1. Shop around at the Pike Place Market
Opened in 1907, it’s one of the world’s oldest farmer’s markets. They sell everything from crafts to fresh seafood. I enjoyed checking out all of the huge crab legs and salmon. It was then that I wished we had an AirBnB instead of a hotel room so that we could have actually bought/cooked some seafood. There are also lots of things to eat nearby like Pike Place Chowder and Mee Sum Pastry, but I thought that was overrated
2. Stick your chewed gum on the Gum Wall
3. Get 360 views of Seattle at the Sky View Observatory
It’s not as popular as the Space Needle of course, but it gets the job done. Plus admission is cheaper at only $20 a pop. I randomly checked on Groupon and it was available on there too, so we were able to get the tickets from there at $10 each
4. If you need more 360 views and don’t mind splurging, go up the Space Needle
This was is $35 and we had already done the Sky View Observatory so we didn’t feel the need to go up. We did snap a couple of pictures of the tower outside though
5. Relive some of your favorite movies and music at the Museum of Pop Culture
This was a really fun museum! They have a lot of different movie props from all genres of movies. As for music, there’s an awesome tower of guitars that you can’t miss. Then, you can go in one of the sound booths where you can mix your own beats. There’s also a Nirvana (one of my faves), Pearl Jam, and Jimi Hendrix exhibitions, since they are all from the Washington area
6. Bring the kids to Pacific Science Center
Ok, so I don’t actually have any kids but Ben loves science museums. Whenever we travel anywhere in the world, we always try to find one for him. This one missed the mark though for adults. Everything was definitely geared towards children, which is why I leave you with that caveat. I will say though, that there is a layer show (extra admission) which is pretty cool and worth it
7. Take a hike at Discovery Park
Or jog, or bike, or whatever. At 534 acres, this is the largest city park in Seattle
8. Get a nice view of the city at Gas Works Park
It’s an old gasification plant, so it was interesting to see all of the old equipment. But just make sure you climb up that hill so that you don’t miss the view
9. Climb on top of the Fremont Troll for a photo op
You have to be quick though. Otherwise a kid will skip you in line and the parents won’t do anything about it
10. Grab some beers at Fremont Brewing Company
It is conveniently located a few minutes away from the troll
11. Take the bus or walk
There are no subways, but they do have a light rail and street cars. Lyfts/Uber is not that cheap here (though still cheaper than NYC). We found taking the bus was most convenient – especially since the transfers last two hours. However, we walked most of the time. If you’re planning on just hitting up the main sights, the city is pretty walkable
how to be a traveler 