Pike street market
Close to your hotel along the water front. Be sure to walk through. There is a guy near the fish throwing place who sells meat sticks. Get one!
Pioneer Square
It’s the oldest part of Seattle. Lots of historical things to see, but be warned: it’s dirty, lots of homeless people, and lots of tourist traps
Space Needle
It’s pretty expensive but you can buy a ticket that is good for two trips up. If you go at dusk you are in for a real treat.
Right next to the needle. Cool park with lots of architecture and a crazy fountain that is a giant orb.
Capitol hill
Bars, funky stores and independent restaurants. It’s the 6th street of Seattle. Be careful at night—it can get sketchy—especially on the south side of Broadway.
Easy to get to, there is a really nice arboretum in the middle.
Two small mountains about 20-30 minutes outside of the city. Little Si is about a 2 hour hike. Mt. Si is half day. Highly recommended. Mt. Si will likely have snow up top.
Gigantic waterfall about 30-40 minutes outside of the city. You start at the top but can walk all the way to the basin of the falls. There is a restaurant and spa there too.
Go there and canoe lake washington http://www.seattle.gov/tour/arbor.htm
30-40 minutes east of the city. Easy hike with a huge payoff at the end. Go early because it gets busy.
20 minutes east of the city (and by my house). You can do it in 2 hours but it's a grinder. Inredible payoff at the top though.
Really beautiful park—no cars, on the sound. It's a great spot to take a blanket, hangout on the beach, take in the Olympic mountains, and watch the sun go down.
Green Lake is the White Rock lake of Seattle. It's urban, small, but beautiful. Lots of trails and people watching. The Woodland Park Zoo is nearby as well.
Twin Falls Ollalie State Park
Talus Rocks on Tiger Mountain
Same mountain as Poo Poo Point. Really easy hike. Incredible building-sized boulders at the top
Lots of delicious sandwiches and cured meats. My favorite is the porchetta. Get there early lunch because there will be a line.
One my favorite Korean places. My favorites are the wings, bulgogi sliders, and short ribs. Make a reservation.
Long Provincial Vietnamese Restaurant
Really great vietnamese “comfort” food. My favorites are the short ribs and they have this coconut pork dish that is to die for.
Very expensive, but highly reocmmended. Farm-to-table at it's best.
Execellent sushi—highly recommended if you find yourself in Capitol Hill
Great breakfast & brunch place up by UW
Cuban food that people lose their minds about.
- Starbucks Roastery and Reserve I almost never go to Starbucks anymore, but this one is to be experienced
- Starbucks Pike Place (Market)
- Caffe Vita (multiple locations)
- Stumptown (Capitol Hill)
- Zietgeist (Pioneer Square)
- Level 4 CrossFit Seattle (Owned by Dave Werner. Second crossfit affiliate and friend of Front Desk. Probably the best training in the country)
- CrossFit Belltown (Belltown)
- CrossFit Felix (Belltown)
You can buy day passes for the bus system for really cheap, but I would recommend Uber X. It’s faster, safer, and not very expensive to get around the city. You also don’t have to live and die by the bus system.
From the airport you can take the Link light rail into downtown for about 3 bucks. It’s safe and pretty convenient.