How to Spend Perfect 2 Days in Seattle
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
Last October, we took a super short trip to Seattle, Washington. This trip was one of the first quick weekend trips we took, and it really helped create a blueprint for how we’ve taken several 2-day, no PTO trips since. It was also the first time I created a detailed itinerary prior to a trip with all of the confirmation numbers, addresses, etc. that we’d need written down – this has also become a staple of all our trips and made logistics stress-free while we travel.
We took the last direct Southwest flight of the day from Chicago to Seattle on Friday night and Ubered to our hotel, the Seattle Marriott Waterfront. We opted out of a car for this trip and it was definitely the right move as parking would have been difficult and expensive around the city. Nearly everything we did in Seattle was within walking distance, so we also needed very few Ubers.
Day 1
The Original Starbucks
We used jet lag to our advantage and got up early to walk over to Pike Place Market where the original Starbucks store is located. It opens at 6AM every day and when we arrived shortly after it opened, there was already a line out the door with a friendly greeter chatting with everyone. Inside they sell Starbucks merchandise exclusive to this location (along with coffee of course!). The one thing they don’t sell is food, so we had to get breakfast at some of the other food stalls in Pike Place Market (this was really a plus because it allowed us to explore more of the offerings in the market).
Later in the day when we passed by the Starbucks again, the line was several times longer than the one we waited in, so I recommend going early! It’s no wonder why this location is one of the highest grossing Starbucks stores in the country despite only being 1200 square feet.
If you want Starbucks but don’t want to wait in line, there are of course tons of other locations nearby. Seattle is famous for its coffee culture, so there are also plenty of smaller coffee shops to explore.
Beneath the Streets Underground History Tour
Underneath the streets of Seattle are 1890s buildings and streets that were covered over after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. Several parts of the Seattle Underground are still accessible via a guided tour. We met our guide outside a building near Pioneer Square and made our way down underneath the city for the tour. It was really cool to see history preserved just below the modern city above.
The tour lasted about an hour and was a great introduction to the city’s history. The tour revolved around the area of Pioneer Square, so it was also a quick education on the severity of the homelessness problem in Seattle, as one of the main tent cities is set up in Pioneer Square Park.
Chef Guided Tour of Pike Place Market
After our underground tour, we walked back to Pike Place Market and met our guide for a food tour outside a gift shop just north of the market. I’d only done one food tour before this and didn’t have very high expectations. This tour turned out to be incredible and set a very high bar for all future food tours (it’s also the reason we book food tours in many cities we visit now).
Our guide helped us navigate the maze that is Pike Place Market, provided a bit of historical background, and personally knew many of the shop owners, allowing us to get tastings of so many amazing foods, from smoked salmon to clam chowder to truffle salt to mac and cheese and Greek yogurt (I discovered Ellenos Greek Yogurt on this tour and got so excited when I found out they’re sold at Whole Foods nationwide). There were long lines at several of these shops, but we didn’t have to wait. We finished the food tour unbelievably full and extremely happy. Having someone show us around the market made us much more confident in finding our way when we came back.
The tour took 2 hours and certainly constituted as lunch.
The Gum Wall
Located within Pike Place Market is the famous Gum Wall, which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s an alley covered in pieces of used gum. We were told the smell can be a bit gross during the warm months, but we visited on a cool October day and didn’t find any issues.
The Gum Wall has been around since the early 1990s. In 2015, all the gum was scraped off in an attempt to preserve the brick underneath, but it didn’t take long for visitors to fill the wall back up with gum. Visiting a wall of used gum during a global pandemic definitely felt unsanitary, so I recommend looking but not touching.
Harbor Cruise
Our next activity was a harbor cruise around Elliott Bay. It departed from the Seattle Waterfront, walking distance from Pike Place Market. Back in October 2021, we had to show our IDs and proof of vaccination in order to board, but requirements may have changed since then.
The cruise was an hour long and included live narration explaining what we were passing, the history of the area, etc. We lucked out and got an excellent view of Mt. Rainier, which is only sporadically visible in the fall. There was also a full-service bar with drinks and snacks for sale on board.
We were so impressed with this cruise that we ended up taking on in San Diego a few months later, but the Seattle one was much more impressive and higher quality.
Din Tai Fung
If you’ve read my other blog posts, you shouldn’t be surprised that we chose to eat dinner at Din Tai Fung, as it’s one of our favorite restaurants in the world. If you want a more detailed review of the dishes and suggestions on what to order, check out my Las Vegas blog post.
Day 2
Breakfast at Hook & Plow
We chose to eat breakfast at our hotel’s restaurant, Hook & Plow. The food was good, though nothing special and breakfast wasn’t included with our reservation, so it wasn’t really worth the price. Next time I’d find a better breakfast spot.
After breakfast we checked out of our room and left our luggage with the bellman before heading out for the day.
Chihuly Garden & Glass
Our first stop of the day was Chihuly Garden and Glass. Dale Chihuly is world famous for his glass art, and I especially love his chandeliers. The museum had a guided audio tour you could access from your phone which provided background to the pieces as you walked through the various rooms. There is also an entire outdoor section to explore as well.
I am not a person who typically enjoys going to art museums, but this was absolutely an exception. The pieces are so impressive and many reminded me of my trips to Venice and Murano years ago with all of their amazing blown glass (some Chihuly pieces are actually in Venice so the connection isn’t surprising).
Space Needle
I didn’t feel that my first trip to Seattle would be complete without visiting the iconic Space Needle. At 605 ft tall, it is the tallest structure in the US west of the Mississippi and the 360-degree views from the top were stunning. It was a very similar experience to visiting Toronto’s CN Tower.
We had purchased tickets online in advance, but still had to wait in line along the spiral ramp that leads to the elevator. Once at the top, you can stay and enjoy the view for as long as you like before taking the elevator back down and exiting through the gift shop.
Lunch at Mecca Café
We tried to eat lunch at 5 Point Café, which I’d read a lot of good things about online, but the wait was too long when we got there (they don’t take reservations) and we were on a bit of a time crunch to eat, get our bags, and go to the airport. Mecca Café was about a 15-minute walk away, but was started by the same people who started 5 Point Café. These two restaurants are the longest run family run eateries in Seattle and also two of the oldest bars in the area. We were able to be seated immediately at Mecca and were able to eat the same food that we would have waited for at 5 Point in a fraction of the time. The food was great and I understand why this restaurant is so highly recommended.
After lunch we took a long walk back to our hotel to pick up our bags before Ubering to the airport. Our weekend in Seattle was extremely short but we were able to pack a lot of things in and didn’t leave feeling like we’d missed out on anything major. When we came back to Seattle earlier this month to board our Alaska cruise, we were able to revisit our favorite spots before heading to the boat terminal.
You may also like: