TOP 5 Seattle

Where can you see flying fish in the morning, spend an afternoon on a ferryboat cruising Puget Sound and spend the evening skiing or snowboarding in the beautiful Cascade Mountains? The answer is Seattle, affectionately known as The Emerald City and home to the Super Bowl Champions, Seattle Seahawks! Seattle is famous for a lot of things such as, coffee, rain, deep green forests, clouds, breathtaking mountains, and Puget Sound, our inland sea. However, did you know my wonderful city is also home to famous hip-hop and Grammy award winning artist, McLemore, world renowned coffee company Starbucks, Microsoft’s Founder Bill Gates, grunge music (i.e. Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Sound Garden), and legendary guitar player Jimmy Hendrix?

Many get the impression that it’s always raining in Seattle. Ok, I admit, it does tend to rain here a lot during the winter months. However, once summer comes, it’s as if the skies majestically clear and the rain packs up and leaves for three months. And, while the rest of the nation and the world bakes in hot, sweltering heat, Seattle usually maintains a mild and even temperature throughout the summer, rarely exceeding 30° C.

Although, you can find lists of top attractions to see in Seattle determined by TripAdvisor or some travel article written by someone from out of town, I am here to give you a local’s take on Seattle and its must-see attractions.

So, here it is, my top five list of sites to see and things to do in Seattle!

1.     Checking in at number one is our city’s most famous landmark, The Space Needle. The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and is a great place to start your journey! The views on a clear day are incredible! To your east you will see the beautiful Cascade Mountains, one of two mountain ranges in the state. To the west are the beautiful Olympic Mountains. On the southern horizon you will spot the state’s most famous landmark and mountain, Mt. Rainier. Rainier is one of several active volcanoes in the state of Washington. Off to the north is yet another active volcano, Mt. Baker, which sits right near the Canadian border. The list of incredible sights to see from the Space Needle can fill up several pages! 

2.     As you leave The Space Needle be sure to visit the incredible Chihuly Garden and Glass. Put together by local Northwest and world famous glass artist Dale Chihuly this is no ordinary garden. 

 Here you can find life size trees made of glass, stunning glass sculptures of all types of different colors, and anything else the imagination could dream up! A must see!! If you go to The Space Needle, be sure to buy a combined ticket.

3.     Pike Place Public Market, a unique public market located in the heart of Seattle is a place you could get lost in for hours! On the top floor is a fully working farmer’s market where you can buy fresh from the field produce and explore all the wonderful restaurants and cafes that populate the market. One of my utmost favorite cafes is a Russian bakery called “piroshky, piroshky”. Be sure to try the beef and cheese piroshky! And, of course no visit to the market would be complete without witnessing the infamous “flying fish” at Pike Place Fish Market. There the fishmongers create an entire show around you picking out your fish and then throwing it back to the person who wraps it for you.

4.     Right below Pike Place Market is located the Seattle Waterfront. On a warm summers day there is no better place to be in the city than the waterfront! Here you can soak up the beauty of Elliot Bay and are treated to incredible views of the Olympic Mountains. But the waterfront is not just for walking, there are some great restaurants, attractions and wonderful shops located all along the waterfront making it a great experience for everyone! Probably my utmost favorite attraction on the waterfront is, The Great Wheel, which stands at a whopping 53.3 meters making it the tallest Ferris wheel on the west coast. For $13, you receive a 10-15 minute ride (depending upon crowds) complete with three revolutions.

One of THE very best and most inexpensive cruises in Seattle is a trip aboard the Washington State Ferries, where for a mere $8 per person you can enjoy breathtaking scenery of mountains, wildlife, orca whales, and so much more! Our state ferry system is the biggest in the United States and is ranked 3^rd in the world in terms of fleet size. From downtown Seattle you can take either the Bainbridge Island ferry, which takes approximately 35 minutes or the Bremerton ferry, which is a one-hour crossing. Both ferry runs will take your breath away in terms of beauty!

From Moscow there are numerous ways you can reach The Emerald City. Your first option is to fly Aeroflot to LA and then take either hometown airline, Alaska or Virgin America up the coast. Another option is through Frankfurt, where Lufthansa has daily non-stop departures to Seattle. So, what are you waiting for, book your trip and come to Seattle today!!