3 Day Weekend in Seattle

It's springtime! As the weather warms up and the flowers bloom, I find my mood automatically lifting. Maybe it's also because my whole household, myself included, is now fully vaccinated! While caution is still necessary to some extent, I have to admit I'm feeling a lot freer now. Consequently, Will and I decided to take a little getaway to Seattle. Might as well visit the other major Pacific Northwest city while Will is over here, right?

Here is our 3 day Seattle itinerary and some photos from the weekend!

(Or if you don't feel like reading this whole post I made a couple TikTok videos for the trip 😄)

Day 1: Pike Place Market, Ferris Wheel, & Washington Arboretum

On Friday we got up early and hit the road by 7:30am, arriving at Pike Place Market by 10:30am. We parked, and immediately went to get a snack at Le Panier, a French bakery that had been recommended to us. The inside of the store smelled wonderful (even through our masks), and we loaded up on croissants and a raspberry macaron for me.

We ate our feast on the deck outside Pike Place, taking in the sunshine and breathtaking views of the Sound and North Cascade mountains. We later also got a mac and cheese snack from Beecher's Handmade Cheese, and enjoyed that melty goodness out on the deck as well.

After fueling up, we got properly lost exploring the nooks and crannies of the market. We took a picture outside of the Original Starbucks, but concluded that the line was too long to go in. Instead, we headed down to the waterfront to ride The Great Wheel. Yes, it's a touristy thing, but on such a clear day, the views were definitely worth it!

After sufficiently exploring the market and waterfront, we decided to drive up to Washington Park Arboretum for some nature. The arboretum was a lovely, peaceful, and shady respite from the rapidly heating weather. We had a nice walk amongst the trees, including some of Washington's iconic cherry blossoms 🌸

That night we hit up a Mariner's game at T-Mobile Park. From our hotel downtown, we first walked to Pioneer Square and grabbed dinner at an Irish pub, enjoying an outdoor patio seat. We walked 15 minutes further to T-Mobile Park for the game.

It was an absolutely beautiful night for baseball. It was temperate and clear and the mood was festive, even though the stadium wasn't even close to full capacity. It also helped that the Mariners were playing America's most hated team - the Astros. Ironically, Will and I had attended an Astros vs. Yankee's game in fall 2019 and had witnessed them cheating first-hand.

Consequently, it was extra-satisfying to see the Mariners make a ninth-inning comeback against the Astros (who took an early lead), erupting into cheers and whoops along with the rest of Seattle.

Day 2: Space Needle, Chihuly Glass, & University of Washington

The next day we woke up and grabbed a healthy breakfast at Mr. West Cafe (much needed after yesterday's full day of unhealthy eating), as well as the best cold brew coffee I've ever had at Anchorhead Coffee. Seriously, their "Honey Bunches of Oats" cold brew (flavored with cinnamon, maple syrup, honey, and oat milk) is absolutely DELICIOUS. I'm sad I can't get this in Portland.

We then walked over to the Space Needle and rode the 40 second ride up to the top. From there, we had crystal-clear, 360 views of the city. On the observation deck below, our stomachs dropped a bit as we looked down through the glass floor that rotated ever so slightly.

After the Space Needle, we went right next door to the Chihuly Glass Museum & Garden, which was also part of our ticket. If you haven't seen any of Chihuly's work, Google it now (or just look at my pictures I guess)! His stuff is stunning. Seeing it in person, it's mind-blowing how colorful and vibrant the colors are. It felt like walking through a Dr. Seuss novel or Alice in Wonderland or something.

There was an outdoor garden and we got to view a glass-blowing demonstration as well. I was surprised by how quickly the artist worked. The demonstration was only about 20 minutes, but she created a whole bowl.

After a short rest and water break, we walked down to the Olympic Sculpture Park on the waterfront. It was a scenic park with several large, public works of art to admire. People were out and about, lounging on blankets reading or enjoying their lunch outdoors in the sunshine. I suspect that Seattle is much like Portland in that sunny days (especially in April) are few and far between, so when they arrive everyone is all over it.

By this point in the late afternoon, we were hungry and grabbed a super late lunch/brunch at Local 360. I had their veggie Benedict that came with locally sourced mushrooms and I was floored by how good those freaking mushrooms were. Like I would eat those on anything or just by the spoonful frankly.

After resting and freshening up at the hotel, we set out in the early evening to walk around the University of Washington campus. I'd toured it once with my mom in high school and thought was nice, but it was even more beautiful than I remembered. The cherry blossoms, while on their last legs, were still a lovely shade of pink. The warm weather brought everyone out onto the Quad, students and tourists alike, to picnic and take pictures. We had a nice walk around, remembering our own college days (we sound so old lol).

After our informal campus tour, we booked it over to Kerry Park for its iconic sunset view of the Seattle skyline. Turns out, everyone had the same idea and the tiny strip of park was packed by the time we got there. I can see why - the view is picture perfect. I'm pretty sure it's the same view used in the Grey's Anatomy cover photo. We got our share of sunset pictures before clearing out of the tourist-heavy area.

That evening we went to Laughs Comedy Club in the University District for a comedy show. It was weird to be back in an indoor space (albeit a not full capacity one with masks), watching live comedy again. I haven't been to too many comedy shows before, and none as intimate as this one. It was fun to see the comedians, especially the headliner Erica Rhodes, play off of the audience and think on their feet.

The show started at 9pm and by the time Erica came on after the openers, Will and I - who are apparently grandparents now - were already pretty tired. However, she was really funny and we still had a great time. It was a small taste of life after the pandemic.

Day 3: Magnolia, Discovery Park, & Ballard

On our way out of Seattle, we had brunch in Magnolia, a cute little area with nice houses and a small-neighborhood vibe.

Then we headed to Discovery Park for a long walk. Over the bluffs we had breathtaking views of the Sound and the North Cascades. We ended up taking a trail down to the water and hanging out on the rocky beach for a while. The weather was very pleasant and there were many families out for a beach day.

After our mini hike, we headed over to Ballard for lunch. Ballard is a cute little business district that has similar vibes to Portland's NW 23rd area. We ate at Percy's & Co. (great fried chicken) and had gelato for dessert at D'Ambrosio Gelato. Then it was back home!

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend in Seattle. We got lucky with the weather, and covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time. While I still have a bias towards Portland and will always think it is the superior PNW city, I really do like Seattle and I'm sure I'll be back again.

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- Evan