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7 Days in Seattle: What to Do
Here’s a run down of alllll the things I did my first time visiting Seattle. I was there for about a week in April – first with my work team, then with my family. Here’s what we did 🙂
Link Light Rail
https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/stations/link-light-rail-stations
SeaTac was partially under construction when I got to Seattle so I think it was slightly trickier than normal finding the Link station but we just followed the signs, crossed a skybridge, then there we were. Only $3 a person and it dropped us off just a few minutes walking distance from our hotel in the city. It was a nice, clean ride, not crowded at all (on a Thursday afternoon), and a cool way to see the city as we first arrived. I suppose it takes longer than an Uber or taxi might, but you save a ton of money. If you’re ok with public transportation and a bit of walking, well worth it. Uber would have taken about $60 for the same ride, a taxi slightly less (about $50, they do a flat rate). 4/5
Biscuit Bitch
1909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
https://biscuitbitch.square.site
Biscuit Bitch is a take-out only staple of Seattle’s food scene. Hearty portions that I cannot imagine finishing in one sitting. Dense biscuit meals. I got the Gritty Scrambled Cheesy Bitch and loved it. Scrambled eggs, cheesy grits, and a nice country gravy over biscuits. Delicious, but of course I barely managed to eat half of it. If you can share with other people, I’d probably recommend ordering a few for everyone to try. The guy taking orders was fun and friendly: “Welcome bitches! Oh we have some first time bitches!” and even gave us free stickers. There was a wait but not too bad, considering what it was. And there were tables just a few steps down that apparently are ok for Biscuit Bitch patrons to use, because that’s all who was sitting there. 4/5
Dahlia’s
2001 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Cute bakery and cafe with tons of seating. I think it turns into a bar at night. They had Fritter Friday when I went there, but were already sold out by 9am (and they open at 8am) so they must be amazing. I got the mushroom quiche and while it wasn’t heated well enough all the way through, it was delicious. Good, buttery, flakey, but with a nice and substantial crust; light and fluffy filling with good flavor. My coworkers ate the pastries and breakfast sandwiches and said they were great. Lattes were totally fine – not great, but fine. Overall steadily busy but never packed when I went, and they got our food and drinks out to us reasonably fast considering the volume they had to deal with. Dahlia’s was good enough that we went back again another morning too! 4.5/5
Uwajimaya
600 5th Ave South Seattle, WA 98104
https://www.uwajimaya.com/visit/seattle/
Seattle has a rich history of Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans. Uwajimaya is a chain of Japanese grocery and consumer goods stores found in the Pacific Northwest. I was really impressed by the size of the store and selection offered, but actually couldn’t find the one item I really needed – Yunker energy drink (I take it when I’m feeling sick) – they were sold out! I think a lot of people were feeling sick at the same time and they beat me to it. I feel pretty spoiled with my selection of Asian grocers in Southern California but this was a good store. They even had a Kinokuniya (the best bookstore!) but I didn’t have time to check it out. 4.5/5
University of Washington
1410 NE Campus Pkwy, Seattle, WA 98195
The weather was gorgeous the day I went: 70s, sunny, and lightly breezy. Nice enough that one of my group insisted we should go to UW to see the cherry blossoms! And it was worth it. It was absolutely gorgeous. I’ve seen the cherry blossoms in Japan which are of course unbeatable, but this was stunning. There’s a main area with tons of cherry blossoms and it was swarming with people, but that was part of the fun. Students, families, people dressed in kimonos for the photos, tourists (like me), and lots of people walking dogs were milling around the trees. Snapped some pictures then headed onward, where we found the BEST photo area! The top of the stairs, facing the UW fountain, with Mt. Rainier in the background. It was epic. 4.8/5 if you’re into this kind of thing, which I am. I wish I had a whole day to hang out here. There’s supposed to be an amazing museum here too (the Burke Museum) but didn’t have time to check it out. If I go back, I would.
