How we got there…
1. Barcelona to London Heathrow
This was part of one our convoluted tier point runs with British Airways. To start the journey we positioned ourselves in Barcelona.
Why you might ask did we do this?
Because it saves thousands of pounds on business class flights and there is the added bonus of experiencing another destination.
Our goal was to rack up as many tier points as possible in just a couple of trips. We embarked on an exciting route: Barcelona – New York – Los Angeles – Seattle – Los Angeles – New York – Barcelona. Each city had its own unique charm and challenges, making the journey unforgettable.
Note – this was all done before British Airways change the rules on how to gain status.
Nowadays, we take a more relaxed approach to tier point runs. Back in the day, we would fly complex routes and spend just one night at our final destination before heading back. If you’re planning a tier point run, consider staying a few extra nights to truly enjoy each city.
For this one we stayed in Barcelona from two nights and Seattle for three.
The first flight of the day from Barcelona to Heathrow, we just slept after getting up at 2.30 am for a 7.45am flight.
Before our flight, we took a relaxing break in the Sala VIP Joan Miró lounge. The early morning tranquility was a welcome respite, and the delicious array of food was just what we needed. I even managed to sneak in a quick nap before boarding, feeling refreshed and ready for the journey ahead.
Here are some of the photographs that we took in the lounge:
2. London Heathrow to New York JFK
I decided to try the poached prawn salad, and it was quite an experience. Cold prawns always make me a bit cautious, but British Airways usually gets it right. The dish came with a homemade horseradish ketchup, which unfortunately tasted just like regular ketchup, missing the spicy kick of horseradish. The baby gem lettuce was mostly the core, lacking the leafy part. Thankfully, the side dish of marinated beetroot and Granny Smith apples with goats curd added some much-needed flavor to the crushed avocado and prawns
My husband enjoyed the slightly spicy soup and if it hadn’t been Roasted Red Pepper, I would have gone for that too. British Airways always do a good soup!
Here’s the Afternoon Tea…
3. New York JFK to Los Angles
The flight was super efficient. From the boarding, to the serving of food, to getting us there 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Upon boarding, we were promptly given a glass of champagne and hot towel to freshen our hands and face with.
Straight after take off, as soon as the cabin crew could leave their seats, it was mere seconds until we were served a bowl of warm nuts and an ice cold generous serving of gin and tonic.
My first choice of Seabass wasn’t available so I opted for artichoke and ricotta ravioli. Before that arrived we were presented with a starter of lemon chicken salad. It was served cold but had a good zesty flavour.
Both the starter and the main course were decent for in-flight food. The pasta and its contents had a nutty and acidic flavour. The ravioli was coated with a thick and rich tomato sauce plus small amounts of dotted around and a good helping of Parmesan.
My husband had barbecue short rib, which he thoroughly enjoyed. The meat was extremely tender, falling of the bone. The barbecue sauce was in a little bowl to one side of the meat, which meant that you could choose how much or little to have. To accompany this, there were fresh vegetables and new potatoes.
For dessert, we couldn’t resist the Ice cream Sundae. It’s been a while since I have had one of these on an American Airlines flight. The Sundae comes with Haagen Das vanilla ice cream and then there are choice of toppings. I went for nearly all of them because I couldn’t live without them. My selection included (not sure if it was limited too) butterscotch sauce, fruit and pecan nuts. The portion size, which I have never had a problem devouring in the past defeated me on this occasion. I ended up leaving half of the ice cream, criminal!
Once we landed in LA, we were staying at the Hilton Hotel at the airport. This was the same as the previous times we have stayed, refer here for more info…
4. Los Angeles to Seattle
Whenever we have the good fortune to fly from Los Angeles, we now always visit the Qantas First Class Lounge. Being able to visit the Qantas First Lounges is one of the perks of being a British Airways executive club gold member. One of the reasons we do these ridiculous tier point runs.
We particularly like the breakfasts. Our visit this time was no exception.
