I am a solo traveler and a digital nomad. I started my third month (October of 2016) traveling, living and working from Pacific northwest route (well, sort of). During weekdays, I am working remotely from my laptop and the weekend is when I start exploring the area. Since I usually have free time during the weekend, I want to make the most out of it.
Why Seattle?
- Great weather in the summer (not too hot). Chilly weather. If it was raining, you were out of luck.
- People are chilled. I’m not sure if Seattle freeze is actually a real thing.
- A lot of interesting and fascinating landmarks, architectures (i.e. floating bridge anyone?), and museums.
- Home of grunge and punk music (i.e. Nirvana).
- Great public transportation similar to San Francisco and Portland. Therefore, it’s easy to get around.
- Giant tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft are located in Seattle and nearby. There are good (and some bad) things tech companies bring into the city. Although Seattle housing hasn’t been like San Francisco (yet), we’d better be keeping eyes on housing and cost of living.
- No income tax. Woo hoo. more $$$ in the pocket.
- Two to four hours drive to Vancouver, Canada.
What you need:
In addition to a bottled water, snacks, backpack, camera, and etc, you will need:
Orca Card
Orca card is similar to Clipper from San Francisco or MetroLink from Los Angeles. It’s basically a transit card that you can add money to it for paying a fare. It is convenient because you don’t have to worry about the exact changes or carry quarters & dollar bills with you whenever you pay for a bus or rail-link fare in Seattle.
Jacket or Hoodie
Seattle weather is usually chilly and rainy. You will definitely need it. If not, you can just put it in your daypack.
Umbrella
Bring a compact-size umbrella with you or put it in your daypack. Since Seattle has been known to be rainy year around, you will be glad you bring it with you.
Day One: Explore MUST-SEE Downtown Seattle.
I woke up around 8 am and headed out by 9am from the place I was staying, which is located at the borderline between Leschi and Central District neighborhoods of Seattle. I took the bus number 8 from 28th Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive and it took me about 20 to 30 minutes to downtown Seattle. Once the bus passed the freeway, I entered the first part of downtown Seattle, which is international district/China town. I got off at 3rd street and started walking upward from there.
Here is the list of places I visited along the way:
Seattle Public Library (Central Library)
Seattle central library building has a very strangely unique shape, which is very fascinating. Once I walked inside, there were more to explore such as the famous red room and the highest viewpoint of the city from the tenth floor. I felt like I was visiting an architecture museum. I’d highly recommend visiting this place and explore inside. This is absolutely the hidden gem.
Seattle Great Wheel
I love Ferris Wheel. Seattle Great Wheel is something I wouldn’t miss. It costs $13 (as of Oct, 2016) and it was running for roughly about 3 full circles, which was 15 to 20 minutes ride. It was definitely worth it. I definitely enjoyed my time on a gondola, seeing the scenery of downtown Seattle and Elliot Bay. I could see Space Needle from here too.
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers’ markets in the US and it is where the most famous “Pike Place Fish Market” is located. It is well-known for its tradition of fishmongers throwing fish that customers have purchased. You wouldn’t miss it if you dropped by. There are also many food stands nearby. In addition to seeing Pike Place Fish Market tradition, I stopped by this place for lunch and bought extra snacks before heading up north for Seattle Center.
Seattle Center
It is definitely the home for Space Needle, EMP Museum, Chihuly Glass and Garden, International Fountain, Pacific Science Center, Armory, Mercer Arena and etc.
I went inside Armory for lunch and eating my snacks I bought from Pike Place market before I was heading to Space Needle. Armory has a food court and it was occasionally holding an event. When I stopped by, Robothon event was going on.
Space Needle
Never leave Seattle without seeing Space Needle. This is the most famous landmark of Seattle. It’s located in Seattle Center area. The observation deck is located at 540 feet. You can see a gorgeous 360 view of Seattle. Unlike other landmarks in the US, Space Needle general admission ticket includes free digital photos, which is fantastic. I no longer had to pay an outrageous price for photos. Prior taking the elevator up, a photographer took my photo and the additional ticket (with a barcode) was given to me. Once at the observation deck level, there was a automated camera located outside, which would take my photo with the actual view of Seattle after I scanned the ticket. To retrieve my digital photos taken at Space Needle, I would just scan my ticket again at Kiosk station located inside the observation deck.
