#CCARetreat2025 Seattle: What To Do and See

CCA is headed to Bellevue, WA for this year’s retreat. Beautiful Bellevue is located about. 20 minutes away from Seattle, WA home diverse offerings sure to pique everyone’s interests. Personally, I am excited about learning more about the origins of alternative bands from the 1990s like Nirvana, Peal Jam, among others that brought the Seattle sound to the nation. Once again, I am Kara, your favorite travel guide for the best weekend of the year. Are you ready to have some fun?

Take Flight
While music may not be your bag, there are plenty of other fun things to explore while in Bellevue and Seattle. One big one for many of our CCA friends will undoubtedly be The Museum of Flight. I am not nuts about aviation. It kinda freaks me out. However, I am really into space flight and outer space. Yes, I know it doesn’t make sense, but as I often quote the great Walt Whitman, “we contain multitudes.” Enough about me, and back to the planes, the Museum of Flight has a featured exhibition called Apollo where you will be able to see the F-1 engines that powered the Apollo and Saturn space missions. In addition, there is 737 Airliner Theater, Vietnam and WW1 and WW2 planes used in war, and a number of interactive exhibitions to better learn more about the world of flight. The museum is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way South, Seattle, WA, admission is $29 for adults, $21 for youth 5-17, and children 4 and under are free. Tickets are available for purchase online. Special exhibitions may require an additional ticket fee.

Art & Science
Next up for all my fellow artsy friends, there is the Chihuly Garden and Glass. Artist, Dale Chihuly created some of the most iconic glass sculptures, lighting fixtures, and more over the course of his career. He studied at the University of Washington and began working with glass while studying interior design. On the grounds of the museum, there are galleries, gardens, glasshouse, and theater to explore. The museum looks like a true treasure seamlessly blending the outdoor and indoor spaces. You can combine admission to the Chihuly Garden and Glass with admission to the Space Needle, the 605 ft tall spire at the center of the city of Seattle. The observation deck and rotating restaurant is located right next door to Chihuly Garden, the Seattle Children’s Museum, Pacific Science Center, and Willard Smith Planetarium. For $68, adults can go to see beautiful Chihuly glass and get the best view of the city at the top of the needle. Regular admission for ages 13 - 64 is $68, youth ages 5-12 is $63.

Food, Art, Sculpture, and History
Other places worth exploring, include Pike’s Place Market. A spot featured in many a movie and tv show featuring famed fish-throwing seafood vendors, produce stalls, and other shops. Nearby the market is the Seattle Art Museum and nearby Olympic Sculpture Park. At no cost at all, the park overlooks the Salish Sea, and boasts a pavilion, and MARKET at the Park which is open Friday through Sunday from 10AM - 2PM, and what I can only describe as a ginormous, artsy, indoor greenhouse called Neukom Vivarium. For the more adventurous, and amateur spelunkers among us, the underground passageways attraction below Pioneer Square, Beneath the Streets is just for you. Explore this underground system of tunnels that lay below one of the oldest parts of Seattle. My friends at Viator can bring back in time and below sea level for $29.00 a person.

Pop Culture
Finally, (well I could go on and on, and there is more below), one may want to check out the Museum of Pop Culture, where you will get to see artifacts from your favorite bands, horror, sci-fi films and more. Current exhibitions boast an indie game revolution, infinite worlds of science fiction, an expansive guitar gallery, and the sound lab where you can mix up your own tunes in an interactive exhibition space.

