Seeing Seattle

Thinking about visiting Seattle after your Portland trip? You’ve landed on the right blog! Here are some of our favorites and recommendations when we each took a spontaneous weekend trip up to Seattle. The Pacific Northwest is known for its rain and lush green vegetation while the city has a large tech industry presence. If you’re planning to visit, a quick stop by downtown for some shopping (or window shopping!) is always a great idea. Downtown Seattle includes many gift shops where you can treat yourself and bring a souvenir or two back for your loved ones. (You can even purchase some replica Grey’s Anatomy scrubs for all you Grey’s Anatomy fans out there!) Here is a quick day-to-night guide to maximize your time here:

MORNING

Looking for a breakfast or brunch place -- head to 5 Spot. They have a rotating menu so their dishes are always changing. When I went, they were serving dishes from the California Central Valley. I ordered the Elvis waffle which is topped with peanut butter, chocolate syrup, and bananas (delicious) and the Sonoran scramble.

Need another place to get your breakfast fix? I definitely recommend stopping by an edgy breakfast parlor, Biscuit Bitch, for some delicious old-style eggs and grits! What’s funny is that everything on the menu has the word “bitch” on it, but don’t be discouraged. Workers are not actually a bitch and are extremely welcoming! (Pro-tip: Check in on their Yelp page and get your very own “Biscuit Bitch” sticker!)

After breakfast, head to Kerry Park, which is a great viewing area of the Seattle skyline. It’s a lot smaller than it looks in pictures, but a beautiful view of Seattle nonetheless. Day or night, you won’t be disappointed.

Looking for an alternative view of the water? Located right on the border of downtown Seattle, Olympic Sculpture Park is a great place to take a breather. It’s a 9-acre outdoor sculpture museum and beach that’s free and open all year. There’s walking trails and chairs all over for visitors to use and enjoy. In the summer, there’s tons of events hosted at the Park, including Saturday morning yoga sessions!

AFTERNOON

After a morning of exploring, stop by General Porpoise Doughnuts for a quick bite to eat. Their handmade doughnuts filled with handmade custards, creams, and jams are made fresh every day. Try their iced vanilla chai latte too! I think it’s the best vanilla chai I’ve ever had.

Check out the University of Washington’s Suzzallo Library for some Harry Potter vibes. The rest of the campus is gorgeous too, as is their University Village which is a 5 minute drive away.

Need a quick bite before continuing your endless tourist attractions? Stop by Ezell’s Famous Chicken, a fast food restaurant, to-go-orders-only type of place, and enjoy some quality chicken drumsticks and their corn muffin!



Pike Place Market is a Seattle must. It’s Seattle’s well-known farmer’s market. Stand and watch the “flying fish” at the fish market. Browse through all the local vendors and try some of the delicious local food. Be sure to take a photo in front of the Public Market sign! #PicsOrItDidntHappen

There’s also a lot of great food located around the market as well including the first Starbucks, Rachel’s Ginger Beer, and Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. If you’re heading to Beecher’s, I recommend ordering their flagship sandwich.

Located right below Pike Place Market on Post Alley lies the infamous Seattle Gum Wall. Chew some gum and leave your mark here during your visit! A lil nasty but you can take very aesthetic photos in front of the wall!

NIGHT

Head to Gas Works Park for a view of the Seattle skyline for sunset. Unfortunately there’s no paintball arena like in 10 Things I Hate About You. Nonetheless, the view is beautiful.

View of Seattle from top of Space Needle

The Space Needle is an iconic structure in the Seattle skyline. With the Chihuly Garden right next to it, you’ll be sure to enjoy a couple hours of your day. There’s a package deal for both the top of the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden for only $37.80! If you’re looking to just go up the Space Needle, the tickets are cheaper if you go early in the morning, or later at night. Remember to get your tickets online to avoid lines at the door (they may run out of tickets at the door so plan early!)

Space Needle during day time

Space Needle during night time

If you’re craving the seaside, head to Alki Beach and munch on some food at Marination Ma Kai. I recommend the Spam Sliders, which are $3 each. This is also a great spot to watch the sunset.

Transportation: Traveling without reliable transportation may be difficult and time-sensitive. To make the most of your visit (if you’re not personally driving to Seattle), we would recommend flying into the Seattle-Tacoma Airport and using a rental car service called Turo. This is an inexpensive and flexible car rental company that allows you to rent someone’s car in advance for the time of your trip.

Pro-Tip: Rent out a gas-efficient car such as a Toyota Prius to save on gas money as you will probably be visiting many different locations around Seattle during your trip!

If you’re renting a car, Seattle has public parking. Although it may be hard to find spaces in the city, their system is pretty neat. Download the app “PayByPhone” and whatever block you’re parked at you can use the app to pay as you go. This allows you to enjoy the city more without having to worry about going back to refill the meter.

Where to Stay: We both recommend using Airbnb. It’s much cheaper than staying in a hotel. It is basically renting out someone’s home during your visit. You can rent out a private room or the entire house. There are homes available in almost every part of Seattle! Make sure to download the app to stay connected with your host wherever you go.


Seattle is a beautiful and amazing city and these are just some of our favorites from our trips. Please share your favorite places in Seattle!

-- Emily and Jannell