How To Squeeze The Most Out Of A Long Weekend In Seattle

If you’ve somehow found yourself in the Pacific Northwest of the US and you’ve exhausted your clout levels in Portland, and want somewhere a bit more ~chill~ to unwind and explore, then I have two things to say to you. Firstly, you lucky piece of shit why didn’t you take me with you and secondly, get your ass to Seattle immediately. Thank me later.

Smack bang between the coast, the Canadian border, the mountains, and the desert, Seattle’s honestly got something for everyone within an hour’s drive.

Much like RomePragueMoscow, and Edinburgh, Seattle’s built on a cluster of seven hills – Capitol HillFirst HillBeacon HillMount BakerQueen Anne Hill, West Seattle, and Magnolia – and each one has its own community vibe. (Capitol’s the one with the huge LGBTQI community and permanent rainbow crossings.)

!!!! (Image: Courtney Fry)

So what can you actually get up to in the city that’s known for being the home of Amazon and Microsoft, and the place where World’s Deadliest Catch park their trawlers? I bloody hit the big city for a few days for the Taste Washington foodie fest to figure that one out.

1. Try Barack Obama’s Favourite Choccies

Man, remember Barack Obama? Well, it turns out that the salted caramel chocolates handmade by Fran Bigelow‘s team at Fran’s Chocolates in the city are his absolute faves. I ducked over to the production line in Georgetown one morning – yes, at 8am I ate chocolate paired with a hot tea, the best way to eat them – and met Fran and her family at their INCREDIBLY WHOLESOME biz.

The former president’s favourite choccies are a gloriously-chewy salted caramel triple-coated in perfectly-tempered chocolate and hand-sprinkled in smoked salt. Yes, they are fucking amazing.

He even gets ’em in his own fancy box! (Please don’t look at all my half-eaten chocolates, it was so early.) (Image: Courtney Fry)

(Also it was Fran’s obsession with French artisanal chocolate and salted caramel in particular that started the American infatuation with the flavour – Fran tried some salted caramel choccies over in France and loved it so much that she needed to recreate it. The rest is history.)

2. Hit The Markets

The PRODUCE, oh my good lord, friends. Seattle’s got a bloody amazing selection of homegrown and homemade stuff, honestly, it’s the most wholesome place ever. Seattle is home to a couple of the best farmers and produce markets I’ve ever wandered through – everyone knows Pike Place Market cos of Sleepless In Seattle – but Ballard Farmers Market is also extensive and full of treats (and dogs).

Farmers, fishermen, florists, and the like come into the city every day to nab a spot at the infamous Pike Place Market, slinging their wares. And because a lot of the market is temporary stalls, no two days ever really look the same inside. It’s home to a seafood shop where the staff literally hurl fish at each other, some of the bloody best chowder I have ever put in my god damned face, and just across the road is the original Starbucks (but more about that later).

[Sleepless In Seattle intensifies] (Image: Courtney Fry)
Ballard Farmers Market happens every Sunday, all-year-round. Be prepared to spend a solid couple of hours wandering through the winding stalls that line the cobblestone Ballard Avenue, pat as many dogs as your hands allow, grab some homemade treats, and soak in the community vibe.

Bury me at Ballard Market, hey. (Image: Courtney Fry)

Local wineries and distilleries are also allowed to sell booze at the markets (!!!) so be prepared to taste some of the Washington region’s big bold reds and delicious spirits – the region is on a very similar latitude to our Barossa Valley, so expect some massive flavours from the wineries’ reds. Lotta cab sauvs and shirazes out there, folks.

I spent my last paper dollar on this fuckin pickle and it was DELICIOUS. (Image: Courtney Fry)

3. Brunch Hard Or Go Home

Look, if there’s one thing that Seattle and Australia have in common, it’s brunch.

Salty’s on Alki Beach and 13 Coins are two spots where you’re going to want to show up with a very, very empty stomach for brunch.

I stopped in and had breakfast at 13 Coins down in Pioneer Square before heading out for the day and tbh I say “brunch” very loosely because this place is 24 hours of order whatever the hell you want, baby! Between four of us, we grabbed enough food to feed a small army, coffees, and cocktails. Honestly, I would go back there at 3am for their potato hash and biscuits in gravy.

SERIOUSLY. (Image: Courtney Fry)

Salty’s over on Alki Beach is next level. It’s famous for its weekend brunches which is a whole all-you-can-eat buffet including eggs every way, salads, every cake you can think of, fresh shucked oysters, assorted seafood, fresh waffles, a carvery, chocolate AND caramel fountains, and my personal spiritual home, a DIY bloody mary bar.

https://twitter.com/courtwhip/status/977600505500192768

5. Get Around Some Solid Record Stores

Something you might associate Seattle with is 90s grunge. Yep, it’s the hometown of bands like Pearl JamSoundgardenAlice In Chains, and Nirvana, so it’s pretty natural that there’s plenty of very good record shopping to get stuck into in the city.

There’s Easy Street Records over in West Seattle, Everyday Music in Capitol Hill, Singles Going Steady in BelltownSub Pop Records out at the SEA-TAC AirportSonic Boom over at Ballard, to name just a few of them.

But if you’ve got a good half a day to spare after you’ve been at Ballard Markets, head on over to Bop Street Records and meet Dave Voorhees – he’s been collecting and selling records since the early 70s and his store has over 500,000 records to lovingly browse through. I shit you not, I’ve been there and it’s both awe-inspiring and very overwhelming.

Chatting with Dave, he was quick to recite to me every single artist in his Top 50 Favourites section (it took less than a minute, he made me time him) and told me the story about how Radiohead once spent six hours in his store, before inviting all the staff to their show that night.

I TOLD you it’s overwhelming. (Image: Courtney Fry)

6. Praise The Bean At The Birthplace Of Starbucks

I know everyone says that coffee in the States tastes like someone’s just soaked some dirt in a cup of hot water and sat it next to some coffee beans for half an hour but I’m here to tell you that soz, you’re clearly just looking in the wrong places. Seattle? It knows coffee. I mean, it’s the birthplace of arguably the biggest coffee chain in the world – Starbucks. They love the bean so much, there’s nearly 200 Starbucks stores in Seattle ALONE.

Driving from Alki to the city and you’ll spot the giant Starbucks tower where the headquarters is located; a mammoth green and white bust of a mermaid eyeing everything that goes on below her. Down across from Pike Place you’ll find the OG Starbucks, a small, cramped store that isn’t anything flash but holds a tonne of charm.

It’s even got the old signs before they cropped off the mermaid’s tails. (Image: Courtney Fry)

Up the road (read: the hill, it’s always up the hill) you’ll spy the Seattle Reserve Roastery. Big heavy doors hold in the warmth – which you’ll need between the months of October and April – and it’s like Willy Wonka‘s factory but for caffeine-addicted adults like myself.

Beans are churned and roasted in huge brassy vats before being zipped around the huge warehouse space to fill bags and grinders across several coffee bars. It felt like a weird wonderland that I never ever ever wanted to leave.

Anyway writing this has made me miss Seattle like, a whole lot. Excuse me while I go weep into my empty wallet and plan for my next trip to PNW.

More Stuff From PEDESTRIAN.TV