A local guide to Seattle Washington
The Basics:
How to get there:
Seattle is a major hub on the west coast for flights, its pretty easy to find flights from almost anywhere here from the SeaTac airport. Keep an eye out for good deals, especially on Alaska Airlines which uses Seattle as it’s main hub and frequently has ticket sales on flights to/from here. If you don’t want to fly into the major hub and plan on spending more time north of the city, there is now an airport at Peyton Field in Everett that has commercial flights. It is a lot less hectic and crowded than SeaTac for a more relaxed travel vibe.
Where to stay:
Downtown Hotels: The Mayflower Park Hotel, The Arctic Club, Kimpton Hotel Vintage, and Hotel Theodore are a few of my favorites.
North seattle: Hotel Ballard, Ballard Inn, Hotel Hotel Hostel (which has private room options) are great spots if you want to stay in the north part of the city and not right downtown where most of the hotels are concentrated.
Best neighborhoods for vacation rentals: Ballard, Fremont, and Upper Queen Ann
Where to eat & drink:
Seattle has lots of fantastic restaurants, breweries, cocktail bars and cafes. This is by no means an exhaustive list. I could write tons of posts trying to cover all the best, but here is a quick list of a few of my go to spots from cute cafe’s, to upscale restaurants, to divey diners, there is something for everyone and every vibe.
Wild Ginger (Downtown): An upscale Asian fusion resturant, with great flavors and unique takes on dishes. There are now several locations around Seattle, the biggest and main one is located in downtown.
Place Pigelle (pike place market): A french restaurant, tucked away in Pikes Place Market, it can be a little hard to find, but it is worth it to track it down. A small spot with views out over the water front, its the perfect little intimate french dinner spot, everything on the menu is always perfection.
Pestal Rock (Ballard): A small thai restuarant serving up northern thai classics like Khao Soi, its not the thai food you are used to seeing on menus, which makes it even more unique and delicious. Be aware the food can be pretty spicy.
Cafe Turko (Fremont): One of my very favorite places to eat in Seattle, the food is always incredible, I just love all the mediterrean flavors. They have great Turkish coffee as well in the traditional cups. It is a popular spot, so it isn’t a bad idea to make reservations especially for dinner on a weekend.
Fresh Flours (Phinney Ridge): One of many great coffee shops in Seattle, there are way too many good ones to include them all, but Fresh Flours is one of my favorites for their great coffee and delcious baked goods. There are multiple locations throughout the city.
Queen Ann Beer Hall (Lower Queen Ann): A great place to come if you are really into beer. They have an incredible number of drafts and highlight a lot of local and pacific northwest brews. Come here if you can’t pick out what brewery to go to and you can try a bunch. They do have a food menu as well.
Hattie’s Hat (Ballard): This place isn’t going to end up on any high end best restaurant list, but this place is so fun and has great classic food. Hatties is its own vibe and you feel like you’re stepping back in time walking in here, it is very old shool ballard.
Flint Creek Cattle (Greenwood): In a fun small neighborhood in North Seattle, this is a little off the beaten path for visitors, but has great meat options and bit of an upscale vibe.
Sushi Kashiba (Belltown): One of the more famous sushi places in Seattle and for good reason, the sushi here is top notch.
Rays Boathouse (Ballard): An iconic seafood spot right on Puget Sound, not one of the lakes that Seattle is built around. It is great place to eat top notch seafood without being too pretentious. Come here at sunset for some of the best views.
Portage Bay Cafe (multiple locations): There seems to be one in almost every Seattle neighborhood. It is a very popular brunch place, so try and make reservations or plan on waiting for a table. They have all kinds of food, but the topping bar for the pancakes and waffles is definetly worth waiting for.
Delancey (Ballard): A little hole in the wall spot outside the main area in Ballard serving up unique wood fired pizzas and salads.
Macrina Bakery (multiple locations): An iconic Seattle cafe that has been baking some of the best bread and pastries in the city for years. They even have their own cookbook. They have great sandwhiches and bagels, but one of my favorite items is the dill scone, trust me its way better than any scone you have ever had.
Oddfellows (Capitol Hill): A great cafe and bar. They are probably best known for their brunch, but they also serve dinner and have a great cocktail menu.
Rob Roy (Belltown): A cozy dark classic cocktail den serving up unique drinks and all the classics.
What to do:
Eleven of the best things to do in Seattle that stay away from the main tourist attractions of the Space Needle and Pikes Place Market, for those who have already done those things or want a little more off the beaten path visit.
Hangout in Ballard
Spend an afternoon in the Ballard neighborhood connecting with Seattle’s fishing and maritime scene. You can watch boats go through the Ballard Locks, while wandering through the garden. Then see all the work boats docked at Fisherman’s Terminal and eat food caught by local boats at Chinooks or The Highliner Pub. There is also a fun downtown area with lots of great little shops, restaurants and bars. Ballard is also home to the Nordic Museum.
2. Visit a museum
Seattle probably isn’t as known for its museums as somewhere as New York or Washington D.C., but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great ones. A great activity for a rainy day is checking out some of the museums or even on a not so rainy day. Some of my favorites are Chihuly Gardens and Glass, Museum of Pop Culture (formerly the EMP), Museum of Flight, Seattle Art Museum (SAM), and the new Nordic Museum in Ballard.
