Now that we’ve celebrated in the same way for three years in row, I can most definitely say we have a tradition.  Every summer, Slaed and I commemorate our wedding anniversary with what we call a 24-hour date.

If you aren’t familiar with our wedding anniversary tradition, the first year, we traveled to nearby Suncadia resort, and last year we kept it even closer, and made the Arctic Club (Hilton Doubletree) our home base.

This past year was big.  10 years! To mark this momentous occasion, we decided to return to the hotel where we spent our wedding night: Seattle’s Hotel Sorrento.  In addition, we sprinkled in activities (and eating, lots of eating) that were a part of our wedding weekend. Psst: If you’d like know about our getaway in visual form rather than reading about it, scroll down to the bottom, and watch our YouTube video! 

Hotel Sorrento is a historic Seattle hotel that opened in 1909.  It is located in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood, just on the edge of downtown, and also close to the Capitol Hill neighborhood.  The Sorrento’s charm, cozy elegance, and excellent service make it the perfect place for honoring a special occasion.

10 years of Marriage.

We only had 24-hours to pack in an entire weekend of celebrating, so we didn’t waste a lot of time.  I apologize if hearing about all of our activity makes you tired!  We love to pack in the fun, and I happen to be married to a time management expert.

To begin, we grabbed lunch right next door to the Hotel Sorrento at 206 Burger Company.  This was our first time eating here, we shared a cheeseburger, and we will definitely come back.  Delicious burger, yummy tater tots, and friendly service.

Since our room wasn’t quite ready yet, we headed downtown through Seattle’s Freeway Park for some shopping.  Our kids aren’t the most patient companions for shopping, so we love the chance to take our time in stores to wander and browse.

Upon hearing that our room was ready, we headed back to the Sorrento to check in, and get settled.  With just a quick transition, we were off to Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood for bowling.  Garage Billiards and Bowl was where we hosted a party for our guests after the wedding rehearsal.  While Slaed has some solid bowling skills, I am not at all proficient in this department.  Regardless, I love it, and appreciate how bowling makes for a lot of laughs!

After bowling, you can probably guess that Slaed won, we grabbed a drink at Capitol Cider.  This is another spot that we have passed by countless times, but never stopped in.  Learn from our mistake: Especially if visiting for the first time, opt for a flight to share rather than trying to decide on just one cider.  Poking around, I also noticed, they have an extensive collection of coloring sheets for kids.

We regrouped at the Sorrento once more, and stopped into their Fireside Room for the hosted Wine Hour.  This happens every evening for hotel guests, and it’s such a lovely way to take a break, and/or mingle with others. We wished we could have stayed just a little longer lingering, but dinner awaited us!

La Spiga, an Italian restaurant, in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood was where we had our wedding reception.  We make a point to return often, but of course this particular evening was extra special given the history.  Our absolute favorite thing to order is their melt in your mouth buttery lasagne verdi.  We like it so much that we have ordered entire trays to bring to parties!  The gnocchi holds a special place in our hearts as well.

After dinner, we wandered through the Seattle University campus.  I went to Seattle U for graduate school, so we were able to have our wedding at the university’s St. Ignatius Chapel.  Before calling it a night, we stopped into the Rhein Haus to catch the end of the Seattle Sounder’s soccer match.  Unlike our last 24-hour date that ended quite late because of the Kenny Chesney concert, we made sure to retire on the earlier side so that we could enjoy the morning.

This is where we must admit that we “bit off more than we could chew”.  We decided that a huge loop around the city would be the perfect idea for a morning walk. The walk through Pike Place Market, along the waterfront, and to the Olympic Sculpture Park was going swimmingly until, well, we realized were running out of time! Around the Space Needle we concluded that we wouldn’t make it in time for our brunch reservation (and then wouldn’t make it back in time to relieve the babysitter) until we hopped in a taxi.

So we sucked it up, defeat is hard, and got a ride back to the Sorrento so that we could enjoy Eggs Benedict and Bagel Sandwiches at Dunbar Room. 

Hotel Sorrento Staycation Video

Are you  more of a visual person? Join us on our Seattle Staycation (featuring Hotel Sorrento) by playing the YouTube video below!

Have you had a staycation or hometown “getaway”? We’d love to hear about it! How did you plan it?

Related: 10 Reasons to Plan a Trip Close to Home.

Special Thanks to Hotel Sorrento for providing us with a discounted Media Rate for our stay. 

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