This post was originally posted on my old blog on May the 8th, 2018. This is an updated version.
“Seattle is such a cool city”,that’s what I kept telling myself as I was wondering the streets and neighbourhoods of this beautiful city for the second time.
The first time I visited Seattle was back in March 2016 for the Women Who Code Connect conference. At the time of the writing of the original version of this post, I was also there for a conference, Microsoft Build ,with a few extra days to explore the city.
I knew that many of the 6000 Build attendees were either first time visitors and/or only there for a short time. So I thought I’d write down few suggestions on what people might want to do and see in Seattle.
It is been few years since I visited Seattle. I’m sure a lot of things have changed but I hope these suggestions would be helpful.
THE TOURIST PATH
I like to think of myself as a traveller not a tourist but as a first time visitor, we all tend to follow the tourist path. That’s what I exactly did during my first visit to Seattle.
In no particular order, if you are visiting Seattle for the first time you may want to check:
PIKE PLACE MARKET
I don’t know about you but I love a good old farmers market especially one with plenty of food options to choose from. My favourite restaurant in the Pike Place Market is the Athenian because seafood.
SPACE NEEDLE
Am I right in saying this is THE icon of Seattle? There are really some cool facts about the Space Needle and you get to have an amazing view of Seattle and Mount Rainier.
CHIHULY GARDEN & GLASS
I didn’t really know what to expect when I visited Chihuly Garden but I loved it. I highly recommend that you visit this exhibition.
MUSEUM OF POP CULTURE
Back in 2016 when I visited, this was called EMP museum-music+ sci-fi + pop culture. Needless to say anymore.
STARBUCKS RESERVE ROASTERY AND TASTING ROOM/STARBUCKS PIKE PLACE
Alright, I’d usually highly advise against drinking Starbucks coffee especially that there are too many great coffee shops in Seattle but I’m going to make this one little exception. I did not go to the Reserve Roastry myself but I went to the Starbucks store located outside Pike Place Market also known as Original Starbucks because it’s the first Starbucks store established in 1971.
OFF BEATEN PATH
There are so many beautiful neighbourhoods in Seattle to explore like a local, away from the hassle of downtown.
Before leaving Pike Place Market, you may want to check :
THE GUM WALL
People do miss this brick wall because it’s in an alley under Pike Place Market and it’s actually as the name suggests : a wall of gum! Cool? Grim? that’s up to you.
FREMONT
Thank God for the local friends who suggest cool things to do and thank you Glenn for suggesting I visit Fremont.
Fremont is funky. The first thing you see when arriving there is a sign saying “Welcome to Fremont, center of the universe”. How cool is that! It’s a laid-back neighbourhood with a funky vibe along Lake Union, you get to walk along the lake, visit all the vintage and records shops and see some cool art.
CAPITOL HILL
Gay clubs, hip bars, indie stores and awesome coffee shops, that’s some of the things to expect in Capitol Hill. It’s a wonderful place for a brunch and a wonder, which what I exactly did there. I can highly recomment the Oddfellows cafe .
Oh if you happen to be in the area, make sure to check out Elliott Bay bookstore.
Hopefully this would give you some ideas on what to do in Seattle. Make sure you enjoy the good coffee while in town and have fun!
