Seattle, Washington — State #48: A Footprint Between Flights.

A Footprint Between Flights

Sometimes a destination doesn't need several days to leave a footprint.

For us, Seattle was exactly that.

Washington had been sitting on our list as we slowly worked toward a family goal we've carried through the years: visiting all 50 U.S. states. And on May 28, 2026, an international trip gave us the perfect opportunity to add another one.

Our final destination was Manila, with more adventures waiting for us across the Pacific. But before all of that, we had several hours in Seattle.

And we weren't about to spend them sitting at the airport. 😄

Hello, Seattle! State #48 👣

When we arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, we received some very welcome news: our large checked luggage was already tagged through to Manila.

That meant no dragging big suitcases around Seattle. 🙌

We only needed to pick up our rental car, so we headed to the rental counter and picked up a GMC truck—our ride for our whirlwind tour of Seattle.

Our original plan was to start the morning with coffee and breakfast at Pike Place Market.

Well... travel plans have a way of changing. 😂

By the time we got the rental car and made our way into the city, it was already almost 11:00 AM.

Breakfast officially became brunch.

Pike Place Market — Flying Fish and Seafood 🐟

Of course, one thing we already knew about Pike Place Market was the famous fish throwing.

We had heard about it before coming to Seattle, so we made our way toward the fish market hoping we'd get to see it.

And we did—at least partially!

It was one of those fun little Seattle moments that makes you think, Okay, we're really here.

We wandered around the market afterward, looked through the different stalls and shops, and did a little window shopping while waiting for our food.

For brunch, we decided to go with seafood. After all, we're in Seattle!

We ordered a salmon sandwich and something called pink clam chowder, a delicious combination of tomato-based soup and clam chowder.

Then we took our food toward the waterfront and enjoyed our little Seattle brunch overlooking the water.

Simple, casual and delicious.

Sometimes those are the meals you remember most.

A Conversation Between Travelers ❤️

While we were eating, we met another couple who, like us, were visiting Seattle for the first time.

We started talking, and somewhere in the conversation we mentioned our goal of visiting all 50 states.

Their reaction made us smile.

They hadn't really thought about keeping track of the states they'd visited before, and suddenly they were saying that maybe they should start doing it too.

I loved that little encounter.

Travel has a funny way of connecting strangers. You meet someone for only a few minutes, exchange stories and recommendations, and then everyone continues on their own journey.

And sometimes, sharing your adventure might even inspire someone else to begin one of their own.

One More Food Stop: Piroshky! 🥐

Before we parted ways, the couple gave us a recommendation of their own:

Try the Piroshky.

Say no more. 😂

We found the shop near Pike Place and picked up several pastries to try. We didn't eat all of them immediately—we saved some to-go for later in the day.

That turned out to be a very good decision.

Nearby was another place we wanted to see: the famous original Starbucks location.

Unfortunately, it was closed when we arrived, so there would be no coffee stop for us that day.

But that certainly didn't stop us from taking the obligatory photo outside, just like many of the other visitors.

If you can't have the coffee, at least get the picture. 😂☕

Then it was back to our GMC Truck.

Seattle wasn't finished with us yet.

The Spheres 🌿

Our next stop was The Spheres, one of the most interesting modern structures we saw in Seattle.

The huge glass spheres immediately caught our attention.

The Spheres are part of Amazon's Seattle headquarters and were designed as a plant-filled workspace, housing thousands of plants from around the world.

We went inside for a quick visit and spent some time looking around and reading the displays explaining the idea behind the space.

It didn't take very long, which made it a great stop for our limited schedule.

Beautiful glass architecture, greenery and something completely different from the historic atmosphere we'd just experienced at Pike Place.

Then we were off again.

Next stop: one of Seattle's biggest icons.

We Made It to the Space Needle!

You can't come to Seattle for the first time and not at least see the Space Needle.

We didn't go all the way to the top this time.

With only a few hours to explore the city, we were perfectly happy seeing it from below, taking our photos and spending a little time walking around the surrounding park area.

Sometimes travel isn't about doing every single attraction.

It's about deciding what matters to you, enjoying the moment you're given, and leaving something for another visit.

We had one more spontaneous stop before heading back to the airport.

Jael's Last-Minute Japanese Garden Stop 🌿

We were already thinking it was time to return to Sea-Tac when Jael searched for something else to see.

She found the Seattle Japanese Garden and asked if she could squeeze in one last walk.

Why not?

Mark and I decided we'd had enough walking for the day 😂, so we stayed in the GMC Truck while Jael went inside for a quick exploration.

She spent about 20 minutes walking through the garden and came back saying it was beautiful.

Meanwhile, Mark and I had our own activity.

Remember those Piroshky pastries we bought earlier?

Snack time! 😄

We finally started tasting them while waiting for Jael, and that's when I discovered my favorite:

the salmon pâté.

So good!

Jael got her garden.

Mark and I got our Piroshky.

Everybody was happy. 😂

And with that, we finally agreed:

Okay. NOW it's really time to go to the airport.

Back to Sea-Tac ✈️

It was already past 5:00 PM, so we headed back toward Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, returned our GMC truck and made our way back inside.

Then came the usual airport routine—check-in, TSA and making our way to the gate.

Our Philippine Airlines flight to Manila wasn't scheduled to leave until around 11:00 PM, and by approximately 7:00 PM, we were already settled near our gate.

For once, we weren't rushing.

After spending the day walking, sightseeing and hopping from one Seattle stop to another, those few hours were actually welcome.

We changed into more comfortable clothes, freshened up, grabbed a few snacks and finally sat down.

We were tired.

But it was the good kind of tired.

The kind that comes after looking back at your day and thinking:

That was worth it.

When it was finally time to board our Philippine Airlines flight, we were more than ready to sleep.

And after our Seattle marathon, that's pretty much what we did for much of the long flight across the Pacific. 😴✈️

Washington — State #48 ❤️🇺🇸

Seattle wasn't a week-long vacation.

It wasn't even a weekend getaway.

It was a footprint made between flights.

In just a handful of hours, we ate seafood overlooking the waterfront, watched fish flying at Pike Place, met fellow travelers, discovered Piroshky, stood beneath the Space Needle, explored The Spheres and somehow squeezed in a Japanese garden before racing back to the airport.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, something much bigger happened.

We checked another state off a journey that began many years ago.

Washington became State #48.

48 states down.

2 more to go.

Oregon and Alaska.

So close. ❤️

As our plane lifted away from Seattle that night and headed across the Pacific, another footprint was complete.

But our journey was far from over.

Seattle was behind us. Manila—and an entirely new adventure—was waiting ahead.

Travel • Taste • Believe • Cherish
Faithful Footprints Journey 👣