Monorail Espresso
1004 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101
The best latte I had in Seattle. Which was unexpected, as it was just the cafe connected to the Seattle Convention Center where I was working, but what a happy find! Among the best coffee spots in Seattle according to Reddit, along with Vivace and Herkimer (both of which I wasn’t able to make it to this trip). 4.8/5
Piroshky Piroshky
1000 Pine St Ste 433, Seattle, WA 98101
Also connected to the Seattle Convention Center where I was working, and also a great find! I’ve been craving Russian piroshky for a while (I used to live in Russia as a kid) but hadn’t found it near me. So this was a sweet find! I had the beef and cheese piroshky which I believe is their best seller. Worth it. 4.5/5
Shaker + Spear
2000 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Nice restaurant with Japanese influence and nice food. I got the scallops for my entree and really enjoyed it. But the highlight was dessert because in addition to the usual sweet stuff they offered a CHARCUTERIE BOARD! That made this place a stand out. 4.5/5
2120
2120 6th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
https://www.2120restaurant.com/
Located right next to the Amazon Spheres, this was probably the best food I had in Seattle. The best dish was the octopus – it was super tender because they marinate it for 24 hours. Would go back here if I visited Seattle again. 4.6/5
Lola
2000 B 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Mediterranean food that was good for a large group. We ordered a bunch of stuff and shared everything. Basic bitch that I am, I particularly liked their Greek salad. They also had yummy skewers and we tried an assortment but my favorite was, basic again, the chicken. Overall not bad, but not a standout great so this ranks a 3.5/5 with me.
Ben Paris
130 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
I was so looking forward to this place based off the menu…! I ordered a Bloody Mary – really nice – and also ate the day’s special: steak with chimichurri. Really good. But I was with a large group that we had reserved ahead for literally months in advance, and when we showed up they had us split into two separate tables. And they weren’t nice about it. So that really brought the place down. 2.5/5.
Caffe Umbria
622 Olive Way Seattle, Washington 98101
https://caffeumbria.com/pages/our-cafes
This was such a good find! The best latte I had in Seattle. You can tell they’re for real about their coffee and pastries. My breakfast was a ham and cheese croissant sandwich, perfect. Cute decor inside where small tables for two are covered in colorful tile patterns. If I’d had more time I would definitely have stopped by again! 4.8/5.
Beneath the Streets Underground Tour
102 Cherry St, Seattle, WA 98104
https://www.beneath-the-streets.com
I don’t know anyone who’s gone on this tour before but it ranked really high on TripAdvisor and a family member who travels frequently to Seattle said it was supposed to be really good. It was fun! Maybe not the best to bring a kid along – my nine year old was only mildly interested, and the only kid in my group – but really interesting for me and my husband. I guess there are two competing underground tours that split at some point in the past. They have access to different underground entry points so it’ll be a different tour with both. But I thought ours was great. Our guide, Dave, was knowledgeable, entertaining and friendly. Got lots of cool insights into Seattle’s history. I particularly liked learning about how shops kept their original stores open “underground” once the city realized they needed to build higher, so customers would have to scale down ladders to shop until the new stores opened up on the level above. It was an hour tour and a mix of above and below ground. The underground sites are not connected to one another so there’s a lot of going down then coming back up and walking to the next site. Glad I went on this tour and would recommend to others, though again, not going to be fun for kids. 4/5
Pike’s Place Market
85 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.pikeplacemarket.org/
The iconic Pike’s Place market! This was fun. There’s a ton of stuff going on here and although I only bought stuff from one vendor it was really fun to walk through. I didn’t realize but there’s the ground level, then five more levels beneath that! So there’s tons to see here.
Visited the iconic fish stall where they throw fish and enjoyed that. The guys were really friendly and accommodating, and they got us good with their monkfish prank. They also gave out generous samples of their smoked salmon. (I liked the plain one the best.)
My favorite shop was the honey store. I bought a little bar of soap that the shopkeeper said was made by her niece to fund her Taylor Swift merch purchases. The honey itself was delicious too – I sampled the blackberry – but didn’t end up buying any as I just didn’t want to carry it back. But you can get small little jars to bring on the plane if you like. (I even saw the same shop’s products at SeaTac so you can still grab honey as a last minute item on your way out of the city.)
