Destination: Seattle, Washington (2025 Edition, Eating Laotian Food, Strolling Volunteer Park, and Visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass– PART 2)

At Chihuly Garden and Glass (August 2025)

My partner and I had a busy second day in Seattle: much of it was due to attending the yarn festival, which was the reason we were in town. All the same, we still packed in a lot of activities outside of the festival, even revisiting some old haunts and enjoying plenty of good food in between. Given we were in the city for such a short amount of time, we maximized every second of it!

We woke up at 8h00 and headed a few blocks from our hotel for breakfast at a café. Unfortunately, our pastries and coffees were just-average, but they fueled us up to head over to the yarn festival afterwards. The festivities were held inside one of the convention centers in Downtown Seattle, just a 10-minute walk from our hotel. We arrived just before 9h00, and there were already HUNDREDS of people waiting to get in. I had no idea there were so many yarn enthusiasts out there, but I could feel the air buzzing with excitement as we queued up.

Honestly, there were probably at least 1000 people attending, but the convention center was super huge and spacious, enough to accommodate everyone, including vendors’ booths selling all sorts of skeins, knitting needles, and patterns for purchase. I’m by no means a knitter, but I enjoyed wandering the dozens of booths with my partner, even purchasing a nice canvas bag for her to store knitting projects in. The festival was enormous and a bit overwhelming, but I can see it being a lot of fun for those passionate about yarn.

I stayed at the festival for one-and-a-half hours before I left. My partner stayed behind to enjoy herself, and I exited the convention center to catch the bus over to Capitol Hill, a neighborhood located east of Seattle. It’s a trendy part of town, known for its entertainment and nightlife, as well as its LGBTQ community. A bit more residential and away from Downton, but lovely all the same.

I would spend part of the afternoon in Capitol Hill to check out its food scene and landmarks. But first, I grabbed lunch at a Laotian restaurant (Taurus Ox), which I’d heard good things about. It was my first time trying Laotian cuisine, and I found it quite delicious! One key ingredient I tasted was lemongrass, which offered a brightness to the dishes I had: I really enjoyed my chicken laap and sai oua (Laotian sausage), both fragrant and herbaceous while also being warm and comforting. I thoroughly enjoyed my Laotian lunch!

Chicken laap and sai oua

Next was a stroll over to Volunteer Park, a spacious city park at over 48 acres (19.6 hectares) with a conservatory, art sculptures, and plenty of green space for a peaceful afternoon in. I’d visited Volunteer Park back in 2017 with my family, but it was a brief stop to check out its Water Tower, which you can climb up and get free views of Seattle’s skyline. This time, I slowed down and took my time soaking in the sun and seeing more of what the park had to offer.

Volunteer Park

One of my favorite landmarks at Volunteer Park is “Black Sun” by Isamu Noguchi, a massive sculpture that resembles a tire. What’s even more interesting is that you can see the Space Needle as you peer through the hole! Just across from the sculpture is the Seattle Asian Art Museum, which I paid $17 USD to visit. Called “SAAM” for short, this museum is dedicated to historic and contemporary artworks from many civilizations from East, South and Southeast, Central, and even Western Asia.

“Black Sun” by Isamu Noguchi (with Space Needle in the distance)

That said, I checked out various exhibits, including one specializing in Buddha from countries like India, Japan, Malaysia, etc. I also saw ceramics and lacquerware from China and intricate metalwork from Persia, as well as traditional garb from the Philippines. While I found the exhibits interesting, it was rather a small museum, and it only took me about half an hour to cover them all. Soon enough, I headed back out to continue my visit of the city.

I grabbed a matcha at one of the cafés along Capitol Hill’s main drag (honestly, the drink was just-okay) before catching the bus west of town. From there, I paid a visit to another museum, the Chihuly Garden and Glass. It’s one of Seattle’s major tourist attractions, dedicated to the colorful and intricate glasswork of local artist Dale Chihuly. I went back in 2017 and loved it, so I was keen on returning this time around.

The museum was absolutely packed by the time I went in the mid-afternoon. All the same, I paid the admission fee and headed through the different exhibits to admire the glass artwork that mesmerized me during my first visit. From the textile patchwork upon entering to the glass art resembling flowers, boats, etc, all of Chihuly’s pieces are truly outstanding.

While still fascinating, I admit my second time at Chihuly Garden and Glass was a bit less exciting: ultimately, the art pieces remained the same and the crowds were a bit too overwhelming to truly enjoy it all. Not only that, but the admission fee was super steep at $45 USD!!! If I’d thought paying $30 USD in 2017 was bad, it’s outrageous just how much prices have jumped since then. While I enjoyed my second visit, I don’t think I need to revisit any time soon…

Exiting the museum, I headed towards the water for a brief stop at Olympic Sculpture Park, where I revisited the iconic “The Eagle” sculpture by 20th century artist Alexander Calder. Also got lovely views of the Puget Sound from the park itself. Soon enough, I took the bus back to the hotel, where my partner had already returned to following the yarn festival.

“The Eagle” by Alexander Calder

We would rest a bit before heading back out for dinner, but at the expense of this post getting too long, I’ll save the rest of it for the next one. Stay tuned! 🙂

— Rebecca