NEW YORK, NY.- If your exposure to Seattle is limited to postcards and reputation, then you know it for the Space Needle, Mount Rainier, coffee and rain. But today’s Seattle is ever evolving, filled with colorful neighborhoods beyond the museum-studded central districts. The University District, or U District, is home to more pioneering and enduring businesses than just about any other neighborhood. Laid-back West Seattle is the birthplace of the city, and Ballard, a live-music hub, is the historic heart of the region’s thriving commercial fishing industry. These three well-established — and occasionally underappreciated — neighborhoods, each with its own decades-old institutions, are emblematic of the Emerald City’s natural beauty, vibrant street life and commitment to both preservation and progress, and are well worth spending a weekend exploring.
ITINERARY
Friday
4 p.m. | Visit a maritime marvel
Start your weekend exploring the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or the Ballard Locks, a more-than-century-old engineering marvel, set amid the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden in the northwest Ballard neighborhood. Operated by the Army Corps of Engineers since 1917, the Ballard Locks separate the saltwater Puget Sound from the freshwater Lake Union and Lake Washington, while providing safe passage for an estimated 50,000 commercial and recreational boats each year. Witnessing the mechanics of adjusting water levels for vessels of all sizes in real time is awe-inspiring. The locks are crossable on foot; children and adults will get a kick out of watching the boat traffic, while an underwater fish ladder affords a close-up view of migratory salmon that swim upstream along its “steps” (free).
7 p.m. | Fill your bowl with chili
Soak up history at Mike’s Chili Parlor, whose story began in the 1920s when a Greek immigrant named Mike Semandiris started selling chili to maritime workers out of a cart on the ship canal. The Chili, as it’s known, soon moved to a brick building two blocks away, where it remains, having turned down buyout offers from developers in recent decades. Today’s Mike (Semandiris’ great-grandson) serves jalapeño-, cheese- and minced-onion-topped chili bowls ($7 for regular size, $19 for the “big-ass” version) alongside pours of Rainier beer ($6 pint, $15 pitcher; cash only, ATM on site, 21 and over). For a more updated dining experience, Secret Savory, a Thai bar and restaurant, and Rupee Bar, a Sri Lankan-focused eatery that won a James Beard Award for design, are two newer establishments that show off the modern-day breadth of Ballard’s culinary scene.
9 p.m. | Hear some fine music
It doesn’t matter who’s playing at the Tractor Tavern: The programming at this 400-capacity country-tinged music club on Ballard Avenue, adorned with tires, black-and-white photos and a longhorn skull, is so reliably stellar that a great night out is more or less a guarantee. The Tractor is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a yearlong series of 30 special shows, including Fred Eaglesmith (Oct. 5); tickets $15 to $32, 21 and over. If you’ve got energy left after the encore, wait out the ride-hailing rush over a Miller High Life ($5) at Hattie’s Hat, a 120-year-old dive bar and restaurant a few doors down from the Tractor, open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Saturday
9 a.m. | Read and drink
Grab an iced Americano ($3) and catch up on your reading at Bulldog News, whose slogan is “Where your neighborhood meets the world,” open on University Way, aka the Ave, since 1983. Today, this cafe and shop carries hundreds of magazine titles and does brisk business slinging coffee drinks while also functioning as a community cultural hub. (You can also check out Seattle’s oldest espresso bar, Cafe Allegro, open since 1975, right around the corner.) Then stroll up the road to the University District Neighborhood Farmers Market, which attracts thousands of visitors every Saturday to its 90 or so stands. Toe the line between breakfast and lunch with a serving of misir wat, a red lentil stew with injera flatbread ($13), at Geni’s Ethiopian.