This was the Summer 2024 Menu:
What we ordered…
Yogurt with with raspberry, toasted almond and honey. The perfect balance between tart fruitiness, sweetness and creamy yogurt.
Eggs only breakfast with two poached eggs, which were deliciously runny.
Buttermilk pancakes with mango, coconut yogurt and honey.
House Lemonade, which was made with ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime and lemon.
Whilst we were polishing off our breakfast, the lady serving was starting to prepare for lunch. She asked if we would like to see the menu. We guessed it would be rude not too.
We did show a little restraint and didn’t just go straight ahead and order the next course.
We gave it at least an hour to let our breakfast settle before we returned to the dining area.
Here is the Summer 2024 All Day Menu:
Here’s what we tucked into from that…
Reuben sandwich with sauerkraut and pickles and a bowl of chips
Korean yang-nyum fried chicken taco
Although, we had only just ate an hour earlier, we found our lunch to be delicious too.
We then proceeded to the flight, glad to at least a small amount of exercise to wear of some of the food. The actual flight was a little odd.
Before boarding, we had our hand luggage cases taken off us. The plane we were flying on was so small it couldn’t even fit any small suitcases. It would have been nice to have been given some advanced warning. As they needed to be taken quickly and so one had to think fast as to whether there was anything in them that shouldn’t go in the hold.
On the flight we had two of the worst cabin crew that we have ever come across. They were so bad that when American Airlines requested feedback, we had to give it.
We had one gin and tonic each and then had a nap for the rest of the flight. We managed to resist the protein or veg box although both sounded delightful (not).
There was only one toilet, which was the only thing at the back of the plane. No galley, nothing.
Once we landed in Seattle, we had to get in line to retrieve our hand luggage cases. Ours were pretty much last but it was a relatively short wait.
The baggage claim area at Seattle, is the baggage claim area from hell. As well as coming across some odd behaviour, there was no signage to indicate, which carousel our hold luggage might appear on. Thankfully my husband had overheard the guy handing back the hand luggage say to another passenger which one it would be. Even after we had collected our bags, the screen at the conveyor belt did not indicate that this would be the right one!
Where we stayed...
Sonder at Pivot
When we were booking accommodation everything seemed pretty expensive, well more expensive than we were hoping for. We ended up booking Sonder at Pivot, which we booked via booking.com and received 15% genius discount.
Located in the Capitol Hill area, which was described by Wanderlust Magazine as “cool but edgy”. The apartment was newly built in 2023. The apartment block did have a slight feeling of student halls of residence. We booked a King Room, which as as described was “a spacious double room” with ” a well-fitted kitchen”. It was clean, modern (apart from the shower curtain over the bath), quiet and in a good location, sometimes this is all you can ask for…
Where we ate...
1. Pagliacci Pizza - Capitol Hill
On our first night in Seattle, we ordered a 17 inch pizza from Pagliacci. Knowing this was going to be too much (but we are gluttonous fools), we decided to go for half and half with the following:
PSR Combo: Pepperoni, Cascioppo’s Italian sausage, ricotta, mozzarella and romano on our seasoned tomato sauce.
12th Fan Primo: Pepperoni, salami, chicken, Mama Lil’s peppers, olives and mozzarella on our seasoned tomato sauce.
However, when the pizza finally came one of the halves was wrong. The pizza had been made with South Philly (which we hadn’t ordered) and 12th Fan Primo instead of the PSR combo. The South Philly was: Cascioppo’s Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, mozzarella and parsley over our seasoned tomato sauce.
We didn’t know this until we were presented with two pizza boxes. The second of which was filled with another 13 inch PSR Combo. So we ended up with not only a 17 inch but also a 13 inch a well between two people!
We returned back to our apartment to complete the challenge of eating enough pizza for at least 6 people.
