Where to stay and what to do in Seattle
May 21, 2017 3:44 PM Subscribe
Planning a trip to Seattle in late August. Trying to decide where to stay and what things to prioritize, having never been there before.
Two queer women in our 30s; we've both lived in Vancouver but never been to Seattle.
The only thing on our itinerary is seeing a Seattle Reign game. We're planning to stay in an AirBnB, but I'm having a hard time narrowing down neighbourhoods. We are happy to walk pretty long distances, we bike a lot at home so would consider renting bikes, and are also happy to take transit. It would be nice, though, to be relatively central to some of the stuff we'd like to do. We're early in our research, so excuse the vagueness of some of our wants!
Other priorities would include:
-eating delicious vegan food
-walking through / hanging out in beautiful parks and natural areas
-checking out unique Seattle things
Less important:
-nightlife (though if there was somewhere chill for two lesbos to have a drink with other queers, we'd be into that)
-shopping (not important at all)
-museums and galleries (we might check some out, but we could travel farther if need be)
We are also considering renting a car for a couple of days to go hiking outside the city; any ideas along those lines also welcomed, though that may be a separate question in a few weeks.
Any Seattle expertise is greatly appreciated!
Two queer women in our 30s; we've both lived in Vancouver but never been to Seattle.
The only thing on our itinerary is seeing a Seattle Reign game. We're planning to stay in an AirBnB, but I'm having a hard time narrowing down neighbourhoods. We are happy to walk pretty long distances, we bike a lot at home so would consider renting bikes, and are also happy to take transit. It would be nice, though, to be relatively central to some of the stuff we'd like to do. We're early in our research, so excuse the vagueness of some of our wants!
Other priorities would include:
-eating delicious vegan food
-walking through / hanging out in beautiful parks and natural areas
-checking out unique Seattle things
Less important:
-nightlife (though if there was somewhere chill for two lesbos to have a drink with other queers, we'd be into that)
-shopping (not important at all)
-museums and galleries (we might check some out, but we could travel farther if need be)
We are also considering renting a car for a couple of days to go hiking outside the city; any ideas along those lines also welcomed, though that may be a separate question in a few weeks.
Any Seattle expertise is greatly appreciated!
If I were you I'd stay in Ballard, Greenlake, or Capitol Hill.
Brooke has some great ideas.
posted by k8t at 4:46 PM on May 21, 2017
Brooke has some great ideas.
posted by k8t at 4:46 PM on May 21, 2017
The Wildrose is one of the oldest lesbian bars on the West Coast. It will be chill depending on the day/time of day.
I recommend the Sky View Observatory over the Space Needle, as it is cheaper, less crowded, and the view is better.
The Ballard Locks is cool, and if you go on a Sunday you can also check out the Ballard Farmer's Market. There should be king salmon in the Locks if you go late Aug.
There are a good number of vegan options in Seattle, such as Mighty-O's vegan donuts!
posted by Amanda B at 5:00 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
I recommend the Sky View Observatory over the Space Needle, as it is cheaper, less crowded, and the view is better.
The Ballard Locks is cool, and if you go on a Sunday you can also check out the Ballard Farmer's Market. There should be king salmon in the Locks if you go late Aug.
There are a good number of vegan options in Seattle, such as Mighty-O's vegan donuts!
posted by Amanda B at 5:00 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Tilth has a vegan 5-course prix fixe.
If you're heading towards Wildrose, check out Cal Anderson park: it's not a park for stunning nature views, but it's lively and sometimes people are playing bike polo. You can also book a room for karaoke at Rockbox, which is $4/person/hour during happy hour, or get sorbet at Molly Moon's ice cream. These things are near Plum bistro.
Kerry Park is the classic Seattle view, and if you like rooibos, you should stop by Cederberg Tea House after for a red latte.
posted by batter_my_heart at 5:13 PM on May 21, 2017
If you're heading towards Wildrose, check out Cal Anderson park: it's not a park for stunning nature views, but it's lively and sometimes people are playing bike polo. You can also book a room for karaoke at Rockbox, which is $4/person/hour during happy hour, or get sorbet at Molly Moon's ice cream. These things are near Plum bistro.
Kerry Park is the classic Seattle view, and if you like rooibos, you should stop by Cederberg Tea House after for a red latte.
posted by batter_my_heart at 5:13 PM on May 21, 2017
Most of my suggestions are North Seattle (ie, north of Lake Union) because that's where I spend most of my time.
re: renting bikes
Seattle is hillier than Vancouver. If you do plan on biking somewhere, it'd be worth checking out the route on google maps (e.g., if the neighbourhood you are heading towards has 'hill' in the name...).