11 a.m. | Ride an electric boat
Rent an enviro-friendly watercraft from the Electric Boat Co. to take out on Lake Union, a relatively short drive away from the U District. The boats have a mellow cruising speed of 7 mph and are easy to captain on this distinctly urban lake, which offers views of the Seattle skyline, the Space Needle, Gas Works Park and St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. If you spot a seaplane that looks as if it’s about to land on the roof of a boat, rest assured that its adroit pilot is aiming to hit a patch of vacant water. Boat drivers must be at least 25 and watch a short safety video. Prices start at $238 for a two-hour rental for up to six passengers, with options for up to 12.
1:30 p.m. | Try a local institution
Back on the Ave, Thai Tom is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 30-year-old institution that attracts regulars from all over the metropolitan area. Named for its founder, Tom Suanpirintra, who died in 2021, Thai Tom emits an air of controlled chaos. There are several burners ablaze at all times, as the hardworking chef fires up dishes like spicy broccoli, panang curry and pad thai. Despite somewhat cramped surroundings, it always feels as if you’re in on a delicious secret when visiting Thai Tom, even if it’s one of the worst-kept secrets in town (entrees, $13.75; spring rolls, $8.50; cash only).
2:30 p.m. | Drop in on dinosaurs
While the massive model dinosaurs at the University of Washington’s recently rebuilt Burke Museum are likeliest to catch children’s eyes, visitors to this repository of natural and historical artifacts are able to watch its employees work. You might see, for example, a paleontologist dusting the dirt off a fossil before it goes on display (adults, $22; kids, $14). Toward the southern end of campus is the Henry Art Gallery, long known for hosting some of the region’s more compelling contemporary art installations. See “Lucy Kim: Mutant Optics,” an installation in which the artist uses the bacteria cells that produce melanin to create printed images of vanilla plants, in a commentary on the global vanilla spice trade (through Feb. 2, 2025). Admission is free, though donations are suggested.
5 p.m. | Shop for gargoyles
Seattleites have long had an appetite for Birkenstocks, and no store is as reliably stocked with these sandals as the Woolly Mammoth, on the Ave, where the focus on footwear and customer service has kept people coming back since 1970. A few blocks up the street is Red Light Vintage, with a large selection of cheeky trucker hats, throwback concert tees, flannels and cowboy boots. One of Red Light’s closest neighbors, Gargoyles Statuary, is a dark, cozy store that embodies the Ave’s funky spirit with spooky wares including gothic art, pagan knickknacks and sculptures of various sizes.
6 p.m. | See panoramic views
Ascend the Graduate Seattle, a 93-year-old art deco hotel tower in the U District, to reach the Mountaineering Club, a restaurant and bar with rooftop seating and 360-degree views of the downtown skyline and its natural surroundings. (Its name is inspired by the Mountaineers, a turn-of-the-20th-century outdoors organization founded in Seattle.) Its cocktails, such as a Spokane 75, tinged with lemon, pomegranate and orange blossom ($17), may make drinkers feel as if they are committed tipplers roughing it in the woodlands (21 and over after 6 p.m.). For dinner, venture one neighborhood over to Wallingford to visit Atoma, a high-end restaurant inside a bungalow-style home with a buoyant, casual vibe and ingredients fetched from the U District farmers’ market. The rosette cookie ($7), a savory fritter filled with cheese, is a must-order to start.
8:30 p.m. | Catch a movie
Opened in 1970 in a converted dentist’s office, Grand Illusion, in the U District, was Seattle’s first celluloid art house and stands today as the city’s oldest continuously running independent movie theater. It features a calendar of films (tickets, $11) that is fabulously eclectic, appealing to fans of documentaries, anime, indie dramas and underappreciated classics. For those seeking a less sedentary way to top off their Saturday, an even older movie theater a few blocks away, the Neptune, has been transformed into a live music and performance space (tickets typically $25 to $45) that hosts a mix of national touring acts. You can still order popcorn, though.
