Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Seattle sits on a narrow strip of land between Puget Sound to the west and Lake Washington to the east, with Mount Rainier visible to the south on clear days and the Olympic Mountains across the water. The city has been shaped in turns by timber, fishing, Boeing since the 1910s, and then Amazon and Microsoft from the 1990s onward. The tech industry has transformed the city’s demographics and real estate as thoroughly as timber transformed its waterfront.

The rain reputation is somewhat overstated. Seattle averages about 152 rainy days per year, but most of that is light drizzle rather than downpour, and the summers from late June through September are consistently dry and among the most temperate on the west coast of North America. If you visit in July or August and it is sunny and 24 degrees, this is normal.

Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market opened in 1907 and covers several levels above the waterfront. The fishmongers at the main fish counter perform the throwing routine that everyone photographs; the produce stalls and butcher counters behind them are where the actual market function runs. Washington state vegetables, Pacific salmon (coho and king in season), Dungeness crab, and oysters from the nearby beds are sold at prices that reflect proximity to the source rather than tourist markup.

The original Starbucks is at 1912 Pike Place, perpetually surrounded by a small queue of people photographing the sign. The Gum Wall in Post Alley below is a covered alleyway whose brick walls are covered in chewed gum built up over decades. Both exist; neither requires extended engagement.

Capitol Hill and the City’s Neighbourhoods

Capitol Hill is the most interesting neighbourhood for restaurants, bars, and independent retail. The concentration of cooking from Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, and other cuisines alongside Pacific Northwest-focused restaurants makes it the best neighbourhood to eat dinner in the city.

Ballard, northwest of downtown, is a former Scandinavian fishing community with some of the city’s most respected restaurants and breweries. The Walrus and the Carpenter on Russell Street is the standard recommendation for Pacific Northwest oysters in a small, reliably good setting.

Fremont has the self-proclaimed title of Center of the Universe, a Lenin statue brought from Slovakia by a Seattle art dealer after the Cold War ended, and a troll sculpture under the Aurora Bridge. Worth a few hours.

Space Needle and Seattle Center

The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and remains the most recognisable element of the Seattle skyline. Observation decks at 158 and 223 metres were renovated with glass floors that produce the expected visitor response. Book tickets online in advance. The combined ticket with Chihuly Garden and Glass (immediately adjacent) is good value if you intend to see both.

Museum of Pop Culture (formerly EMP, designed by Frank Gehry) at Seattle Center covers rock music history, science fiction, and gaming with an emphasis on Pacific Northwest output – Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Jimi Hendrix’s Seattle origins are the focus.

Getting Around

Seattle’s Link Light Rail connects Sea-Tac Airport to downtown (about 40 minutes) and extends to Capitol Hill and the University District. The ferry from Colman Dock downtown to Bainbridge Island takes 35 minutes and gives a view of the Seattle skyline from the water – do this at least once. Bainbridge has a main street with a few good restaurants and can be done as a comfortable half-day round trip.

Where to Eat

Canlis on Queen Anne Hill is the long-standing formal dining institution, serving Pacific Northwest cooking in a room designed in 1950 that has aged into its own kind of landmark. Book well ahead.

Salumi in Pioneer Square, founded by Armandino Batali, makes its own cured meats and serves a limited daily selection in a small shop that closes when the food runs out. Midweek lunch is the approach.

Where to Stay

Fairmont Olympic Hotel downtown is the historic grand hotel option. The Graduate Seattle near the University of Washington puts you in a more interesting neighbourhood for cheaper. For Capitol Hill, several boutique hotels and independent properties give direct access to the neighbourhood’s restaurants and nightlife without the downtown premium.