Explore The Pacific Northwest
Located on the shore of sparkling Elliott Bay, with the snowy peak of Mount Rainier in the distance and a modern skyline of glass skyscrapers, SEATTLE has a famously picturesque setting, as well as a friendly charm, and plenty of fun coffeehouses, good restaurants and engaging clubs, making a lengthy visit worthwhile, especially during the summer.
Flooded out of its first location on Alki Point in what is now the suburb of West Seattle, the town in the 1850s shifted to Pioneer Square (south of the downtown core), renaming itself after the Native American Chief Sealth, who helped reduce violent tensions between whites and local tribes. As the surrounding forest was gradually felled and the lumber shipped out, Seattle grew slowly until the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 put it firmly on the national map as a transport and commercial hub. From the beginning of the twentieth century, the Boeing corporation was crucial to the city’s economic strength, and more recent success stories have included Microsoft, Starbucks and w Amazon.com, the boom times interrupted only by the occasional dot-com bust or housing crunch.
Despite the changes wrought by Seattle’s solid economy as the city grows into an international destination, its more established neighbourhoods remain distinctive, and it has a pleasantly down-to-earth ambience, whether you come here during peak season, or make like the locals and brave the steady rains (with many fewer visitors) from October to May.
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Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market
Centrally located at Pike Street and First Avenue, Pike Place Market (daily Mon–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 11am–5pm; t 206/682-7453, w www.pikeplacemarket.org) began in the early twentieth century and is the oldest continuously working public market in the US. Now undergoing an extensive, multi-year renovation (while still open to the public), it comprises thirteen buildings on a triangular lot covering nine acres, holding three hundred produce and fish vendors, bakeries, craft stalls and small retailers. Fishmongers hurl the catch of the day back and forth, street entertainers play to rapt crowds, the aroma of organic coffee drifts from cafés, and countless stalls offer piles of lobsters, crabs, salmon, vegetables, fruit and flowers. Near the entrance, a favourite meeting place is the brass pig – a large, actual piggy bank, with receipts going to charity. Since the market is also threaded with many worthwhile restaurants, bars and live music venues, you might find yourself here after-hours, even if you have no interest in buying salmon or apples during the day.
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Day-trips to Bainbridge and Vashon islands
Day-trips to Bainbridge and Vashon islands
For a brief escape from Seattle, the ferry ride across Elliott Bay to Bainbridge Island provides a relaxing, scenic experience. Washington State Ferries leave from Pier 52 (hourly 5.30am–1.35am; foot passengers $6.90 (collected westbound only in peak season); vehicle and driver $11.85 non-peak, $14.85 peak season; t 206/464-6400 or t 1-800/84-FERRY, w www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries) for the 35-minute trip to the island, a green and rural spot occupying less than fifty square miles. The island’s only conventional attraction, the Bloedel Reserve, 7571 NE Dolphin Drive, off the Agatewood Road exit of Hwy-305 (Wed–Sun 10am–4pm; $12; t 206/842-7631, w www.bloedelreserve.org), is a conservatory containing nearly 150 acres of gardens, ponds, meadows and wildlife habitats. If you want to pitch a tent on the island, there’s camping at the far end in Fay Bainbridge State Park ($14–28; t 206/842-3931, w www.parks.wa.gov). Area accommodation is limited to B&Bs, details of which can be obtained from the visitor centre in the town of WINSLOW, 395 Winslow Way E (t 206/842-3700, w www.bainbridgechamber.com). Decent choices for eating in Winslow are the Harbour Public House, 231 Parfitt Way SW (t 206/842-0969), for its seafood, salads, burgers and microbrews and Café Nola, 101 Winslow Way (t 206/842-3822), for its tasty pastries and breakfasts, and agreeable Sunday brunch.
Other routes from Seattle and West Seattle make the short trip to easy-going, bicycle-friendly Vashon Island. King County water taxis from downtown Seattle’s Pier 50 are passenger-only (Mon–Fri 5.40–7.40am & 4.30–6.30pm; 35min trip; $4.50; t 206/684-1551), while trips from the West Seattle Fauntleroy terminal are by ferry and also for vehicles (daily 5.20am–2am; 20min; foot passengers $4.45, vehicle and driver $15.20, $19 peak season). A few nice beaches lie along the coast of this island, where the community of VASHON is little more than a simple hamlet. The AYH Ranch Hostel, 12119 SW Cove Rd (May–Sept; t 206/463-2592, w www.vashonhostel.com; $61–80), six miles from the Seattle–Vashon ferry dock at the north end of the island, offers log-cabin dorm beds for $23, or private rooms ($61–80). There are also a number of good B&Bs, among them Artist’s Studio Loft, 16592 91st Ave SW (t 206/463-2583, w www.asl-bnb.com; $101–130), and the Swallow’s Nest Guest Cottages, 6030 SW 248th St (t 206/463-2646, w www.vashonislandcottages.com; $101–130).