Underground there were a huge variety of shops – one store had a collection of handmade goods from local and international artisans (who they provide business training to as well – love that); Afghan clothing; vintage coins and memorabilia; lamps; yarn; and so much more. Not all of the stores were open but it was fun window shopping. 4.5/5
Space Needle
400 Broad St, Seattle, WA 98109
The quintessential Seattle landmark. If you’re going to Seattle and can bear the heights, I think a visit is obligatory. I was worried about it being too crowded but had no issue getting tickets on the way over and it was easy to just walk right in. There’s a little walkway with signs telling you the history and fun facts about its construction. I always like checking that stuff out. Then you take an elevator up to the top! I went twice this trip, with two different groups. The first time I went it was windy so it took about 85 seconds to ride up to the top. The second time I went was much calmer and the ride took about 45 seconds. At the top you get a breathtaking view of the city. I was even able to see Mt. Rainier on my second time to the Space Needle! Get your pictures, walk around the entire top, then stop at the cafe inside to get a delicious hot pie. I guess Yakima peaches are a local specialty so I recommend getting that one, but I also had the apple pie on my second visit and that was also delicious. These pies were among the best things I ate in Seattle. If you ask, you can get soft serve on top of your pie for pie a la mode. Then head down to the lower level with the revolving glass floor. Take pictures, freak yourself out over the height, then head back down. The elevator will drop you off at the gift shop where you can browse around and get some fun mementos. And that’s a wrap for the Space Needle. 5/5
Assaggio
2010 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
https://www.assaggioseattle.com
About a 13 minute walk from the Space Needle is an Italian restaurant called Assaggio. I was recommended this place by a vagrant in the hotel lobby who on the Seattle leg of a trip around the world, I guess. (I actually wasn’t clear on what he was doing but I aspire to take life as easy as him one day.) The food was either really good (bread and oil! Ossa bucco! Spaghetti bolognese!) – or completely mediocre (caprese salad, clam linguine, spinach). But it was a good time, the service was lovely, and the wine was delicious (I’m not a wine person, but get the Tuscan red). 4/5
Storyville (Pioneer Square)
1001 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
Seattle’s supposed to have the best coffee so I was really excited to check out as many cafes as possible. And Storyville was came highly rated on Yelp! However… it was just ok. The coffee was fine, not great. (I think I make a better latte at home…) What WAS great was the granola! At $15 it better be good, but that was honestly the best breakfast I had in Seattle. So… 3.5/5. I loved the granola, but my ranking for a cafe has to be weighted for how the coffee actually is.
Pike’s Place Starbucks location
1912 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101
Have you heard that this is the original Starbucks location? It’s not true! The actual first Starbucks burned down in the 70s so the store at Pike’s Place market is not the first, but the oldest standing location. My tip? Go early! I got there at 8 and was able to walk right in. It was busy but not packed. Passed by another day at 10 and there was a small crowd. It might be hit or miss, though, and I suppose it depends what time of year you go. Inside it’s kind of small. There’s basically room for two rows of people; one ordering, one waiting. Mixed up in that is the group of people browsing the shelves to check out the Starbucks merch. You can order a drink, but no food items. There was also some specialty melon drink but I tend to stay away from those anyway so I can’t tell you if it was any good or not. My latte was the same as at any other Starbucks (mediocre) but if you ask for them to special brew you a cup of the specialty Pike’s Place reserve only available there, it’s worth it! That was the best cup of drip coffee I had in Seattle (though to be fair, I was mostly ordering lattes from cafes – but I did have several coffees and Americanos so feel like I can make a kind of fair claim). I bought a bag of Pike’s Place reserve beans (again, they told me this was only available at this location) to bring back to my office. But beware! I put this in my carry on and they flagged my bag at TSA when leaving. The beans were the culprit! And the TSA agent was really nice about it but she also told us that the beans ALWAYS get caught which seems like a big inconvenience to me considering this is going to be such a popular item tourists bring back home from Seattle. Anyway, overall I’m glad I visited but I don’t think you’re missing anything if you don’t. But, you can get special beans, a great cup of coffee, and cool Starbucks merch from the Seattle store if you’re into that. 3.5/5, but it depends on how much of a Starbucks lover you are.
