{"id":616,"date":"2016-08-27T04:34:37","date_gmt":"2016-08-27T04:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/8-reasons-seattle-is-one-of-americas-coolest-cities\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:21:40","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:21:40","slug":"seattle-24-hour-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"8 reasons Seattle is one of America’s coolest cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to American cities, the Seattle<\/a> skyline is almost as famous as the Big Apple. From Sleepless to Seattle and Greys Anatomy, its mix of skyscrapers, Space Needle and snowcapped mountains have formed the backdrop for plenty of movies and TV shows.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019re on the ground in Seattle, it\u2019s easy to understand why the film crews come rolling in all the time. A three hour flight from Los Angeles, and you\u2019re touching down in a city that\u2019s surrounded by water and at the footsteps of National Parks and Forests. Expedia’s Aussie travellers usually spend 2-3 nights in the city. Aside from the movie sets, Seattle is also home to big business \u2013\u00a0companies like Microsoft and Boeing have offices scattered around town. A trip out to the cavernous Boeing Factory is a neck-craning insight into how commercial aircraft are manufactured for airlines around the world.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re on a business trip, just passing through or here for an extended stay, here\u2019s our guide on how to spend 24 hours (not sleepless) in Seattle.<\/p>\n

Watch the salmon soar<\/h2>\n

Whether it\u2019s food, wine, coffee, culture, architecture or all of the above, Seattle is a city where there\u2019s a little bit of everything for everyone. Old meets new, with some of the city\u2019s most famous landmarks sitting side by side with budding businesses. Start your day early down at the Pike Place Market. Looking out over Elliott Bay, the markets began life as a group of wagons back in 1907. These days, the arcades are home to around 500 stalls selling everything from fresh fruit to smoked hazelnuts. Meander through marvelously fragrant flower arcade towards Pike Place Fish Co, where you\u2019ll catch a glimpse of fins flashing in the air as the fishmongers throw salmon across the stalls. Doughnut Company\u2019s bite sized daily dozen come piping hot from the deep frier and are a great breakfast treat.<\/p>\n

The Original Starbucks<\/h2>\n

When you’re finished at the markets don’t forget to wander back along Pike Place, which runs parallel to the market \u2013\u00a0you\u2019ll pass fromageries making fresh cheese in the windows and bolt hole bakeries selling gigantic gluten free cinnamon scrolls. Number 1912 Pike Place is perhaps the most famous resident. Home to the world\u2019s first Starbucks, you’ll find people lining up out the door from the early hours for the chance to see the brand\u2019s original logo and to pick up a coffee in a limited edition Pike Place cup. A stop here is a right of passage for many dedicated Americans.
\n<\/p>\n

Culture Vultures<\/h2>\n

After a caffeine hit, head over to the Seattle Centre. The site of the 1962 World Fair, this is the tourist triumvirate \u2013\u00a0the Space Needle, EMP Museum and Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum are all within walking distance of each other. Look up, and up and up, at the Space Needle, which actually inspired the Jetsons, not the other way around, before heading over to EMP. You won\u2019t miss the Experience Music and Performance Museum \u2013 its rippling multicoloured fa\u00e7ade is made up of 21,000 aluminum and stainless steel sheets and was designed by Frank O. Gehry to mimic the energy of music. Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen is behind the museum\u2019s concept \u2013\u00a0a homage to all things pop culture. You\u2019ll find guitars strummed by legends like Kurt Cobain in the Guitar Gallery, Luke Skywalker\u2019s light saber and Back to the Future hover boards in the Sci-Fi Hall of Fame and rooms full of kitsch at the Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty.<\/p>\n

A very different type of art form is on display over at the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. The work of Washington State\u2019s world famous glass artist Dale Chihuly is showcased in all its glory at this intimate space. Giant glass globes seem to float in space in darkened rooms and giant draping flowers soar above you in a glass atrium \u2013\u00a0this space is as spectacular as it sounds. Do not skip it. The Seattle City Pass<\/a> gives you access to most of these great attractions and you’ll skip the ticket queues.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Boeing and Beautiful<\/h2>\n

As soon as you say Seattle, aviation fans will say \u201cBoeing\u201d. The famous Boeing Factory dates back to the 1960s but Boeing was formed by William Boeing back in the early 1900s. The Museum of Flight<\/a>\u00a0is a giant time capsule of all things flight \u2013 from test space shuttles and twin engines to World War battle craft and space age drones. Spend a few hours perusing the machines indoors before heading outside to see a Concord and the old Air Force One. The Boeing Factory tour<\/a> over in Everett is a must do for any avid aviation lovers \u2013\u00a0the building is so big clouds form at its ceiling.<\/p>\n

Cult Breakfasts<\/h2>\n

Seattle\u2019s fresh supply of fruit and vegetables has encouraged a foodie culture centred around locally sourced, fresh ingredients. Portage Bay Caf\u00e9\u2019s organic breakfasts have a cult following \u2013\u00a0the towering French toast doesn\u2019t look too healthy but rest assured, the motto here is \u201cEat Like You Give a Damn\u201d. And when you pile them even higher with berries from the self-serve berry bar, the hot fudge sauce gets cancelled out. Right? Vegan pancakes are a slightly more sedate affair if you\u2019re feeling virtuous. There are now four Portage Bay caf\u00e9 locations scattered around the city \u2013 but still be prepared to queue on weekends!<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Slice it up<\/h2>\n