Luckily the pizza was delicious (according to my husband it was the best he has had in a long time). The amount of topping was generous. The base was very New York Pizza style, so thin but not thin and crispy. Substantial enough to take the weight of the toppings. Our favourite was the 12th Fan Primo – the Mama Lil’s peppers made this the winner. The other two were not bad either. I personally wasn’t that keen on the ricotta but really enjoyed the South Philly mistake pizza. The mushroom and thinly sliced onions along with Italian sausage were a perfect match.
2. La Panier - Pike Place Market
In the heart of Pike Place Market, Le Panier can be found at 1902 Pike Place, Seattle. After wondering around the market, this French Bakery seemed right up our street.
As always our eyes were drawn to the array of pastries. There were other treats like fruit tarts, macarons and french bread. Deciding what to buy was a difficult decision to make as everything looked so good.
In the end it was toss up between Kouign Aman and the Brioche Framboise.
The brioche won, as I was concerned that the Kouign Aman wouldn’t live up to the one I hade from Farmers Market in Little Italy, San Diego.
The brioche was dusted with icing sugar and was dough was croissant pastry like in texture but slightly more robust. Inside there was a small blob of raspberry jam. Personally, I think it would have benefited from a significant amount more. It was good but didn’t knock my socks off.
3. Jade Garden - Chinatown
During our stay in Seattle, we visited Jade Garden twice. I found out about this Chinese restaurant from the Lonely Planet Pocket Guide for Seattle.
Described on Google as “Popular, lively spot for dim sum at low prices in a no-frills Chinese spot that’s open late”.
Our first visit was mid afternoon for some dim sum.
Downtown Seattle and particularly around Chinatown wasn’t the most refined of neighbourhoods but we have definitely been to worse.
We made our way swiftly to the restaurant. We couldn’t sneak a peak into it as the windows seemed to be purposely covered in decorative wooden sheets. I’m not sure if that was to stop people seeing in or seeing out!?!
At that time of day on a Wednesday afternoon in mid June, the restaurant had small number of other tables occupied.
Once inside, on the tables there was a QR code for the menu and also used to place your order. The waiter brought a large pot of Chinese tea to the table. This is something I have enjoyed since first trying it in Mothers Dumplings in Toronto.
I made a first order for two Tsingtao beers.
Then we placed our order for a couple of the dim sum. We went for Prawn and Chive Steamed Dumplings and Pork Pot Stickers. Both were delivered promptly and were crammed with juicy fillings, which were exquisite.
Having seen other people have what looked like battered massive chunk of chicken delivered to their tables, we reviewed the menu once more to see if we could figure out what it was and get some ourselves.
We decided that it might be the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings so took a punt and ordered them.
When they arrived they were not what we had seen other customers eating. However, they did not disappoint. The wings themselves were humongous, with so much meat. The skin had been crisped like it was a Peking Duck. They were garnished with a salt and pepper mix, which had lots of garlic in it.
Even after we had finished, had our final sip of Chinese tea and were walking back to the apartment, we both commented on the wonderful taste that remained in our mouths.
We returned to Jade Garden the very next day, this time we went in the evening around 7.30pm. When we arrived, again the restaurant wasn’t overly busy. Once the mandatory order of two Tsingtao beers had been placed, we then called over a waiter to help us with our order. We did this rather than ordering from the QR code as we really wanted to find out what the crispy fried chicken from the previous day was.
We were glad that we did this because we also found out that the Prawn Spring Rolls that we had held off from ordering the previous day, which were no longer showing on the app were indeed available to order. So we ordered them, along with the juicy Pork Potstickers.
The Prawn Spring Rolls (or Egg Rolls as our waiter called them) were rammed with big succulent prawns. They were filled so much, that I couldn’t manage the two allocated to me.
We then ordered the Sesame Chicken with the sauce on the side as this was apparently the long awaited fried chicken.
With this we requested Beef with Ginger and Spring Onion plus an Egg Fried rice to share.
Our waiter was bemused with our request of Egg Fried rice. Apparent normally some form of meat or fish protein would be added.
Once our food was chosen there seemed to be some complication going on in the restaurant. A couple arrived but were swiftly turned away by the waiter that served us. Another waiter then went retrieved them and ushered them to a table. Whilst serving our food, our waiter explained that they were going to shut early because one of the chefs wasn’t feeling well due to being overworked.
As soon as our main courses arrived so did the bill. These people weren’t messing around they wanted to close! After having a few mouthfuls of our main courses, we asked for some containers to package them up to we could take them back to our apartment and finish there.
Regardless of the fact we were pretty much evicted from the restaurant, the portions were gigantic and there was no way we would have been able to finish it all.
The chicken tasted so good and the sesame sauce was sweet, sticky and nutty all at the same time. The two were a match made in heaven.
The beef was tender and obviously been subjected to bicarbonate of soda treatment. It was glazed with a delicate sauce flavoured with garlic and spring onion. The egg fried rice was fluffy and barely seasoned (which in my opinion is a good thing).
4. Lil Woody’s Hamburger - Capitol Hill
After a day wondering around the city we were tired and wanted to get some food close to the apartment. We opted to go to a burger place, which was just a cross the road from where we were staying. According to their Lil Woody’s has never been just another burger joint. The pictures on their website showed decently presented burgers, fries and milkshakes. We weren’t able to make use of their online ordering service as we couldn’t provide a telephone number, so we went over to the joint and placed our order. We had to wait about 10 minutes for the food to be ready.
Once back at the apartment, we opened all the food packages to reveal food that certainly didn’t resemble the images we had seen online. Instead, we had a disappointing set of burgers and fries. My husband, who had opted for the Lil Woody Quarter Pound Grass-fed beef burger, felt like he had accidentally gone into a petrol station and acquired one of those burgers that you put in the microwave to reheat. The bulk of the toppings, which included Tillamook cheddar, chopped onions, diced pickles, ketchup and mayo were very deflated by the time we were tucking into the food.
I didn’t fare as badly, I had chosen the Cap Hill Fried Chicken Sandwich. This came with buttermilk fried natural (not sure why this needed to be stated!), tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise. Although the buttermilk coating had a very slight funky taste, which I couldn’t identify (might have been down to the oil it had been cooked in), it was okay overall.
Now for the fries! We ordered a basket of Hand-cut fries. Which when we removed from the bag that they resided in were a mound of soggy scrawny burnt but undercooked at the same time fries. They looked very sorry for themselves. They were also only just lukewarm even though we had literally on had them for about 5 minutes. Reheating them in the microwave did nothing to improve their outlook. We gave them up as a bad job as eating the burgers was hard enough work!
5. Anchorhead Coffee Co
Whilst on route from Capitol Hill to the Space Needle, we were in desperate need of a morning refreshment. We decided to take a slight detour to see if we could find a coffee house. Luckily, we did in the form of Anchorhead and were rewarded with some of the best coffee and hot chocolate that we have ever tasted. I can’t speak further on the coffee but the hot chocolate was sweet and subtle.
6. Moonrise Bakery - Queen Anne
The Moonrise Bakery is at the start of the high street in the Queen Anne area of Seattle. This little French spot stocked some amazing pastries, sandwiches, natural wines and served a good range of refreshments.
We opted for a cinnamon twist, a flat white coffee and they turned one of their Pineapple Matcha Tonic into a tea free refreshing sweet soda for me.
We sat out on the petite little patio at the front of the Bakery to enjoy our purchases. The cinnamon twist was exquisite. It had a croissant moist flaky pastry which was laced with a light cinnamon and sugar paste. We we tempted by a caprese sandwich but held back given we’d just polished off the pastry.
