When in the city of Seattle, you will feel the vibes of the West Coast with its massive native Douglas fir trees surrounded by Puget Sound. The city thrived under the famous Klondike Gold Rush, where travelers from all over would come to get provisions for the arduous journey to Alaska. Many were unsuccessful in the pursuit, Seattle had problems with staffing at the time since firemen and even the mayor of the city resigned to look for gold. One immigrant by the name of Nordstrom however achieved certain success that would allow him to start his own shoe store.
You may learn more if you visit the Klondike Gold Rush museum, located downtown.
Pike Place Market and the nearby Gum Wall are other attractions of the port city. Take advantage of fresh produce and take home with you the lovely staple cinnamon-orange loose tea from MarketSpice (established in 1911). If you wish to sit down for lunch at the market, I recommed Maximilien. For coffee near the market, pick a quiet seat overlooking the Sound at Storyville Coffee.
If we are talking coffee, Seattle is the right place to be. I've visited numerous coffee shops that deserve mentioning: Zeitgeist, Umbria, even the coffee at the 7-Eleven was amazing!
Arrive early to the iconic Space Needle for a tour through its history and for a spectacular view on a clear day. You might even be lucky enough to see Mt. Rainier distinct against the sky. On the nearby surroundings, you may enjoy visiting the Chihuly Garden and Glass, a museum that hosts the evolution of artist Dale Chihuly.
Admire MoPOP's architecture (Museum of Pop Culture) from outside (I judged the museum too pricey to be worth it) and take the Alweg Monorail, a remnant of the 1962's world fair exhibition.
To admire the skyline of Seattle, take a car to Alki viewpoint or take a ferry to Bainbridge island. The island hosts restaurants and shops and can be toured by foot, bike or car. Before or after the ferry, go to Wings Over Washington on Miners Landing. You will not regret it!
For air and spacecraft lovers, The Museum of Flight hosts a worthy collection to tour. For ice cream sandwich lovers, don't miss out on Hello Robin.
Save one day of your stay in Seattle to hike Mount Rainier. I suggest using the AllTrails app to find the path that is right for you (not sponsored). Some people also lie to book a tour to nearby Vancouver or San Juan Islands to sightsee orcas and other wildlife. I left this pending for my next trip to Seattle!
There are numerous neighborhoods to take a walk around Seattle, one of them is Bellevue and its Downtown park is lovely as the sun sets. For ice cream, hit Molly Moon's.
If you have time on your trip, book a stay near or inside Olympic National Park. Here you can choose between hikes, beaches and forest. If you plan on going to Hoh Rainforest, arrive early to avoid the queue. Also, if you are going to visit many national parks, I suggest buying the America the Beautiful tag for your car (order this with anticipation of your trip).
For those choosing to visit the state of Oregon, I recommend taking the 101 route South towards the beach town of Manzanita (great for kite surf BTW). Special mentions are the International Rose Test Garden at Portland, touring by car the Columbia River Gorge and visiting the Timberline Lodge. This last place was one of the filming sets for The Shining and people come to ski till September, do mountain bike or hikes. The road that takes you to the lodge is stunning. You will get a view of Mt. Hood, among other peaks.
I hope this post was helpful to you for planning your next trip!
Kommentare