Though I have lived in Washington DC for about 6 years now my home before that was Seattle. Though I grew up in Kansas my family moved up to Seattle my senior year of high school. When we first moved to the Pacific Northwest I absolutely hated it. I didn't understand the weather, the clothes people wore or the weird obsession with hating Portland. But after a year living the lifestyle and gaining a 3 pm latte craving it is truly my home away from home and every time I step off the plane in to Sea-Tac airport I know I am home.
As I have mentioned a couple of times this week I was home for my dad's birthday this past weekend and we usually end up going downtown to walk around for at least one day or part of a day so I figured I would detail what I consider to be a perfect day in Seattle.
If you are staying downton head first thing in the morning to
Pike's Place Market. But don't get distracted by the flying fish and delicious fruit and veggie samples...you are on a mission to go have breakfast!
When you get into the main building, or the "main arcade" of the market about half way down from the main entrance you will find the
Athenian Restaurant. Request a booth upstairs overlooking Elliot Bay and the Puget Sound and settle in with a nice cup of coffee and a frittata or a smoked salmon benedict. If you are there for lunch, see what catch just came in and get that, especially if it's salmon season. More importantly....don't forget to enjoy the view no matter what the weather.
After you have stuffed yourself and taken in the view make sure to explore the market, on every level there is a new craft, food and smell to find. If the market is starting to get crowded you can head up to 1st Street and shop in some of the awesome shops around the area.
After getting your fill of shopping you will want to head back down to the front of the market and walk until you see
Beecher's Handmade Cheese. It won't be hard to miss with the giant cheese production room in the front of the store, but the huge line going in to sample their AMAZING mac and cheese will most likely be present as well. But trust me, the line is worth the late. Try their regular mac and cheese and get yourself a half pint of their cheese curds (or squeaky cheese as my family calles it because of the sound it makes when you eat it).
Then you will want to head down the street to take in the first Starbucks, but you DO NOT want to get coffee here, there are way too many local shops that do it better and will give you a much better cup, like
Cafe Ladro by the Convention Center.
If you are tired of the market scene head down first street to the
Seattle Art Museum (SAM) or head north to
Seattle Center and take a trip up to the top of the
Space Needle for a beautiful view of the city.
For lunch you will want to head up to the University District by the University of Washington to a Seattle institution,
Dick's Drive-In. The drive-in which is 58-years old is the oldest drive-in on the west coast. I know some of you west coasters will think other restaurants on the left coast have a better burger....but I'll bet you that Dick's burgers are much better. The menu is still as simple as it was 58-years ago when they opened. You can get a burger, a cheeseburger, a special which is an 1/8 pound patty, mayo, lettuce and pickle relish (basically chopped pickles) or my favorite....a deluxe...which is just a two patty special. Throw in a side of hand-cut (you literally see them cutting the fries in the window) and a chocolate shake you are set for lunch. The best part....it will only set you back about $8-10. The prices are kept low and the food is always delicious. The main way they do this is by standardizing the process...there is no substitutions or changes allowed, so don't even ask if you can get different things on your burger. If you want ketchup or other condiments on the side, make sure your order them for .05 each...it's worth the few pennies.
From Dick's you will want to head toward the water and to
Gas Works Park. As the name would indicate this area used to be a gas works that converted coal into gas. When it was closed in the 60s it was turned over to the city which turned this area right on Lake Union overlooking downtown into a park that have lots of the old gas structures intact, including the main exhauster-compressor building which now serves as a picnic shelter.
Take your time to walk around the park and enjoy the views of downtown, especially from the few big hills, just watch out for kites! If it's the summer keep your eyes on Lake Union and watch for the float planes that take off and land on Lake Union. They will fly right in past the Space Needle and take a dive right toward the lake, it's lot of fun to watch.
After a full day it's time to go back and rest in your hotel for a bit and get that 3 pm coffee that you will suddenly find yourself craving.
For dinner, head back down toward Pike's Place and go to Post Alley right between the Market and 1st Street. There are lots of great restaurants in this row, one of my favorites being
POST in the Market which sources most of their foods directly from vendors in the market.
After that take a stroll down to the water and take a ride on the new
Seattle Great Wheel. The wheel towers over the water and gives you beautiful view of the Sound, the city and boats going all over the water.
There you have it, that's my perfect day in Seattle. I hope that the next time you are in the Pacific Northwest you can take advantage of the beautiful sites, people and food and enjoy every second of it...I know I do!