7. Pinoyshki - Capitol Hill
Not that we have a pastry addiction but on our last day, whilst we were waiting to start our return journey home we went to a cafe that we had seen on our first day in Seattle. Situated on East Pike Street, Capitol Hill, Pinoyshki is a Filipino Bakery and Cafe. It is apparently the home of the Pinoyshki. Ths appeared to be the Filipino/Eastern European version of a pasty. There were many different permutations of fillings.
On the morning when we visited we weren’t ready for something as savoury so we decided to sample sweet goods (of which there were many).
After some extremely difficult decision making, we went for the Cherry in Butterflake and a Baklava.
The Butterflake was a filo pastry with stewed cherries in side. The cherries made the pastry quite tart, which the icing sugar topping helped to balance. The overall taste could have been improved if the cherries had been made into a jam. Overall, it was fresh, light, pleasant if not a little messy.
The Baklava was very different. It dense with nuts and sweet honey. It crumbled in the mouth with every bite taken. Not that it was needed but the honey coated almond on top was also delightful. When I first saw the size of it, I felt cheated but the richness and compact nature, made it an ample amount. If I lived in Seattle, I think I might end up addicted to them!
What we did...
1. Pike Place Market
Our itineraries for any trip that we take, always try to include a food market if one is available. We were pleased when planning Seattle, that it appeared to have a pretty good one, Pike Place Market.
Apparently this is Seattle’s original farmers market and has existed since 1907. The market had a variety of stalls.
Some were selling souvenirs or arts and craft pieces. There was a large number of flower stalls, with some beautifully colourful bouquets. There were stalls selling fresh fish, which looked good quality and generous in size. There were bakeries, fruit and veg vendors and Italian Delis.
Within the market itself there weren’t many options for ready made food to eat there and then. However, the streets surrounding the market seemed to have nearly every option covered including a Crumpet Shop!
Here are some of the things we found.
This market is definitely worth the visit!
2. Sky View observation Deck
I couldn’t decide between the Space Needle or the Sky View Observation Deck. The research I did beforehand definitely made the Sky View seem more attractive.
It is taller than the Space Needle, with the observation deck on the 73rd floor. This inevitably means that the views are far superior. Plus there a fewer crowds and more space to wonder round and take in the sights.
We booked online a day before our visit via the official website. On the website when booking, a time slot for you visit can be selected. We chose 2pm and it took about 15 minutes to walk to its location at the Columbia Centre, 4th Avenue from Pike Place Market.
We managed to get in just a head of a coach load of people, which was a relief. The elevator ride up was quick and the person manning it gave us brief instructions on now to navigate with a little plug for the bar and restaurant, which apparently was the “favourite” part!
Everything we had read beforehand was accurate. The views across the city were amazing. There were very few people visiting so there was plenty of room to move around and see the 360° views.
When booking there were choices to pay for fast track tickets or tickets that provided reserved seating at particular windows. It might just have been down to the time we were visiting but I was glad we hadn’t paid extra for these things as it wasn’t needed.
We spent a good hour and the scenes were spectacular.
3. Walk from Sonder at Pivot to the Space Needle, Kerry Park and Queen Anne area
Given that we had visited the Sky View Observation Deck the previous day, we didn’t intend to also pay to go up into the Space Needle. However, we still wanted to see this iconic building from the ground. We set off on foot, with a little detour via Anchorhead Coffee. Built in 1962, for a World’s Fair, the building has a strong, wonderful, mid century style.
After our brief visit foot tour of this key Seattle landmark, we then continued to Kerry Park.
The walk from the Space Needle to this area is not for the faint hearted. We took the steep incline up Queen Anne’s Avenue. The reward which greeted us when we arrived at the top was yet more fantastic views of the city.
It’s not really a park as such, but an excellent viewing area.
From there we continued up to Queen Anne area. This was a very immaculate suburb with a substantial high street, which appeared to be populated with independent retailers and restaurants. The atmosphere here was relaxed.
4. Future of Flight Tour at the Boeing Everett Factory
We love flying, so when visiting Seattle, taking the Future of Flight Tour at the Boeing Everett Factory was an absolute must.
