Oh Seattle, how I love thee. This post is long overdue, seeing as how I went and visited Seattle in July 2017. I was in town for 4.5 days for a work conference with coworkers and clients. It was my first time in the city and it was epic – even with the majority of days being held up in the convention center from 8am to 5pm and then entertaining clients into the night.
I can 1,000% guarantee you I will be back to Seattle for many reasons: a) there’s a few conferences related to my line of work in the city every. single. year. b) my dearest friend, Chase lives there, c) it’s a fantastic place, d) I need to come back and visit with my husband now and e) the weather was amazing in the summer.
While I was there, I crammed as much as I could into my short trip and restrictive schedule. I think I checked every “tourist” thing off the list by seeing:
- Spaceneedle
- Ballard Locks
- Seattle Great Wheel
- Fremont Troll
- Pike Place Market
- Gum Wall
- Starbucks (Reserve location too)
- Port of Seattle + Piers
- Amazon
- REI
- Olympic Sculpture Park
- Post Alley Shops
I even made time to see my friend Chase and go out to dinner with him and stopped by and see my company’s Seattle office, which was fun!
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Four Must-See Local Stops While Visiting Seattle
So, with so much to see and places to go in the great city of Seattle, I wanted to share what my must see local Seattle stops are. I’m sure there are a million more, but with my limited availability of free time and shops hours, this is what I have for you today. Hopefully on my next trip I can scout out some more!
Prism – Ballard Neighborhood
My first stop when I got into town after Chase picked me up from the airport was to head out to the Ballard area. This place, from the looks of it, was made for me.
With fun art all around and coffee shops, boutique and outdoor seating at every corner, I was in heaven! Chase and I stopped into this cute little shopped called Prism that I found on Instagram. 
Inside we discovered natural wood shelves filled with geometric patterns, plants and pastels all around. This airy modern boutique carried things for men & women, home goods, jewelry, accessories and more. Everything was trendy, but not too over-the-top or overdone.
I spotted this ceramic LaCroix vessel and would have brought it home if I wasn’t concerned about it getting smashed in my small bag on the way home. My husband loves LaCroix to his core and this is also a “thing” at work (we literally have an unlimited supply because we all have a problem).
The people working were so bright and bubbly, just like the store and was such a treat to pop in and browse.
If you don’t think Prism is quite your thing, that’s fine, but I strongly urge you to still check out the Ballard neighborhood. It’s loaded with so many cool shops, coffee bars and restaurants. I wish I was able to stop into more, but many things were closed at the day/time I was out there. If you’re into art, tree-lined streets and bustling fun areas, then check it out! Oh, also, the Ballard Locks are in the area, which is pretty cool to see too!
Biscuit Bitch – Belltown, Pioneer Square and Downtown Areas
You read that right: Biscuit. Bitch. This is a must stop. Seriously. SO GREAT! I was a bit skeptical because usually these types of places either a) don’t have something that can cater to my eating habits or b) are actually too “granola” for me. Not this time!
With a grungy, yet friendly vibe, my coworker and I spent out last morning in the city here for breakfast. We got in pretty early with a day full of travel. We ended up beating the rush, which became a line out the door shortly after we sat down. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was common.
What makes this place great, aside from the fun name, cool aesthetic, grunge feels and expansive + tasty looking menu (because that’s not enough), they had something that was a breakfast classic that I could eat….biscuits and gravy. It is so rare to be able to find and gluten free + dairy free biscuits and gravy out “in the wild.” As soon as I saw it was an option I think I shouted at the cashier. 😛
I am silly and didn’t save the photo of my dish, so mine is the one in the background of the photo below (PS – if you’re reading this, thanks Hannah for the pic. I stole it from ya!)
Now, it may look like crappy diner food to some, but oh lordy no. First off, they are MASSIVE. These photos do not do the size of portion justice. Neither of us got even half way through our dishes because they were that large and in charge. Second off, if you don’t think these piles of mess don’t look delicious, well then, we can’t be friends. Third off, they serve coffee too, I got my standard chai – yum!
We stopped into the Belltown location, which was closest to our hotel, but they have a couple other locations throughout the city, so make sure you’re able to find which one is closest to you!
Nube – Capitol Hill Neighborhood
Nube. I think it’s pronounced like, “boob.” Or maybe it’s like “new-bae?” I know nothing. My two coworkers and I were trying to kill time in the Capitol Hill area before dinner. The bottom portion of the building where the restaurant was held this little shop. Thankfully my colleagues know me so well, I didn’t even have to say anything or convince them. They literally said, “Oh, Britt! Look a local shop! Wanna go?!” …psh, as if…duh we’re going in!
PS – Heather + Hannah, if you’re reading this, sorry that you’re unaware of making an appearance in my blog. 🙂
This cute little place carries all American made goods that come from true artisans – music to my ears! Carrying some apparel, home decor, stationary and such, there’s little nick-nacks found throughout the shop.
What made this place stand out is being able to tell that shop carefully chose what to carry and who they carry – great care was imbedded throughout the storefront.
I was caught by surprise, in the most wonderful of ways, when I literally bumped into a rack of cards and saw a bunch of Hammerpress designs. I think I kinda made a light squeal noise of excitement because I didn’t expect to see a brand I recognized, let alone a Kansas City favorite!
I thoroughly enjoyed this surprise little stop and am glad we made it in. It was really convenient to be able to just walk right upstairs to our dinner reservation as well.
I didn’t quite get a grasp of the neighborhood since we ate dinner and then went to an event for the conference we were at, so I’d love to learn more about what this area has to offer next time around.
Pike Place Market
Now, this last place is pretty much a, “duh,” but I still have to mention it. I’m sure most of you have heard of Seattle’s Pike Place Market, but for those of you who haven’t, is a large market area right off of the water. Here you can find fresh fish being brought in, farmers selling produce, flowers being sold, cute shops galore, bakeries and the hustle and bustle of the local folk.
As mentioned earlier, I was getting up and doing things pretty early. I wanted to have time to explore on my own and before meeting up with my coworkers and clients for breakfast before the conference. I went nearly every morning during my stay and was walking the cobblestone streets before most places were even open. I would walk the different hallways and aisles of the covered portions, watch the men slosh around water and ice to the nearest drain from unloading the fish and see the booths set up begin to be uncovered and put together. Even though I wasn’t able to experience everything the market has to offer, I was still able to see the potential for when it’s at it’s busiest and still was able to capture the special place.
If you go down one walk way, you’ll find the infamous “gum wall,” located at the south end of the Post Alley Shops. Some people may not like this brick alley way filled with chewed up gum, I, however, think it’s super artsy and fun! I didn’t dare get too close to it nor contribute to it either.
If you walk further north on the alley, walk passed the main signage and go towards the alleyway that starts having outdoor porches and seating areas hang, you’ll get into the main area of the Post Alley Shops.
Here is where you’ll find dainty string lights a restaurant or two, patios overlooking and hidden storefronts. This is the cutest little alleyway, ever. I wish I would have snapped great pics, but hey, here’s what you get.
One thing about Seattle that I didn’t realize was all of the hills! Walking toward downtown, away from Pike Place is nothing but a steep incline with wobbly pavement. It’s a great view walking down into the Market though, where you can see the water in the background and the Market in the foreground – picturesque.
I’m hoping to get back to Seattle soon, either this year or next year, but we’ll see where life takes me!