Marie B.
Yelp
For the Homie's spring break and my staycation we came up with several ideas, including a Seattle Aerial Tour via Kenmore Air.
Literally, since the Homie was a little baby in a stroller one of his earlier words was 'ba' every time he saw a seaplane overhead. And for me, something I haven't done despite being a King County resident since the early 1980s.
Booked online two days earlier was straightforward and had greater availability, and knew the weather was forecasted to be sunny and clear this particular Friday ($198, for one adult and one child). Also they do ask your weight! Make sure to bring photo ID for in state tours (and your passport if doing any flights to Canada).
Pro tip though, give yourself ample time for check-in due to the city's traffic and finding parking. A lot of construction workers pretty much monopolized the pay parking along Westlake. Our 2 hour parking was cheap $2!, but we had to speed walk quite the distance to the Kenmore Air location at South Lake Union.
The main reception area has friendly staff, restrooms, maps/tourist info, and souvenirs. (scored on both a sale pullover and sweatshirt after our tour!)
Bring your sunglasses, video camera, and/or charged smart phone with video capacity. Our group got to fly on the seaplane with the Evening Magazine logo (10 person capacity, including the pilot).
Despite being there the earliest, the other male tourists, jockeyed ahead in line on the dock. So despite The Homie was the only student and I was the only female, there is no preferential or reserved numbered boarding.
If you want to ride alongside the pilot and not stuck in the back seats with intense engine fumes like us, queue closer to the departure gate. Everyone does get a window seat view though. Just saying, if that's your goal to not be disappointed.
Once boarded, buckled in, we got our pre-flight instruction, donned the headphones, and took off from Lake Union and airborne relatively quickly.
Beautiful views all around including UW Campus, Lake Washington, Elliott Bay, Seattle and Bellevue skylines, the Olympics, the Cascades, Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, the ferries, and more. Loved all the landmarks being a long time resident.
I didn't realize The Homie had fear of heights, but relaxed a few minutes into the flight. I enjoyed it tremendously and wished I had done this sooner. We were all lucky because our scenic tour lasted much longer than advertised. Awesome takeoff, amazing aerial views, and splashy landing.
Highly recommended, especially on those sunny, clear PacNW days!