Home to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, the Space Needle, and the oldest continuously operated farmer’s market in the United States, Seattle is a place you need to add to your travel bucket list. The city can fulfill practically any of your wants or desires. As a local, I think it is only fitting that I give my readers a guide to some Seattleite favorites, both in and outside of the city.
For the outdoorsy folk
Seattle is as granola as it gets. The Evergreen State is full of, well, evergreens, mountains, and lakes galore! It’s the perfect travel destination for the walker, hiker, climber, or mountaineer. In the city itself, there are plenty of green areas and public parks to enjoy. If you happen to find yourself at the Washington Park Arboretum, Discovery Park, or Gas Works Park, take a quiet stroll through lush moss and trees, look out upon the Puget Sound, or gaze upon the quintessential Seattle Space Needle. If you venture farther from the city, maybe take a day trip to Mount Rainier National Park and peruse the variety of trailhead offerings. Climb Poo Poo Point in Issaquah and watch paragliders in the summer, or take a drive to Snoqualmie to visit Snoqualmie Falls and Franklin Falls in a National Forest. Your outdoor desires will without a doubt be fulfilled!
For the foodies
One of the things I absolutely miss the most about my home state and city is the food. Think of any meal, and you are bound to find a delicious spot anywhere in the city. Some of my personal favorites include the Pink Door at Pike Place Market (this is that really old farmer’s market) for Italian food, Lucky’s Pho in Fremont, Sandwich House Tres in Bellevue for Japanese sandwiches, Turkish Delight for a family-owned quick bite in Pike Place Market, Made in House in Fremont for bibimbap, Krawbar Restaurant in Issaquah for seafood, and so much more. While you can stick to more touristy areas like Pike Place and get a bite to eat, getting out into some of the other neighborhoods and districts of Seattle will help you find where the locals eat.
For museum-goers
Seattle is a beautifully creative city, with art museums, sculpture parks, and science centers waiting to be explored. In downtown Seattle, taking a visit to the Seattle Art Museum will walk you through immersive and emotional exhibits detailing the lives of immigrants and indigenous peoples. It gives you a history lesson on the city through paintings, textiles, and music. Additionally, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, a part of the Seattle Art Museum, located in Capitol Hill will continue to tell the story of Seattle through the eyes of Asian families living in the city. For those who enjoy science, I definitely recommend visiting the Pacific Science Center and the Seattle Aquarium to enjoy installations about space, insects, and physics, and then to explore the diverse environment of the Puget Sound. If you’re a music lover, the Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPop, is tons of fun, with rooms dedicated to artists like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Jimi Hendrix, exciting exhibits about films and video games, and recording studios where you can learn a new instrument or even make your own song.
The Pacific Northwest and this city are vibrant, diverse, and exciting. Even though I’ve moved on from the city, I time and time again find myself visiting and appreciating this place more and more. With its stunning scenery, colorful people, delicious food, and bustling arts scene, it is a place unlike any other. Hope to see you around sometime!