Lego Americana Roadshow - If You Build It

We love Legos!  We love them to the point of surrendering a chunk of our house to storage and creation areas and have Lego Minifigs proudly displayed on our walls.  We also have an affinity for  history and architecture. So when we heard that the Lego Americana Roadshow was coming to Alderwood Mall, we knew we had to go.

The Lego Americana Roadshow is a traveling exhibit of American monuments that travels the country to wow crowds and sneaks in a bit of history to boot (including a life-size Liberty Bell!)

 The structures are incredibly detailed with even the smallest features represented in Legoes.   The exhibit is free and will be at the Alderwood Mall through October 30th.

Come Sail Away - Model Pond Boat Sailing @ Lake Union Park

Have you wanted to feel the wind in your hair and the sun in your face while commanding your own ship?  We recently were able to make those dreams a reality ...on a smaller scale. Every Saturday and Sunday from May to November, The Center for Wooden Boats rents out model boats for at the model boat pond.  Sailing the boats is as easy as pointing it into the wind and giving it a little push. The hard part is running around to other side after each voyage to sail it back. Pairing sailing with a visit to the MOHAI and a picnic makes for an amazing day out! Boat rentals are a $5 per hour suggested donation and the rentals are open from 11a.m. - 2p.m.

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Recreate History - Lego reproductions

Construction Workers on the Death Star and Empire State Building respectively

There have always been images that have drawn a visceral, as well as intellectual, response from people.  And nothing shows appreciation like a LEGO homage.  Over the last year we have created a variety of Lego interpretations of  art, photography and pop culture. We work together to build our creations all the while discussing the history behind the originals.  These are some of our favorites.

Raising of the flag at Iwo Jima

Scene from the Walking Dead

Scene from the Walking Dead

First steps on the Moon

Travel Through Time - MOHAI

Time travel is high on my list of impossible things to do.  I would love to experience moments in history first hand (or at least observe them safely from a distance.)  That's why I love the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI).  The history of Seattle, and to some extent the Pacific Northwest, is laid out in an entertaining and informative way.  Many icons from the past are on display along with interactive displays that kept all of us, from the 4 year-old on up, entertained.  The museum sits on the south end of Lake Union in a beautiful park that is perfect for picnics and boat watching.  http://www.mohai.org/

Hustle and Bustle Of The Market - A Day Trip To Pike Place Market

Seattle provides us with many great niche markets, neighborhoods, stores, parks, and restaurants; but sometimes a trip to our most well known attractions is well worth the visit.  Pike Place Market is an excellent example of a location hidden in plain sight.  We see and hear about it so much that we sometimes "forget" that it's there.  Recently we've made a goal of getting to know our city better, becoming tourists in our hometown.  The Market has become a favorite starting point for this. The market has all of our favorite fruits and veggies...

And our favorite donuts...

 Some awesome tchotchkes...

Giant candy bars.... (yes that's a pound of York Peppermint Patties!)

A magic shop...

 

And a brass pig!

And what visit would be complete without a trip to the notorious Gum Wall.

With more than a days worth of sights, sounds and smells, The Market has proven time and again to be a great day trip.   http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/

Free Museum Days - First Thursday Free Admission

A trip to the museum is always high our list of things to do.  Whether historic (MOHAI, Museum of Flight) or artistic (SAM, Wing Luke), our family has a great time.  And the best part is, that most of them are free on the first Thursday of the month.  Every month we choose one museum to go to (sometimes more if we start early enough) and make a day of it.  Discussing and observing art and history from two different perspectives (4 year old and 11 year old) is an amazing and satisfying experience. http://www.freemuseumday.org/sea.html