Here’s one local’s perspective on how to do Seattle without doing the cliché tourist trip(e). I will update this as I think of more to add.
- HOT: Coming in mid-July through mid-September. Nowhere is better this time of year.
- NOT: Coming in June and packing shorts. HA! Welcome to what we like to call “June-uary” here in Seattle.
- HOT: King County’s “Water Taxi” pedestrian commuter ferry to West Seattle’s Alki beaches ($3 via your Orca card).
- NOT: Over-crowded, less-frequent, much more-expensive ($30+) and going-nowhere Argosy cruises in the Puget Sound (aka, on the same waters). The one pro here is these are longer (1 hour +) so if that’s what you want: here’s the link.
- HOT: Try out urban (aka “downtown”) walks like Olympic Sculpture Park + a fresh side of Myrtle Edwards Park.
- NOT: Crowds, lines, and dealing with parking at Pike Place Market.
- HOT: Piroshky on Third. Or any of Piroshky Piroshky’s locations, except:
- NOT: Piroshky Piroshky in Pike Place Market (see cons as described above).
- HOT: Hitting up the Sky View Observatory ($20), a 902-foot panoramic view on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Center. Or, for zero dollars, go to the 40th floor for the highest Starbucks west of the Mississippi and get about 4/7ths of the experience, and maybe a latte while you’re there.
- NOT: Paying $30+ to go up to the top of the Space Needle (a measly 605-feet tall structure).
- HOT: Using Intentionalist to find delicious and unique new food experiences and other small businesses in Seattle – you can even specifically support businesses owned by veterans, LGBTQ people, minorities, and other groups you’d like to support.
- NOT: Using Google or Yelp to go to the same boring chains you could find anywhere else.