The Everett factory is approximately 30 – 60 minutes north of the centre of Seattle. It’s not easy to get if you don’t have a car, which we didn’t. Our choices were to get a combination of public transport – bus(es) and train. This was estimated to take approximately 2 hours. The second option was to get an Uber, which was an expensive option but would save us at least an hour. We decided to do the Uber.
The journey up to the factory ended up taking just under an hour. When we arrived, we checked in at the front desk to get a physical ticket. Before going on the tour, you have to store all bags, cameras, phones, etc, in the free lockers in the entrance.
We arrived early for the tour so we were encouraged to go visit the short presentation on the Boeing 747. We did this and had a wander arrived the gift shop to kill some more time.
Once we could proceed to the tour, we were directed to a small cinema theatre where we watched two short films on the history of Boeing. After this we then boarded a tour bus to take us all to the Boeing factory. Along the journey, our tour guide (who I think was called Lauren) gave a running commentary on everything we saw along the way.
The factory itself is huge.
It has its own lodgings for customers/pilots to stay at when they come to collect their planes. It has its own private road crossing the freeway, which is large enough for planes to be driven across on their way out of the factory.
Once inside the enormous aircraft hangar like sheds, you a led to a viewing deck to watch a hive of activity. You really do get to see a behind the scenes look at the Boeing Everett Factory and 777/777X assembly line. The tour guides are extremely knowledgeable and were on hand throughout to field questions. It is definitely worth the time if you like planes.
The only downside of the visit was the length of time (and cost) it took us to get back into Seattle. We were still pleased that we had done it.
5. Volunteer Park
To kill a bit of time on our last morning, we walked through Capitol Hill to the Volunteer Park.
Our intention was to visit the graves of Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee at the Lake View Cemetery, which is north of the park. After a couple of wrong turns trying to find the entrance to the park, which Google Maps had directed us to we ran out of time.
Instead we had a nice walk around the park, which felt like a mini version of Central Park in New York. It was a lovely green space with lots of different pothways to meander around.
How we got home...
1. Seattle to Los Angeles
Our flight between Seattle and Los Angeles was with American Airlines. With our British Airways Executive Club after a little bit of a kerfuffle we gained access to the Alaska Airlines First Lounge.
There wasn’t a massive selection of food but we needed to have something as we knew from our inbound flight that the selection on the flight wasn’t going to be the greatest.
I settled for a self-made roll of cold meats and cheese.
Here we also found a cajun spicy nut mix, which has now established a life long love of spicy trail mix.
2. Los Angeles to New York
Once back at Los Angeles airport, whilst we waited for our flight to New York, we made a final visit to the Qantas First Lounge.
This time around, I selected the Black Angus Minute Steak for my dinner. Once again the food here didn’t disappoint.
The steak was cooked to my liking, the meat had a rich flavour and although thin retained a juiciness that was enjoyable.
3. New York JFK to London Heathrow
We arrived in New York early morning, which meant that we had time to venture into Manhattan before our return flight to London. (Separate journal post coming up for this).
After the short diversion into the city, once back at JFK airport, we made our way to the SoHo Lounge.
The food we sampled included the Beef Burger and Fries and Salmon and Egg Salad. The salad was very good!
4. London Heathrow to Barcelona
Once we had landed at London Heathrow after not eating anything further on the plane, we treated ourselves to a buffet breakfast in the British Airways First Lounge.
5. Barcelona to London Heathrow
When we arrived back at Barcelona airport, we visited the Sala VIP Joan Miró lounge again whilst waiting for our flight back to London.
Here’s the buffet selection that was on offer…
And here’s what we tried…
6. London Heathrow to Manchester
Ahead of our final flight from London Heathrow to Manchester, we found ourselves sampling another selection from the buffet in the British Airways First Lounge.
This time it was late afternoon and I chose a very random selection of food to end a very long trip home.
