Things To Do in Seattle

Seattle is one of America’s most exciting cities, not to mention one of its greenest cities. It’s known as the Emerald City as it’s surrounded by verdant forests. There are over 2,000 coffee shops in Seattle, including the first-ever Starbucks store.

The Seattle music scene led to the rise of grunge, a sound encapsulated by Nirvana. Seattle is also the birthplace of Jimi Hendricks. It has a vibrant music scene to this day. The nightlife is very lively. Seattle is very welcoming to gay travelers. It’s considered to be a great place to live and a great place to work. It’s a great tourist destination too.

 

Pike Place Market

 

Dating back to 1907, Pike Place Market is a great destination for foodies. You’ll find hundreds of traders selling a wide array of seasonal produce, including rare produce. You’ll smell freshly baked goods and find ample street food options. Close to the market you’ll also find the first-ever outlet of Starbucks.

Pike Place Market is popular with tourists and locals alike. It’s one of the USA’s oldest farmer’s markets and a mainstay of Seattle’s food scene.

 

Space Needle

 

The Space Needle is a phallic iconic and intrinsic part of Seattle. It was completed in 1962 as part of the World’s Fair. Very much a product of the space age, it has a SciFi quality. It was inspired by the Stuttgart Tower in Germany. You can take the elevator to the observation deck and enjoy a panoramic view of the city. You can also wine and dine at the restaurant. It’s touristy but it’s fun and worth the price of admission.

 

Seattle Art Museum

 

Seattle has a good arts scene. It’s long been popular with artists and musicians. The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) has over 25,000 artworks. The main sections include African art, American art, Islamic art and art from antiquity. It’s smaller than a lot of the giant museums you find in bigger cities. You can do justice to SAM in one trip. There are different exhibitions on throughout the year.

 

Seattle’s music scene

 

The Seattle sound of the late 80s and early 90s became so influential. The grunge scene was a pop culture phenomenon that fostered Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, Hole and many other bands. It was the alt rock sound that formed the soundtrack to Gen X. The scene might not have been as big as it seemed, but it was no less influential. The Seattle scene wasn’t exclusive to Seattle, either. Grunge extended far beyond the city, yet it remains strongly associated with Seattle to this day.

There are several music venues to visit in Seattle, The Showbox at The Market being one of the most influential. It opened in 1939 and it’s been a staple of the Seattle music scene ever since.

 

Explore Seattle’s gay scene

 

Seattle has excellent nightlife. There are several gay bars and gay clubs to explore. Madison Pub is a good place to start your gay night out in Seattle. It’s a laid back bar in the Capitol Hill area.

There aren’t many lesbian bars left in the USA. Seattle has one, however. Wildrose is also located in the Capitol Hill area and it’s a women-owned and managed. One of the quirkier Seattle gay bars is called Unicorn. It’s very colorful, more than a little camp and well worth a visit. Supposing you’d like to dance the night away, Pony is a good club to try.

 

Museum of Pop Culture

 

Founded by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder, the Museum of Pop Culture is a must for all fans of pop culture and SciFi. You’ll see Indiana Jones’ hat, Luke Skywalker’s hand, props from Buffy, A Nightmare on Elm Street and many more. The museum once showcased Prince’s jacket from Purple Rain. American pop culture has had greater global influence than any other cultural strand over the last century. This is a museum people who don’t like museums will like.

 

Along the Waterfront

 

The Seattle waterfront is quite touristy. The bars are a little more expensive. Having said that, you can enjoy a drink with excellent views and take a cruise around the bay from Pier 55. The famed Pike Place Market is close to the waterfront. The biggest appeal of the waterfront is the views you get of Elliot Bay and the surrounding mountains.