You may recall that I flew to California last year to visit my sister for her birthday. We had a great time together; nonetheless, this wasn’t meant to become an annual occurrence.
But then, a few months back, she mentioned that her favorite band would be performing in Seattle around the time of her birthday.
I jokingly asked if she was planning to go, and though her initial answer was “I don’t know, probably not,” three days later we found ourselves buying concert tickets and booking flights and a hotel for a long weekend in Seattle.
Spring is not necessarily the ideal time for visiting the Pacific Northwest, and we knew we were in for a soggy few days. But that didn’t deter us; we simply packed our raincoats and some extra socks and shoes, and braced ourselves for the wet weather. And though we did get rained on, we also got a little bit of sunshine, which was a pleasant surprise.
We arrived late on a Thursday evening and caught the train from the airport up to our hotel in Seattle Center. Because it was late when we arrived, we didn’t realize until morning that we had a view of the Space Needle from our balcony.
After heading across the street to the grocery store to grab some food for the weekend – and nearly falling down the most poorly designed set of stairs I think I’ve ever seen – we caught the bus into downtown Seattle to do some exploring.
I’d been to Seattle before, but it was my sister’s first trip, so she was excited to do some of the touristy things and just experience the city. It had been more than ten years since my last visit, so I enjoyed the chance to re-experience some of these places, and to visit a few new ones as well.
Table of Contents
- Getting around
- Pike Place Market
- Seattle Center
- Pacific Science Center
- Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
- Bainbridge Island
- Food and Drink
Getting around
For this trip we opted not to rent a car, and I stand by that decision. I’ve driven in and around Seattle before and it’s not exactly a fun experience. There’s constant traffic, the downtown area is full of one-way streets, and let’s not forget that the entire city is on a hill. I once drove a stick shift through downtown Seattle and it was one of the most stressful experiences of my life.
Compared to where we both live (Colorado and California), Seattle public transit is substantially better, and we had no trouble getting around. Between the light rail, the monorail, and an extensive bus system, there was just really no need to have a car. Though the frequency of buses was lower on the weekend, we were able to get everywhere we needed to go and only once did we have to wait more than about 10-15 minutes. We never had to worry about parking, and we never felt unsafe.
(While it’s true that Seattle has a pretty severe homeless problem – one that seems to have gotten much worse in the last few years – we didn’t have any issues. Everyone we saw was minding their own business and not causing any problems.)
Pike Place Market
Obviously, no trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to Pike Place Market. Pike Place was founded in 1907 and is one of the oldest continuously-operating public markets in the US, catering to tourists and locals alike and selling everything from fresh fish to artisanal foods to arts and crafts. There are also restaurants and multiple book stores, and many stalls offer free samples of their products. The market spans several city blocks along the waterfront, with some nice views of the Puget Sound.
Don’t forget to wander through Post Alley, AKA the famous (and yes, when you really stop to think about it, gross) gum wall.
And, of course, no visit to Pike Place is complete without swinging by the world’s first Starbucks!
(Truth be told, it’s no different than any other Starbucks in terms of beverage offerings or quality. Starbucks is Starbucks. However, this location retains the original logo and interior décor.)
Seattle Center
Seattle Center is an arts and entertainment district located a few miles north of downtown. It was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and is most famous for the Space Needle, but there are also various museums, entertainment venues, and outdoor spaces.
We spent quite a bit of our time here, as the concert was at Climate Pledge Arena and we wanted to visit a couple of the museums.
While we only went into the gift shop of the Space Needle this time around, I’d previously visited Seattle on a school trip and we went up to the top. At the time, I’d certainly never done anything like this, so it was a very exciting experience. As an adult, I don’t really feel the need to repeat it, and my sister didn’t feel like paying for it either.
Pacific Science Center
We spent about three hours one morning at the Pacific Science Center, wandering through exhibits on dinosaurs, the solar system, and the brain. We also walked through the butterfly garden and wandered around the small outdoor exhibit area.
Admission for us was free thanks to my local museum membership, and I’m glad this was the case because I’m not sure I feel this was worth the $31/person cost of admission. I’ve definitely been to larger and more comprehensive science museums.
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
That same afternoon, we visited the Museum of Pop Culture, formerly known as the Experience Music Project (EMP). Admission to this museum is also pretty pricey, but my sister’s friend gave her a gift card as a birthday present that covered most of the cost for both of us!
There was an exhibit on video games that we didn’t really spend much time in because all of the interactive stations were in use. There was also a sci-fi exhibit that my sister, a lifelong enthusiast of the genre, enjoyed immensely.
But my favorite part was the musical section, including the interactive portions where you could try your hand at guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, and music technology.
Bainbridge Island
One thing my sister really wanted to do during our visit was take a ferry out to one of the islands. Due to its low cost and easy of accessibility, we settled on Bainbridge Island. We caught the ferry from the Seattle Ferry Terminal for the 35 minute ride out to the island. It was too cold to spend much time out on the deck, but even from inside, the views of the city were pretty good.
Once we were on Bainbridge Island, though, our options were pretty limited. Without a car, there’s really no way to venture beyond the waterfront area. Which was fine, because the weather was supposed to deteriorate that afternoon and we were tired after being out late the night before. Still, I think someday I might enjoy returning to the island with a car and heading out to some of the more distant parks or other attractions.
But even on foot, we were able to visit a few shops, walk along the shore, and pop into the small (and free!) Bainbridge Island Museum of Art and Bainbridge History Museum.
Food and Drink
Since this was my sister’s birthday trip, I let her mostly take the reins in putting together our itinerary. My only request was a meal at Dick’s. This drive-in burger joint has been a Seattle staple since 1954. Currently, there are nine locations throughout the city, only one of which is not a drive-in. Their menu is simple and limited and has changed very little during its 70 years of operation.
Sure enough, it tasted just like I remembered.
The location nearest Seattle Center is the one that’s not a drive-in, so we were able to sit indoors and eat our meal, a nice escape from the rain. They have no non-meat burger options, and my sister is a vegetarian, but she was more than happy to share my fries and milkshake while I enjoyed my burger and basked in the nostalgia.
As previously mentioned, we ordered drinks at the first Starbucks. And we popped into a local non-Starbucks coffee shop one afternoon to meet up with my friend who now lives in Seattle. But since our hotel room was a suite with a kitchen, we prepared quite a few of our meals there, so I really don’t have a lot of insight into the Seattle food and beverage scene. If you like coffee or seafood, though, you’ve certainly come to the right place.
Our flights home weren’t until Sunday evening, which gave us the entire morning and afternoon to finish our itinerary before hopping on the train back to the airport. I landed around 11:30pm, knowing that work the next day was going to be rough after such a whirlwind trip and the late-night arrival. But I figured I could power through and then go to bed nice and early and be back to normal by Tuesday.
What I did not expect is that my trip would end like this.
Needless to say, Monday was a massive struggle.
Tuesday wasn’t much better.
It was a very unfortunate ending to what was otherwise a great weekend.
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