36 Hours in Seattle | PlanIt Wandering

A Day in Seattle

We knew we had a limited amount of time in Seattle (about 36 hours) so we wanted to do what we love the most: EAT! Seattle is a great food destination, and although it’s known for seafood, there are options for just about every dietary restriction. We centered our day in Seattle mainly around the food, sprinkling in walks to some iconic sites throughout the day.

When We Went: Fourth of July Weekend, 2019

What We Loved: The food! We went to Seattle to eat well, and we were not disappointed.

Trip Overview

Where We Stayed

Downtown- The State Hotel just opened earlier this year and is extremely well located only a block from Pike Place Market. We opted for a Water View Micro Queen Room, which at 175 square feet was petite, but didn’t feel cramped for two people and was well-appointed with soft linens and a cool design. We loved the view and were on the top floor right down the hall from the hotel’s open air terrace overlooking the market and Puget Sound.

At about $300 a night (including taxes), we certainly paid for the location and view, but I’d recommend this hotel to other travels looking for great service, cool design, and a great location for exploring Seattle’s waterfront, especially if you aren’t planning to spend a lot of time in your room.

Book Your Stay

What We Packed

Spring Packing List
Rain Jacket

Even though we visited in July, I found Seattle weather damp and on the cooler side (the high was 70 degrees F). I’d recommend packing pants and layers, and be sure to bring a rain jacket! Seattle also seemed pretty casual, so you’re likely fine leaving your dressy clothes at home.

How We Got Around:

If you stick to downtown and adjacent neighborhoods, walking is very viable, albeit hilly. For visiting some outlying neighborhoods like Ballard or Fremont, there are several public transit options available, and ride sharing is abundant. We primarily used Uber on longer trips (like to Ballard) for sake of convenience. Just keep in mind that traffic can be brutal during rush hour, so avoid cross town treks during those times if possible.

How Much We Paid: $$

I found Seattle to be one of the more expensive places we’ve visited in the United States considering. I fully expected Seattle to be pricey, but I was still a little surprised by our bill on more than one occasion. To be fair, we were there during a busy holiday week (July 4), plus I’d somehow overlooked that Seattle has a combined 10.1% sales tax (6.5% WA state tax + 3.6% Seattle tax). So just remember to add 10% on top of the sticker price!

Some Example Costs:

– 4-Star Hotel near Pike Place Market (‘micro’ room): $300/ night

– UberX from SeaTac to Downtown in non-peak hours: $30

– Pour over coffee from Seattle Coffee Works: $5

– Pastry from Piroshky Piroshky: $6

– Cocktail from Walrus and Carpenter: $13

What We Did

Top Experiences

Food Tour and Shopping in Pike Place Market

We woke up early in the morning, hungry after skipping dinner the night before, ready to take on the infamous Pike Place Market. Our hotel was only a 2-3 minute walk from the market (we could see the infamous neon sign from our window) , so we stopped for a quick coffee at Seattle Coffee Works on the way for some excellent pour over coffee from the ‘Slow Bar’.

We had booked the Savor Seattle: VIP Market tour, which met and finished at Indi Chocolates. Over the next two hours, our guide led us through the market to taste biscuits, freshly made donuts, salmon (dried fruit for the vegetarians), tea, papusas, and salmon burgers (salad for the vegetarians), and brownies. Our guide also presented us with a discount card that got us 10% off purchases at several market vendors after the tour!

I highly recommend food tours to get a sampling of local cuisine, and Savor Seattle organized an informative tour that packed in several tastings despite only being one of the shorter food tours we’ve taken. Just be aware that the ‘VIP’ tour focuses more on ‘hidden gems’ of the market (lesser known, but still tasty establishments) , whereas the ‘Signature’ market tour visits some of the more quintessential Pike Place Market vendors (like Beecher’s and Pirosky Pirsosky).

After the tour finished, we doubled back to a few vendors we had passed to stock up on snacks for our road trip in the Olympic Peninsula the next day. Luckily, we were visiting during cherry season and picked up fresh rainier cherries for the trip! We also picked up an adorable gourmet s’mores kit from Indi chocolate, a potato and cheese pirosky from Pirosky Pirosky, amazingly thick yogurt from Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt, spicy pineapple ginger beer from Rachel’s Ginger Beer, and salmon jerky from Pike Place Fish Market for Mike.

Beer flight at Ruben's Bres — Beer Flight at Rubens Brews in Ballard

Afternoon in Ballard: Locks, Beer, and Oysters

Despite having spent the bulk of the morning eating our way through Pike Place Market, we were ready to set out and find what delicious food other Seattle neighborhoods had to offer. Seattle has no shortage of cool-looking neighborhoods to wander, but we settled on Ballard since it looked a little less touristy than some of the neighborhoods closer to downtown.

