Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 1Seattle, a city in the northwest corner of mainland United States, is a seaport city well-known for being the headquarters of Boeing. The city didn’t leave me with particularly strong impressions, either positive or negative, during my two-week stay. However, it did offer a variety of attractions and experiences that were worth exploring.

Within Seattle, there are several must-see spots, and two full days should be enough to get an overview of the city.

Chinatown

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 5

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 9Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 13My first stop was Chinatown. While my visit was partly because I’m Chinese, the highly-rated Asian restaurants were the main attraction. Hong Kong Bistro quickly became one of our favorite Dim Sum restaurants, and we ordered from there multiple times. A+ Hong Kong Kitchen is another Cantonese restaurant that offers a more down-to-earth experience. The curry fish balls and the pineapple buns were particularly delicious. Chengdu Memory, a hotpot place, was the best I’ve ever had outside of China. My husband loved the service, but I was captivated by the taste.

Pike Place Market

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 17

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 21Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 25Pike Place Market is a famous fish market, but it also has various other shops. The street is lined with snack shops, seafood markets, fruit stands, and handmade goods. I left more than full, so be sure to save some space in your stomach before visiting. If you go down to the platform, you can enjoy a sea view and see the snow-capped mountains in the distance, which I bet are in Canada. The gum wall is right next to the market, but I couldn’t really appreciate this “art.”

Kerry Park

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 29Kerry Park is not just a small park, its natural hill and ideal distance from downtown make it the best place to enjoy the Seattle skyline. On a clear day, you can see the downtown skyscrapers with Mt. Rainier in the background. I timed my visit to capture the skyline during the blue hour.

Lake Washington

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 33Lake Washington is a large lake within the city. One weekend, my husband and I went biking along the path next to the lake. It was a long but awesome trip. Part of the route offers views of the city across the lake, and on the city side, there are many cute houses. Seeing those, I couldn’t help but imagine how wonderful it would be to own one!

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 37There are also many isolated landmarks and recommended places worth visiting. The Space Needle is a symbol of Seattle and features in many TV shows and movies. You can enjoy a meal while enjoying the city from above. The Spheres, part of Amazon’s headquarters, is an indoor garden also open to the public. Unfortunately, we arrived too late, so it was closed. Seattle is also home to Boeing, and the Museum of Flight offers an extensive exploration of aviation history. It’s a bit far from the city, which is why we didn’t visit, but it’s accessible via fast trains and buses.

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 41

I wouldn’t say I definitely love the city because we accidentally walked through a shady area that made me feel quite frightened. However, there are nice places to visit and good restaurants where you can find satisfaction for sure.

 

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 45

Seattle, a city in the northwest corner of mainland United States, is a seaport city well-known for being the headquarters of Boeing. The city didn’t leave me with particularly strong impressions, either positive or negative, during my two-week stay. However, it did offer a variety of attractions and experiences that were worth exploring.

Within Seattle, there are several must-see spots, and two full days should be enough to get an overview of the city.

Chinatown

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 49

My first stop was Chinatown. While my visit was partly because I’m Chinese, the highly-rated Asian restaurants were the main attraction. Hong Kong Bistro quickly became one of our favorite Dim Sum restaurants, and we ordered from there multiple times.

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 53

A+ Hong Kong Kitchen is another Cantonese restaurant that offers a more down-to-earth experience. The curry fish balls and the pineapple buns were particularly delicious.

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 57

Chengdu Memory, a hotpot place, was the best I’ve ever had outside of China. My husband loved the service, but I was captivated by the taste.

Pike Place Market

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 61

Pike Place Market is a famous fish market, but it also has various other shops. The street is lined with snack shops, seafood markets, fruit stands, and handmade goods. I left more than full, so be sure to save some space in your stomach before visiting. If you go down to the platform, you can enjoy a sea view and see the snow-capped mountains in the distance, which I bet are in Canada.

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 65

The gum wall is right next to the market, but I couldn’t really appreciate this “art.”

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 69

Kerry Park

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 73

Kerry Park is not just a small park, its natural hill and ideal distance from downtown make it the best place to enjoy the Seattle skyline. On a clear day, you can see the downtown skyscrapers with Mt. Rainier in the background. I timed my visit to capture the skyline during the blue hour.

Lake Washington

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 77

Lake Washington is a large lake within the city. One weekend, my husband and I went biking along the path next to the lake. It was a long but awesome trip. Part of the route offers views of the city across the lake, and on the city side, there are many cute houses. Seeing those, I couldn’t help but imagine how wonderful it would be to own one!

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 81

There are also many isolated landmarks and recommended places worth visiting. The Space Needle is a symbol of Seattle and features in many TV shows and movies. You can enjoy a meal while enjoying the city from above. The Spheres, part of Amazon’s headquarters, is an indoor garden also open to the public. Unfortunately, we arrived too late, so it was closed. Seattle is also home to Boeing, and the Museum of Flight offers an extensive exploration of aviation history. It’s a bit far from the city, which is why we didn’t visit, but it’s accessible via fast trains and buses.

Seattle’s Best: Parks, Markets, and Scenic Views 85

I wouldn’t say I definitely love the city because we accidentally walked through a shady area that made me feel quite frightened. However, there are nice places to visit and good restaurants where you can find satisfaction for sure.