Gum Wall
1428 Post Alley Walk Wy, Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.pikeplacemarket.org/vendor/the-gum-wall/
A classic stop when in Seattle, right? Ugh this place was nasty! But fun, yes haha. Worst part was seeing a used condom stuck on the wall at eye level 🤢🤮 Fun fact I learned (from the Argosy Cruise tour, mentioned below) was that the wall got started when people used to stick pennies to the wall with their gum. Then someone came along and took all the pennies off – leaving only the gum wall behind. After that, people just started adding their gum to the wall and the pennies were forgotten. They also power wash the gum off the walls every now and then to prevent too much damage from the weight of all the gum. This place isn’t for everyone, but I’m glad I went to see it. And I’ll never go again 😭 3/5
Seattle Aquarium
1483 Alaskan Way Pier 59, Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.seattleaquarium.org/
The Seattle aquarium houses all the animals I love seeing at an aquarium including seals, an octopus and sea otters! I spent a good 2 hours walking around with my family and it felt like we got to see everything. The touch tank is always a hit and the bird exhibit was cute too. This wasn’t my favorite aquarium I’ve been to (I do prefer Long Beach Aquarium and my favorite is Monterey Bay) but it’s still really well done and I’m always glad to check out an aquarium. 4.5/5
Argosy Cruise
https://www.argosycruises.com/
After the aquarium we had free time so decided to go on a one hour Argosy cruise. They also offer a two hour cruise that goes through a lock bridge, but pick up and drop off are in different locations so we opted for the shorter and easier one that we could catch at the pier. This was so much fun! It wasn’t crowded at all which made it much more enjoyable, and we were able to grab a table indoor. They have a bar and sell refreshments – always a bonus. I got a Bloody Mary and a cheese box featuring local Beecher’s cheese. Perfect boat snack! The cruise offered a great view of Seattle, different from that of the Space Needle, and the guide (Kent?) was really interesting and entertaining. I heard some of the same history that we got on the underground tour but also lots of new facts tied to the things we saw on the cruise. I overheard a little boy ask the guide some questions and that’s how I learned that Post Alley got its name from being an early postal route. We also got some great pictures from the deck outside. My daughter didn’t enjoy it as much as my husband and got bored about halfway through, opting to take a nap. Which wasn’t bad in my opinion because it gave her energy to get through the rest of the day on a busy trip. So while the cruise was not something I was planning to do at all, it ended up being really fun! Would recommend if you have the time to spare. 4.5/5
Elliotts Oyster House
1201 Alaskan Wy Ste 100, Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.elliottsoysterhouse.com/
Looking for a quick bite to eat after the cruise we decided to hit up Elliotts Oyster House. This place was good! The server helping us hooked it up with the seafood tower (was it was called the celebration platter?) and gave us a whole variety where typically they’re only supposed to do give a couple options. The guy helping us gave the best recommendations and a little oyster card with the names listed for me to remember afterward! The kids meal was also really good – I ate my daughter’s leftover salmon and fries. 4.5/5
Seattle Art Museum
1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.seattleartmuseum.org
The perfect place to get some respite from the rain. My family doesn’t like museums like I do so they whizzed through it while I followed along a little more slowly. My favorite exhibits were the Australasian exhibits, Mesoamerican (small collection compared to others but so cool), and Egyptian. There was also a porcelains room with pieces from floor to ceiling that I thought was really cool. I also liked the glass figures and the large wooden sculptures, and there was one exhibit called American Art: The Stories We Carry that had this installation I really liked. Nice little gift shop too where I picked up presents for my mother in law and grandma. 4.5/5
Shug’s
1525 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.shugssodafountain.com/
Again needing respite from the rain, we ducked into Shug’s for some extravagant sweets. My daughter got a s’mores shake monstrosity topped with homemadge marshmallows that they torched after bringing it to the table. Lots of fun! Cute little spot to get some yummy sweet treats. 4.5/5
Dough Zone
83 University St, Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.doughzonedumplinghouse.com/harborsteps
Down the Harbor Steps is a spot called Dough Zone where you can get delicious soup dumplings. I wish the floors weren’t so sticky but for what it is, it was one of the most satisfying meals I ate in Seattle. I have high standards for soup dumplings and this ranked just fine – not outstanding, but good. 4/5
The Skillet
1301 Post Alley Walk Wy, Seattle, WA 98101
Also down the Harbor Steps is a spot called The Skillet which boasts monstrously huge portions and the most welcoming LGBTQIA+ vibe. The food was not great, but ok. I went with a regular kind of breakfast plate – eggs, bacon, toast, and upgraded to poutine for my side. The host seating us did the bare minimum (we grabbed our own kids menu and crayons after being seated) but the server helping us throughout our meal was outstanding. Also of note, they had the first multi-stall all-gender bathroom that I’ve been in. One bathroom with one sink area and three stalls, blocked off floor-to-ceiling. Having seen it, I thought it was a well done bathroom and I’d be ok with my daughter going in it. But ultimately this review is about the food and this place was not it… 2/5
Woodland Park Zoo
5500 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
https://www.zoo.org/ (can we just take a moment to appreciate that they own zoo.org?!)
