Seattle in a Day

Our next big adventure was to the great state of Washington! (*Cue "Seattle"*) We headed on an 8am flight to Seattle, Washington. The flight was on United this time, as it was a direct flight(and a little cheaper). Flying to Seattle was a really pretty flight, as the skies were clear and the landscape was beautiful.

As we arrived at the Seattle Airport, we took an Uber to get to the city. This time, the price would have been around $30, but we had referred a couple of friends so we had gotten a free ride. Again, both of us had an Uber account so we used this to get to and from the airport. Once in the city(it was about 11am by the time we got there), we headed toward the Space Needle. This walk took us through some of the more residential areas of Seattle. We had been told by some locals to not actually go up in the Space Needle, as it was expensive and not really worth it, so we just took a picture from the ground.

After seeing the Space Needle, which to be honest was a little underwhelming but still worth seeing(it's much shorter in person than you would think), we decided to get lunch. We went to Serious Pie. A super cool, almost hipster type pizza restaurant that had some really unique pizzas. We had the yukon gold potato, rosemary, pecorino romano pizza. It was slightly expensive, but we split a pizza and the price came to $8.50 per person. This place was delicious though, and totally worth it. It's actually listed as one of the best pizza places in the US.

Next, we headed to Olympic Sculpture Garden. Seattle has a lot of museums that can be really interesting to see, but they do cost money. We were trying to avoid costs as much as possible, so we skipped the museums that cost money. If you want to see some of the museums, and you are on a budget there are some options. First, Seattle offers a City Pass, which allows you tickets to five of the biggest attractions for a discount. If you have a longer amount of time in Seattle, and want to see the attractions this could be a great option. Also, some museums offer free admission certain days of the month. For example, the Seattle Art Museum offers free admission on the first Thursdays of the month. Anyways, we went to the sculpture garden, which is a little small but the views are great. There are some elaborate sculptures, and the views of the bay are really nice.

 Some of the unique sculptures in the park. 

 View on the water front. 

It was around 3 o'clock by the time we finished taking pictures at the Sculpture Garden(we sat on one of the benches to look out over the water), so our next stop was the Columbia Center Sky View Observatory. This is an extremely tall building in Seattle that some locals had recommended. Going here, you can pay to go up to the 73rd floor to look out over Seattle. The price was $14.95 per person, but there were a couple ways you can get a discount such as military, student, and senior citizen. This money was definitely worth the price of admission. Technically, you could pay for one day and come back as much as you wanted, so if you bought a ticket in the morning and left you could come back that evening for free. We highly recommend watching the sunset from here, as the views were amazing, and you could see all of Seattle.

After enjoying the sunset, we made our way back to Pike's Place Market. We walked around the market, saw the Pike Place fish market where they throw the fish, and some of the cool shops and vendors. There are some really unique book stores, comic book stores, and specialty shops. This is also where the original Starbucks is, so while we didn't get anything from it, we did get to see the shop. Our next destination was going to the waterfront and riding the ferris wheel. Again, this does cost money, but you can see some really nice views of the water.

The view of the Ferris Wheel from the boardwalk(there was some construction going on). 

On this trip, we did spend a little more money because we wanted to experience as much of Seattle as possible. At this point it was about 7 o'clock and we decided to look for food. We heard great things about Etta's, a fancy seafood restaurant, but this was extremely expensive, like around $30 a person. Instead we ended up getting gelato at Gelatiamo. The cost was around $6 a cup, but was very good. We highly recommended.

Our day in Seattle was an incredible experience in the emerald city. The people are great, the atmosphere is exciting, and the views are unbelievable. Definitely be sure to bring an umbrella, as its been known to rain there...but what sights did we miss in Seattle that we should have gone too? The map below shows our travels, and how we tried to maximize our area in a short amount of time!
Our next adventure is going to be Washington DC. If you want to see more pictures be sure to check out our Instagram page, @americainaday.

Blue skies,

L&K

Miami in a Day

Our first stop on our America in a Day tour took us to marvelous Miami, (*cue Welcome to Miami*). This vibrant city might seem like a place for the rich and famous to vacation, but as we learned, it is possible to go to Miami on a budget in one day! We decided on a flight on American Airlines that left early in the morning, and got back late in the evening. The flight went well, and ended up being under $230 roundtrip! As we arrived at the airport, it was like we had landed in a new and exotic land.

To leave the airport, we decided on taking an Uber. There is some controversy in Florida about the use of Uber, but we did not experience any issues. Neither of us had an Uber account before, so taking advantage of the promo code RideThereAA20, we were able to save $20 on our first trip. Using this code, we were able to travel to and from the airport for a total of $1.66. Definitely be sure to look up promo codes if you want to use Uber, or any ride program like that. 

