Seattle attractions

Having said that, here are some of our favorites places, attractions, and restaurants. We’ll update this page as we think of other places or remember others we’ve forgotten, so check back before you book your stay.

• FOOD
• Pair. Charming, romantic, delicious. This French-inspired, brasserie-like place offers small plates that are bigger than tapas and lighter than full fare. They have a happy-hour that’s one of the finest in Seattle: a bowl of warmed olives for $2; 3 brisket sliders with horseradish creme fresh for $4; cambozola fondue with apple, pear and toast points. But theregular menu’s even better.
• Theo’s Chocolates. You can visit this organic, free-trade chocolate factory just to munch on the copious samples laying about or go on a tour of the factory (reservations usually required), where you’ll learn all about cacao, nibs, liquer, and more.
• Than Brothers Pho. Thirteen locations around Seattle and the Puget Sound. Classic Vietnamese beef broth and noodle dish. Creampuff served before they take your order. Go. (FYI, Pho rhymes more with “duh” than “go”).
• Uwajimaya Market. OK, it’s really just a supermarket, but Uwajimaya is more than that with an incredible array of Asian food, books, eateries, gifts, and more. It’s also located on the edge of the International District, so strolling the shops and nearby art galleries can fill up whatever time you have.
• Pike Place Market. One of Seattle’s most famous landmarks, Pike Place Market is the oldest continuously working public market in the country. Shop for fresh vegetables and fruits here or stop by Pike Place Fish to see fish fly. Check out the original Starbuck’s (ugh) location, munch at the incredible Piroshka Piroshka, or have tea and macaroons at the delightful french boulangerie, Le Panier.
• Hunger Seattle. Inauspicious name for a restaurant, but two friends of ours recently opened this small place between Fremont and the Zoo that features contemporary cuisine with international influence. Try the Harissa Smoked Lamb or the Dungeness Crab and Seafood Paella. YUMMY.
• Mama Melina. This used to be a family-run dive, wherre the old man sat on a stool and ambled over to take your order and then ambled back. the place and the food were cozy. They moved this year and left almost everything behind but the name. Now an upscale Italian menu, techno-pop music, and chic waitstaff round out a place in which you can get Neapolitan pizza with black truffles and wild mushrooms, grilled Maine lobster tail over spaghetti with spicy organic cherry tomato sauce and fresh local clams, or wild prawns wrapped in pancetta and grilled.
• Casa D’Italia. If you’re longing for that pasta and gravy place in northern NJ, long no longer. Anthony (honest) is from Hoboken (honest) and his cozy trattoria will bring you back. Don’t even look at the menu. The specials on the chalkboards the waitresses bring around are where the actions at. Revel in the brat pack and other tri-state memorabilia on the walls.
• BURGERS. Dick’s Drive-In is an institution in the Seattle area. Bill Gates has been spotted waiting in the fast-moving line. Rhys has been eating there since he was two. For some of the best burger and shake combos, try either Zak’s in Ballard or Red Mill Burgers (Phinney Ridge and Interbay).
• Stumbling Goat Bistro. Casual and elegant are the two best words for this restaurant on Phinney Ridge that features seasonal & organic ingredients from local growers, farms & foragers. The menu highlights the best of Pacific NW with an emphasis on incorporating seasonal foods into small plates, entrees, desserts and cocktails.
• Vera’s Restaurant. They don’t have a website. They don’t have linen. What Vera’s does have is, according the The Stranger, “flowery wallpaper, lots of vinyl booths, and mountainous diner-style breakfasts served by ladies who keep your coffee full and call you “hon.” Globes of whipped butter melt on fluffy pancakes, and every plate comes with a half-moon of navel orange. Newspaper-reading old men sit at the counter; nearby, the mirror in a refrigerated case tantalizingly reflects a pie.”
• Salumi. Want to wait a half hour so Mario Batalli’s father can serve you one of the best sandwiches you’ve ever eaten? Of course you do.
• Gordito’s. Burritos the size of cinder blocks. Some of the finest carne asade north of the Columbia River. Arguably the most authentic Mexican food in Seattle. Certainly one of the best values.
• Chinook’s. It’s part of a local chain, it sits right on the water at Fisherman’s Terminal, and it’s a little overpriced. But we still go back to Chinook’s time after time cause it’s just got that certain je ne sais quois. Good oysters and seafood. Also, they’ve got that killer huckleberry dessert.
• ATTRACTIONS
• Woodland Park Zoo. Woodland Park Zoo, located just minutes north of downtown Seattle, Washington, in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood, is a beautiful 92-acre zoo featuring more than 300 different animal species. With a lovely rose garden and vintage carousel, it’s a great place to stroll and enjoy a summer day.
• The Pacific Science Center. Want to learn about the physics of the circus, see live dinosaurs, or waltz through a butterfly house? The Pacific Science Center is part ofthe Seattle Center complex and offers hands-on learning and IMAX adventures for kids of all ages.
