I got dressed in our hiking clothes and headed out.

The drive from Salish Lodge & Spa to Rattlesnake Ledge took about 20 minutes, and there was no traffic before 9 AM. As soon as I arrived in the parking lot, I saw quite a few cars, but plenty of available parking spaces were open. A pathway trail from the parking lot leads you to the north end of Rattlesnake Lake, and the trailhead starts on the northwest side of the lake. At the trailhead, you will find a restroom and an informative kiosk. We started our hike at the well-signed trailhead. Overall, this hike was very well maintained despite how busy it can get — we did not come across many people early in the morning. The incline and switchbacks make this trail moderate, so pace yourself accordingly as it is about a 2-3 miles trek up to the top. Cooper did great at pacing himself, and we took micro-breaks in between to enjoy the forest view and quiet misty surroundings. After about an hour of ascending and gaining elevation, we reached a signed junction at 1.9 miles, and on the right was Rattlesnake Ledge. We walked a hundred more yards and finally made it to the top to see a stunning view of the Pacific Northwest in its beautiful form.

One thing to note is that the ledge is very exposed, and the large rock has cliffs, so it was wise for us to approach it slowly. Cooper and I stayed at the ledge for half an hour to admire Rattlesnake Lake and the forest surroundings and rest a bit for a hike well-done. Once we felt it was time to leave, we prepared for the descent. It was definitely easy to go down then up, and we pat ourselves on the back for a solid hike early in the morning. As we were making it back to the car, many more people trickled in, and we came across a lot of groups and dogs. It was great timing on our end!

Cooper and I got back to the car safely and drove back to Salish Lodge to pick up my husband and Sachi to explore a bit of Snoqualmie. With the entire family reunited, we went to the Northwest Railway Museum and visited all the shops in the area. We had Vietnamese food in the area for lunch, and while it wasn't the best food I ever had, it hit the spot because the hike made me famished. Cooper enjoyed a few treats for how well he did on the hike.

Most of our late afternoon and evening was spent enjoying the Snoqualmie area and admiring more of Snoqualmie Falls back to the lodge. For dinner, we decided to spend more time with the pup in the comfort of our room and ordered in-room dining again. We ordered Manila clams again for our second dinner, rabbit tagliatelle, and 7 oz. 24-day Angus filet mignon with Dungeness crab sautéed in butter. For the cocktails, we ordered The Dale Cooper and PNW mule. Dinner, once again, was fantastic.

We finished our dinner right on time to check out the sunset at Snoqualmie Falls for our last night in Washington. The weather was kind to us, and we got to see a phenomenal view of the falls glowing during golden hour. It was indeed a picturesque sight to see Salish lodge on top of Snoqualmie Falls with the warm sunset shining on it.

Couldn't have asked for a better way to end our last day in Washington.

Heading home

As our trip to Washington came to a close, we packed up our things and said goodbye to Salish Lodge. We had a great stay here, and I will definitely come back the next time we find ourselves in Washington near Snoqualmie. The trip home consists of two parts: drive to Crater Lake, sleep at Union Creek Resort for a night, and then a straight-shot drive back to the Bay Area the following day.