SEATTLE — The skies over the city decided to open up while I was crossing a busy street. I huddled in my hoodie and ducked into a corner coffee shop to get my third caffeine fix of the day. I didn’t mind the brief break in our city hike; this was the first time it rained all week.
My husband was already behaving like a local, slouched over his cell phone reading whoknows-what, oblivious to the world around him.
Loving to people watch, I saw a table of bike-helmeted and spandex-wearing pedal enthusiasts talking animatedly, while keeping an eye on the streets for a break in the deluge. In another corner, a college student was carefully separating his trash into the three refuse and recycling bins, a common sight in eateries.
Welcome to Seattle, where green is good, coffee is king and every restaurant wants you to know there is bacon on the menu. Don’t forget that baconflavored coffee.
LOCATION, LOCATION
The Emerald City has several distinct neighborhoods, each with its own personality. Choosing where to stay can greatly affect your trip. You can easily get frustrated traveling between attractions or not being close to places to eat. Figure out what you want to do before you get there, and find a centralized hotel.
We chose a hotel in the Queen Anne district because of its proximity to Seattle Center and easy access to downtown. A boutique lodging, the Marqueen Hotel (marqueen.com) exudes the ambience of the neighborhood’s unique architecture, which is how the area got its name.
Some of the best views of the city can be found for free here in Kerry Park. It takes a walk up steep Queen Anne Hill to reach it, but the reward of spectacular scenery is worth the effort. I enjoyed hiking up the hill and looking at the historic buildings and artistic landscaping.
Unique cafes and shops line the streets at the bottom and atop the hill, and our favorite was directly across the street from the hotel. Toulouse Petit (toulousepetit. com) serves some of the best beignets and French press coffee outside New Orleans. At the breakfast happy hour, the food is delicious and the price is easy on the pocketbook. We dined there daily and had to drag every single family member who was in town with us.
GETTING AROUND
Not all of Seattle is walkerfriendly. Even if you rent a car, parking is difficult, and traffic can be a nightmare. Take advantage of public transportation as much as you can. Most of the time transit prices are $2.25 per adult, per trip. You can save money by using bus transfers. We took the bus on a couple of occasions, but mainly walked and took the monorail at Seattle Center to go downtown.
SEATTLE CENTER
Four blocks down from our hotel on Mercer Street we walked to Seattle Center, a 74-acre park and arts and entertainment area, first used in the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. It houses the famous Space Needle, International Fountain, the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Children’s Museum, Pacific Science Center, Key Arena and the monorail terminal.
You can spend a couple of days doing activities here, but it can get expensive. Admission to the viewing deck on the Needle costs $19 per adult. Admission to each museum and additional exhibits range from $13 to $20 per person.
The best value for seeing several sites is a City Pass (citypass.com/seattle). The $69 adult and $44 child price grants entrance to six attractions, including the Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, Pacific Science Museum, EMP Museum, an Argosy Cruises harbor tour, and admission to the Woodland Park Zoo or the Museum of Flight. The passes can be used once per attraction over nine consecutive days.
DOWNTOWN
The monorail has only one stop, Westlake Center at Fifth Avenue and Pine Street. The shopping center is the access point to a bus tunnel under downtown, and the light link rail that connects to Sea-Tac International Airport and neighborhoods southeast of the city.
Shop to your heart’s content in this retail core; Nordstrom, Macy’s, Westlake Center and Pacific Center all interconnect underground to the station.
Walk about four blocks southwest of the Westlake station along Pine Street and you will reach Pike Place Market, one of the nation’s oldest continuing farmers markets. The market spans several city blocks. Built into the side of a steep hill, you can explore the various levels for several hours. Besides the ever-present sellers of flowers and produce, screaming fishmongers and niche artisans, you can find several strange places to browse. I strolled through antique shops and art galleries; ate delicious seafood with a view of the waterfront at the Athenian Inn (famous from the movie Sleepless in Seattle); snacked on tea and crumpets at the Crumpet Shop; sampled more tea and spices at Market Spice (a fixture in the market since 1911); revisited my inner geek in a comic book shop; and staked out vampires at Orange Dracula.
To get to the waterfront, walk along Western Avenue to Alaskan Way. If you go on a cruise tour, this is where you catch your boat; several tour companies are based along the 1.3-mile stretch. See the art and sculpture of Olympic Sculpture Park while enjoying the views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound. Explore the underwater world of the Pacific Northwest at the Seattle Aquarium and sample some chowder or fish and chips at Ivar’s, a staple on the waterfront since 1938. We discovered mummies and shrunken heads at Ye Old Curiosity Shop (one of Seattle’s oldest stores, established in 1899) and zombie pirates wanted our booty at Pirates Plunder.
At the end of the Elliot Bay Trail along Alaskan Way, walk up the hill on Yestler Way to First Avenue and you have reached Pioneer Square, Seattle’s historic heart. Travel back in time in this turn-ofthe-20th-century neighborhood, now home to art galleries, cafes, bookstores and nightclubs.
FREMONT
Tired of the crowds and general craziness of downtown, we bused to the selfproclaimed Center of the Universe, Fremont. This neighborhood represents Seattle quirkiness in all its glory, and certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Walking through Fremont is like being on a big scavenger hunt. We picked up a walking guide to find our way to landmarks. A mother and baby dinosaur frolic along the shores of Canal Park. A Cold War-era rocket stands ready to blast off on the corner of Evanston Avenue and 35th Street. Vladimir Lenin glares down at all the commercial freedom in the business district. The Fremont Troll squats beneath the Aurora Bridge enjoying a car as a snack.
If you didn’t make it to Germany to see the Berlin Wall, a large slab rests here as a symbol of freedom. Not far away is the statue Dreamer of World Peace. Various murals and paintings such as the Bridge Way Mural along Aurora Avenue are dispersed throughout the neighborhood. You will also see signs offering helpful advice such as “set your watch back five minutes” and “de libertas quirkas” (freedom to be peculiar).
Restaurants and stores are more reasonably priced than those you would find downtown, as this area is popular with the university crowd.
PERFECT CUPPA JOE
As I mentioned before, Seattle is serious about its coffee. After all, Starbucks got its start here and one of its first shops is in Pike Place Market. So everywhere we went we drank it. Iced coffee. Lattes. Cappuccinos. There are probably more independent coffee roasters here than microbreweries.
During our stay we found our favorite coffee place, possibly ever. Our first morning in Seattle my husband went to the coffee shop in the hotel, Caffe Ladro (caffeladro. com). He came back complaining about the long line, but held what all the locals were demanding: a latte. After his first sip he was in coffee heaven. Anything else we drank for the rest of the week just couldn’t compare. Sorry, Starbucks.
Oh, and that bacon-flavored coffee? Steer clear. The pork flavor of this offering by Seattle’s Best has no business on my tongue.
For more information on travel to Seattle, call (866) 732-2695 or check out visitseattle.org.
Travel, Pages 48 on 12/09/2012