Seattle had been on my travel bucket list for years, mostly because I grew up watching Grey’s Anatomy and convinced myself I needed to see the city for myself one day.
When Chris’s brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew suggested meeting in Seattle before continuing on to Vancouver together, it felt like the perfect excuse to finally cross it off my list.
After spending two and a half days there, here’s my honest take: I’m really glad we went… but I probably wouldn’t go back.
Still, between Pike Place Market, incredible views of Mount Rainier, and walking what felt like half the city, we packed a lot into a short trip.
Seattle at a Glance
- Stayed: Queen Anne
- Length: 2½ days
- Transportation: Walking + Monorail + Uber
- Favorite attraction: Seattle Great Wheel
- Best food: Gasworks Brewing’s cookie skillet
- Would I return? Probably not, but I’m glad I went.
Day 1 in Seattle: Meeting Up & Exploring Downtown
Chris and I flew in from Boston while his family took Amtrak from Bismarck, North Dakota. We landed within a couple of hours of each other, so instead of waiting around at the airport or train station, we met downtown and kicked off vacation together.
One of the biggest decisions before the trip was figuring out where to stay. My best friend from childhood lives in Seattle, so I picked his brain about neighborhoods. Queen Anne? Capitol Hill? Belltown? Every neighborhood seemed to have people who loved it and people who told you to stay somewhere else.
I ended up booking a three-story Airbnb townhouse in Queen Anne because it gave six of us plenty of room and seemed like a good central location. Since check-in wasn’t until later that afternoon, we had a few hours to explore downtown. We started with lunch at the bar inside Chihuly Garden and Glass.
The atmosphere was great. The sliders? Let’s just say they’re more of a snack than a meal.
After checking into our Airbnb, we walked to a nearby grocery store, stocked up on breakfast food, and made a big pasta dinner that night. It was the perfect low-key start to the trip.
Day 2: Pike Place Market, Starbucks, and Walking…A Lot
We started the morning with about a one-mile walk to Pike Place Market. It absolutely lived up to the hype!
Watching the fish fly through the air, wandering through the flower vendors, exploring the little shops, and simply people-watching easily filled an entire morning.
Our biggest mission of the day? Finding Starbucks.
Our niece loves Starbucks, so naturally, we wanted to take her to the original location. If you’ve ever tried traveling with a high-schooler who loves Starbucks, you’ll understand the mission.
Unfortunately, one Starbucks was closed, and another was under renovation, turning what should have been a quick coffee stop into an unexpectedly long scavenger hunt. Poor Chris just wanted coffee.
From Pike Place, we walked all the way to T-Mobile Park because our nephew is obsessed with baseball and we wanted to scope out the stadium before our tour the next day.
By the time we got there, it was lunchtime, and everyone was starving. We figured there would be plenty of restaurants around a Major League Baseball stadium. There were… none. Seriously.
We wandered around, convinced we were missing something, before finally admitting defeat, calling an Uber, and heading back toward Pike Place Market for lunch.
We ended up at Gasworks Brewing, and it was hands down our favorite meal in Seattle.
Everything we ordered was delicious, but the real star was the warm cookie skillet we shared for dessert. We were hot, tired, and apparently in desperate need of sugar.
Next up was one of my favorite parts of the trip: the Seattle Great Wheel. Chris and I took our niece and nephew up together, and this ended up being one of my favorite things we did in Seattle.
The clouds briefly cleared, and we got a perfect view of Mount Rainier. It ended up being the only time we saw it during our trip, making the moment feel even more special.
From there, we stopped by the Gum Wall. It’s exactly as gross as everyone says it is.
Naturally, we added our own pieces of gum because apparently that’s what you do.
One thing I wasn’t expecting to love was the Seattle Monorail. The elevated train runs between Westlake Center and Seattle Center, gliding above the streets along the way. The ride only takes a few minutes, but it’s a fun, easy way to get to the Space Needle.
From there, we headed up the Space Needle, where the views were incredible. The Space Needle is one attraction I’d definitely recommend pre-booking, especially if you’re visiting during peak season. You can see ticket options here.
The glass floor was one thing. What really got me were the slanted glass panels around the outside. There are small open-air gaps between the panels, so you can actually feel the air coming through while standing 500+ feet above the city. My sister-in-law and I took one look and immediately decided, “nope!”
Meanwhile, everyone else leaned against the glass like it was no big deal. Absolutely not.
Day 3 in Seattle: T-Mobile Park (Take Two)
Our last full day started with another walk toward Pike Place Market before making our way back to T-Mobile Park for our 10 a.m. stadium tour.
Except…
When we got there, we discovered the tour had been rescheduled to 12:30 without anyone telling us. So we turned around and walked all the way back toward Pike Place Market.
Again.
At this point, I was pretty sure I could’ve led a guided tour between Pike Place and T-Mobile Park myself. Eventually, we made the walk back to the stadium for a second time. Thankfully, the tour itself was fantastic.
Getting to go behind the scenes at T-Mobile Park was really interesting, especially with our baseball-loving nephew. We even happened to be there while the retractable roof was closing, which was really cool to see.
And of course, I had to take tons of pictures of everything Ken Griffey Jr. to send home to my brother, who was obsessed with him growing up!
Seattle was also getting ready to host FIFA World Cup events, so it was fun to see all the preparations around the stadium district.
After walking back and forth between Pike Place and T-Mobile Park all day, we’d passed Molly Moon’s what felt like eight times. We’d somehow managed to resist it the first seven times. And yes, it was worth finally giving in.
After a day that completely destroyed our previous step count records, we happily spent our final evening relaxing at the Airbnb, packing for the next morning, and getting excited for the Amtrak ride to Vancouver.
My Honest Take
Seeing Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, T-Mobile Park, and finally visiting the city I’d watched on Grey’s Anatomy for years was really fun. I’m genuinely glad we finally got there.
That said, downtown had a much larger unhoused population than we expected. While we never felt unsafe, it did change the feel of some areas. We also did far more walking than anticipated, and I don’t think we ever completely figured out the best neighborhood for first-time visitors.
Seattle checked a big item off my bucket list. But the next time I make it back to the Pacific Northwest?
You’ll probably find me in Vancouver.
Have you been to Seattle? Tell me what you loved, or what I should have done differently.
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