Planning a Trip: Seattle

I first went to Seattle by accident. I was on my way back from Monterey when we were stuck in the worst re-route and airline experience I've ever had in my life. Long story short, a couple of coworkers and I woke up at 3 AM, drove 2 hours to SFO, found out our flight was delayed, were told we had no option for another flight, then got on the flight, pilot made up time in the air and then ground crew didn't hold the plane like they said they would and we ended up sprinting and just missing the gate by 45 seconds. Literally.

Anyways, end of rant, we ended up stuck in Seattle for an 8 hour layover. I had never been before and the opportunity to explore made me excited. With 8 hours and counting, we wanted to make sure that we maximized our time there and got a chance to see a few sights. We managed to cram a few things in, but given a weekend here is what I would have liked to do.

What to Bring

In the spring and early summer, Seattle is still a little chilly and you require a few layers when you're walking around. I'm a big fan of layering under a leather jacket which provides warmth, but also a shell against wind and rain if necessary.

If you're going in the summer, you can't go wrong with summer dresses, sneakers for walking around everywhere and a layering jacket for when it gets chilly at night or in the early morning.

What to See

Seattle has it's key sights to visit, and a lot of them are within close proximity to each other. Some of the highlights are:

Pike Place Centre

With it's large neon Public Market Centre sign, it's hard to miss in downtown Seattle. It's a great place to find flowers on the way home, fresh seafood for dinner, or stop in for lunch. Much like the Chelsea Market, I recommend to spend a bit wandering through and exploring the shops inside.

The First Starbucks

It may be underwhelming for some, but the first Starbucks is something that I've always wanted to see. The company started from this one shop and grew to cover the world with it's green and white logo.

Credit: Dan King

The Gum Wall

Some might find this gross, but I think that this is a really cool place that people come to to stick their gum on the wall and make their mark. Bonus points if they blow a bubble and manage to keep it intact when they stick it on the wall.

The Space Needle

I've never been up to see the view, but I've been told it's one to save for a sunny day and enough time to enjoy it. I have a similar viewpoint and rotating restaurant in my city, and it's actually quite nice and peaceful to sit back and enjoy the view.

Seattle Great Wheel

The Great Wheel ferris wheel is much like the London Eye and provides a beautiful view of the city scape. It's a little expensive, however if you have the time and money you should check it out.

Puget Sound

There are a few places in the Puget Sound that are beautiful spots to take in the surroundings like Discovery Park or Alki Beach. Bring a picnic lunch or just spend some time exploring in the morning or afternoon and breathe in the fresh air and beautiful surroundings.

I managed to cram in a lot of things in my first 8 hours in Seattle and given a weekend, I feel like I could manage to get them all in effectively. Don't get me wrong, you could spend an entire week here and still not get it all in, but a long weekend here would give you a great chance to see the sights.

Anything I've forgotten or anything you think I should have added? Let me know!

Love, E