Why settle for black and white when you can live colorfully? The Color Run has always been a…read morefavorite of my friends and I - who doesn't like getting messy on purpose? ;) 2017 marked my third year participating in this popular 5K. The course has been the same each year, taking runners down Fourth Ave and then back to the Seattle Center. A family friendly fun run, The Color Run attracts participants of all ages - my favorite is actually seeing all the families out and about on the course. :) The premise of the run is simple. As participants are going through the course, they'll pass through different color stations where they are covered with either paint powder or foam/liquid. Be sure to bring a pair of sunglasses or you WILL get powder in your eyes! While we've generally had a positive time at the Color Run, my friends and I have noticed that quality has slowly started slipping. :( There weren't any (or maybe fewer?) event photographers, booths, etc. this year. The clincher was the "Self-Apply" paint station this year - I mean, really, Color Run? Fun, festive and silly, I would say that the Color Run is a great 5K though if you're just starting out or looking for a low-pressure event. Feel like you didn't get enough paint along the course? Definitely stick around for the after-run party where they pass around packets of colored powder. Happy running! :)

This event is definitely not worth the money. The quality has gone way downhill over the years…read more There were only two coloring stations for the entire run and the delay was 50 minutes inside the corral. The post run party was also a disappointment. I would definitely not run again next year.

Food trucks for days, stands and even more food! If you're a big foodie, want to sample awesome…read morelocal eats or just hungry then you've found yourself in the right place. Finding parking will probably take forever to find unless you come early or Uber over here. The lines get long fast so if you come anytime after 12, it might be too late (unless you don't mind waiting of course). The Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade line and a couple desserts trucks were the longest, gotta be that summer heat. So good if you're lucky to try it tho! Oh and there's a beer garden if you're just tryna chill out. Tacos = amazing! Sandwiches = amazing! Poke = amazing! Raclette = amazing! Mangonada = amazing! Basically everything I ate at the food festival was bomb! Come hungry, leave with a food coma and maybe a couple extra pounds.

The Seattle Street Food Festival is possibly the best street food gathering in the greater Seattle…read morearea. We were there from 3:30 to 5:30pm. The lines were mostly reasonable being in the middle of the day. There is a map set up in the intersections. Even though there are only 4 blocks of space, there are PLENTY to choose from. For reasons unknown, Block 1 is the most packed, side-by-side, with food tracks. Coincidentally, I also think this block easily had the best food. Based on the crowded foot traffic, others agreed. The organizers need to spread things out better considering there are space in the other blocks. For the food, we chose: 12 Spice or Indonesian Rendang The mushroom topping over turmeric rice was AMAZING!! For such a seemingly simple dish, the flavor is absolutely incredible. Highly recommend. Cost is $8 Alaska Weathervane Scallops We chose two options - mushroom sauce over rice pilaf and over coleslaw, their salad. They also have a taco option. Rice pilaf is the better option by far. Their coleslaw is not remotely refined enough. The scallops are amazing, though! The entrées at $14 are very reasonable. Taco Bahia We had the Nellie - Grilled Salmon tacos at $14. You can request grilled instead of fried. Definitely a better, healthier option. Took pictures but didn't buy Character Cotton Candy - a bunny! Many people paid $8 for the Instagram photo. I just asked to take the picture. LOL

Don't be intimidated by triathlons. You can easily become a triathlete, regardless of prior…read moreexperience! GOOD NEWS The Danskin race itself is fun. It's all women and great for any skill level, age, ability, or size. It's empowering! It's exciting, especially because of its size! And they give great medals and shirts and other swag! BAD NEWS Danskin fills up quickly, often on the first day of registration, which is in February. If you do get in, there will be about 5500 women racing with you. It's crowded. Last year's expo (my first) was a long mess. Allow lots of time to register on the day before the race. If you don't get in, don't worry. The Trek Tri is the same route and also women-only, run by the women who used to run Danskin; it's better anyway and not as full. It's commercial--you will be innundated with advertising for Danskin everyime you turn around. And they love to promote straight, pink femininity. Sometimes it feels like women's triathlon organizers and those who market to us are trying to compensate for the fact that we're athletic by dressing us in pink flowers. Yuck. TIPS Find a good training program online or in book and follow it. Check out some of the great workshops offered by the Lunachix (all money goes to charity). http://www.seattletrilunachix.com/ Get out and swim in a lake, ride a bike, run outside. And ask other people for tips--you don't have to be an expert or have lots of fancy stuff to do a tri. Most of all, have fun!

When my BFF told me she was signing up for the Danskin Triathlon, I was confused. A triathlon?…read moreAren't you a smoker? And don't you need to be in awesome shape to participate in a triathlon? Answers: yup, yup, and nope. The Danskin Triathlon is open to all women, regardless of age, weight, and disability. Throughout the training process and actual triathlon, coaches are always on-site to encourage, support and cheer the participants. My BFF quit smoking and wore a patch through most of the training. Today, as I got up at 5:45 so I could make it to her start time of 7:52, I watched a triathlete swim, bike and run with nary a nicotine patch. The energy present at the triathlon was incredible. Woman after woman crossed the finish line to the sounds of cheers and excited friends and family members. Greeting her at the finish line and giving her a big congratulatory hug almost brought me to tears.

FUN IN THE SUN! What a gorgeous day!!…read more The boat festival was a very cool way to while away in the heat. Highly recommend this for boat lovers, and non-boat lovers alike. You might just discover something new about yourself. It's a donation only event mostly run by volunteers, which is great, because you can feel extra good about whatever you decide to give knowing it goes to a good cause. The entire festival is very hand-on and interactive. My boys got to steer and help row a 2 century yr old boat out on Lake Union, as well as feed the birds out at sea. Apparently the volunteers host these free boat rides every Sunday. You might want to call ahead to be sure. All the kids get to build their own wooden boats and float them in the giant pool along-side professionally built boats. There is also an old museum showcasing some beautiful hand-crafted boats, where you can also buy vintage boat kits to take home and build yourself. There are also competitions, demonstrations, and opportunities to board old steamships and boats of yesteryear. Add to that live music and local venders and a lot of people with the same idea, it's fun in the sun for everyone! Ok, that was a little cheesy, but you get the idea.