My daughter’s one request for what she wanted to do in Seattle, and worth it. To start, we took the bus using our one day Orca pass (I knew I bought it for a reason!) and that was fine. I actually took a lot of Seattle public transit on this trip, though only the one time with my family. The ~40 minute ride was no problem and took us through a bunch of Seattle that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. The zoo itself was cool! It was the coldest day of my entire trip so some animals weren’t out (love that they give the animals the option to stay in their warmer quarters) but it was still a really good time. My personal favorites were the bears, gorillas, jaguar and birds – really loved one section where they fly and roam around freely and you can walk through. Cute little gift store. Not the best zoo I’ve been to (that’s San Diego) but honestly a really good one where the animals do seem well taken care of. 4/5
Mint
1103 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.mintprogressive.com/
This place smelled delicious every time I walked by it. Super cute interior (I’m a sucker for any place that decorates with anything resembling pistachio green) and delicious food. The service sucked terribly but I’m guessing we had an exceptional experience – went in at lunch time and it was mostly empty. I can’t imagine they’d have a team of people who don’t give a shit during a busy dinner rush. Best meal was the Gongura Paneer. Basically if you like Palak Paneer, get this. Supreme Butter Chicken and Lamb Keema were also good. The garlic naan was great. However, all that said, I bet you can find better authentic Indian food for waaaay cheaper from a mom and pop shop somewhere else in the city. But if you’re looking for a nice sit down experience and don’t mind paying the price, you’ll get a good meal here. 3.8/5
Peter Miller bookstore
Post Alley, 304 Alaskan Way S, Seattle, WA 98104
A serendipitous find while walking to Pioneer Square from my hotel. Signaled by a sandwich board on the sidewalk, the Peter Miller bookstore is located to the park of an open parking lot – basically in an alley. Step inside and it’s one of the most perfect curations of books, notebooks and writing instruments you could hope to find. I get the sense that the bookstore was built as an architect’s passion project – maybe even on the ground floor of what is or used to be an architecture firm? I have no idea though. Basically, it’s the kind of place I like to think I would run if I were a bookstore owner. Like the best of what you could find at Ambiente. But inside I found gems like How to Take a Japanese Bath, Rollbahn notebooks, and all kinds of art, architecture and design books. The kinds of things I dream of filling my house with when I make lots of money lol. I bought one book because I just wanted to take something with me from the store. I could have spent much more time and money here if I were so inclined. 4.8/5
Royal Alexis Sonesta Hotel
1007 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
https://www.sonesta.com/royal-sonesta/wa/seattle/alexis-royal-sonesta-hotel-seattle
Gorgeous hotel with beautiful rooms, great service, and a fantastic location. I wanted to eat at the hotel restaurant, The Bookstore, but never made it work – the one time I was going to go for breakfast, it was closed. But the hotel set out pastries in the lobby for visitors instead which was a nice touch. Also loved that they had dog treats for doggy guests, and a sign with dog guest names written on it! Adore. Would definitely stay here again. 4.5/5
Fonté Coffee Café
1321 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
This place looked so promising but alas, the coffee was subpar! Basing it on the latte, of course. Nice ambience and plenty of seating, and the food and flavored drinks might be better than the standard hot latte I got. But I have to give this a 2.5/5.
Bottega Italiana
1425 1st Ave Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bottega-italiana-seattle-4
Best gelato ever! I got peach gelato (since the Yakima peach pie from the Space Needle cafe was so good) and this did NOT disappoint. To be honest all of the flavors looked amazing. Good price, generous scoops, and the friendliest service ever. 5/5
Ludi’s
120 Stewart St, Seattle, WA 98101
https://www.ludisrestaurantwa.com
Great vibes, mediocre food (I’m sorry! I wish I could give it a better rating.) Ludi’s serves Filipino food and is staffed by a lot of Ludi’s own family members. He chatted with my table for a bit and we learned that he was adopted and when he grew up, had a few of his own children but adopted several others, bringing his total kid count to seven! What a guy. He even has his own day in Seattle. Sweetest guy ever, he even gave us free fried banana dessert (Turon) and Ludi’s magnets to everyone in our group! I guess it’s worth a trip but I wouldn’t get the loco moco – get lumpia or pancakes. Other people seem to like this place’s food a lot more than me, I probably just didn’t get the best thing off the menu and want to believe in the crowd. 4/5
Mee Sum Pastry
1526 Pike Place, Seattle, WA 98101
This is a minute from the Pike’s Place Starbucks. I didn’t eat this but my husband did – he got a pork bun and said it was mediocre. Again, I think this might be one of those places where we just didn’t order the best thing to get here. The line wasn’t terribly long, but there was consistently a small crowed. It’s a 4.1 stars on Yelp with 1.2k reviews at the time of writing this, so I gotta believe it’s a little better than we found it. But since I didn’t eat it myself I’ll skip rating this one to be fair.
Overall, I loved my trip to Seattle! My favorite places were 2120, Cafe Umbria, Dahlia’s, the Seattle Art Museum, Argosy Cruise, Beneath the Streets Underground Tour, and Woodland Park Zoo.
Where would you go in the city?
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