Hi,
My most recent outing with my 4 kids was to downtown Seattle. To avoid the panic of them going in every direction in the crowds, we arrived at 830am. Parking was easy (Pacific Place is clean, well-lit and easy to get to). We bundled up (it was 29 degrees) and starting hunting for the Nutcrackers.
The Nutcrackers are 60 7 foot tall Nutcrackers decorated by various local artists. They are sold at an auction, but the are on view for the public. Most of them on are the city streets surrounding downtown Seattle. When we came up the escalator at Pacific Place, we found our first Nutcracker. There ended up being about 10 of them within the mall. We went from floor to floor to see them. The kids were so excited that they would run as soon as they saw one.
We headed outdoors and started walking around the blocks to find more We ended up finding about 30 total. There are maps that can be downloaded, but it was more fun to explore. We stopped at Specialty's Cookies for yummy chocolate cookies and hot chocolate (mochas for the adults). In all we walked for 2 hours without any complaints. We ended our morning with a carousel ride at Westlake Center. The timing was perfect. There were no lines or crowds. But the shoppers were starting to fill the streets and it was time to go home.
It was a great day!! With little cost.
