Staycation

For as long as I can remember, we have driven down to Seaside, Oregon for spring break. First it was the house on the prom, the one we found through our friends, then it was a townhome in the heart of the town – too close to the heart. After which came the tiny hut with the yellow kitchen, the one with the rusty firepit, the one with ants and the fancy townhome a tad too far from everything. Our plan was to be there this year too, but with the weather forecast being cold and rain we bailed. Our plan B was Eastern Washington but just like the initial plan, plan B got ruined by the weather. Heavy snow on the pass, cold and gloomy on the other side. So, we did not go. We did not go anywhere. This was met with three rather gloomy faces thinking it would be a week with no fun, with me sitting here working, daddy upstairs in his office and the kids left to fend for themselves. But that was not the plan at all… the plan was to make the most out of it and enjoy our staycation.

I urge you to try it out! Forget about Disneyland, skip the Universal Studios, Aulani or the sunny beaches of Mexico. Don’t go anywhere. Stay. With the money saved by not going, use it for a breakfast at a fancy restaurant, have a mimosa on a weekday morning. Visit museums, go out for dinner at your favorite restaurant. What’s the place you’ve always wanted to go to but never have had time to do it? The zoo? Pacific Science Center? EMP? Mine was MOHAI – Museum of History and Industry. Museums aren’t what they used to be in our childhood, dark, old and smelly places where you weren’t allowed to talk. They are fun, they are interactive and interesting even for my almost 8-year olds. No longer do you get followed by a curator hushing you not to speak and reminding you not to touch.  In fact, Max asked to go to a museum yesterday.

There’s plenty to see around here, even if the weather does not co-operate. On Saturday we drove down to Tacoma to visit the car enthusiasts paradise LeMay - America's Car Museum. The museum is a 350-car gallery showing cars notable for their speed, technology and design. You get to meet the first cars and travel in time to today’s world and advanced technology. Unfortunately, the cars are only to be looked at, there is no touching or trying the drivers seat. However, it is still worth while going and on the lower level you get to build your own race car and see how fast it will go. Instead of heading back north through Fife on I-5, we drove to Bremerton and got to enjoy a ferry ride to Seattle. Who doesn’t like ferries? And the view as you approach Seattle is just stunning.

“What are we gonna do today Monday”- turned into a fun day exploring the streets of Seattle, the Amazon Spheres, the store Amazon Go store where they have no cashiers, South Lake Union Transportation and other fun stuff. It included a visit to the Restauration Hardware show room in University Village by my boys’ special request as they love to stroll around the place and imagine what it would be like to live there.

On Tuesday we had breakfast at a fancy restaurant. Barking Frog in Woodinville is one of my all-time favorites, and their huckleberry pancakes are just pure bliss. Crisp, lightweight amazingness topped with vanilla butter and maple syrup. Yes, it’s spendy and you can find your pancakes for way less than $17 and order a mimosa for a better price, but the atmosphere, service and food make it worth every penny. And remember, you saved a ton of money by not going anywhere.

Then there was MOHAI. Before it moved to South Lake Union, away from the 520-bridge construction site, I had driven past the flags and figured we probably should visit. The museum became my new favorite as much as I also love the Burke Museum, The Museum of Flight and many others. If you haven’t been there, you really should go. We all learned so much and I have to say the exhibit on destruction and rebuilding Seattle was done in a way that caught everyone’s attention. The story wasn’t new to us, but the display made us stop and experience the entire thing.

On the list for this week we still have plenty off stuff to do. Dinner at Din Tai Fung, movies at the new movie theatre on Lincoln Square South, maybe another museum or the Seattle Underground Ghost Tour.

Staycation does not have to be boring and lame. It can truly be fun. Try it!