3 DAYS IN SEATTLE, PACIFIC NORTHWEST

The best thing about it is its futuristic aesthetic, typical of the time in which it was built, with beautiful architectural details and a mechanism that makes it spin.

The Space Needle is not a telecommunications tower, located in the center of Seattle, it is a fantastic viewpoint.

 

Its design is very sixties, to me it seems like an architectural gem, no matter how you look at it, a very retro tower that transports you to a time when everything was more elegant and “cool” than it is now.

At the top, which serves as a viewpoint, There are two floors, the top floor has a cafeteria. The walls are made of transparent glass, as is much of the floor below. If you suffer from vertigo, be careful. The upper floor once housed a refined restaurant frequented by many of today’s celebrities. Its design is inspired by the Stuttgart telecommunications tower (Germany), but it has never been used for broadcasting. It is advisable to buy tickets online and arrive at the estimated time; this will help you avoid extra queues. Even so, once you have your ticket, you’ll have to queue up and go through security, as is usual for this type of visit.

In short, a must-see, and definitely worth it.

2#The Monorail.

To get to the Space Needle from downtown, you can choose to take a 20-minute walk or take the monorail, a very cool train whose tracks are elevated to cross the entire center.

The monorail was also built for the 1962 World’s Fair, connecting downtown with Seattle Park, the area where the Space Needle is, the old Expo pavilions, where the Children’s Museum (The Children’s Museum) and the Science Museum (Pacific Science Center) are located.

The Monorail ride from downtown to Seattle Park takes only 5 minutes.

In the same area, but much more recently built, is the Museum of Pop (MoPOP), in a building by Frank Ghery, which you will immediately recognize as soon as you see it and the KeyArena (basketball and hockey stadium where concerts are also held).

Of all of them I only visited the Children’s Museum, for obvious reasons, my daughter was very excited and had a great time.

If you travel with children, it is always a good idea to do activities that they find attractive, that way you will make them feel part of the trip, which is what it’s all about.

Try to make them enjoy it as much as you do and don’t make them feel like they are a burden, reason with them and reach agreements, that way you will all enjoy it.

3 #Pike Place Market.

This was my first stop, a very picturesque market, where you can find everything, very crowded, full of tourists, but you still have to visit.

Perhaps the most attractive thing about this market is simply the atmosphere, nothing in particular and everything in general.

Located on the shores of Elliott Bay, it opened its doors in 1907, making it one of the oldest in the US.

The fresh fish and seafood stalls stand out, the first thing that caught my attention was the enormous size of most of the products if we compare them with those here. Cold water fish and shellfish are much larger, and we are shocked by the lack of custom.

Pike Place Market is one of the oldest markets in the United States, a must-see.

 

In the market you can also find meat stalls, vegetable and fruit stalls, spice stalls, and another section dedicated to flowers, which is visually very attractive.

There are also food, coffee, and ice cream stalls, where people were queuing, and also vendors selling crafts, t-shirts, bags, various souvenirs, and antiques.

In short, a very complete market, and packed with people, mostly tourists. You might be thinking that you don’t like places crowded with people randomly recording videos on their phones, and neither do I, but you should make a little effort and go, it’s worth it in the end.

Fun fact, right in front of the market, at 102 Pike Street, you can find the first Starbucks store that opened in 1971, you’ll easily recognize it by the endless queue of tourists. I settled for seeing it from the road, honestly, queues to see such uninteresting things are not my thing.

Seattle is surrounded by water, lakes and the docks of Elliott Bay.

4#Lake Union Park.

A charming urban park, perfect for a walk or to sit quietly and watch the marina, with its boats and seaplanes, seagulls and people practicing paddle surfing and bathing on a micro beach.

If something is striking in Seattle, it is that the city is surrounded by water on all sides, Lake Union is the lake located almost in the center of the city. A little further north is the smaller Green Lake.

To the east of the city are Washington Lake and to the west, Elliot Bay. You can clearly see it here.

As its name suggests, Lake Union Park is built around Lake Union, a quiet space where you can relax and go for a walkor from the center, it will not take more than 15 minutes.

In this area highlights the Seattle Museum of History and Industry, (Museum of History and Industry, MOHAI), on their website you have all the information about what you can find there.

I didn’t visit it, so I can’t give you my opinion, that day, we thought it was better to spend a quiet afternoon walking around.

In the image you can see the views of Lake Union from a building in the center, beautiful.

5 #Capitol Hill.

A very special area of ​​the city, a neighborhood full of bars and restaurants, with many gay clubs, and some curious details.

We were walking through its streets in the morning, taking into account that it is an area where there are many nightclubs, there was not much movement, but it is worth wandering around, because you will find things that you would see in no other way.