That said, the Burke-Gilman trail is a nice ride. It's flat. I commute from Ballard to UW, but the best bits are Golden Gardens park <> Ballard Locks, and Fremont <> Wallingford. **But!** There is no trail between ~17th Ave NW (on the east edge of Ballard) and 32nd Ave NW (where the locks are), and the whole bit between Ballard and Fremont is not as nice--it's pretty industrial.
re: parks
I like the Washington Park Arboretum (more garden than park). On the other end of things, Discovery Park is huge and has some nice walking trails. You can walk over the Ballard Locks to get there (NB the locks close at 9pm)
Other stuff:
Seconding the Washington Trails Association for information on hiking. If you do decide to go hiking, and are here over a weekend, I would recommend not fighting the weekend crowds. Parking fills up super fast, and you don't want to get towed...
Most of the city Farmers markets are worth a visit in the summer (well, I assume they all are, but I haven't been to all of them!). Ballard Sundays, U district Saturdays, Capitol Hill Sundays, Wallingford Wednesdays. There's also the Fremont Sunday market, which is more of a general street fair.
If you're coming from Canada you might consider hitting up Trader Joes :)
posted by quaking fajita at 6:12 PM on May 21, 2017
re: renting bikes
Seattle is hillier than Vancouver. If you do plan on biking somewhere, it'd be worth checking out the route on google maps (e.g., if the neighbourhood you are heading towards has 'hill' in the name...).
That said, the Burke-Gilman trail is a nice ride. It's flat. I commute from Ballard to UW, but the best bits are Golden Gardens park <> Ballard Locks, and Fremont <> Wallingford. **But!** There is no trail between ~17th Ave NW (on the east edge of Ballard) and 32nd Ave NW (where the locks are), and the whole bit between Ballard and Fremont is not as nice--it's pretty industrial.
re: parks
I like the Washington Park Arboretum (more garden than park). On the other end of things, Discovery Park is huge and has some nice walking trails. You can walk over the Ballard Locks to get there (NB the locks close at 9pm)
Other stuff:
Seconding the Washington Trails Association for information on hiking. If you do decide to go hiking, and are here over a weekend, I would recommend not fighting the weekend crowds. Parking fills up super fast, and you don't want to get towed...
Most of the city Farmers markets are worth a visit in the summer (well, I assume they all are, but I haven't been to all of them!). Ballard Sundays, U district Saturdays, Capitol Hill Sundays, Wallingford Wednesdays. There's also the Fremont Sunday market, which is more of a general street fair.
If you're coming from Canada you might consider hitting up Trader Joes :)
posted by quaking fajita at 6:12 PM on May 21, 2017
I suggest staying in Ballard. August is a great time to be there, the botanical gardens are relaxing, plenty of food options, and it's a little bit out of the way so you can kind of plan your days to different neighborhoods as little trips inside the big trip and feel like you're going to a retreat in the evening without it actually being far at all. The Burke Gilman Trail is the bike trail that winds all around the city, it's a little funky in Ballard but it'll connect to most places you probably want to go, so you can do stuff like take a bus somewhere where you can rent bikes and go from there.
The Wildrose is comfy and worth it for that sort of queer lady touchstone experience, but even if you're not in the mood for going to a bar Capitol Hill is a good spot to visit and there are often events happening there (that I inevitably don't realize are happening until after they're over). And honestly pretty much every bar in that area is going to be full of queer people at some point or another so don't feel limited.
I suggest at least part of a day down in my neighborhood of West Seattle. You can go to Alki Beach of course but if you're renting a car just a drive along the coast starting at Admiral Viewpoint for a skyline photo op, down to the beach and around the point and down towards Lincoln Park. It's a wonderful way to see the views without getting out of town. You can swing around back inland and visit Kubota Garden, which will be gorgeous in August. Or, you can take the water taxi across the sound from the harbor and rent bikes to ride around the coast and stay more local. There aren't too many dedicated vegan places here but I can't think of a single restaurant I like that isn't a barbecue joint that doesn't have a non-salad vegan option on the menu.