Miami is a very large city, so you can't walk around and see it all in one day. Taxi's are expensive, so that wasn't an option, and parking is horrible so renting a car wouldn't have been worth it. What's left to get around the city? A bicycle. We rented bikes from Bike and Roll Miami at the Bayfront location. There was some confusion at first with this location, as we could not find it. Upon trying to return our bikes, we found out that all the locations were closed(an hour before they were suppose to) and we were left locking the bikes outside the front of the store. Besides that, the bikes were a great idea. Miami is very bike accessible, and there are bike racks all over the city! Our only change would be to use the Citi Bike Share Program. There are stations in the city and beach, plus the prices were the same(around $26). Make sure to bring your own bike lock. Those bikes also had lights on them, so it could be ridden at night. 

Once we had bikes, we headed to the Miami Design District and Wynwood Walls. The trip from Bayside to the design district wasn't too long, but you do start to ride through some non-touristy parts. It wasn't unsafe, but it wasn't what you typically think of when you go to Miami. Once we arrived at the design district, it really wasn't what we expected. Either we missed something, or it wasn't that exciting. 

While the design district was a little lack luster, the Wynwood Walls were vibrantly brilliant! It turns out that we didn't make it to the actual park, but the walls we did see were intricately designed by the artists. 

After the colorful walls, we decided to leave downtown and head over to Miami Beach. The bike ride was slightly long, but definitely worth it. The views of the extravagant mansions, pristine water, and rich and famous lifestyle is definitely something to be admired. 

Beautiful structures at the Mary and Howard Frank Plaza

More structures from Mary and Howard Frank Plaza

Once we were across and in Miami Beach, we decided to get lunch. While we were originally looking for something Cuban, our hungry stomachs could not wait anymore and we ended up in a highly reviewed Italian/Argentinian cafe, Cafe Charlotte. It lived up to the great reviews on Yelp. We ordered cheese ravioli in marinara sauce, and penne in vodka sauce. The cost for lunch came to around $17 for one person. Also it should be noted that tip was included, so if you go here be aware of that. 

After eating(we are about half way through the day at this point) we decided to go sit down and enjoy the beauty of the beach. We headed to the ever famous South Beach to take in the beautiful views. 

While we were thinking of staying longer at the beach, we decided to walk around and see the art deco buildings, but also find a nice cafe to sit in and plan out the rest of our day.(At this point we realized we had gotten sunburnt-key tip BRING SUNSCREEN). On our walk to the cafe, we experienced the unique art deco buildings. The pastel colors and building designs exclusive to Miami were definitely a sight to experience, but during the daylight it isn't as interesting as one might think. Viewing these buildings at night was definitely more visually appealing. 

Instead of a cafe, like we were hoping, we got gelato at Mammamia. It was deliciously decadent, and there were numerous flavors. It turns out that it is a chain of gelato stores unique to Italy, and this is the first one in the US! We tried the Kit-Kat, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Mango, and Raspberry. While it was a little pricey(~$6 for a small cup), it was worth it. 

After our gelato, we headed over to Lincoln Road Mall to check out the stores and take in more of the beach. This pedestrian only outdoor mall had a large selection of high end stores, and many different types of restaurants. From Cuban, Italian, American, there were restaurants for everyone's taste! There was also a Dylan's Candy Bar, which we definitely took the time to look around in. This lively candy store had something for everyone from the typical gummy bears, to Harry Potter and Star Wars themed candy. 

After our Lincoln Road Mall excursion(it's about 6:20pm at this point), we decided to go watch the sunset. We didn't leave as much time as we originally hoped, as we were really sprinting to watch the sun go down, but we ended up at South Pointe Park. This gorgeous park was filled with joggers, families, and even some circus performers/acrobats practicing their moves as the sunset. This park is  a must see if you are in Miami. The unique landscape and views were unbeatable, and its free! 

                                      

We spent quite some time at the park, and finally it was time to make our way back to the airport. Miami was quite the city. The Art Deco buildings, white sandy beaches, luxurious lifestyles of the rich, and fantastic restaurants(that would make any foodie drool) are definitely something that should be experienced by all at some point. Even the airport has great food, and was upscale! A small suggestion is to eat at La Carreta Restaurant(Terminal D gate 37). This Cuban style restaurant was very tasty, and the perfect way to end our day. Our first "city in a day" adventure was a 95% success as the bikes proved a small issue,(Plus we ended up looking like little lobsters-thanks Miami sun-) but it was totally worth it and we were able to see that our plan of seeing cities, and America, in a day could work out! 

What spots did we miss in Miami that you would have gone to? We would love to read your comments! Our next adventure is Seattle, so be on the look out for that post. If you want to see more pictures be sure to follow us on Instagram @americainaday! The map below shows all the places we went to in Miami, and you can follow our general route!

Blue skies,

L&K 

#americainaday