This is so much fun. Boats and boats. Artists, beer garden,…read more food, hands-on crafts for kids, vendors, music. Lots of free boat rides. Sailing races. All by the water. You will need to solve parking, but it's Seattle.. we have buses and bikes and car pools.. You Can!

It is appropriately named "The Greatest Setting in College Football" - the views, the fan base, and…read morethe decibel level are all top notch! Go DaWgs!

Great college stadium with stunning views of the lake. This stadium is known for its high decibel…read morecrowd noise. This is due to the design of the roof effectively trapping the noise. This stadium features a U-shaped design and located right on the shores of Lake Washington. We've attended numerous Husky games have always had a great time. Staff members are cheerful and friendly. Concession stand prices are astronomical, which is to be expected. They do have a solid selection beverages and food. Tailgating and sailgating are time honored tradition at Husky stadium given the promixity to Lake Washington. Getting to the games is now easier with the light rail stop directly outside the stadium. Both Metro and Sound Transit have bus routes near the stadium. The most common strategy is to drive and park near or on University Avenue and walk through the UW campus. This stadium is convenient and a ton of fun.

The Husky Ballpark is next to the UW football stadium and a 10 minute walk from the UW light rail…read morestation making it very convenient for game days. There are paid parking lots in the area and the nice thing is that parking is free after 12pm on Saturdays and all day Sundays. The stadium was nice and clean. It only holds about 2,000 people and because it's a smaller stadium you can get good views no matter where you sit. We sat two rows behind home plate which was amazing! The only complaint is that when it started raining during the game, the rows closer to the front didn't have any cover while the ones further back did. There are some concession stands for food and shops if you want to buy UW gear. It was fun to enjoy the game on a nice day and it was a relaxing time.

This is an awesome place to watch some competitive baseball. On a sunny day, it's gorgeous. Seats…read moreare cheap, and all of them are close to the field. Parking is plentiful and free on Saturday after 12, and all day Sunday.

Women of all ages, sizes, and abilities can do this!…read more The Trek Triathlon is often compared to the Danskin Triathlon. In Seattle; they're both run on the same course in and along Lake Washington. It's a beautiful course with few hills. There's been political fighting between the two races, which you can ignore. The Trek is smaller and it's a lot of fun. I've done both, and I liked Trek better. Be prepared to get some speeches and advertising from Sally Edwards, famous triathlete who's turned her career to the business side of things. But stay focused on the race itself--you can swim (paddle if you need to--with swim angels nearby)! You can bike (at your own pace)! You can run (or walk if you prefer)! It's a sprint level tri--.5 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run. The Trek is a great time--highly recommended.

Seattle Center Winterfest is a "can't miss" during the holiday season, especially if you have kids…read more Kick off your holiday season at this annual wintertime celebration. The annual event, held the day after Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, will include lots of free and affordable, activities and entertainment for the whole family. See a miniature Winter Train and Village inside the Amory (and get a chance to work the controls!), visit the Winterfest Ice Rink, see ice sculpting demonstrations and live performances on the weekends. What a fun place to get in the holiday spirits. It's definitely a fun outing to check out.

5 stars all the way for this Seattle hometown tradition! I've been going to Winterfest since I was…read morelittle and the school took us for holiday field trips! It's changed a bit over the years but the same feeling of celebration and just plain holiday joy still permeate the festival. Located in and around the renamed Centerhouse (now called the Armory in memorial to its earlier days) at Seattle Center - Winterfest is easy to get to and has lots of parking options. Food options: everything in the Armory building food court. Entertainment options: lots of music and dance groups through out the festival. There is a main stage inside and a schedule published online. Mainly a mix of students and cultural heritage groups. There is a big ice skating rink outside and an ice sculpting contest. Lots of beautiful decorations, giant Christmas trees all around, holiday lights and stars speckled bunting hanging from the ceiling. Though the big draw for us every year are the trains! There is a huge winter village setup in the middle of the building with several model trains. My favorite this year was the carousel - such a pretty piece in the winter village! They were having electrical issues on the day we went so the trains weren't running temporarily. But the village was still lit up and animated otherwise. Lots of fun and pretty to look at. No doubt hours and hours of hard work go into this train village- amazing! Winterfest is open to all and free! Great community event that we love going to every year!

This year's event was in the Lumen Field Stadium :)…read more 200+ wineries and 50+ restaurants to try from - I would definitely recommend the 2-day so you can try everything without being insanely stuffed! It was so fun to try all the interesting bites from Seattle restaurants!

I purchased two day VIP tickets. We waited in line well past our 1 pm entrance time due to clearly…read moremismanaged ticketing and check-in/entrance personnel. Our apple wallet tickets were scanned yet we were given a one day VIP pass and wrist band. They said that was all they were given. After we get in, the show was cool, pretty much what was expected. The next day seemed things to be a little bit more in order but when I pulled up my apple wallet 2day VIP ticket I had purchased, it said the ticket had expired. They then tell me there's nothing they can do about it. I told them they were going to do something about it and they argued with me in front of everyone. I clearly had a two day VIP pass. They had to get a "manager" to finally acknowledge that they and the system had made a mistake. You think! Still a cool show just very disorganized and mismanaged event with not enough staff to handle the crowd including coat check. Hopefully they make changes next year.