Our humble fishing village has lots of things to do, from hanging out with a troll under a bridge to taking in views from the top of the Space Needle or the Columbia Tower. And if it rains, the Museum of Pop Culture, Chihuly Glass Museum, and the Seattle Art Museum offer interesting escapes from the weather. Pike Place Market is well-worth a ramble. If you want to get out of town and go for a hike, the Washington Trails Association is an excellent resource.

Where to Eat and Drink

Good food and drink - from bakeries and breweries to coffee shops and oyster bars - abounds in Seattle. Renee Erickson, Tom Douglas, and Ethan Stowell are well-known local restauranteurs and you can’t go wrong with their restaurants. Walrus and Carpenter and the Boat Bar are favorites of ours.

Taylor Shellfish has several locations and delicious oysters. (If you’re feeling brave, try the geoduck.) The Butcher’s Table has good steak and a central location, but there are plenty of options for good meat.

Seattle has lots of good food from across Asia. For Chinese food, try A+ Hong Kong Kitchen, international chain Din Tai Fung, or its local competitor Dough Zone (the soup dumplings at both spots are very good.) Xi’an Noodles in the University District is a fave for hand-ripped noodles (try the cumin lamb) and 19 Gold is a popular Taiwanese joint. Pestle Rock and Isarn are amazing Thai spots. There are also plenty of good Vietnamese options: Pho Bac, The Boat, Saigon Deli, and Tamarind Tree to name a few.

For casual meals, you can’t go wrong with either of the two local Caribbean sandwich chains: Un Bien and Paseo. Or Dick’s, the local answer to In-n-Out.

It is hard to find bad coffee in Seattle. Yes, you can go to the "original" Starbucks location in Pike Market, but if you are a fan, the Reserve Roastery in Capital Hill is a better bet. Uptown Espresso (“Home of the Velvet Foam”) is a great spot for espresso drinks, as is Monorail. Both have multiple locations. There are also several great options for amazing Vietnamese coffee and we recommend checking out Aroom, Coffeeholic, and Sip House.

We love baked goods! Sea Wolf and Temple Pastries serve some of the best croissants in the city. Check out Fuji Bakery, Saint Bread, and Mitten Sweets & Coffee for sweet treats with a Japanese twist. Macrina is another good spot (you will see their stuff on restaurant menus around town).

Seattle has plenty of excellent bars. Two of note are Canon (justifiably famous for their whisky collection and their cocktails) and The Nest (great cocktails and great views). There are many great breweries - in fact, too many to list. You could do worse than a brewery crawl through the Ballard brewery district.

Music and Sports

There are plenty of good music venues in Seattle. If the Kraken are at home, the games are fun. And of course you can always try to get tickets to see the Mariners close out the World Series (surely they’ll make it this year!).