A Weekend in Seattle
Seattle has always intrigued me. The location of the city is just unbeatable, surrounded by snowy mountains and water everywhere. The city itself is a bustling urban area with sprawling neighborhoods that each have their own flare and something fun to offer.
I have been trying to visit Seattle again for YEARS now and it finally happened! I have been back for a few days and have been able to gather my thoughts and suggestions for the nest time you (dear, reader) visit! Check out what I recommend doing, and more importantly, eating!
What we did:
Pike Place Market: I feel like you can’t go to Seattle and not go to Pike Place Market. Pike’s is a great place to eat, shop and wander. It feels like a food fall meets farmer’s market meats craft fair (if you go inside). While I wouldn’t recommend sitting in most of the sit-down restaurants in the market, definitely try some bites from a variety of the stalls!
Fremont: Fremont is a funky neighborhood just north of Queen Anne and across the bridge over Lake Union. It is home to the Fremont Troll, the Lenin Statue, and the Fremont Vintage Market. There are some fun shops and boutiques (Pipe & Row and Portage Bay Goods) and you should definitely spend an afternoon there.
Gas Works Park: During your visit to Fremont, definitely walk over to Gas Works Park for a nice walk by the water with some stunning views of the city. it was a former site of an oil plant and still has the old equipment there, making for a very quirky-looking park.
University Village: University Village is a really pretty/ well-done outdoor mall. It has all the shops you could possibly wish for and some good food options as well. While this isn’t a “touristy” activity, it is a good option if you are in the mood for some shopping or a rainy day activity.
Kerry Park: Kerry Park is a view in West Queen Anne with the “typical” city shot you always see of Seattle. While there isn’t much to do at the small park, the view is amazing and while you are up there, walk around Highland Drive and check out the amazing houses!
Ballard/ Ballard Farmer’s Market: Downtown Ballard is super cute but it is even more cute on a Sunday, and when the farmer’s market is going on. There are three whole streets of vendors- food, fresh produce and goods- and it is amazing! Ballard is very quaint and has some amazing food and small shop options as well!
What we ate:
Piroshky Pirosky: This hole-in-the-wall pirogi place in Pike Place Market has the best sweet and savory Polish pastries. Don’t miss the beef & onion, potato & mushroom and/or the marzipan pirogi.
HoneyHole: This was probably my favorite casual meal of the trip. HoneyHole is a super funky, slightly grungy sandwich shop in Capital Hill. All the sandwiches seemed amazing and all had great names. Don’t miss “The Dude” sandwich with a side of fries. You will not be sorry!
Meet Korean: Meet Korean is a relatively new Koren BBQ joint in Capital Hill. While it wasn’t the best KBBQ I have ever had, the cocktails were great and the food was great. I just wasn’t impressed with the amount of food for your money.
San Fermo: San Fermo was my favorite breakfast/brunch of the trip. It is housed in one of the oldest buildings/ restaurants in Ballard and they redid the place beautifully. It is cozy and well decorated and I wanted to steal all the plates in there. the food was incredible and I wish we had more time so I could go back for dinner!
Portage Bay Cafe: Portage Bay is a staple for Seattle brunch. They have several locations and we ended up at the South Lake Union one. The brunch is fun and yummy, but you definitely go for their pancakes and french toast! I ordered Huevos Rancheros and their classic pancakes.
Biscuit Bitch: Just a block up and over from Pike Place Market, Biscuit Bitch has a personality of its own! The staff are quirky and fun and refer to each other as “bitch” and the biscuits are damn good!
Seattle Coffee Company: Seattle Coffee Company ended up being one of my favorite coffee stops of the trip! it is conveniently located near Pike’s and is clean and trendy inside- not to mention the coffee is great, too!
Nielsen’s Pastries: Nielsen’s Pastries is a hidden gem in lower Queen Anne/ Belltown. It is an old school bakery and coffee shop that specializes in authentic Danish pastries. Don’t miss the almond crescent- it is pure marzipan cookie goodness!
Ristorante Machiavelli: Ristorante Machiavelli is your classic neighborhood American-Italian joint. it is nothing fancy, has great food and is really fairly priced. We loved the Caesar salad, minestrone soup, prawns with linguini and the chicken Milanese.
