Seattle family
All about the Taco Trail in Oxnard California
February 11, 2023This should really be called “All about three places on the Taco Trail” in Oxnard California because we only got as far as three places before our bellies were too full to eat anything else. My family arrived in Oxnard on our trip with Visit Oxnard on an extremely rainy and unusually weatherful weekend and […]
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The Gum Wall in Seattle, Bubblegum Alley in SLO and how these relate on Feb 3
February 3, 2023Did you know Feb 3rd is National Bubble Gum day? I had no idea until it started popping up in my social media feeds today. As a Seattleite, bubble gum is something I always think about when I go to Pike Place Market because we have a Gum Wall there. And then I recently went […]
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Things to Do in Seattle in February 2025
February 1, 2023Did we just survive the longest month ever (I wrote this last year and it still holds) and are we going to blink and have February disappear too? It still feels like we might get one more weather system before all the cherry blossoms start to pop but you might want to start keeping an […]
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The Friends’ Experience Seattle: yes, the one where it actually comes to our city.
January 30, 2023Did you ever watch Friends (and did you know it was almost called six of one)? The Friend’s Experience has come to Seattle and it’s a lot cooler than I imagined (I liked the show but I wasn’t obsessed and I bet I’ve missed some episodes) and it’s something I’d go back to again now […]
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Ain’t too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations Musical at Seattle Paramount Theatre (don’t miss out)
January 25, 2023I admit that when I first got the media invite for Ain’t too Proud: the Life and Times of the Temptations Musical in the mail I almost didn’t go. I had a lot going on this week and I hadn’t heard anything about it. But then I asked Alexa to “Play the Temptations” to give […]
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Asean Streat in Westlake Center: a unique place to eat in downtown Seattle
January 17, 2023**Updated March 2026: Asean street in Westlake center is closed. We have been needing a food hall like this in Seattle forever and thank goodness Asean Streat has manifested itself in the heart of our downtown. Westlake Center is such a perfect spot in the center of our city, attached to Climate Pledge Arena andSeattle […]
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Kafka’s Coffee in Vancouver BC with a playground next door
January 9, 2023Kafka’s Coffee has been part of our Vancouver adventures for decades now- my best friend baked for them years ago and they have really delicious coffee and food. But the newest Kafka’s Coffee location is so perfect for Vancouver families (and Seattle families visiting Vancouver) so I needed to talk about it here. It’s downtown […]
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Things to do in Seattle in January
December 30, 2022I just found out we don’t have to jump right into January for Seattle Schools-the Monday falls right after New Year’s so we get until Tuesday to start the year. So will this be the theme of our 2023 year? Can we actually ease into something in our city for once? Will we slowly sip […]
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If you have Irish heritage make sure you go to the Epic Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin if you visit
December 22, 2022There are many things to do in Dublin and we found out that you can probably do almost all of them if you really want to even if you are only in Ireland for 5 days but you can also choose to do just to do a few and take your time and even go […]
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Unboxing and using our Lomi Home Composter for the very first time
December 14, 2022I was gifted a Lomi Home Composter and this post contains affiliate links and as always the viewpoints in this post are my own. I also have a coupon code for a free skylight with purchase. Add Lomi and a Skylight to your cart. Apply code: emeraldcitylife at checkout. We are trying out the Lomi […]
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My most favorite Seattle thing from 2022: Noir Lux Candle Company
December 12, 2022Maybe we can people again. It has been so hard not to people in the past couple years. And thankfully this year it finally feels like we’re starting to be able to make plans to meet friends and family and there is so much hope. We’ve been able to have so many first-time-in-way-too-long reunions and […]
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Our Seattle favorite things of 2022 for all of your holiday lists
November 30, 2022Who says that the holidays need to be hectic? I love December for celebrating and reflecting on all the joys of the year. This year I’m really thankful to have partnered with many local shops and activities that have become part of my family’s daily life in Seattle. And many of these places will be […]
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A play you need to see in Seattle : “What the Constitution means to me” (and when it goes beyond our city you need to see it too!)
October 6, 2022Have you ever watched as much news or followed as much politics as you have in the past 3 years? Sometimes I feel like all I hear is sadness and scary things and I just want to turn it off and make it stop. But it won’t stop even if we don’t pay attention and […]
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Best Advent Calendar 2024 Watchlist
October 4, 2022Just like Halloween and Christmas start slowly sneaking into summer, annual advent calendars start popping up earlier and earlier every year too. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing for this year’s calendar yet but there are a few that have caught my eye. I’ll add the ones I see to the list below and […]
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Finding all the places that have nonstop flights from Seattle at Seatac airport now that we travel with teenagers
October 3, 2022The hardest part about travel now that we travel with teenagers is that we don’t have all the time and flexibility we used to have when they were younger because of school and sports. One of the main ways we choose the places we go to is by if they have nonstop flights from Seattle. […]
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Things to do in Seattle in October
September 28, 2022Suddenly it’s October isn’t it? This year there are lots of things to do in Seattle in October and all we’re thinking about is Mariners baseball right now. But also I’m dreaming about pumpkin farms since we visited a few in Abbotsford BC and I’ve got a list of maybe 5 of them near seattle […]
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Staying a the Conrad Midtown Manhattan NYC (and yes we booked with Amex Fine Hotels again too)
September 20, 2022At the beginning of the summer our teenage boys went on their first solo trip with their school. It was at the height of the June pandemic outbreaks where people who hadn’t got Covid for two years were all getting it and we were a bit worried that they might get Covid too but we […]
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Where we park in Seattle to go to the beach at Expedia Group (Scout’s Favorite Park)
September 13, 2022If you follow along on my instagram, we tend to visit the beach at Expedia group with Scout quite frequently. It used to be where we parked to go biking with the kids when they were small. It’s near where the cruise ships dock and it’s also where you’ll find the closest lupine patches growing […]
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Why booking with Amex Fine Hotels at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Resort is more than “worth it” for families
September 12, 2022Whistler, BC has become a really popular destination for Seattle families-it’s about a 4-5 hour drive away and it’s easily combinable with a Vancouver trip for shorter travel days and a longer vacation too. Over the years it feels like we’ve stayed at nearly all the properties on the mountain and our favorites so far […]
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Things to do in Seattle in September
August 31, 2022Forget everything else about Seattle this September, it’s now the September the Mariners made it into the playoffs and the city is so ready for this excitement. Get ready to buy your post-season tickets. (Also it is still sunny, there are so many things to do, and the city has calmed down a lot from […]
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