In addition to see 360 view of Seattle, you can
- Have a drink inside the observation deck.
- Have a dinner at the restaurant ($75/person).
Tip#1: See day and night at Space Needle
Since I had a lot of free time in the evening, I stayed at Space Needle until the sunset and I could see both day and night view of Seattle.
Chihuly Glass and Garden
Chihuly Glass and Garden is located just right next to Space Needle. It is a exhibition showcase of Dale Chihuly’s installation art. It is very colorful and fascinating how glasswork sculpture and garden are combined and created into a beautiful installation artwork.
Day Two: Explore a Niche of Seattle
Kurt Cobain’s (former) house and Viretta Park
I am Nirvana’s fan. Therefore, this is one of places I definitely want to visit. Fortunately, it was located within 30 minutest walking distance from where I was staying.
Kurt Cobain’s former house is located just right next to Viretta park, which is located in Medrona neighborhood. The house is where Kurt Cobain was living during his final moment. Although the house isn’t opened to public, I was still able to see it partially from Viretta park. The park’s wooden bench is very famous for being a de facto memorial to Kurt Cobain.
EMP Museum
EMP stands for electronic, music and pop-culture. This is one of the most interesting museums I’ve visited. I really like this museum. Not only the exterior of the building is very fascinating, the exhibitions inside are also great. The current exhibitions (as of Oct 2016) are Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, indie games, horror movie, StarTrek, magic, science fiction, wearable art, and etc. One of my favorites is SoundLab exhibition. Visitors can try out any instrument (i.e. guitar, drum, bass, keyboard, DJ, mixing, and vocal) inside a sound-proof room for ten minutes. There is also a recording room, which let people jamming in and recording their song for 10 minutes.
Pencil Shape Building (Rainier Building)
Other Interesting Places
BellTown
BellTown neighborhood has a lot of restaurants and bars. I only spent my time briefly in this area.
SkyView Observation
It is currently the tallest building in Seattle. However, I didn’t have time to visit this. I would definitely visit SkyView Observation for my next visit to Seattle.
Jimi Hendrix Statue
Jimi Hendrix was a big star originated from Seattle. There are parks and statue of Jimi Hendrix around Seattle. EMC museum also has the exhibition of him.
Capital Hill
I heard there are many restaurants, nightlife and entertainment in this neighborhood. Let me know if you have any suggestion.
Tips
Where to Buy Souvenirs
Don’t buy souvenirs at the place you visited. For example, if you visited Space Needle, don’t buy souvenirs at Space Needle official shop. There are shops outside that sell things at the lower price. In addition, Walgreens and RiteAid stores also carry souvenirs at lower and sometimes at discounted price. I’d highly recommend check them out first. I bought a replica of Space Needle at the price lower than most souvenir shops around the town at Walgreen.
Get CityPass if You Have More Than 2 Days
Seattle CityPass’s choices are doable within 2 days but I personally think it’s just a little tight. If you are up for it, it’s worth the money. It costs about $75 and it’s definitely cheaper than buying all tickets separately. It also includes both day and night admission to Space Needle.
Alternative Choice than City Pass
I didn’t buy Seattle CityPass since my choices were less than CityPass has chosen. My choices are Space Needle, Chihuly Glass and Garden, Seattle Great Wheel and EMP Museum. They costed me roughly about the same as City Pass (perhaps one to two bucks more). Here is my breakdown costs:
- Space Needle and Chihuly Glass and Garden Combo Ticket: Roughly $38. If you only need to visit these places, this is a great deal than CityPass.
- EMP Museum: $25.00.
- Seattle Great Wheel: $13.00.
Although Space Needle general admission ticket didn’t include both day and night, you could get around it by entering Space Needle around 5pm and staying at Observation deck until the sunset.
Let me know what you think of my two days guide in Seattle or if you have suggestion you’d like to add.
After this trip, I was traveling to Portland, Oregon. Here is my two days guide in Portland, OR!
