Sightseeing in Seattle

Road trips to Seattle are a West Coast staple. Whether it’s for that Trader Joe’s haul, can’t-see-it-in-Canada concert or a family getaway, there’s something deeply freeing about being waved through the border for an American adventure; even more so after the pandemic hiatus. —Katie Nanton

Stay & Play

Location, location, location. The colourful and artsy Maxwell Hotel isn’t just perfectly situated—steps away from Seattle Center and the Space Needle, Museum of Pop Art, Seattle Opera—it’s also charmingly pineapple-themed. Small hospitality touches make all the difference here, like a welcome drink upon check-in—we cracked chilled cans of white wine while admiring the large pineapple mosaic on the lobby floor—and complimentary pineapple cookies for to-go sightseeing treats. The hotel is passionately dog-friendly, and our two-year-old daughter quickly grew smitten with Dash, the hotel’s mascot husky pup, a pineapple-yellow-beret wearing stuffed toy on display at every turn. (For $25, you can take one home.) Request a room with a Space Needle view to fall asleep to while curled up in a fluffy, European-style individual duvet. No need to share the covers, here. For those with kids in tow who have energy to burn, hit the hotel’s indoor pool or release them outside at Artists at Play, a playground created by artists for kids just a 10-minute walk away. Watch as little ones zip down funky slides, get dizzy on the ADA-accessible carousel and scale the 30-foot climbing tower. 

Savour & Sip

Seattle is a foodie city, and while some solid spots shuttered during the pandemic, more have luckily opened in their place. For something deliciously historic, we recommend starting your day with big mugs of coffee and hearty steak ‘n’ eggs at the iconic Mecca Cafe in Lower Queen Anne. Open since 1930, it’s a good-vibes diner by day and glorious dive bar by night—one of the first post-Prohibition legal bars in the city—with a drink-coaster art gallery on the wall. For a different type of morning bite, take the one-stop Seattle Center Monorail for a fun, three-minute ride over Downtown Seattle to Pike Place Market. Peruse the vibrant fresh flower stalls with a powdered donut in hand from Daily Dozen Doughnut Company, watch the famous fish-throwing of Pike Place Fish Co., then buy a jar of local honey before bee-lining across the street to Piroshky Piroshky. Here, get a big paper bag full of hearty, fluffy pastries; the Garlic & Cheese Piroshky won our hearts. Next, watch big vats of cheesemaking in action through a window at nearby Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, then snag a to-go container of cheese curds to nibble on, if you’re into that kind of thing. Lunch? Venture to Queen Anne Hill for a juicy Queen Animal Hamburger with avocado and smoked bacon from casual-cool Big Max Burger Co. The patties are made from house-ground beef and bacon from local ranchers, and sides include coconut caramel kettle corn Brussels sprouts (yes, you read that right). Come dinnertime, indulge in Italian: we recommend the inventive pasta and sourdough with fennel-honey butter on the see-and-be-seen patio of How to Cook a Wolf in Queen Anne—the name pays tribute to food writer M.F.K. Fisher—or a sinfully rich braised beef ragu at Capitol Hill’s casual-gourmet Due’ Cucina Italiana. The latter neighbourhood is where you’ll also find award-winning Stoup Brewing’s new location, a 16,000-square-foot brewery with bench seating, great brews (try the Space Garden IPA), and a dedicated kids’ play area so parents can enjoy a cold pint in perfect peace.

See & Soar

First things first, ensure your sightseeing plans run smoothly by picking up a Seattle CITYPass for discounted admission to many of the city’s top attractions. First up? Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), the world’s most immersive pop culture experience in a gorgeous Frank Gehry building (which, fun fact, the design of which he modelled after electric guitars). We follow the hip hop soundtrack booming in one exhibition space to find Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop (on until Jan. 7, 2024), a must-see show featuring 40 years’ worth of photography via contact sheets of hip hop’s finest—Snoop Dogg, Missy, OutKast Jay-Z—during some of their most iconic photo shoots, as well as legendary artifacts like a turntable used by Grandmaster Flash and a suit worn by Biggie. With 80,000 objects in the museum’s permanent collection, you could spend multiple days here—but then you wouldn’t have time to hit the the aforementioned Pike Place Market. Go early to beat the rush and really give yourself time to wander and feel like a local; we purchased a single, fresh sunflower for our toddler, which she proudly carried around town day like a badge of honour. Nearby, head to the Seattle Aquarium for what could be the last chance to see its original space before the new location opens in 2024. Take in the otters, jellyfish, puffins, and more while keeping an eye out for swimming scuba divers in the bigger tanks posing for thumbs-up photos with guests. Upon exiting, make sure to snap a classic tourist photo with the Seattle Great Wheel, Pier 57’s ferris wheel overlooking Puget Sound. Speaking of overlooking, don’t leave Seattle without two more soaring views: the first, up the Seattle Space Needle (book reservations in advance with your CITYPass). The thrilling 43-second elevator ride takes you 500 scenic feet high above the Emerald City for 365-degree views from indoor and outdoor viewing platforms—there’s even a revolving glass floor for daredevils to cross. The second city outlook is much lesser known, but equally stunning: small Kerry Park in upscale Queen Anne. It feels like you’re soaring over downtown, Elliott Bay, and the Space Needle; be sure to look out for Mount Rainier on dramatic display in the distance.

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