I'm very jaded about sculpture parks but I do enjoy the Olympic Sculpture Park. It's within walking distance to all the touristy things near Pike Place Market as well, so you can sort of play it by ear and go to that general area and then see what you're in the mood for. Pike Place is sprawling and if you avoid the clamor of people watching fish get needlessly tossed around you can find all sorts of legitimately great things, including some galleries that showcase some gorgeous contemporary native american art from the many local and nearby tribes.
Speaking of whom, in August there's the Chief Seattle Days festival hosted by the Suquamish tribe across the Sound. It's great fun, sometimes cheesy, sometimes beautiful, usually incredibly friendly and if you're already over on that side of the water there's many gorgeous short hikes and nature walks you can take, as well as day cruises to the other islands on the way.
posted by Mizu at 6:22 PM on May 21, 2017
The Wildrose is comfy and worth it for that sort of queer lady touchstone experience, but even if you're not in the mood for going to a bar Capitol Hill is a good spot to visit and there are often events happening there (that I inevitably don't realize are happening until after they're over). And honestly pretty much every bar in that area is going to be full of queer people at some point or another so don't feel limited.
I suggest at least part of a day down in my neighborhood of West Seattle. You can go to Alki Beach of course but if you're renting a car just a drive along the coast starting at Admiral Viewpoint for a skyline photo op, down to the beach and around the point and down towards Lincoln Park. It's a wonderful way to see the views without getting out of town. You can swing around back inland and visit Kubota Garden, which will be gorgeous in August. Or, you can take the water taxi across the sound from the harbor and rent bikes to ride around the coast and stay more local. There aren't too many dedicated vegan places here but I can't think of a single restaurant I like that isn't a barbecue joint that doesn't have a non-salad vegan option on the menu.
I'm very jaded about sculpture parks but I do enjoy the Olympic Sculpture Park. It's within walking distance to all the touristy things near Pike Place Market as well, so you can sort of play it by ear and go to that general area and then see what you're in the mood for. Pike Place is sprawling and if you avoid the clamor of people watching fish get needlessly tossed around you can find all sorts of legitimately great things, including some galleries that showcase some gorgeous contemporary native american art from the many local and nearby tribes.
Speaking of whom, in August there's the Chief Seattle Days festival hosted by the Suquamish tribe across the Sound. It's great fun, sometimes cheesy, sometimes beautiful, usually incredibly friendly and if you're already over on that side of the water there's many gorgeous short hikes and nature walks you can take, as well as day cruises to the other islands on the way.
posted by Mizu at 6:22 PM on May 21, 2017
I'd recommend staying in Capital Hill. It's the gay district, so there'll be fun things to do that you'll just be around, and it's about as central as you can get without being downtown. (While Ballard is nice, it's not exactly easy to get to Kubota Gardens or Seward Park from there. It's about as easy to get to the Locks, Alki, or Seward Park from Capital Hill.)
When you're trying to figure out where you want to go, keep in mind that it's easy to move north and south in the city, but difficult to go east or west, (and possibly impossible using transit). Almost every bus transfer involves going downtown and then the direction you want. Also factor in that we are the second hilliest city when figuring out how much you want to walk. (Or count Pike Place Market to the International District as a hike.) We have good parks for hiking in throughout the city, it just depends what you want.
Feel free to memail me if you have Seattle questions later on in your planning.
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:47 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
When you're trying to figure out where you want to go, keep in mind that it's easy to move north and south in the city, but difficult to go east or west, (and possibly impossible using transit). Almost every bus transfer involves going downtown and then the direction you want. Also factor in that we are the second hilliest city when figuring out how much you want to walk. (Or count Pike Place Market to the International District as a hike.) We have good parks for hiking in throughout the city, it just depends what you want.
Feel free to memail me if you have Seattle questions later on in your planning.
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:47 PM on May 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
For bike rental, check out The Bicycle Repair Shop located on the downtown waterfront. They have everything from electric assist, to carbon racing, to hybrid, to beach cruiser. From there you will have many options for riding around the city and islands:
• Zip over to West Seattle on the Elliott Bay Water Taxi for a nice flat ride around the beachy areas of West Seattle.
• Ride north through the Olympic Sculpture Park with easy access to Ballard, Fremont, and the UW area. (Burke Gilman trail)
• If you're feeling ambitious with the hill climbing, take a ferry to Vashon or Bainbridge Island.
