Seattle

Pike Place Market

Arrive before 10am on a weekday to experience America's most legendary public market in full swing — fishmongers tossing sockeye salmon overhead, flower stands piled with dahlias and tulips, artisan cheese and bread, steaming chowder, and the original Starbucks (avoid the tourist line next door). The market's lower levels have the best cheap lunch: chowder, fresh-shucked oysters, and tacos.

Mount Rainier National Park Day Trip

The 14,411-foot dormant volcano dominates the Seattle skyline on clear days and is one of the most majestic peaks in North America. The 2.5-hour drive to Paradise (5,400 feet elevation) brings stunning wildflower meadows in July-August, glaciers, and views of the summit. The Skyline Trail loop from Paradise is excellent. The park's entrance road to Paradise is typically open May through October.

Seattle Waterfront and Chihuly Garden and Glass

The Seattle waterfront, currently being redeveloped into a spectacular new waterfront park (Seattle Waterfront Project), already offers excellent dining and views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Nearby, Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle Center showcases Dale Chihuly's extraordinary blown-glass installations in a purpose-built pavilion and garden. Admission $32 adult.

Washington State Ferries to Bainbridge Island

The 35-minute ferry crossing from the downtown waterfront to Bainbridge Island is one of the best affordable experiences in Seattle — Puget Sound, Olympic Mountains, and Mount Rainier views from the car deck ($9.35 walk-on from Seattle, free return). Bainbridge Island town has excellent restaurants, galleries, and a lovely harbor. Can be done in 3 hours round-trip from downtown.

$70-100/day

$180-320/day

$350-1200+/day

Pike Place Market & Downtown

Pike Place Market has operated continuously since 1907 and is America's oldest continuously operating farmers market — a chaotic, wonderful labyrinth of fishmongers (famous for throwing fish to customers), flower vendors, cheese shops, buskers, and dozens of small restaurants. The original Starbucks (1912 Pike Place) operates just outside the market entrance. Downtown extends south with the Seattle Art Museum and the waterfront.

Capitol Hill

Seattle's most vibrant and diverse neighborhood — the center of the city's LGBTQ+ community, indie music scene, and innovative restaurant culture. Broadway Avenue and Pike/Pine corridors are lined with independent restaurants, vintage shops, coffee shops, and bars. The Seattle Central Library and Volunteer Park (with its stunning glass conservatory and water tower views) are neighborhood highlights.

Queen Anne & South Lake Union

Queen Anne Hill rises above Seattle Center with the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass at its base. The Lake Union waterfront below has been transformed by Amazon's headquarters campus into a tech-driven urban neighborhood with excellent restaurants, the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), and the Center for Wooden Boats.

Ballard & Fremont

Seattle's Scandinavian fishing heritage lives on in Ballard, now a thriving neighborhood with craft breweries, excellent restaurants, the Hiram Chittenden Locks (watch salmon migrate), and the Nordic Museum. Fremont, adjacent to Ballard, is Seattle's most idiosyncratic neighborhood — home to the Fremont Troll sculpture, a rocket perched on a building, a Lenin statue, and the Sunday farmers market.