Loose Lips’ latest Weekend Getaway post features Seattle through the eyes of an Australian couple making their way through the Americas
By Brendon and Zuzana
@travelmindedpeople
Before we went to Seattle, we had the idea that the city would be only Grunge music, the space needle, fish-eyed tourists at Pike Place market and, of course, Starbucks. But our experience checking out Seattle’s neighbourhoods outside the city centre exceeded our expectations.
SLEEP
AirBnb’s selection of Seattle accommodation did not disappoint us. For a couple’s getaway we picked a lovely floathouse just like in Sleepless in Seattle, and it exceeded our expectations. Beautiful sunset spot, centrally located and not far from our first discovered hip neighbourhood – Fremont.
EAT
The most interesting restaurants we found were in Capitol Hill, Ballard and Fremont. Capitol Hill offers plenty of hip restaurants like Dino’s Tomato Pie. This super chilled space claims that they offer the second-best pizza in Seattle.
Odd Fellows Cafe + Bar is a treat to interior design. This stylish venue offers daily happy hour with selected cocktails and starters and tasty brunch on weekends.
If you‘re after Asian food, our recommendation is The Green Leaf in Belltown, just outside the downtown. Traditional Vietnamese definitely worth a try is the Banh Xeo and Pho, a big healing meal after a big night out in Seattle.
For a little treat, stop at Blue Bird Ice Cream shop in Fremont and taste their delicious selection of homemade ice creams. Vegan coconut with choco-mint chips & chocolate pudding are a must.
TO DO
Capitol Hill offers amazing night life. We started at Linda’s, a cowboy-style tavern which thankfully hasn’t changed its interior since they first opened. If you feel like getting a little wild, head to Unicorn, with its carnival themed decorations and a drag queen show on stage, does not disappoint. Oh, and be sure to ask behind the bar for your own Unicorn helmet. Cha Cha Lounge is a true dive bar located in the basement of Bimbos Mexican restaurant. Mexican wresting memorabilia decorates the walls and there’s even a vending machine with sombreros.
We cannot forget to mention our favourite brewery, Fremont Brewing. Their regular beer list is large and has a great selection of seasonal beers with affordable pricing. The brewery has an open fire, free pretzels, and is dog and family friendly. There are loads of live music venues around town; one we checked out was The Tractor Tavern in Ballard. A good beer selection and great place to see bands, it feels just like a country barn right down to the hay stack at the back.
EXPLORE
Seattle is a great bike-friendly city with cycle lanes or paths through most of the city and neigbourhoods. A few good places to stop along the way were the University of Washington, Gas Works Park at the northern end of Lake Union for that iconic city view, the Chittenden Locks and Golden Gardens park in Ballard. A great little find is The Center for Wooden Boats in South Lake Union. They offer free public sailing every Sunday on Lake Union with a little history lesson from the volunteers.
Brendon and Zuzana are a couple from Australia who saved their pennies and quit their jobs to travel across the Americas. That’s when their travel project Travelminded People was born. After 3 months of exploring in Canada, they’re now searching for adventures in USA and planning to get all the way south to South America. All their experiences can be found at www.travelmindedpeople.com.