• Washington State Ferry. Is it a place? An attraction? Who cares. A ride on one of the ferries leaving from downtown offers unprecedented views of Puget Sound, some fresh air, and an overpriced, mediocre cup of coffee. If you’re adventurous and have a little time, the ferry from Edmunds to Kingston is a nice ride and, if it’s Sunday, you can get brunch at the Oak Table restaurant there, totally pigging out on German pancakes and the like.
• Olympic Sculpture Park. Want to see a 20-foot Calder while strolling along the edge of Puget Sound? Then this is your new favorite place. Literally tons of sculptures curated along the waterfront make this an art-lover’s dream.
• Seattle Public Library Central Branch. Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and former Seattleite Joshua Ramus were principal designers on the central branch of Seattle’s public library, located downtown. The building’s functional as well as beautiful. Check out the belt-driven book return system, the wooden floor in the foreign language room that has the opening of famous books carved into it, the spacious sky-filled stacks, and more.
• SAM. Seattle Art Museum is internationally recognized for its excellent collection of Asian, African and Native American art and for its fine collection of modern art produced by Pacific Northwest artists.
• Asian Art Museum. “This serene art-deco gem stares nonchalantly at drop-dead gorgeous views of both Seattle and the Olympic Mountains. Elegance oozes from Carl Gould’s 1931 design, from the graceful foyer to the curving walls and staircases, from the stunning garden court to the intimate galleries. – – The Collection – The museum spans centuries–ancient to contemporary–of Chinese, Japanese and Korean art.”
• Henry Art Gallery. Largely devoted to contemporary art and the history of photography, the Henry was the first public art museum in the state of Washington. A part of the University of Washington campus, so it’s got that going for it, too.
• The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Also located on the University of Washington campus, the Burke is a small museum that features exhibits on the natural and cultural heritage of the Pacific Rim and is the Northwest’s foremost museum of paleontology, archaeology, and ethnology.
• BOATING. —The Center for Wooden Boats offers a maritime museum where you can take the exhibits for a spin. Rent a blanchard or a cat boat, or let them pilot you on one of their Sunday tours. —Rent a kayak from the Northwest Outdoor Center, and zip in between the sea planes as they come and go. —The University of Washington’s Waterfront Activities Center offers canoe and rowboat rentals. Tour the arboretum, get up close to bald eagles and beavers, cruise through lily pad forests. —The more civilized of you will rent a kayak from the Agua Verde Cafe and Paddle Club. Take a kayak through Portage Bay, gazing into the windows of the houseboats, past the Seattle Yacht Club, and then back to where you started, only to discover the dynamite Mexican food and margaritas upstairs at the cafe.
• The Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. The M’s will be in town the days before and after the wedding. They play Tampa Bay July 29-31 and Oakland August 1-3. The stadium is beautiful. Don’t miss the pub in left field that has the little windows through which you can watch, over the catcher’s shoulder, as the visiting pitchers warm up in the bullpen.
• Elliott Bay Book Company. One of the country’s finest book stores. Period. Right next door is Oddfellows, a great place for coffee or a real meal.
• PLACES
• Green Lake. With a 3-mile paved loop trail around the lake and breathtaking views, Green Lake is a wonderful place to get a quick run in the morning or a casual stroll in the evening. Lots of nice shop and restaurants surround the lake, and there are tons of soccer fields, a place to rent small boats, playgrounds, a skateboard park, a pitch and putt course, and other attractions right on the lake.
• The Washington Park Arboretum. 230+ acres of rolling landscape sitting in, on, and around Lake Washington, Madison Valley, and Montlake. Japanese garden, island trails, beaver dams, larches, hollies, and magnolias, oh my. Great views of Husky stadium.
• The Ballard Locks. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, built in 1911 and often nicknamed the Ballard Locks, provides a link for boats between the salt water of Puget Sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal, which connects eastward. The salmon ladder and gardens are big hits, too.
• Mercer Slough Blueberry Farm. OK, we know that if you’re visiting, you probably won’t have a need for six pounds of fresh blueberries, but they are fun to pick, and we’ll take them….
• Gas Works Park. Sitting at the north end of Lake Union, this public park created form an old gas refinery plant sports a giant sundial atop its largest hill. Scrumptious views of the Space Needle and downtown.
• Discovery Park. Over 530 acres of rolling hills, hiking trails, a Native American center, playgrounds, blackberries, 200-foot cliffs that run to the Sound.
• Warren G. Magnuson Park sits on a splendid mile-long stretch of Lake Washington’s shoreline in northeastern Seattle. At 350 acres, it is Seattle’s second largest park. This former Navy airfield has transformed into a unique combination of features and activities for you to enjoy: recreation and leisure—boating, swimming, walks, kite flying, sports fields, natural areas, and a historic campus.