Seattle, Washington
Originally posted on September 25th, 2022I had the pleasure of going to Seattle for a long weekend to meet up with a friend I met on exchange at the end of September 2022. Erika and I met up in San Sebastian, Spain in September 2021 as well, so it’s become a bit of an annual tradition for us!
We both got in on a Wednesday night and did the initial settling in with our luggage and found a bar that was opened late for some fries and cider while we planned the next day’s itinerary. We got lucky with our neighborhood - we stayed close to the First Hill district, which gave us a cozy, quiet place to retreat to at night, while still being close to delicious coffee shops and public transportation.
For the first stop of the trip on Thursday, we made our way to Tuogo Coffee, a local/black-owned spot with a great view. I asked the barista (and now friend) for a signature drink and it did not disappoint! Highly recommend checking out if you’re in the neighborhood.
From there, we started walking towards the water and checked out Pioneer Square and took in the views. Since it was a weekday and the first weekend of fall, it was all pretty deserted, so we quickly pivoted and made our way to Pike’s Place.
Since it was a weekday, it was thankfully not as busy as it could’ve been! We walked around inside and tried the famous piroshkies across the way. As a flexitarian, I chose their new Impossible meat and onion vegan piroshky and was not disappointed! Erika also got her first Mac ‘n Cheese from Beechers and said it was very delicious. To round out our lunch experience, there may or may not have been an apple cider slushee involved. So good.
The last spot in this area we visited was the infamous gum wall; it’s just as gross as it sounds lol. But it was a must, and Erika placed a piece of gum on the wall to mark her contribution!
We took a break and admired the view until we were ready to see the Olympic Sculpture Garden and the Space Needle. The sculpture garden is pretty small, but it did offer a great view of the water and city, as well as a picture spot for the needle. It’s a unique spot for photos, and I’m glad we got those in before we got too close. The needle is tallll, so it wouldn’t have made for great pics up close. The needle was closed for an event, so we made plans to come back Saturday morning when the weather was projected to be sunny so that we may make the most of the views.
Since the needle was closed, I took a tour of the Chihuly museum, which features the famous glass installation in the greenhouse. That was the highlight of the museum by far, and I was lucky with the timing of my visit. The light was coming in beautifully during golden hour, illuminating the sky and sculpture to make for a mesmerizing experience! It was an expensive fee to get in, but you can bundle this with your ticket for the needle if you want to do both.
The final stop for the day before dinner was to walk around the Museum of Pop Culture and admire the gorgeous building. Not going to like, I’m pretty proud of the photos I took! It was already closed by the time we made it, but I’ve heard great things and recommend a visit!
We wrapped the night up catching up with some friends from college I hadn’t seen in four years. Honestly it felt like no time had passed! We had sushi at Umi Sake House and a nightcap at the Roquette right next door. It was by far the best sushi I’ve ever had! I do recommend making a reservation ahead of time because it’s a very popular place and it’s a do-not-miss.
The second day started off with a walk to Ghost Coffee and ordering a London Smog, which is their seasonal take on a London Fog. Absolutely delicious! We took it easy after all the walking the day before, and we took our time exploring the culinary aspects of the city. We grabbed a bite to eat from Arosa Cafe (which is run by a lovely couple from Venezuela!) before embarking on tour of the Arboretum, which is such a peaceful and refreshing change from the city life we had been experiencing.
The next part of our day consisted of touring South Lake Union and watching the sea planes land in Lake Union. Most of this part of town is basically owned by Amazon, so there wasn’t as much to see. Our friend who lives in Seattle told us about the Amazon Spheres (which are closed to the public), so we decided to catch a drink at Rachel’s Ginger Beer right across before we headed out to Fremont for dinner.
Honestly, Fremont was a blast! We decided on Local Tide for some ceviche and salmon sandwiches. Some of the best food I’ve had on a trip before! We got in just in time before the dinner rush and got to really take our time. We took in the sights of the neighborhood, which was quirky and cute; it really had the feel of Seattle before it grew and turned into quite the sparkling metropolis. I highly recommend a walk and dinner/drink here!
On our final day, we started off with Monorail Coffee, which is touted as the best coffee in the city! It was just a window booth, so not really much of a sit down place. The coffee was very good and the prices were reasonable for the city! We stopped by Pike’s Place one last time to view some of the lower level shops, and then we made our way to the Space Needle to finally get to see the views. It did not disappoint! Since it was the 60th anniversary of the needle, they had done renovations to restore the exterior and modernize the interior. The lower floor was a revolving glass floor, while the top floor had the balcony you can step out on and walk around for a 360 degree view.
The clouds finally parted enough for us to see Mt. Ranier! We took a ton of photos and took our time taking it all in. It was honestly so beautiful! I’m glad we were finally able to go up. By this point, it was getting late, so we decided to head to dinner. On the way there, we stumbled upon a vintage market with food trucks, and we made the choice to grab some food there. One of the trucks had sushi burritos and I couldn’t say no! It was a great last meal in the city and super filling! By now, it was time for us to head back to our AirBnb and grab our things to head our separate ways. It was a sad parting, but it was a great trip with an old friend!
If you get the chance to go to Seattle, I recommend spending more time exploring the different neighborhoods rather than taking too much time in the city. Also! The public transportations is reliable and plentiful, so get an ORCA card and fill it up on their website as you go so that you don’t have to fish for change each time you want to use a bus.
Let me know if you’ve been and what your favorites were!