If you, like me, watch Grey’s Anatomy, the award-winning ABC TV series that showcases everyday life in a hospital, you’ve probably wanted to get to know Seattle, the city where the series takes place. Right? I’m not even in the current season (I started to watch the show about yet two years ago), but it did not take many seasons to make me want to visit the city. So, we had this conference in Boise, Idaho, and without direct flight, we saw the opportunity to visit Seattle. And, I confess: although I wanted to know the place, I did not create many expectations – but, in the end, everything was a pleasant surprise. Seattle, in my point of view, can be summed up in a mix of San Francisco and Chicago. A beautiful, charming city. We spent two days there (which was not enough, I confess, I wish I could stay one more night!) And today I will list what we did there.
Flight + hotel
Seattle is in the state of Washington (do not confuse Washington with Washington DC!) Is in the West Coast, that is, in the opposite direction of New York. A flight out of New York takes about 5:30 – it’s not too long, but it’s not short either. We left New York on Wednesday at 6:15 am and got there around 9:30 am. We left Seattle on Friday, around 3 pm.
We stayed at the Belltown Inn, which is in the Belltown neighborhood, close to Downtown and also within easy access to the city’s most famous attractions. I found the accommodation expensive overall – but you can find rooms by Airbnb for cheaper prices. The hotel was great, we have nothing to complain about – we were able to get our room at 1 pm, which was great. They do not serve breakfast – but that’s kind of pretty much all over the United States hotels.
Leaving the airport
If you are staying in Belltown or Downtown, it may be a good alternative to use public transportation. Link Light Rail costs only $ 2.75 and is an option for those who do not want to spend too much. It’s about 45 minutes to Downtown and you can see the details on Google Maps. We were tired and decided to take an Uber! And it is very important to know that in the case of ride applications or even taxis, the meeting point is on the third floor of the parking lot, connected to the airport terminal.
DAY 1
- After leaving the bags at the hotel, we went to lunch at Dahlia Lounge, a recommendation from a friend who told us to go there just for dessert. This restaurant has a more natural food menu, so to speak, and I chose a salad with falafel and Thiago chose a salad with tomato soup (one of the house specialties). Prices are, on average, $ 15 to $ 20. The famous dessert is the Coconut Cream Pie, popular in the city and simply delicious! Seriously, I just wanted a piece of it now. Oh, one thing worth remembering: if you want to try the pie you can buy it from the side of the restaurant at Dahlia Bakery.
- The restaurant was a 5-minute walk from the hotel – so we went back to the hotel, we were able to check in and rested! We woke up at 4 in the morning to catch the flight to Seattle and we were pretty tired and this nap was necessary and invigorating.
- Duly rested, we set out to explore the city! Our first stop was the Pike Place Market Historical District, which is around the public market, the Pike Place Market. We spent a lot of time walking around, since the public market is simply huge and I do not know about you, but I love public markets. Fruits, vegetables, flowers, seafood (many!). It is in the same area that there is also the oldest Starbucks in the US (which, it seems, always has a queue).
- We stop by Piroshki Piroshki, a Russian bakery specializing in piroshki. We did not get any queues. The bad thing is that there is no place to sit, but the attendant recommended us a coffee at the market, the Sound View Cafe. Arriving there, we asked the waitress if there was a problem to consume what we brought from the bakery and she was very friendly and said that it was ok. We ordered two coffees, obviously. This cafe has a very good view of the bay.
- After walking through the public market, we walked to Westlake Station to take the Monorail ($ 2.25 each ticket). Destination? Space Needle, one of the symbols of the city – is an observatory. We bought the tickets $32.50 each), without queues. By this time, it was already the end of the day, which I consider perfect for this type of program. The experience at the Space Needle is fantastic, from the elevator, which has glass walls, to the observatory itself, which has a breathtaking view of the city. It has an enclosed area and an open area – and this open area has glass protection, which provides a wonderful panoramic view! We loved it!
- But our experience in Seattle would not be complete without enjoying the city skyline! And for that, we took a Uber Pool and went to Kerry Park, which, as I researched, has one of the most beautiful views in the city. It is nothing more than a gazebo, let’s say, that is in a super charming residential neighborhood. The view from here is simply breathtaking and, with the light was especially wonderful. Do not forget to walk to the end of the street and check out the Parsons Gardens, a small and super charming garden.
