Illustrative view across Elliott Bay with a ferry, container cranes, Seattle’s downtown skyline, wooded hills, and distant Mount Rainier.

Neighborhood guide

Seattle

City-wide

Washington’s largest city, with Pike Place Market, downtown sports and concert venues, and light rail now running across the I-90 floating bridge.

Editorial illustration of Seattle’s skyline and working waterfront

At a glance

Pike Place Market, a ballpark and a stadium, candlelight concerts downtown, and a light rail ride worth taking just for the view.

Pike Place Market's waterfront and the Seattle Great Wheel at dusk.
Pike Place Market at dusk.

Dining

Pike Place, any day of the week

Pike Place Market has been open since 1907, and I still go down whenever I want fresh flowers, produce, or just to wander. Every vendor keeps their own hours, so I never plan a trip around a single stall; part of the fun is seeing what is open and what looks good that day.

It is one of the few places in the city where I can spend two hours without meaning to.

The Mariners celebrating on the field at T-Mobile Park beneath the team's 2025 AL West Champions banner.
A Mariners game at T-Mobile Park.

Sports

A ballgame at T-Mobile Park

I love catching a Mariners or Seahawks game when I can; there is nothing quite like the energy of a stadium crowd in this city.

The gilded dome, chandelier and stained glass ceiling of the Arctic Club Hotel’s Dome Room in Seattle, with musicians performing among rows of lit candles.
A candlelight concert under the Arctic Club’s dome

Recreation

A show and a ride worth taking for the view

I also make time for the Seattle Art Museum downtown, and for talks and performances at Town Hall, though I always mean to go more often than I do.

Fever’s Candlelight series at the Arctic Club Hotel turns the hotel’s historic dome room into one of the most beautiful concert settings I have been to. And now that the 2 Line runs across the I-90 floating bridge, I like taking it just for the ride; crossing the lake by train, with that view out over the water, is worth doing at least once even if you are in no hurry to get anywhere.

History

Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, and Magnolia

Seattle is also home to a handful of historic neighborhoods, each with its own sense of community, culture, and history. Capitol Hill is vibrant and culturally diverse, with always something going on, and Magnolia is another one of my favorites to point people toward.

Queen Anne is full of stately Victorian homes and gorgeous views, and its residents tend to be loyal to their own little cluster along Queen Anne Avenue, the local restaurant, the local bar, the shop on the corner. I have always loved How to Cook a Wolf there, one of several Queen Anne restaurants from chef Ethan Stowell, whose other spots include Tavolata, Ballard Pizza Company, Cortina, Rione XIII, Red Cow, and Staple and Fancy.

Considering Seattle?

Tell Kim what is drawing you to Seattle and what you need from your next move.

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