Secrets in Seattle—The Perfect Weekend in the Emerald City

How would you spend the perfect weekend in Seattle? (Photo by Getty Images. Design by Lauren DeLuca for Yahoo Travel.)

Seattle residents want you to think that it rains all the time. That disagreeable stereotype helps keep their city from getting too crowded with tourists who base their traveling decisions upon sunny weather.

But the truth is that the weather in Seattle, particularly at this time of year, is quite lovely. In fact, during my own recent weekend visit, it rained just once and even then for only a few hours. You may think you need to pack an umbrella. Head to REI’s flagship store on Yale Avenue and grab yourself a great rain jacket instead. While you’re there check out their world class indoor climbing wall.

To say Seattle is undergoing a Renaissance right now would not do it justice. Sure, the city is bustling with activity. The restaurant and bar industry is booming and there are way more cultural activities than you could hope to attend in a weekend. But it is much more than that. Seattle is, simply put, a very nice place to be right now during a time when we want to spend time in a nice place.

And with easy direct flights and great hotel rates, it is the perfect place for a quick urban getaway.

Visit two architectural icons in one go when you stop by the Space Needle and the Gehry-designed Experience Music Project. (Photo: Cacophony/Wikimedia Commons)

Start your visit with a ride to the top of the Space Needle to get your bearings. Afterwards stop into the Frank Gehry-designed Experience Music Project Experience at its base. Don’t even think about getting in a cab to get back downtown. You have to pay the $2 to ride the monorail, a relic of what urban planners in the sixties thought the future would look like today (think Space Mountain). It’s rickety and odd and has just two stops, but it still feels like a ride at Disneyland.

If you’re looking for an even better view than the one from the top of the needle, hop into one of Kenmore Air’s sea plane on Lake Union and take a scenic ride over the houseboat communities (including the one in “Sleepless in Seattle,” magnificent lakeside and seaside estates, Seattle’s professional sports stadiums and the downtown skyline on Elliott Bay.

Seattle is quickly becoming a destination for foodies which means you will want to make sure to make reservations in advance for all your meals. If you want to sample a few different options in one go try booking one of Viator’s gourmet walking tours where you will get a little taste of the best local food and wine the city has to offer including celebrity chef Tom Douglas’s “serious” artisan pizza.

Visit a real life bridge-dwelling troll! (Photo: Sue/Flickr)

Spend your Saturday exploring some of Seattle’s lesser known sites. Step on over to the Fremont neighborhoos to visit the troll, a marvel of urban artwork that transformed a dangerous area under a bridge into a must visit destination. Yes. That is a real Volkswagon that troll is holding.

Next zip on over to the fish ladder. Built into the Ballard Locks, this “ladder” allows migrating salmon to continue their swim upstream and to pass in between the fresh and the salt water. Glass panels below the water line make it possible to watch the fish as they swim through the ladder.

You’re probably ready for a coffee break. You can visit the most tricked out Starbucks in the entire world, the company’s Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room or you can indulge in some of the city’s smaller local brew houses like Elm Coffee Roasters.

Related: There’s More to Seattle Than Just Coffee

Treat yourself to some amazingly fresh oysters at Taylor’s. (Photo: Taylor Shellfish Farms/Facebook)

For some fish jumping of another kind head to Pike Place Market to watch the world-famous fish mongers sling their salmon. It’s the kind of thing you have to do at least once in Seattle. But afterwards enjoy a true seafood treat with a late lunch at Taylor’s Shellfish, where the Taylor family has been farming oysters for more than a century in the Puget Sound.

You’ve seen Seattle from above. Now you need to see it from below. The city’s underground tours are one of the coolest historical tours you will ever do. Ground level used to be much lower during the mid-19th Century here and there is a whole subterranean network of old cobblestoned streets to explore beneath Pioneer Square. Local Bill Speidel has been giving tours of the ruins beneath the city since 1965.

The Cinerama proves that not all movie theaters are created equal. (Photo: Seattle Cinerama Theatre/Facebook)

With a belly full of shellfish you can try to feel hungry enough for dinner. Or you could go to the movies. A movie on vacation? Yes, as long as you’re going to Belltown see that movie at Cinerama, Seattle’s most epic movie theater. A pet project of Seattle’s native-born billionaire Paul Allen, the restored mid-Century classic theatre now contains the very latest in movie technology including a 97-foot curved screen and a Dolby Atmos sounds system that creates an immersive theatre experience.

They also serve local beer and chocolate covered popcorn and the original “Batman” costumes are on display in the lobby.

Need we say more?

You can always have a late night bite at Seattle’s latest, “of the moment,” restaurant, Stateside. Eric Johnson’s hot spot features Vietnamese French Fusion. Here the cocktails are just as mouth-watering as the Bahn-Mi. Try a Mekong Mule, crafted with house made ginger.

You definitely don’t want to miss the chance to cheer on the Seahawks in their home stadium. (Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

If the Seahawks are in town you would do yourself a serious disservice if you did not attend one of their games. This city loves their gladiators as evidenced from all of the 12th Man paraphanalia around town. The 12th man or 12th player is a term for fans of teams in eleven-a-side sports games.

CenturyLink Field is the loudest football stadium in America. When there is a particularly good play the 12th Men have been known to create a seismic event.

London Plane’s avocado toast might just be the most delicious toast you’ve ever tasted. (Photo: The London Plane/Facebook)

Or if you’re up for a lazier Sunday indulge in the best brunch of your life at the London Plane right off of Pioneer Square. Sure the avocado toast can run more than $10, but I promise is an entire meal in itself.

Make sure to stop into the London Plane’s flower shop to take home a bouquet or two. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

If you think Seattle is all about flannel and grunge you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. These days the true hipsters play bike polo—polo played on a fixed gear bike on a tennis court. It’s an intense and fun to watch, a little more dangerous to play if you’re new to the sport. You can typically catch a match or two if you head to Anderson Park on 11th Avenue.

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