There is so much to see, do and eat in Seattle! This is by no means a comprehensive list, we’ve only just scratched the surface of all the fun experiences a person can have in this city. Below is a snapshot of what our time exploring Seattle.
Best things to do in Seattle!
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market
It’s more than just the name of a Starbucks roast, Pike Place Market is a public, open air market located right on the waterfront in Seattle. It opened in 1907 continues to be one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers markets in the country. There’s tons of places to grab ready made food and coffee as well as a ton of vendors to purchase local vegetables, fish, flowers, hand-crafted goods, etc.We got some greek yogurt pictured below and also picked up some Halibut from the City Fish Seafood Market and freshly made pasta from Papparedlle’s for dinner. It was the perfect PNW meal and one we’ll be thinking about for a looooong time.
This greek yogurt by Ellenos was so good! They had a couple samples for us to try: lemon and passion fruit! We ended up getting the Marionberry with pie and it was D E L I C I O U S!!!!
This Starbucks is crowded almost all of the time because of it’s location and because it’s the original cafe!
Want to be grossed out?
The Gum Wall is back. One of the first questions that comes up when you type “gum wall seattle” into Google is: Is it real gum? The answer is yes. To see for yourself, head towards Post Alley which is an alleyway under Pike Place Market. In 2015 the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority announced that it would be scrubbing and steam cleaning the gum to prevent erosion. It apparently took 130 hours to get the gum off the wall. All in all, 2,350 pounds of gum was removed! It wasn’t too long after it was cleaned, however, that people began to restock more on there. This is what it looked like as of December 10, 2017.
Do you think the gum wall is gross or awesome?! We were equal parts disgusted and fascinated.
Alki Beach
This is one of the reasons why I love Seattle. It’s a mixture of the city and the outdoors. At any point during the year you’re bound to find people riding bikes and running here. And when it’s sunny everyone comes out to play.
Street artists everywhere!
We saw several different musicians playing in the short time we were in the city but my hands-down favorite was this cat person playing the accordion.
Tourist trap or awesome?
Before I had ever been to Seattle, the Space Needle is what came to mind when someone would reference the city. Still is. I’ve been up in it once before but didn’t make it up there this time. Apparently the views from the Sky View Observatory in the Columbia Center Building are bigger and better and cheaper than the Space Needle. We didn’t make it up there but if you have, I’d love to hear what you thought!
Columbia Center | 701 Fifth Ave, 73rd floor
Adults: $14.75
Children (6-12): $9.75
Children (5 and under): FREE
Students and Military with ID: $9.75
Seniors 55+: $9.75
Space Needle: 400 Broad Street
Regular Admission (Ages 13 – 64) is $22
Senior (65+) is $19
Youth (5-12) is $14
Starbucks, y’all!
Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room | 1124 Pike St
Calling all coffee nerds. This place is just blocks away from the original store in Pike Place market but it’s more than just your typical Starbucks. It’s “…dedicated to roasting, coffee education and increasing availability of the company’s small-lot Reserve coffee.” In November of this year, Rocco Princi opened up a new bakery in there and so far it’s been a big hit. We had two slices of their focaccia pizza and also a side dish of arugula, balsamic dressing, tomato and fresh mozzarella, all for around $25.
Seattle was overwhelming to me as a newbie but Alli drove us around like a pro. If you’re not as brave, consider public transportation! It’s relatively affordable and it’s great for people watching. This is us here on the tram! ($2.50 one way)
And of course Ramen.
Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya | 4203 SW Alaska St, Seattle, WA
This ramen was delicious, right down to the last slurp. Caroline and I ordered the popular Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen – rich pork broth with a delicious, mouth-watering flavor that had me licking my lips for more. (I added mushrooms and corn to mine and Caroline added greens and onions to hers.) Oh and the egg was one of the best I’ve ever had. Our friend Alli ordered the chicken broth ramen and seemed to really like her dish as well. She also chose edamame and the three of us had no problem eating the whole dish. Though it’s a chain and we love to visit locally owned and operated businesses, it would be hard to pass up again it was just that good.
These bikes are literally everywhere around the city. They’re a dollar to rent and can be left basically anywhere. This little group of bikes was hanging out neatly on the curb but we saw plenty of abandoned bikes on their sides in awkward positions. Make like a local and ride one! Also, BYO helmet because it’s illegal to ride in King County without one and neither Lime Bike or Spin provide them!
Cupcake Royale | 4556 California Avenue SW
They have six locations in Seattle but we went to the one in West Seattle. Great coffee, delicious treats, can’t go wrong!
Easy Street Records & Cafe | 4559 California Ave SW
Vinyl lovers … this is your place. They have two floors, a couple listening stations, all kinds of records: rare ones, new releases … memorabilia, cool signed posters by some of our favorite artists and a cafe that’s attached so you can slake your thirst and fill your belly and go back for more music browsing.
We met this adorable pup, a silver lab, at the West Seattle Farmer’s Market on Sunday!
And last but not least, Seattle has sweet vintage motor-homes pretty much everywhere. And you know how we feel about that!
Seattle Recap!
Seattle is a really cool city and we only had about 48 hours in it so this is by far not a comprehensive list of the best things to do, see or eat but it is a good start!
Thanks to one of my very best friends, Alli Kiniry, who made this Seattle photo essay possible! She’s been living in the West Seattle neighborhood for the last three years and opened her home to us (AND INSISTED WE TAKE HER BED) and showed us an awesome time. Thanks also to Heather Stapf who not only hooked us up with a gift certificate for a night in Cannon Beach, Oregon at the Hallmark Spa and Resort but who also brought us some delicious road snacks and coffee. It’s great to have friends like you two.
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