After dropping our finds from Pike Place off at our hotel (they offered to store perishables in their walk in refrigerator), we hopped in an Uber toward Ballard. I had read about Un Bien’s cult following while planning our trip, but I hadn’t realized they had vegetarian options until that day. Both Mike and I love a good sandwich, so we headed to Un Bien’s location on Seaview Ave. to check them out. Mike got the Carribean Roast and I got the Tofu Delight, which was wonderful- with crispy, yet soft bread, warm tofu, and a garlicy/ spicy aoli that, while messy, made the sandwich.

We then walked along a pedestrian path back toward Ballard Locks where we watched a few boats go through the lock system. Being Michigan natives, we’ve both seen the Soo Locks several times, so while the Ballard Locks didn’t hold our attention for long, we found it to be a nice detour if you’re in the area.

We continued exploring Ballard, stopping to puruse a couple of shops along the way. I was lured into Uphill Designs by a cute shop dog who helped me pick out a baseball cap. 🙂 By then, Mike and I were both thirsty and excited to try out some Seattle microbrews. We trekked over to Ruben’s Brews on 14th Street to sample a flight of beer and enjoy their small outside patio.

Mike’s only real request for the trip was to eat ‘a lot of oysters’,so I’d scoped out the Walrus and the Carpenter once I realized we would be spending time in the Ballard neighborhood. I’d read they are notorious for long lines, so we headed there right when it opened so Mike could get his oyster fix. Lucky for us, they had 1/2 off oysters from 4-5pm, so he treated himself to 1.5 dozen, selected by the waiter. The oysters were also served with fresh bread and homemade whipped butter that was almost a meal unto itself. Although the menu was definitely seafood-centric, I found a couple of vegetarian options and had a burrata and strawberry appetizer alongside one of their signature cocktails (okay, I had two cocktails ;)).

Sun Peaking Through on Seattle Waterfront — Peek of sun in Myrtle Edwards Park

Stroll to Space Needle and Olympic Sculpture Park

We needed to walk off our afternoon of beer and oysters, so we hopped in an Uber toward Seattle Center to take in the Space Needle up close and wander the park. We didn’t actually go up the Space Needle- the lines we long- so after we took the atmosphere in, we meandered toward the Olympic Sculpture Park, which was about a half mile walk, mostly downhill. As we walked through the winding path of the park, the sun began to peak out from the clouds- our first glimpse since landing in Seattle! We continued on along a path in Myrtle Edwards Park, stopping to rest on a bench to take in the expansive views of Elliott Bay.

Sunset on the Waterfront — Seattle Skyline at Sunset

Evening in Bellevue and Downtown

Even though we were still fairly full from our Oyster Happy Hour, I had made reservations at No Anchor in Belltown. We walked there from the Sculpture Park- with some steep uphill climbs- and were seated on their patio outside. Luckily, their menu offered several lighter dishes that came in smaller portions, so we ordered their Old Bay Seasoned Crispy Chickpeas (most of which we boxed up and took with us for our roadtrip), mike got a small crab roll with homeade ketchup potato chips, and I ordered their summer squash gratin that was beautifully presented, as a rosette of thinly sliced zucchini and squash. (Check out the images above.)

Needing to walk off our second dinner :), we walked down to the waterfront and stopped off at the Great Wheel to watch the sunset on the bay. At that point, we were exhausted, not to mention full, so we headed back to our hotel room to pack up and rest before we embarked on our roadtrip around the Olympic Peninsula.

What We’d Do Next Time:

– More time to explore Pike Place on our own- Since we were short on time, the food tour was a great way to visit highlights of the market, but we could have used another hour or two to spend more time wandering the stalls. Note: We’d go EARLY, right when the market opens, as it filled up fast.

– Wander around Fremont, Capital Hill- These two were on our list for cool neighborhoods to explore, but we ran out of time.

– Live Music in Seattle- There are music venues galore around Seattle, and had we the energy to stay up late enough to go to a concert, we definitely would have checked out a band or two.

– Whale Watching-

Maps & Resources

What We Used to Plan:

Books:

Fodors Seattle
Seattle Food Crawls * Note- I didn’t use for this trip as it wasn’t yet available, but this is now on my wishlist for a return trip!

Blogs & Apps:

VisitSeattle.org– Their Airport and In City Transportation Guide is helpful.
Savor Seattle Tours– For booking guided tours. Also check out their self-guided tasting passports.
Eater Seattle– Great for food and drink ideas