A COVID Day Trip to Renton WA

This weekend, as we have several other weekends, in one of our more frequent COVID activities we headed to a community we had not visited yet, Renton WA.  Renton is a bit of a drive from Seattle, perhaps 25 min south on I5.

What brought us down this weekend was to visit the gravesite and memorial of Jimi Hendrix. An interesting spot to walk around on this rainy weekend afternoon.

The cemetery where Jimi is buried has some elements that we have not seen before, including a large section that is heavily Asian design influenced. This made sense when we learned that Renton has over 25% of the population who identify as Asian/ Pacific Islander. 

Taking advantage of the cultural influence we had Sushi Rolls for lunch (Take out that we ate in our car parked in a slightly wooded parking area).

We drove around the commercial areas for a bit, spotted a sonic, and stoped in for some happy hour drinks before heading home.

In terms of COVID safety, the adventure was a success, We had only brief (less than 3 min) encounters with people while getting our food & sonic.

It was good to get out of our apartment and neighborhood and enjoyed the chance to see some Washington history & learn a bit more about our neighboring city of Renton.

Wonder filled Washington walk in West Seattle

 With COVID continuing to be part of our lives and looking to discover new parts of the new home we ventured to West Seattle to wander, walk and discover.

While we have heard about the beach town vibe and fun by Aliki beach we opted for something that we hoped would give us more social distancing.

The first stop was a Mexican food truck to get to-go for lunch. Taquito Feliz was excellent. Good outdoor ordering, with social distancing, ample hand sanitizer, and the staff was all wearing masks. The food was on point, I had a quesadilla and my partner had a combination taco plate.

We found parking just a block away from the taco truck (co-located with the 76 gas station) and were quickly able to jump on the Lincoln Park trail system heading down a large number of earthen stairs to arrive at the waterfront.

The waterfront has a good number of benches and picnic tables, we were easily able to secure a bench overlooking the beach to enjoy our lunch. The bonus was that the park has many trash cans that we could put our trash in when we were done!

We easily sat and enjoyed the sounds of the waves, birds, and people walking their dogs for over an hour before we continued our journey, walking along the waterfront and taking a more gradual path back up the hill to our car.

Self wellness has been a focus of mine since May 2020. Over the past few months, I have been trying to determine if we could get a massage and still mind COVID safety. After a few google searches, I was able to find a spa that was offering patio (outdoor), masks on, chair massages. I booked those for our weekend west Seattle day. After we left Lincoln park we drove about 10min over to the Seaview neighborhood.

The 30min chair massage was relaxing, I felt COVID safe being outdoors and enjoyed the unique experience of relaxing while hearing the sounds of the city, with a combination of essential oils and that light drizzle Seattle smell rounding out my senses. 

After my 30min chair massage, it was my partner's turn. I explored the neighborhood around the spa, starting with a chai latte from the coffee shop down the street, window shopped the local bookseller, and did a few blocks of neighborhood walking, bringing me back to the patio of the spa to round out my 30min.

Verdict: West Seattle is a great place to explore while keeping COVID safety in mind. I fully expect that we will venture back to check out other communities across this large portion of the city.

Exploring Seattle Neighborhoods - Ballard

While COVID continues to redefine my world I took an opportunity to explore the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle.

Ballard has a nice downtown area with restaurants, shops, and bars. None of those met my vision of a COVID safe exploration. 

Looking at the health streets map, I discovered that 17th street is closed starting just a few blocks north of Marke Street.

Walking north on 17th I made my way up to 70th where I took a right and went 3 blocks (West) to Salmon Bay Park.

You could easily spend a few hours in this park playing on the playground, picnicking on blankets, or enjoying some outdoor Yoga.

From the park I headed down 21st street back towards Market street, winding my way over to the health street to finish my loop.

It was an effervescent afternoon exploring a new part of  Seattle, safely outdoors, masked and distant from others.

Explore Houston - Lawndale/ Wayside

As transplants to Houston, we are excited to take some time and explore parts of this diverse and dynamic city.

Last spring (2019) we spent a day in the Lawndale/ Wayside area, very near the U of H campus.

This day activity that can be done with social distancing during #COVID-19

First stop: Kickin Kombucha https://www.kickinkombuchapickup.com/ This local Kombucha brewer is yummy and the staff is exactly what you would hope, passionate about the product, helpful if you have questions and always have something unique to share while you are picking up your order.

From there a quick drive about 1.5 miles brings you to Smither Park https://www.orangeshow.org/ I am not sure I have words to describe the incredible visual pleasure of this park but I hope these photos give you a sample.

From Smither Park, we walked the very short street/ parking lot to Fonde Park that connects to the Brays Bayou Greenway Trail.

The Bluebonnets were out and the trail itself is in great shape. The Bayou still shows signs of construction, rehab, and rebuild after Hurricane Harvey.  We walked about 1.5 miles before turning around and heading back to our car.

Total Time on this trip from departure downtown to return was under 3 hours.

Looking for more Houston activity ideas? Check out Its not Hou's post about COVID activity: https://itsnothouitsme.com/2020/03/24/10-ways-to-stay-active-during-covid-19-in-houston/

Weekend itinerary Houston Texas

A weekend itinerary for a long weekend with mom in Houston Texas.

Arrive Lunchtime on Thursday.
- Eat at Bellagreen in Upper Kirby - https://bellagreen.com/
- Walk around Levy Park - https://www.levyparkhouston.org/
- Check into the hotel, Four Points by Sheraton, Upper Kirby
- Walk over to Whole Foods to get a few snacks for the hotel
- Dinner at Fadi's Mediterranean Grill - http://www.fadiscuisine.com/
- Post dinner walk at Memorial Park - https://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/

Friday
- Breakfast at Snooze AM Eatery - https://snoozeeatery.com/

- Explore NASA Space Center - https://spacecenter.org/
- Lunch on Galveston Island at Marina Bar and Grill - https://www.galveston.com/marina-bar-and-grill/
- Walk along the beach at Galveston Island State Park - https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/galveston-island
- A little shopping at Whole Earth Provisions - https://www.wholeearthprovision.com/
- Dinner - light foods from our trip to Whole Foods

Saturday
- Breakfast at Tiny Boxwoods - https://www.tinyboxwoods.com/
- Art & Craft festivals in Downtown (Main Street & George RR Brown)
- Lunch from Snap Kitchen in Upper Kirby - https://www.snapkitchen.com/
- Walk around Rice University campus - https://www.rice.edu/
- Dinner at Fresco Italian Cafe - http://www.frescocafeitalian.com/
- Movie at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts - https://www.mfah.org/films/

Sunday
- Breakfast at Nekter Juice Bar - https://www.nekterjuicebar.com/
- Coffee at Starbucks
- an hour of games at Top Golf Webster- https://topgolf.com/us/
- Flight back home