Capitol Hill: An impressive coffee shop, the statue of Jimmy Hendrix and an art shop.

 

The first thing we came across was an impressive store, Starbucks Reserve Roastery, very well organized, with different bars, where you can see the coffee roasting process, all the machinery, large bronze silos, all types of coffee makers, with a wide range of specialty coffees.

It has a menu that offers different types of coffee experiences and pairings with chocolates, here you have their website in case you want to know a little more.

Everything was very nice and spectacular, but it was full of tourists. It was 10 in the morning and you could hardly walk around inside the place, so it was no experience at all. Just go in, see how everything was, and leave. That’s what we did.

The next thing we found was the statue of Jimmy Hendrix, the musician, born in Seattle in 1942, has this tribute on Broadway Street.

It is a bronze sculpture by local artist Darryl Smith, he made it in 1997 and since then it has been in the street, Hendrix fans come to see it and take pictures with him, and well, it is still a nice detail.

The statue is located in front of an art store, so we took the opportunity to buy a birthday present that we had pending, given the variety of products, we enjoyed it a lot. 😉

And continuing the walk, I couldn’t stop seeing details and curious things like some of the many posters stuck on a post, which advertised a fitness event with punk rock, something never seen before.

These are the kind of things that some of us imagine could happen, but you know it’s almost impossible. (Laughter).

Food is undoubtedly a reason to visit Seattle, fish, seafood and a long coffee tradition.

6#Food in Seattle.

When people in Spain tell me that the food is bad in the US, I always tell them that nothing could be further from the truth.

This widespread stereotype is due to the bad image that some North American fast food chains have spread around the world, but the reality is very different.

American cuisine in general may have dishes that are simpler to prepare, but it is very varied, depending on the location and always based on local products local.

Furthermore, in recent years, especially on the West Coast, they have really stepped up their game and are undoubtedly at the forefront of all the new global nutritional trends.

It’s now common to find cauliflower pizza dough, low-carb beers, and diabetic-friendly ice cream sweetened with erythritol, almond, fermented, and vegan cheeses and yogurts. Many products that we can’t even imagine here yet.

In Seattle, enjoy fresh fish and seafood; they are its hallmark.

 

But let’s continue with Seattle, fresh seafood and fish are the star productsa, as I’ve already told you, the city is surrounded by water and fishing is one of the main activities, at all levels.

Sport fishing is very common and there are tours to go salmon fishing, if fishing is your thing, Seattle is a must-see destination for you.

Seafood and fresh fish are kings, salmon, halibut, tuna and oysters, but also lobster, scallops, crab, etc., all fresh and of the best quality.

That’s why it’s common to find salmon smoked using traditional methods, an impressive ahi tuna and some very fresh oysters, you are on the Pacific coast, don’t forget it.

But also, if there’s one thing that stands out in the city it’s the hot dogs, and of course, hamburgers, after all you are in USA

7#Seattle Street Food Festival

During the days that I was in Seattle, an annual “street food” festival was held, it was totally by chance, we found out right there that the 7TH SEATTLE STREET FOOD FESTIVAL was being held those days and we decided to go since it was close to the hotel.

There were many food trucks, offering food of very diverse nationalities, some healthier options than others and curious things like a food truck that only offered dog food.

This food truck trend has been imported to other countries for years, in Spain we have already become accustomed to them and festivals are also held regularly, but do you know why you don’t see them as much as you would like?

The answer is very simple, in Spain the sale Street vending is prohibited, so they have no choice but to limit their activity to events, fairs, popular festivals and private events. Currently, a food truck in Spain cannot park wherever it wants and open its doors; it needs permission from the competent authority, and street vending is the responsibility of the autonomous communities. What do you think of street food? Do you like trying new things? It was funny to me, it was a very pleasant coincidence.

You can also interest:

Seattle airport.
Very busy, but very well organized.

Transportation in the city.
I recommend Uber or Lyft and the Monorail.

I also recommend walking, wandering around, it’s the best way to get to know the different neighborhoods, on street level everything looks different.

Curiosities:

• Seattle, city of rock and capital of Grunge. Where the band Nirvana was born. And many more!
• Seattle is home to the Amazon headquarters.
• Starbucks headquarters, founded in Seattle in 1971.
• Headquarters of one of Boeing’s main factories.

Honestly, the job opportunities in this city are palpable.

The best:

• The cosmopolitan and young atmosphere.
• Good cultural and gastronomic offer, varied and for all budgets.

The worst:

• Lots of tourism, cruise ships dock and some visits can be tedious due to the large number of people.
• The weather, I was there at the beginning of July and it was magnificent, but rain defines this city (rainy city), and the cold is usually intense outside the summer months, so study the forecasts before planning your visit. Remember that this area is known as The Evergreen State, that says it all.