From waterfront larks to foodie adventures
Funky, fun and forward-thinking Seattle is a city that refuses to sit still. It’s home to a burgeoning arts scene and a broad culinary palate bursting with local flavours – ‘meet the producer’ is the city’s mantra, best exemplified by the fish tossing vendors at Pike Place Market. The city that spawned Amazon, Microsoft and Starbucks is actually awash with thriving micro-businesses pumping out third-wave coffee, craft cider, gourmet doughnuts and more besides.
Call in at the recently expanded Seattle Asian Art Museum to take in immersive exhibitions and wander around its Capitol Hill neighbourhood awash with cool coffeehouses and restaurants such as Overcast Coffee and Karachi Cowboys, serving up Pakistani street food, Texas barbecue and soul food classics. In the Ballard neighbourhood check out the dazzling new home of the National Nordic Museum before refuelling at Spice Waala. Watch the boats come and go from Ballard Locks, the country’s busiest, or spy the salmon migrating from June to September at the Fish Ladder Viewing Gallery and visit the free aquaculture museum.
Explore Pioneer Square with its red-brick Romanesque Revival buildings and pedestrian malls, currently being revitalised by a major new waterfront development. Join a First Thursday Art Walk from the Foster/White Gallery and indulge in a cocktail from the 35th floor and observatory of Smith Tower, Seattle’s first skyscraper. Stretch out on the 2.5-mile-long Alki Beach where you can watch the cruise ships pass by, tour the lighthouse and enjoy a bite at an oceanfront restaurant. Hit Hing Hay Park and watch the chess players or take part in some morning Tai Chi. For a different perspective follow the Seattle Underground Tour, which takes you past subterranean storefronts and sidewalks. Finally zoom up to the 605-foot Space Needle’s observation deck before 12pm when tickets are at their cheapest. Get your flights to Seattle today and start exploring.