Our first stop was to get lunch. We HAD to try this tiny Cuban sandwich place called Paseo. On Yelp, this tiny eatery has been reviewed over 1700 times and has 4.5 stars! If you aren't familiar with Yelp, 50 reviews is a lot, so 1700 is not something I have ever seen before. We opted for the two most popular sandwiches, the Caribbean Roast and the Paseo Press. That many positive reviews certainly was no mistake and the sandwiches were mouth-watering delicious. We savored every bite of our sandwiches, while we sat on some rocks at the water's edge in the Freemont section of Seattle.
The most amazing Cuban Sandwiches every eaten!
I had heard many wonderful things about the Freemont section of Seattle, which is how we ended up finding Paseo. After lunch, we walked along the river that connects Lake Union/Union Bay and Puget Sound, and stumbled upon the Theo Chocolate Factory. The tours for the remainder of the day were already full, but we had a great time taste testing the 20 or so samples of chocolate in their store. After our delicious lunch and some walking, it was the best dessert we could have asked for! I've seen Theo Chocolates in Whole Foods, but I had never bought a bar. Getting to try all the samples allowed me to find a few favorites, like the almond, coconut, and the dark chocolates. We ended up bringing back some drinking chocolate because the sales woman suggested they were not frequently sold across the U.S. Thankfully they are, in fact, sold in our local stores.
From the chocolate factory, we set out to look for the famous Freemont Troll, located under the Aurora Bridge. The troll is hideous and enormous. We were not the only tourists checking it out and I had to run in for Colin to snap a quick photo before other tourists did the same.
Running in for a picture with the Freemont Troll
When we tired ourselves with all the walking, we made our way by car to Chittenden Locks. The locks were very close to the Freemont section and there was quite a bit of activity as it approached 5pm. We were able to see the locks raise and lower the water to allow boats to pass through. We also got to see quite a few salmon swimming in the fish ladder, and a seal swimming close by.
One of the many boats coming into the locks
Chittenden Locks
Fish ladder on the right, seal swimming on the left
Couldn't quite figure out what type of salmon were swimming in the ladder
Close-up of the seal swimming close to the fish ladder
Boats waiting patiently to pass through the locks
When we checked into our airbnb rental and talked to our host, a middle school math teacher, we found out the Seattle Seahawks had a preseason game at home that evening. He suggested we try to get tickets on craigslist. We did try, but were unsuccessful in finding tickets that way. Instead, we drove down to Pioneer Square just as the game was about to start. We drove around for about 10 minutes before we found a spot not too far away. Then, we walked towards the stadium with our eyes peeled for scalpers. It didn't take long to find them and since it was already almost 30 minutes into the game, we easily got tickets for $20. In the small stadium, the upper deck seats did not seem very far from the field and we enjoyed the atmosphere, the stadium, and getting to be outdoors on a beautiful night!
Arriving at Century Link Field in Seattle
The Seattle skyline from the field as the evening approaches sunset
Seats in the upper deck for $20
Seattle skyline at night
We stayed almost to the end of the game, but the 4th string quarterback was not that exciting. During our walk back to the car, we admired that the stadium was so close to downtown, public transportation, the historic district and so many bars and restaurants.
Our airbnb rental was another comfortable room, with gracious hosts that offered coffee, bread and jam for us to enjoy at breakfast. The best quality about this rental was the view! Colin and I enjoyed a leisure breakfast while sitting on the outdoor balcony. We were amazed at all the sea planes that took off and landed in Lake Union.
Stay tuned for our adventures in Olympic National Park!
What is your favorite flavor of Theo Chocolate?
What football stadium is your favorite and why?
