At the end of April I journeyed to the Pacific Northwest for the first time. I had the essentials for the long weekend: an umbrella, an empty stomach, and two of my best travel buddies!
After a seamless flight and trip into the city from Sea-Tac, we quickly dropped our things at our home for the weekend (a great find through airbnb) and headed for Pike Place Market.
Pike Place is like nothing else. It’s filled to the brim with amazing spots to shop and eat. We made multiple trips here over our weekend, each time discovering new places.
The Pike Place Chowder Co. is outstanding; we ordered our own sampler of chowders to try and had a hard time picking a favorite!
If I lived in Seattle, I’d absolutely do all my shopping here.
The line was huge at the first Starbucks (which is actually not even the first! It moved from the original spot to Pike Place) and we stopped just long enough to take a picture.
My favorite part about Pike Place hands down is the AH-MAAAAZING flower shop. The blooms are stunning and are such a steal to pick up a bouquet to take home.
A very cool find within the market is Rachel’s Ginger Beer, a shop that sells…..you’ve got it, only ginger beer! There are tons of flavors to choose from and you can also get cocktails. Needless to say, the Moscow Mules were fantastic.
On our first night, Steph and I grabbed dinner at the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar while Meg met up with some coworkers. The location on 4th Avenue is perfect for people watching, and the interior is washed with light from outside. And check out how cool the bar itself is in the middle!
My favorite dish was the crab cakes, served with a fresh orange and fennel salad.
We grabbed coffee afterwards as we walked to SafeCo Field for a baseball game!
Of course there were multiple coffee stops over the next several days; my favorite being the almond milk latte at Zeitgeist Coffee.
We walked A TON over our time in the city. One spot I was (overly) excited to see was the Escala building, though was told there is not actually a helicopter pad on the roof.
A gorgeous spot to take in the city is Kerry Park. It’s a bit of a trek if you don’t have a car but absolutely worth it. Our friend Julie who lives in Seattle gave us an outstanding tour of the city and insisted on taking us here. She was right, this spot is magical.
Apparently this is a hot spot for the city shots that show up on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’!
The Queen Anne area that Kerry Park is in has stunning homes and is fun to just walk around to explore.
Another fantastic spot is Volunteer Park. I spotted these cuties having a great time playing fetch!
Visitors can climb the Water Tower and see all around Seattle, including the mountains in the distance.
There is still so much to share from my trip out west so stay tuned!
Tips and Tricks:
- Seattle is a bevy of hills; be sure to pack your walking shoes!
- The moniker of a rainy city is a bit misleading; Seattle’s rain is more of a light mist and during our four days there it only rained twice (for a very short period of time at that). Still, plan ahead and pack a small umbrella in your bag so the rain doesn’t impact your plans!
- Promise to plan for at least one meal at Pike Place Market. There are so many delicious places to eat, or pull together your own custom meal with a little taste from multiple spots!
