STUFF TO DO IN SEATTLE
Many of you are making the most of the trip to Seattle for our wedding by extending your stay in town before or after the event. Here are some things in town that we think are pretty cool and worth checking out if you've got some Seattle tourist time!
"OFFICIAL" planned activites on Thursday & Sunday
THURSDAY, before the wedding, a bunch of us will be going to the Seattle Mariners game, because baseball games are fun and it's a cool stadium. EMAIL TARA LAMKIN - taralamkin@gmail.com - ASAP if you are interested in doing this. The idea is we figure out how many people want to go, then we grab a big block of cheap seats (under $30/each) so we can all sit together and hang out.
SUNDAY, after the wedding, if the weather is good we'll be going to Golden Gardens park for a very relaxed and free "Bonfire Series" concert. It's a picnic / BYOB deal with live music on the beach outlined by a sunset over the Olympic mountains. They only do this 3 times every summer, and the last one of 2016 happens to line up with the wedding weekend!
GETTING AROUND
PUBLIC TRANSIT: Seattle has a fast, frequent, and cheap light rail system (the "Link Light Rail") but it has limited range. It's perfect for getting from the airport to downtown, or even out to Capitol Hill or the University District. Outside of that route it's all about busses that criss-cross all over the city. Google Maps public transit directions tend to be accurate, but it is not uncommon to have to make transfers from point A to point B.
RIDE SHARING APPS: Lyft and Uber are very popular in Seattle, and no matter where you are in the city there is probably a driver near you. These, or traditional taxis, are the most convenient options for getting around without a car of your own.
Beautiful Parks
Kerry Park (in Queen Anne)
This is a very small park that has exactly one thing going for it: it's the best *free* view of the city.
Golden Gardens (in Ballard)
Best around sunset, this is a public park and beach along the Puget Sound. If the weather is good on Sunday the 11th there will be a free "Bonfire Series" concert that night and that's where we'll be.
Discovery Park (in Magnolia)
If you really want to extend the "nature" aspect of our wedding weekend, check out the expansive Discovery Park and suddenly forget that you're in a major city. None of the loop trails surpass moderate difficulty, and they are all beautiful - spanning from meadow to forest to beach ecosystems.
Famous Seattle Landmarks
(the touristy stuff that is also pretty cool)
Seattle Center (Space Needle, Chihuly Museum, EMP, etc)
On a clear day there just isn't a better view than from the 360° observation deck of the iconic Space Needle. You can buy tickets for a particular time slot in advance here. They also let you bundle those tickets with some of the other things to do in the Seattle Center area. The Chihuly "Garden and Glass" Museum is definitely worth it. The Pacific Science Center (hands-on science museum) and the Experience Music Project (EMP - music and rock n'roll museum) are cool too.
If you're staying downtown, you can even ride the mostly-useless-but-kinda-fun monorail from downtown to Seattle Center!
Pike Place Market (Downtown/Waterfront)
Wander around the year-round food, fish, and craft market. Watch them throw a fish really far. Maybe even buy one. Especially great on weekdays when it is less crowded.
Museum of Flight (South Seattle)
A cool, unique museum all about airplanes and spaceships. They have a bunch of old planes you can walk through and explore. Their Website // Wikipedia
Seattle Underground Tour (Pioneer Square)
"The 75-minute guided walking tour begins beneath Doc Maynard’s Public House, then spills into historic Pioneer Square, Seattle’s birthplace, before plunging underground for an exclusive, time-capsule view of the buried city." More info at Trip Advisor
Some of Our Favorite Breweries / Beer Bars
- Stoop Brewery (in Ballard)
- Holy Mountain Brewery (in Interbay)
- Reuben's Brewery (in Ballard)
- Chuck's Hop Shop (Bottle shop & Bar in Greenwood)
- Brouwer's Cafe (A million taps in Fremont)
Some of Our Favorite Cocktail Bars
- Liberty (in Capitol Hill)
- Oliver's Twist (in Phinney Ridge)
- The Gerald (in Ballard)
Some of Our Favorite Restaurants
- Señor Moose (Oaxacan / Mexican food in Ballard)
- Kisaku (Sushi & Japanese in Green Lake)
- Smith (Classic American food in Capitol Hill)
- Toulouse Petit (New Orleanian / Creole in Queen Anne)
- Anything suggested here by our friend, officient, and food writer Julia Wayne