Irreverent Fun For All
Finally, (maybe, we’ll see...) on the more quirkier side are these suggestions found on this really cool site, AtlasObscura. I think I speak for some of us when I say we all need to go check out the gum wall, a wall of chewing gum that is a collective art project. You can find it at 1428 Post Alley in Seattle. If chewed gum isn’t your thing, maybe the Fremont Troll may tickle your fancy. Well most likely he won’t be doing much of anything as he is 18 ft tall and made of concrete. Created in 1990 for the Fremont Arts Council competition for designs to improve freeway underpasses, the architectural wonder has been there ever since. You can make your pilgrimage to visit the Fremont Troll at 3468-3696 Aurora Ave N. in Seattle. There are many, many more suggestions for wacky and wonky sightseeing at atlasobscura.com for Seattle and almost every other city you may be visiting this summer. Peep the Seattle Meotropolitan Cat Cafe. It looks like it's a winner if you like cats and coffee.

Explore and Build Your Memorable Visit
There is so much to explore in Seattle. I feel like I did the outdoors a great disservice. Mount Rainier is nearby, whale watching is also available to folks who may be so inclined. Check out the Visit Seattle website to explore restaurant suggestions, additional attractions, and for anything I may have missed.

CCAAnnualRetreat2025: Getting Around Bellevue Washington

I am quite excited about our long weekend together in Bellevue, Washington, just a stone's throw from Seattle, Washington. This blog will share information about how to get from the airport to Bellevue, and how to move around the area that surrounds the hotel. Hope this helps you get around, locate some grocery and pharmacy basics to help make your trip to the Pacific Northwest a smooth one.

From the Air to the Pavement, How to Get to Bellevue After You Land

Let’s start with what happens once you land. Ground transportation is important. There are the usual offerings which include your preferred ride share app, taxi service, or rental car. A cost effective alternative is the $30 Bellevue Airport Shuttle. The shuttle runs every hour from 7:00AM - 10:00PM local time. It will bring you to our hotel, the Hyatt Regency, and also provides rides to other hotels. You can board the shuttle by going to the third floor of SEA-TAC airport, and take the skybridge to the garage. Continue to the hotel shuttle area and go to Island 2A (between skybridge 3 and 4) designated as “Hotel Shuttles” on the signage. The only downside I can see with this service is that it lacks accessibility for individuals in wheelchairs. Learn more and book your ride here.

Ground Transportation Around the Hotel

Once unpacked and settled in your room, you can explore Bellevue by using the free, electric transportation service called Bellhop. The electric shuttle runs along a 6-mile perimeter bringing passengers to local hotspots, like the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, Kidsquest Children’s Museum, and Meydenbauer Center. The shuttle runs Mon – Thursday – 7:30 – 9 pm, Friday – 7:30 – 10 pm, Saturday – 10 – 10 pm, Sunday – 9 – 9 pm. Download the Bellevue Bellhop app, called circuit, to learn more about how to get on board to get out and about.

What to Do in Bellevue?   

If you want to stay on foot, and have a luxurious lunch and shopping experience, you should visit the Bellevue Collection. Department stores, your mall favorites, plus coffee shops, and restaurants for lunch and dinner can be found here. Notable among the offerings are Cheesecake Factory, West Coast Tacos, a mocktail bar called Club Seltzer and a few coffee shops, DOTE Coffee Bar, and Woods Coffee. There is so much to explore as far as shops go as well. Flagship stores include Nordstrom, Macy’s and span the alphabet from Athleta to ZARA. Truly an elevated shopping experience awaits those who are so inclined to shop till they drop, or maybe just take a window-shopping stroll.

If you are more of an outdoors person, Bellevue and the Seattle region have spectacular green spaces. Nearest to the Hyatt is the Bellevue Downtown Park. This accessible park has playground equipment, picnic areas, and a 240-foot-wide waterfall. This area looks like a wonderful place to explore and enjoy the outdoors a bit.

Groceries, Pharmacies, and Target Runs

For groceries, and some of the bare necessities, there is a Target at 272 116th Ave, NE and a Safeway grocery store at 300 Bellevue Way NE. The Safeway has a pharmacy and there are also CVS and Walgreens Pharmacies in the same area. I also saw there was a Trader Joes and Whole Foods nearby for those os us with special diets. Stock up on water, bandaids, and snacks so you can fuel yourself through the fun.