Seattle
Pike Place mornings, Fremont oddities, and Capitol Hill live music — the local picks for eating, exploring, and staying in Seattle.
Browse Seattle
Wallingford
This gloriously weird Wallingford institution has been peddling rubber chickens, absurd toys and oddball gifts for decades, and even houses a free Rubber Chicken Museum. It’s the place for gag gifts,
Waterfront
Argosy’s one-hour narrated cruise on Elliott Bay is a relaxed way to see Seattle from the water, with the skyline, the working port and Olympic Mountains in view. The onboard commentary covers the cit
Pioneer Square
A smaller, locally run alternative for exploring Seattle’s underground, Beneath the Streets keeps its groups intimate and its history well-researched. You’ll descend below Pioneer Square to walk the p
Pioneer Square
Started in 1965, this is the original tour through the buried storefronts and sidewalks of old Seattle, sealed beneath Pioneer Square after the Great Fire of 1889. Guides lean into the bawdy, funny si
Queen Anne
A Seattle institution run by the same family since 1950, Canlis sits on the edge of Queen Anne with floor-to-ceiling views over Lake Union. The multi-course tasting menu and famous Canlis salad make i
Seattle Center
This exhibition at the foot of the Space Needle showcases the vivid, otherworldly glass sculptures of Tacoma-born artist Dale Chihuly. The centerpiece Glasshouse and the outdoor garden, where glass fo
Central District
Why it matters: Communion is the restaurant of Black chef Kristi Brown, opened in the historically Black Central District as a gathering place for a community reshaped by displacement. Her ‘Seattle So
Capitol Hill
Founded in 1973 and now on Capitol Hill, Elliott Bay is Seattle’s flagship independent bookstore, with warm cedar shelves, handwritten staff recommendations and a strong events calendar of author read
Central District
Why it matters: Estelita’s Library is a justice-focused, Black-owned community bookstore and free lending library founded by Edwin Lindo, built around social justice, ethnic studies and liberation lit
Denny Triangle
Why it matters: FareStart is a Seattle nonprofit that runs its downtown restaurant as a hands-on culinary job-training program for people who have faced homelessness, poverty or other barriers to work
Fremont
Lurking under the north end of the Aurora Bridge, this 18-foot concrete troll clutches a real Volkswagen Beetle in one hand and has become Fremont’s unofficial mascot. Installed in 1990, it’s a quick,
Wallingford
Built on the site of a former coal gasification plant, Gas Works keeps the rusted industrial towers as public art surrounded by green lawns on the north shore of Lake Union. Locals come to fly kites f
Downtown / Pike Place
Right across from Pike Place Market, the Green Tortoise is a sociable, backpacker-friendly hostel with dorms, a few private rooms and free breakfast. It’s the best-value bed in the heart of downtown a
First Hill
Opened in 1909, the Sorrento is Seattle’s oldest boutique hotel, an Italianate landmark on First Hill with a wood-paneled Fireside Room that hosts jazz and literary readings. Rooms are individually sh
Queen Anne
This small hillside park on Queen Anne offers the postcard view of Seattle: the downtown skyline, the Space Needle and, on clear days, Mount Rainier looming behind. It’s free and takes five minutes to
Downtown
A family-owned 1927 hotel in the middle of downtown, the Mayflower Park blends antique charm with a handy location steps from Pike Place and Westlake shopping. Its bar, Oliver’s, is a longtime local f
Beacon Hill
Why it matters: Chef Melissa Miranda’s Musang is a Filipina-owned Beacon Hill kitchen that doubled as a free community kitchen during the pandemic, and it stays rooted in feeding and educating its nei
Seattle Center
Housed in a swooping Frank Gehry building at Seattle Center, MoPOP dives deep into music, sci-fi, horror and gaming, with strong exhibits on hometown legends like Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana. It’s hands-