Day 2 in the Seattle was a chill day. Between jet lag and a full day in the city the day before, we were ready for a relaxing day. So, our plans for the day included catching up with the family and checking out the Boeing Factory Tour (yes, we are all nerds that love airplanes!).
Top Pot Doughnuts
We started the day off with a trip to the local doughnut chain, Top Pot Doughnuts. They have all the regular treats plus a lot of crazy ones including Cookies & Cream, Eggnog Cake, Peppermint Snowdrift, Ovaltine Cream Filled, and Salted Caramel Old Fashioned. We split a Raspberry Bullseye and a… wait for it… Bacon Maple Doughnut Bar. I must admit that I was a bit skeptical of the Bacon Maple Doughnut combination, but it was scrumptious. Sweet, savory, fluffy, and crunchy all in one bite. [Bacon Maple = $2.99, Raspberry Bullseye = $1.99]
Boeing Factory Tour (Future of Flight)
I highly recommend purchasing your tickets online before you venture over to the Boeing Factory, 30 minutes north of Seattle. We did not do this. Learn from our mistake. We arrived first thing in the morning and they were already sold out until the very last tour of the day at 3pm. Oh well. Back to Seattle and then back to Boeing in the afternoon we went. Good thing we didn’t have any other plans for the day [Ticket (Tour + Strato Deck + Gallery) = $25]
Boeing Factory Tour: The Gallery
We made it back to Boeing about an hour before our tour because we wanted to check out the gallery. It is a small but interesting and interactive museum. We got to see humongous GE jet engines and learn about avionics. I was intrigued by all of the predictions of the future. (I guess that is why it is called the Future of Flight.) It was neat to look at the different materials they are going to start using on aircrafts and the fascinating layouts of future commercial planes.
Boeing Factory Tour: The Strato Deck
After browsing through the gallery, we took the elevator up to the Strato Deck. The views of the factory, airfield, and planes are spectacular. The views of the mountains are impressive too!
Boeing Factory Tour: Touring the Factory
Unfortunately, you can’t take pictures inside, but let me assure you, the tour is fantastic. Before the tour begins, you will need to put all of your electronics in a free locker in the lobby. They didn’t check our pockets to see if we still had our cell phones concealed, but they did make some menacing threats to destroy them if caught. They do however take a green screen photo of you at the museum and you can email yourself a photo of yourself superimposed in front of a plane.
The beginning of the tour is an introductory video, and then everyone is divided into 2 groups and loaded on buses. So make sure your entire group is together in line so you all get on the same bus! The bus takes you on a short ride to the main factory (center-left building in the picture above).
Notice how big the building is compared to the planes parked outside? That’s because it is the largest building in the world (by volume) covering almost 100 acres. Inside, you get to watch as they assemble the 747, 767, 777, and the 787 Dreamliner. Because it was the holidays, there wasn’t a whole lot happening on the production line, but it was very cool to see and hear how all the different pieces come together to complete a giant airplane.