• Cascade Free Group Rides are happening nearly every day of the year for a variety of locations and skill levels. Meet friendly people and don't worry about navigation. Open to everyone. Here's the August schedule which will probably get added to as August gets closer. I also noticed a really nice 14 mile ride on August 24 with a group called She Bikes (Seattle Cycle Sirens) which goes around Mercer Island, one of my favorite rolling hill routes, led by a ride leader I know.
I've been biking this city for a couple of decades and would be happy to join you on a ride to seek out unique Seattle things--feel free to memail me.
posted by oxisos at 11:14 PM on May 21, 2017
• Zip over to West Seattle on the Elliott Bay Water Taxi for a nice flat ride around the beachy areas of West Seattle.
• Ride north through the Olympic Sculpture Park with easy access to Ballard, Fremont, and the UW area. (Burke Gilman trail)
• If you're feeling ambitious with the hill climbing, take a ferry to Vashon or Bainbridge Island.
• Cascade Free Group Rides are happening nearly every day of the year for a variety of locations and skill levels. Meet friendly people and don't worry about navigation. Open to everyone. Here's the August schedule which will probably get added to as August gets closer. I also noticed a really nice 14 mile ride on August 24 with a group called She Bikes (Seattle Cycle Sirens) which goes around Mercer Island, one of my favorite rolling hill routes, led by a ride leader I know.
I've been biking this city for a couple of decades and would be happy to join you on a ride to seek out unique Seattle things--feel free to memail me.
posted by oxisos at 11:14 PM on May 21, 2017
Not an Airbnb, but if you decide to stay in Capitol Hill I love, love, love the Foxglove Guesthouse and am honestly annoyed ny siblings moved out of the neighborhood so I don't get to stay there anymore. Owned by a nice gay couple, tasteful and clean, great location, super breakfasts.
posted by charmedimsure at 1:06 AM on May 22, 2017
posted by charmedimsure at 1:06 AM on May 22, 2017
I'm typing this from an AirBNB in Ballard right now, and I think the neighborhood would be a good fit. I can walk to restaurants, shops and bars, as well as a ton of parks and beautiful scenic areas. I'll MeMail you the link to the home I'm staying in.
posted by JannaK at 6:17 AM on May 22, 2017
posted by JannaK at 6:17 AM on May 22, 2017
Unique things: Seattle Public Library and Neukom Vivarium (within the Olympic Sculpture Park)
Not sure if you're into architecture but Rem Koolhaas designed the Seattle Public Library (wiki) and (while some probably strongly disagree) it is pretty neat. There is a cell phone tour you can do inside that talks about different aspects of the design.
It's not that far of a walk from there to the Olympic Sculpture Park which is cool and has one of my favorites, the Neukom Vivarium, a "60-foot (18 m) Western hemlock that fell outside of Seattle in 1996, acting as a nurse log within an 80-foot (24 m) greenhouse."
posted by czytm at 6:53 AM on May 22, 2017
Not sure if you're into architecture but Rem Koolhaas designed the Seattle Public Library (wiki) and (while some probably strongly disagree) it is pretty neat. There is a cell phone tour you can do inside that talks about different aspects of the design.
It's not that far of a walk from there to the Olympic Sculpture Park which is cool and has one of my favorites, the Neukom Vivarium, a "60-foot (18 m) Western hemlock that fell outside of Seattle in 1996, acting as a nurse log within an 80-foot (24 m) greenhouse."
posted by czytm at 6:53 AM on May 22, 2017
If you want a truly incredible experience, get an AirBNB houseboat on Lake Union or Portage Bay. You'll be able to swim right off your dock, kayak, and see the city from an unparalleled vantage point. I am super familiar with the area, and had my choice of locations, and did this about two years ago and it was the (Seattle) trip of a lifetime.
posted by yearly at 8:28 AM on May 22, 2017
posted by yearly at 8:28 AM on May 22, 2017
charmedimsure
Sorry I think the Foxglove Guesthouse closed last year.
posted by artdrectr at 3:45 PM on May 24, 2017
Sorry I think the Foxglove Guesthouse closed last year.
posted by artdrectr at 3:45 PM on May 24, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
You could rent canoes at the UW Boathouse or Kayaks at Agua Verde and paddle around Lake Washington & Lake Union.
You could check out the Washington Trails Association to find your perfect hike.
You could go to the Olympic Sculpture Garden for lovely views. They have a fun nighttime party on August 11th called Remix.
You can have Vegan Thai food at Araya's or a fancy vegan meal at Plum Bistro.
posted by brookeb at 4:03 PM on May 21, 2017 [4 favorites]