- Dali, já era praticamente hora de jantar e, no caminho do Uber para o parque, pedimos dicas de restaurantes para comer frutos do mar para o motorista e para o outro passageiro. Eu simplesmente adoro conselhos de pessoas que moram na cidade! Fomos (de Uber novamente) ao Rock Creek, um restaurante maravilhoso, especializado em peixes e frutos do mar. No menu, há vários pratos pequenos para serem divididos bem como uma variedade de peixes (muitos servidos inteiros). Pedimos as Oysters ‘Brock-a-Fella,’ que são ostras gratinadas, cobertas com bacon (U$17), simplesmente fantásticas! Também pedimos Barbecued Spanish Octopus, polvo delicioso (U$20), e Whole Roasted Grecian Branzino (U$30), peixe assado, servido inteiro. Além disso, o pão da casa, com manteiga temperada, é sensacional. Foi uma experiência maravilhosa!
- It was almost dinner time and, on the way to the park, we asked for restaurant tips to eat seafood for the driver and the other passenger. I just love advice from people who live in the city! We went (Uber again) to Rock Creek, a wonderful restaurant, specializing in fish and seafood. On the menu, there are several small dishes to share as well as a variety of fish (many served whole). We ordered the Oysters ‘Brock-a-Fella, which are oysters au gratin, topped with bacon ($17), just fantastic! We also ordered Barbecued Spanish Octopus, delicious ($20), and Whole Roasted Grecian Branzino ($ 30), a roasted whole fish. Also, the house bread, with seasoned butter, is sensational. It was a wonderful experience!
DAY 2
- We started the day with breakfast at Biscuit Bitch Belltown, which literally stood next to our hotel. This place specializes in Biscuit. They serve assorted biscuit with toppings – I ordered one with bacon and cheddar and Thiago ordered one with sausage and eggs. The price is between $ 7 and $ 12. It is a very popular place. Oh, and they have two more locations in the city. From there, we walked to the Seattle Public Library, whose building has a fantastic architecture! We also walked into the library to take a look. We left the library heading to the Waterfront, which I would explain as a pier. It is super charming, with restaurants overlooking the bay and shops. That’s where the Ferris wheel is. We sat there and watched the bay – and the iconic ferry that always appears in Gray’s Anatomy, which departs from this area.
- The idea, after that, was to visit Lake Union Park, a park that overlooks Lake Union. For this, we rented a Lime bike. This bicycle system is different from the CitiBike – it has no fixed stations, you can leave the bike wherever you want. You unlock the bike by the app and they are electrical, which makes it much easier to ride! We loved the experience. When we got to the park, unfortunately, it started to rain (and I also had to work out some things). So, we expect the rain to pass in the Flatstick Pub, a bar with games, lots of beer and pizza! I confess that we lost a lot of time that day because of the rain and also because, after the weather improved, we were looking for Lime bikes and all we encountered were bikes with problems.
- It was late in the day and we decided to have lunch/dinner and, as we were in Seattle, we wanted more seafood. We took a long walk to the Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar, which is close to the Space Needle (you could see that we were crazy and did not plan our trip a lot, right?). This was, without a doubt, the best restaurant of the trip. We sat at the bar, which gave us a different experience because we saw the kitchen show happening in front of us. We ordered oysters, clam chowder, mussels, and shishito peppers. Here prices range from $ 10 to $ 20. Do yourself a favor and go to this restaurant when you’re in Seattle!
- From there, we took a Uber and headed back to the Waterfront to catch a ferry (Water Taxi) to West Seattle. The idea was to see the city from the water and also from Aiki Beach. Well, the plans did not go as we expected, because we arrived after the last ferry. Check the times on the website. In spite of that, we did not give up on going to Aiki Beach and asked for a Uber up there. There, we took a bike and rode to the other end, Luna Park, to enjoy the Seattle skyline. It was close to sunset time so it was a gift and both admire the view of the city. It will probably be one of the most beautiful memories I will have of the city! It’s magic. Oh, and Aiki Beach also has a Statue of Liberty.
DAY 3
- Our last day in Seattle started with packing and a delicious breakfast at Macrina Bakery, very close to our hotel. This cafe/bakery has several sweet and savory pastries options and the prices are great. We loved it!
- Before going to the airport, we had time for one more programming in the city and Thiago was crazy to go to the Museum of Flight. It is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world. It has more than 175 aircraft and spaceships, tens of thousands of artifacts, millions of rare photographs, dozens of exhibits and experiments and a world-class library. The ticket costs $25. We took an Uber to go there and it is close to the airport, so I recommend doing this program on your arrival or on your return, for logistical reasons. The museum is amazing!
Did you like my tips? We loved Seattle!
Laura Peruchi é jornalista, autora e empreendedora. Mora em Nova York com seu marido desde 2014, e, desde então, divide em seu blog um conteúdo variado sobre a Big Apple. Com dicas de turismo, compras, restaurantes e muito mais, sua plataforma online tornou-se referência em conteúdo em português para quem está planejando uma viagem a Nova York. Acompanhe Laura também no Instagram, Youtube, Facebook e Spotify.
