Recently we went on an Alaskan Cruise, which was a brand-new experience for us and one we loved, and it left from Seattle. If you don’t know me yet, one of my absolute all time favorite places to stop on road trips is Seattle, WA. There are so many cool things to do for people with a wide variety of interests and to be in a bustling city and still stare out at mountains while sitting on a beach is just the perfect combination for me. Here is how we spent 2 days in Seattle:
Now that you have the itinerary, let me share some highlights with you. The most major highlight of this trip for us is using the light rail. It’s not often on a road trip you find yourself without transportation but If you are in Seattle without transport (like us) or don’t want to bother finding new parking spots all day you *have* to utilize the light rail! It’s public transport that runs south to north, the southern most part starts at Angle Lake, then to the SEATAC Airport and runs all the way up to Northgate. This means the light rail has direct stops in some of the most popular areas like the International District/ Chinatown and the stop at University Street or Westlake are only a 5-minute walk from Pike Place. It runs about $3 per person, so it can save you a ton of money if you were planning on using a service like Lyft or Uber to get around. Here are the light rail stops:
Eat and Do All The Things At Pike Place:
Cinnamon Works – Fun fact about me, I have a mild obsession with cinnamon that Andy says is verging on “severe”
Pike Place Chowder – Might be touristy of me but this is my favorite chowder here
Gum Wall – Do not eat anything here 😉
Fish Throwers at The Pike Place Fish Market – The fish throwers are used in leadership and management training courses about the importance of play at work and we stopped because I had been shown their video once a year all 4 years of my college experience. It’s a fun stop and they sell great fish seasoning that travels much better than a whole fish will.
Lamplight Books – DON’T go here if you have a strict weight limit on your flight home and 0 self-control around used books (worry emoji), I literally left items behind to take books home
Hidden Community Garden – Go to the fish throwers and take the unassuming hallway to your left between Market Spice and the butcher
We did not stop at the ‘original’ Starbucks, because 1) it’s not original 2) I’ve been once and 3) There is much better coffee around (Starbucks diehards please don’t come at me, I did go in once and waited an hour for my commemorative mug!)
We stayed at The Sound Hotel Seattle and I recommend it if you want cool views downtown on a bit of a budget. I’m positive there are cheaper hotels around with some views but for where we needed to be for cruise ship convenience this one offered great views and was part of the Hilton family, and you’ll start to see I only stay Hilton whenever possible. They’re the most consistently clean and friendly hotels and I always say to find a chain you love and stick to it to rack up those reward points.
I’m not the most conventional sightseer so one thing I was dying to do that may not be on a lot of lists is visit the Amazon Go convenience store! This is the store that Amazon opened where you scan your amazon code (open the app and in the top right click in-store code) and cameras everywhere monitor what you pick up, put down, and only charge you for what you leave with. We went in, picked up and put down a few things just to, you know, test the robots. We didn’t interact with a single person which is weird but sometimes you just want to wander in a place, buy some Tylenol and chocolate, and leave without having to smile at someone – you get it.
Eat All The Things in The International District:
Uwajimaya grocery and bookstore – They have books, trinkets, and more in one part of the store, and the other is grocery with produce, frozen section, and our favorite for traveling: drinks and snacks! We picked up some Takoyaki snacks because their savory crunchy rice puff deliciousness is irresistible and spent some time trying to find this mystery soda I had in Japan in 2012. It was in a can, I got it out of a vending machine on a street in the Aomori area, I think it was melon flavored but it could have been apple, and it had like a Jell-O at the bottom of it and it may or may not have been carbonated – if you know what it is end my decade long search PLEASE!
Happy Lamb Hot Pot – This is a can’t miss experience! I haven’t been to one since I was in Japan (a decade ago) and I was so excited to see one here. They have 2 ways to dine: off menu or all you can eat courses. Decide how hungry you’re feeling and definitely get the original/spicy split broth pot! All the vegetables, noodles, and meats are delivered to your table along with a bowl and utensils and you get to cook your own meal in the broth you’ve chosen and it’s amazing.
Eat All The Things at Brunch with Biscuit Bitch – Order ahead online to skip the wait and order whatever you want because you can’t go wrong! The biscuits and gravy were seasoned to perfection and I got a free sticker with my breakfast (It’s the little things 😊).
Helpful Hint: Use Bounce to store your luggage
Once we got back to Seattle from our cruise ship we needed to ditch our bags, the only problem was our flight was that night so we didn’t have a hotel to drop them at for free. Enter Bounce a super convenient and affordable way to store your luggage at trusted venue all around Seattle (and the world!). For $15 we stored 2 bags all day at a nearby hotel where we knew they were safe. Bounce partners with all kinds of stores so make sure you look at their hours of operation and type of establishment before booking to make sure the place you want to use is open when you need it to be.
Eat All The Things at 5 Point Café (seriously, do it)
If you want a dive bar feel that treats a hangover and free wifi because, like me, you still have to work while you roam, you want to try The Five Point Café, Seattle’s Legendary Dive Bar and Diner. Is it a little overpriced? Yes. Is the food incredible and make you want to eat more even when you’re stuffed beyond belief? Absolutely. The wifi is free the music is good and you have to try the The Mess and the giant cinnamon roll is the perfect breakfast dessert.
Do All The Things at The Seattle Space Needle – I went in with low expectations, just figuring it’s kind of a touristy attraction that isn’t much different than staying on a really high floor at a hotel but it was really amazing. You get incredible 360 panoramic views of the city, mountains, and water that surrounds you. The glass leans out so if you’re feeling brave you can lean slightly over the city, this is about as brave as I got (note the terror on my face):
Anyways, it’s not a tourist trap so buy your timed tickets ahead of time and go enjoy these amazing views. Plus, they serve cocktails on the space needle so you can sip a drink as your floor rotates beneath you taking you slowly but surely around the entire structure. It’s worth noting that you can also buy admission into the Chihuly garden and glass exhibit with your space needle ticket to get a discount, so if you want to see both don’t miss that chance to save a little money.
Remember how I told you I’m not a conventional sightseer? Another odd stop on my list that likely wouldn’t be in your travel guide was Ben and Jerry’s Scoop Shop. Ben and Jerry’s is my all time favorite ice cream and sadly there are no scoop shops in all of Ohio. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit one even if it meant taking the light rail all the way to its northern point and then walking another 36 minutes. My toxic trait is thinking I can walk everywhere.
Break From the Itinerary: We were exhausted. My fault for making us do all that walking in the heat. We decided with travel times we just wanted to grab a sandwich, get our luggage, and go stretch out at the airport until our flight. I’ll end our trip by sharing that we got a delicious Boar’s Head deli sandwich that was HUGE and one of the few things that we felt wasn’t west-coast-marked-up because of the portion size. Grab one at Stella Deli & Market.
There you have it! As always I’ll end with Honorable Mentions that didn’t make the cut for this trip but that I’ve enjoyed before:
The Freemont Troll – A fun photo-op!
Sunset Hill Park – Some of the best views of Seattle
The Unicorn Narwhal Bar – Fun eclectic space to grab a drink and a commemorative shirt
Frankie & Jo’s Capital Hill – plant based ice cream that tastes amazing and is friendly to us lactose intolerant folks
Mt Ranier – Support National Parks at this popular hiking destination
What is on your must-see list for Seattle? Let me know what I missed so I can visit it next time! If you’re ready to get started on your own cross-country road trip email me, [email protected], or visit the plans page to get started!
Thanks for reading 😊
-Taysia
