When you do something two years in a row, it’s a tradition, right? Slaed and I now have an annual 24-hour summer date.  We hire our dear babysitter (of 5+ years) from 11 am on Saturday to 11 am on Sunday, and go somewhere local.

Last year, we traveled to Suncadia, and went the more relaxing, sit by the pool, dine slowly route.  This year, we opted for an even closer getaway, and stayed at The Arctic Club Seattle.  Instead of putting our feet up and taking it easy, we packed our schedule with activity.

There is something to be said about both styles.  As parents, we need time away to refresh and de-stress.  At the same time, I also crave life before kids.  Things like shopping without interruption, attending sporting events where we actually stay in our seats and watch, and not worrying about being home in time to relieve the sitter sound like a dream!

The Arctic Club, a Doubletree Hilton hotel in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood served as our home base.  You may be wondering…

Why did we choose The Arctic Club?

Location!

Yes, of course location is often the driving factor of our lodging choice. As you’ll see when I share the details of our getaway, The Arctic Club is not only located in Seattle’s oldest neighborhood, but it’s also close to SODO, our stadium area.

Charm.

I’ve admired The Arctic Club’s building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, for years.  The hotel isn’t just a normal cookie-cutter hotel.  From it’s well-loved polar bear (next to the appropriately named, Polar Bar) in the lobby to the gorgeous tile and wallpaper (wallpaper is cool now!) in the bathroom, there are so many unique touches that make the Arctic Club comfortable, and also a place I just want to be!

Loyalty.

We’re Hilton people, and the Arctic Club is part of the Doubletree line by Hilton.  It’s our hotel group of choice for their wide variety of quality properties, excellent honors program (it’s free to join), and special perks (cookies upon arrival!).

24-hour Getaway Pioneer Square & SODO

Now that you know a little bit about our home base at the Arctic Club, here’s a rough report on what we were up to on our big active adventure.

Saturday Afternoon: Shopping & Baseball

After checking-in to the Arctic Club and getting settled, we did a little stress-free shopping.  We were particularly interested in the big North Face sale happening at the time.  Since temperatures were just starting to warm up in Seattle, it was the perfect time to cap off my summer wardrobe.

Next a quick pick-me-up from Caffe D’arte (one of Slaed’s favorites in the neighborhood), and then we were off to see our Seattle Mariners take on the Colorado Rockies.  While I really do love attending games with my kids, it was such a treat to get to simply sit, enjoy a cold beverage, and watch baseball.  We usually walk all around the stadium, going to the kids areas and taking in different views, but for this game we just stayed in our section, and it was delightful!

Saturday Evening: Country Music & Nightlife

When we hatched our initial plans for this 24-hour date, the Mariner game was the only item on the agenda.  Slaed had grabbed some great seats, and we figured we’d just go to a nice dinner, and spend time enjoying the city kid-free.  When we started looking for a hotel, we finally realized why so many of them (right by the stadiums) were all booked—a huge country music concert was happening at Century Link Field that night.

Tickets were still available, so we thought, “Why not?”, and joined the crowds to see Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett, and headliner Kenny Chesney (among others) in the Trip Around the Sun tour.  My love for country music has grown in the last several years.  In a world that can be filled with stress and bad news, I find it fun, uplifting, and easy to listen to.

The song, “Snapback” (referring to the adjustable baseball cap), by Old Dominion is a family favorite.  It’s been years since it came out, but whenever it comes on, we stop what we are doing to bellow out the lyrics.  And in addition to being a classic country music singer, we also have a special connection to Kenny Chesney.

When the US Virgin Island, St. John was devastated by Hurricane Irma, Kenny, a part-time resident for over 20 years, stepped in to organize a huge relief effort.  After visiting and falling in love with the island in the spring of 2017, we appreciate all he and his organization have done to help provide vital resources for the rebuilding process.

I’d never been to a country music concert, and boy was this a fun introduction! We danced, and sang, and laughed, and watched as everyone around us did the same.  I absolutely loved it.  And because we can’t leave well enough alone, on our walk back to the Arctic, we stopped into Cowgirls Inc. for one last hurrah.  What better way is there to cap off an evening of country music than a saloon complete with a mechanical bull?

Breakfast & Waterfront Walk

We took it slow in the morning enjoying the quiet and comfort of our room at the Arctic.  I made french press coffee, and then we headed down to Juno. the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast.  With full bellies, we had about an hour to wander the waterfront, and watch as Pike Place Market opened up for the day.

Quick Arctic Club Highlights

I touched on many of these features, but wanted to point out a few things that I really loved about the hotel:

• Friendly and helpful staff.
• Fun small (but much appreciated) perks throughout such as cookies up on arrival, fresh fruit, and fruit infused water.
• Gloriously comfortable bed.
• Gorgeous bathroom: I loved the tile and wallpaper, as I mentioned, but also noticed that from the shower, I had a view of the Smith Tower reflecting off of the Columbia Tower–such a neat perspective!
• Thoughtfully designed elements to minimize clutter, such as the coffee bar with french press that could be hidden away in the dresser, and the cordless charging station for our phones.

Have you had a staycation or hometown “getaway”? Enjoyed a country music concert lately? We’d love to hear about it! Related: 10 Reasons to Plan a Trip Close to Home.

Special Thanks to Arctic Club Seattle for providing us with a discounted Media Rate for our stay. 

Come join the conversation! We’d love to have you join us on all of our adventures by “liking” our facebook page and following us on twitter! You can also keep up to date with each and every post by subscribing to the blog via email.