3. Watch the sunset from a park
Being on the west coast Seattle can have some incredible sunset colors. There are numerous parks to watch the sunset and the world change colors from. A few favorites for sunsets over the water are Golden Gardens and Alki Beach. For sunsets over the city Kerry Park and Gas Works Park offer great city views, while the sun goes down. If you have a nice evening while you are in Seattle grab some snacks, drinks, and a picnic blanket and watch the sun go down from one of these great parks.
4. Do a brewery crawl from Fremont to Ballard
Seattle has a thriving craft brewery industry. There seems to be about a million of them throughout the city these days, but some of my favorites are in Fremont, Ballard and the area in between the two called Freelard. Start at one spot and sip, walk, and eat your way from one neighborhood to the other. A few of my favorites are Fremont Brewing, Reubans, and Obec Brewing, but there are so many more and really all good.
5. Do an easy hike through Discovery Park:
Discovery park in the Magnolia neighborhood is one of the larger parks in Seattle with a whole network of trails. It is a great place to spend part of a day exploring, be sure to wander down to the lighthouse at the point for great views of the ocean, city and Mount Rainier on a clear day. If are not able to hike, there is a road that can get you close to the lighthouse so it is just a quick easy stroll out to it. Otherwise spend some time here winding through the meadows and trees enjoying nature and the views of the Olympics.
6. Explore Seattle Center:
Even if you aren’t headed up the space needle it is still fun to see it up close and explore the Seattle Center. There are also fun fountains play in on a hot day, walk past the crazy Museum of Pop Art building designed by Frank Ghery, catch the monorail into downtown, and stroll past the glass gardens (or go in to the glass museum). The playground is also fun for children and those of us young at heart. There are lots of great surrounding restaurants too, like Taylor Shellfish for oysters, Toulouse Petit for creole dishes or Queen Anne Beer Hall for a hefty selection of drinks.
7. Get out on the water on Lake Union:
Take in the city from a different perspective by getting out on Lake Union, which divides downtown and north Seattle. There are several spots you can rent kayaks or paddle boards on a nice day to get out on the water. The lake is also a popular place to sail, if you have experience doing so or it is possible to rent small motorized boats to buzz around the lake. There is even a wide selection of house boat rentals if you want to stay on the lake and live out your Sleepless in Seattle dreams.
8. Eat Oysters or other seafood:
Seattle is well known for its seafood, but my favorite seafood it offers is the wide array of oysters. Stop by Emmett Watson Oyster Bar across from Pike’s Place Market for some great cooked oysters. Or hit up the famous Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard, if you can get in for some of their amazing oysters. Other great spots to pick up fresh oysters are Taylor Shellfish in Queen Ann, Chinooks at Fisherman’s Terminal, and the Highliner Public House. If oysters aren’t your thing don’t worry there are tons of other high quality seafood options like salmon, halibut, and crab.
9. Go wine tasting:
The state of Washington has developed an incredible wine industry and Seattle has access to many great wines from across the state. In SODO a neighborhood that is is south of downtown there is a whole cluster of 10 different wine tasting rooms at SODO Urban Works. Bounce from place to place to taste many delicious red and white wines from around the state, there is a seltzer tap room too for any of the nonwine drinkers. If you want to venture a little further out of the city, you can go to Woodinville, a town a little north and east of Seattle, where there are many vineyards, wine estates, and tasting rooms. There are a number of winery tours available as well as way more tasting rooms than you could visit in a day.
10. Go for a hike:
You don’t have to go far from Seattle to find incredible nature just a little over an hour drive away there are some incredible trails and if you are willing to drive a little further you can find yourself at one of the National Parks: North Cascades, Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park are all about a three hour drive from Seattle. Rattlesnack Ledge and Mount Si hikes are always highly recommended because they are less than an hours drive and not to difficult, but I always found them crowded and a little underwhelming. At the top of highway 90 just a little over an hour away is the trailhead for snow and gem lakes, which I find much more impressive and wild feeling than the hikes a little closer to town. If you are north of city, head up highway two and there are dozens of incredible hikes. A couple of my favorites are Lake Serene, Wallace Falls, Lake Vahalla, and Heather Lake. Check out the Washing Trails Association website for finding hikes, reviews, and trail information and pick the hike that is right for you.
11. Take a ferry:
The easist ferry to jump on for an afternoon of exploring is the ferry to bainbridge island, which leaves from the ferry terminal right in downtown Seattle. Unless there is a big event going on, for walk on tickets you can just buy them right before the departure time, and the ferry shouldn’t be full. If bringing a car, you will want to get there earlier to make sure you secure yourself a place in line and don’t be surprised if you have to wait a while if it is a Friday night or weekend. If you walk on to Bainbridge Island you can just hop off the ferry and wander the downtown area checking out the cute shops and restuarants and walk along the waterfront. If you are looking for a bigger adventure there are also ferries to Vashon Island, Bremerton, Kingston, and Whidbey Island although to do much exploring in those places you would want a bike if not a vehicle.
