A Guide to Seattle Washington
This post may contain affiliate links, please read my full disclosure : here Here a guide that gives you tons of things to see, do and eat for a short time in Seattle, Washington. When first planning our vacation, Seattle wasn’t supposed to be really a stop, but when our Alaskan cruise didn’t coincide with our first part of the trip, We decided to make Seattle stop 2 of 3 on our extended vacation. (Read about stop 1 here). Since we didn’t plan to stay in Seattle, we tried to make it fairly cheap but still, do the must-see sights. Instead of renting a car, and to cross another item off the bucket list, we eagerly jumped aboard a train from Portland to Seattle. The overall train experience was nice. It is definitely the way to go if you are on a budget. The train ride was more spacious than I thought and the ride was only 3.5 hours which was not bad considering my friends drove it and took about the same time. Here’s what we did for our quick 2 day stay there. Keeping it on a low budget and still getting bang for our buck, we opted to do AirBnB. It’s one of our favorite ways to stay places. We usually just rent a room with access to our own private bathroom. It’s one of the best ways to meet locals and get some recommendations for more off the beaten paths places to visit. We have had nothing but great experience with Airbnb. Right now you can get $40 off your first trip if you sign up here. (Check out my tips for finding the best ones here!) (This was our view from the front of our AirBnB). Our AirBnB was located in Queen Anne’s which was close to the cruise terminal, but still close to the attractions of Seattle. Ruth’s house was ranked highly on the site, so we decided to book her, and we were happy we did. The house is located on top a tall hill and the views from the front of her house are amazing. The house has a wonderful front and backyard are that decorated so nicely with flowers and sitting areas. She greeted us warmly and showed us to our area where we would stayed. The area was mainly in the basement sort of area with a living area, bedroom, and bathroom. She even provided a small fridge, coffee pot, and glasses. We were able to come and go as we pleased and she made sure we had our privacy. She was a lovely host and even offered suggestions on places to go. A few things to note with her home. It is a little more dated, but still lovely all the same. You do have to travel down steps, and the bathtub is fairly deep, so this would not be a place for people who have difficulty with this things. There are plenty other places to choose from so definitely check out AirBnB for other lovely places to stay! After a day of train ride traveling and exploring, Zeek’s pizza was across the street and we decided why not? It was perfect after a long day. They did have a few minute wait but it wasn’t long. We had a table in the corner of the restaurant which was perfect for people watching out the big windows. Our waitress was nice and cordial and offered us some different ideas for drinks. I decided to try an Apple cider that was made locally and it was pretty good, I mostly enjoyed the can. 🙂 We decided to share a meat pizza and let’s just say there were no leftovers. The prices were reasonable and it was an overall enjoyable time The Space Needle is of course a must see, the food not so much. We got up early to beat all the lines. With doing that, we didn’t get food before and ended up deciding to get coffee and a cinnamon roll there. It was Starbucks products so not bad, and the prices weren’t too outlandish either. I did wish we went to an actual breakfast place one day there, but that’s ok. Etta’s was a fancy place we found while wandering the streets near Pike Place Market. The restaurant had a warm clean vibe with unique light fixtures. It was a little on the pricier side than we were wanting to do, so we decided to split something. We opted for the crab cakes. Although it was delicious, it really was a small portion even for one. So, we paid our bill and went to meet friends who happened to be going to eat as well, and we joined them. Our newlywed couple from our Portland trip came to explore Seattle for a few days as well. They ended up at Ivar’s and I think it was a much better fit for us. We stay outside and it was a perfect day in Seattle to do so. It was right on the water and just nice to take in the fresh air and sites with good company. Northerners have chowder, Louisiana has gumbo, so I decided to do the chowder samplers to taste all the different ones. The chowder was the perfect amount after Etta’s to keep me full and satisfied. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. Sidenote: If you staying in Seattle longer than 2 days, I suggest doing the City Pass. It offers the best deal of seeing the city for a lower price. You get access to 5 of Seattle’s top attraction for one low price. For $79 for adults and $59 for kids, you get access to: If you paid for all 5 things separate you’d be paying way more than what City Pass has to offer, (approximately $120 for adults and $71 for kids if you paid for all 5 at each destination). I looked into it but decided not to since we wouldn’t have time to see all the destination in our short time there. They also have city passes in other cities, like Toronto, San Francisco, etc. The Antique Shop we randomly stumbled up while strolling the streets. They really had some great stuff, from street signs to old baking mixers to bicycles, furniture, lamps and old games. There was something for every collector or just people who like eclectic things. Check out the random shops, you never know what you may find. The Duck Tour we did the first day we got there after walking downtown Seattle. I had never been on one so it was a cool thing to experience. We learned a lot about Seattle and even got to float on the water. Our tour guide was informative and funny.. let’s just say he wore many hats haha! It’s a great tour for adults and kids. This will always be a must do, specifically for first-timers. The space needle is something magical in itself, almost like Disney. The history you learn before taking it to the top, the super fast elevators, the interactive boards… it’s just an all around a great time. The restaurant was sold out and they were starting remodeling the next day, so we didn’t get to experience that but its ok. I think just experiencing the space needle is enough on its own. Here are our views from the top. This is a huge market with many vendors and we were excited to explore. With many shops and restaurants so close together, it was hard to catch a glimpse of everything between the crowd. We were sad the fish market was closed ( the one famous for throwing fish), but we did manage to get a picture there as well as in front of the original Starbucks. The original Starbucks line was ridiculously long. Since we already had Starbucks at the Space Needle, we didn’t feel the need to stand in the line to get inside. We just took a picture from the outside 🙂 Seattle Great Wheel can be seen from all over Seattle. We decided that since we went to the Space Needle, we skipped going on the wheel for skyline views. If you decide not to do the Space Needle, I do suggest doing the Wheel. Life’s a party, go find your adventure. Even though our trip was short in Seattle, we truly enjoyed our time here and feel like there’s plenty more to do here, so we definitely will be back! But now it’s time for our next adventure… Alaska. What’s your favorite vacation? Need more adventure? find more here. Need date night ideas? go here. Need to get crafty? go here. Need some delicious recipes? go here. Pin for later?
A Weekend Guide for Seattle, WA
Where We Stayed:
Where We Ate:
Zeek’s pizza
Space Needle
Etta’s
Ivar’s Acres of Clams
What We Did:
Antique Shop
Duck Tour
Space Needle
Pike Place Market
The Original Starbucks
Seattle Great Wheel
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