Carolyn Always Earley

Long weekend in Tri-Cities & Seattle, WA – June 2026

If you’ve visited my site before, you know that I usually go to Washington state at least once per year. My best friend, Veronica, has been to the Tri-Cities area with me before (southeast corner of the state), but she had never been to Seattle so of course we had to go. I planned all our activities with visiting Seattle for the first time in mind. We flew to the Tri-Cities (Phoenix to Pasco) to visit my dad and relax at his home and enjoy the beautiful view.

We had planned to drive from the Tri-Cities to Seattle on Saturday since we flew in late on Wednesday. It’s about a 3.5-hour drive and it’s so pretty! I also planned for us to stop at Snoqualmie Falls since my dad had never been. It was raining (why not) so we grabbed parkas at the gift shop, and walked over. It looked so different in the summer compared to the fall (see my other Seattle post for that picture)!

Day 1 in Seattle:

Once we got into town in the early afternoon, we checked into our hotel near the SEA-TAC airport and decided to grab some food. We found the closest Ivar’s and drove over! It’s a must-try if it’s your first time in Seattle. I personally love their clam chowder (I prefer white, not red); my dad and Veronica both loved the salmon chowder. We also each got the kid’s meal fish and chips (so we’d have room for chowder). So good!

After our late lunch, since it was pouring rain outside, we decided to all take naps at the hotel before heading out in the evening. I really wanted to check out Smith Tower since I hadn’t made it last time, but they were closed for a private event, so we went to the nearby Shawn O’Donnell’s pub and grabbed dinner just like Zach and I did last year. (Womp womp!)

Next, we headed to the Space Needle. It’s pricey to go but totally worth it! I paid $168 for the three of us, but prices vary by day and time, so you can definitely save money by booking ahead and/or by choosing a less popular day to go. The timing worked out perfectly for us to view the sunset from the top and I would definitely recommend doing that if you can!

We got to see the city both during sunset and after dark, when the city is lit up. We spent over an hour there, walking around the outside perimeter to see the full 360-degree view, grabbed a drink and then just sat inside and relaxed for a bit. One of the great things about Space Needle is that they are open for so many hours so you can be really flexible about when to go.

Day 2:

On Sunday, I had booked us an 11 a.m. “Grand Estate Tour & Tasting” at the legendary Chateau Ste. Michelle winery. Veronica and I both love their Riesling, and my dad loves their dry sparkling wine as well as their Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery is located in Woodinville, which is almost an hour from the SEA-TAC airport.

I had hoped that the tour included actually seeing the building pictured above, or the club member building, but it did not. Regardless, I really enjoyed the tasting and our guide, Laura Lee, was great! We did tour their tasting room and store, then we had a private tasting in a room where we first watched a video about the history of the winery and then tried four different wines and snacks (the 5th glass is water). Laura Lee showed us the best way to taste each wine and at the end, there was dessert wine and chocolate.

After the tasting, we drove into Seattle so we could see more landmarks. We started with Pike Place Market, which is still a staple of Seattle in my opinion but less safe than it used to be. We wandered around for a bit and checked out some of the stores, and of course saw the fish store with the employees tossing the fish around. The Starbucks across the street from it (that everyone claims is the “original” Starbucks) was under construction and reopening soon, so I’ll be curious to see what they’ve done with the place next time I visit. Then we grabbed lunch at Mr. Fish. We tried the buttery garlic focaccia, which was so good but a bit filling, and I got the fish and chips. Their tartar sauce seemed to be homemade and it was delicious!

Next, we walked back through Pike Place Market to get to Pier 58. We didn’t ride the Ferris wheel, but it seemed to be very popular. With the beautiful, sunny weather, a lot of people were outside enjoying the pier.

We had wanted to have one “fancy” dinner where we could dress up a little, so after the pier, we went back to the hotel to relax and get ready. I booked us a table at the Metropolitan Grill, which one of the ladies at our wine tasting agreed was a great choice. They had a great menu, especially if you enjoy steak, but we actually all got the salmon. It was delicious! For dessert, there was a Bananas Foster that they flambée tableside so of course we had to try it.