For a late night feast, join the line outside Rocco\u2019s Pizza \u2013 the downtown pizzeria is squeezed into a converted terrace on trendy Second Avenue and is always pumping. Don\u2019t be fooled, this is no quick and easy carb fest. The pizzas at Rocco\u2019s have a reputation \u2013\u00a0big and beautiful, they\u2019re served deep dish style and are made using sauces, dough, ricotta and sausage that\u2019s made on site, from scratch. Local family farms and artisan providores stock the pantry at this trendy eatery, where the wood fire oven is never empty. Settle into a booth at the back and bring your appetite \u2013 these pizzas are bigger than big. You can order by the slice, but it\u2019s more fun to order half and half so you can try meat meat and more meat with the Three Little Piggies and the famous Stacey & Tina\u2019s Night Out, which adds a little something extra with banana peppers and an olive oil base.
\n<\/p>\n

Sleep with the stars<\/h2>\n

Catering to a plethora of business travellers, Seattle has plenty of mainstream hotels \u2013\u00a0Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Fairmont, they\u2019re all there. But, there\u2019s also a growing group of boutique, bespoke hotels where the focus is on quirky details. Take for instance the Palladian<\/a>. This 97 room Kimpton Hotel sits just on the edge of the historic downtown district and pays homage to famous Seattleites in an unusual way. Look closely at the dark and moody lobby\u2019s artworks \u2013\u00a0the old world portraits lining the walls have very modern subjects. Jimi Hendrix, Bill Gates and Kelsey Grammer have been immortalized on the walls. Then there\u2019s the bed cushions. You\u2019ll \u201cwake up\u201d next to heartthrobs like Leonardo DiCaprio and David Bowie \u2013\u00a0just for a bit of fun. You\u2019ll get to taste the other local exports during the complimentary whiskey and wine hour in the lobby.<\/p>\n

Get creative<\/h2>\n

At Hotel Max<\/a>, it\u2019s all about craft beer, with free local craft brews available for you to try during craft beer hour. The hotel\u2019s music-themed lobby bar pays homage to Sub Pop, the seminal 80s record label that\u2019s still going strong today. The Sub Pop and Hotel Max partnership continues through to an entire floor of the hotel, whose room shave their own record players and bespoke vinyl collection for guests to play during a night in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gardens of glass, the World’s first Starbucks… find out 8 reasons why Seattle is one of the USA’s coolest cities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2,3,39,14,20],"tags":[228,40,395],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-destination","category-experiences","category-explore","category-food-and-wine","category-interests","category-usa","tag-america","tag-foodie","tag-seattle","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n8 reasons Seattle is one of America's coolest cities - Expedia AU Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gardens of glass, the World's first Starbucks... find out 8 reasons why Seattle is one of the USA's coolest cities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"8 reasons Seattle is one of America's coolest cities - Expedia AU Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gardens of glass, the World's first Starbucks... find out 8 reasons why Seattle is one of the USA's coolest cities.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Expedia AU Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-27T04:34:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-08T23:21:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/images.trvl-media.com\/media\/content\/expaus\/images\/blog-img\/8_2016\/11955_97_HT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/\",\"name\":\"8 reasons Seattle is one of America's coolest cities - Expedia AU Stories\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-27T04:34:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-08T23:21:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/7c3ff1d241163ecf78de48671f1787ce\"},\"description\":\"Gardens of glass, the World's first Starbucks... find out 8 reasons why Seattle is one of the USA's coolest cities.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Explore\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Experiences\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/experiences\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Explore\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/experiences\/explore\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"8 reasons Seattle is one of America’s coolest cities\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/\",\"name\":\"Expedia AU Stories\",\"description\":\"Just another WordPress site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/7c3ff1d241163ecf78de48671f1787ce\",\"name\":\"Jamie McNeely\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jamie McNeely\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"8 reasons Seattle is one of America's coolest cities - Expedia AU Stories","description":"Gardens of glass, the World's first Starbucks... find out 8 reasons why Seattle is one of the USA's coolest cities.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"8 reasons Seattle is one of America's coolest cities - Expedia AU Stories","og_description":"Gardens of glass, the World's first Starbucks... find out 8 reasons why Seattle is one of the USA's coolest cities.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/","og_site_name":"Expedia AU Stories","article_published_time":"2016-08-27T04:34:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-08T23:21:40+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/images.trvl-media.com\/media\/content\/expaus\/images\/blog-img\/8_2016\/11955_97_HT"}],"author":"Jamie McNeely","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jamie McNeely","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/","name":"8 reasons Seattle is one of America's coolest cities - Expedia AU Stories","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-08-27T04:34:37+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-08T23:21:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/7c3ff1d241163ecf78de48671f1787ce"},"description":"Gardens of glass, the World's first Starbucks... find out 8 reasons why Seattle is one of the USA's coolest cities.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/seattle-24-hour-guide\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Explore","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Experiences","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/experiences\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Explore","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/experiences\/explore\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"8 reasons Seattle is one of America’s coolest cities"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/","name":"Expedia AU Stories","description":"Just another WordPress site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/7c3ff1d241163ecf78de48671f1787ce","name":"Jamie McNeely","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jamie McNeely"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1723,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions\/1723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}