Sunday
9 a.m. | Meet a giant troll
Sundays often scream “day trip,” and Seattle is fortunate enough, within its city limits, to have an easily accessible peninsula that feels hours away even though it’s only a short drive (or water taxi trip) from downtown. West Seattle is blessed with a sandy shore at Alki Beach Park, a laid-back vibe and the majestic Lincoln Park, a sprawling, wooded public area overlooking Puget Sound that offers something for everyone — forest trails, ball fields, playgrounds, picnic shelters near a rocky beach and a giant troll named Bruun Idun, who arrived in 2023. The wooden sculpture of Bruun Idun, near the public saltwater Colman Pool, is one of five trolls in the greater Seattle area designed by Danish artist Thomas Dambo to celebrate both Scandinavian and Native American traditions.
10 a.m. | Buy records at a diner
Don’t be surprised if you catch Eddie Vedder, the lead singer of Pearl Jam and a West Seattleite, sifting through an ample collection of LPs at Easy Street Records, a record shop and affordable diner, operating since 1988 in the Alaska Junction, West Seattle’s central commercial district. Once you’ve found your treasures, order the Horton Heat Hash (corned beef, bacon, onions, peppers, hash browns, eggs, toast, $15) or the Dolly Parton Stack (two pancakes, two strips of bacon, two eggs, $12). For diners who prefer chicken shawarma ($14) to chicken-fried steak, Falafel Salam has graduated from West Seattle’s farmers’ market to a brick-and-mortar space on California Avenue (opens at 11 a.m.).
Noon | Grasp Seattle’s roots
As you make your way through West Seattle, look for Desmond Hansen’s painted traffic signal boxes, which feature portraits of noteworthy Seattleites including martial-arts star Bruce Lee and musicians Ray Charles, Chris Cornell, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, and Jimi Hendrix. Learn the story of some of Seattle’s original inhabitants, the Duwamish Tribe, who signed a treaty in 1855 granting the U.S. government 54,000 acres in exchange for health care, education, fishing rights and land. That treaty has never been properly honored, but the tribe has persevered, opening up the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center, a cedar structure near the Duwamish River, in which visitors can learn about the tribe’s history and ways to support its efforts today (free admission).
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KEY STOPS
Mike’s Chili Parlor is a century-old dive bar near Ballard’s shipping canal that serves meaty chili and Rainier beer in the shadow of gentrification.
Tractor Tavern, the center of Seattle’s Americana music scene, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in Ballard this year.
The Electric Boat Co., an eco-friendly boat rental service, allows visitors to slowly dodge the seaplanes landing on Lake Union, where views of the downtown skyline and Space Needle abound.
Lincoln Park, a big wooded public area on the Puget Sound shore of West Seattle, has something for everyone, including a giant wooden troll named Bruun Idun.
WHERE TO EAT
Hattie’s Hat is a 120-year-old Ballard Avenue restaurant and bar that’s perfect for a nightcap after the final tune at the Tractor Tavern.
Cafe Allegro, in a U District alley, is Seattle’s oldest espresso bar.
Thai Tom is a University Way institution that draws lovers of Asian cuisine from all over the metropolitan area.
The Mountaineering Club is a rooftop hotel bar and restaurant in the U District that offers 360-degree views of nearby mountain ranges, lakes and the downtown skyline.
Atoma, a high-end restaurant in a Wallingford bungalow, specializes in shareable plates and offers a terrific cheese-filled cookie.
WHERE TO STAY
Ballard Inn, a 102-year-old boutique hotel on Ballard Avenue, affords guests access to the Olympic Athletic Club’s basketball court, workout equipment and saunas, across the street, and is close to lots of restaurants and shops. Rooms run from $138 for a twin bed with a shared bathroom, and from $249 for a king bed with an en suite.
Graduate Seattle, home to the Mountaineering Club and its 360-degree rooftop view of the city, lakes and mountains, is a Hilton property in the heart of the U District that features a hip, spacious lobby. Rooms start at around $275.
The Grove, a motel-like lodging dating to 1962, reopened under new ownership in 2011 and has been spiffed up considerably. It is within walking distance of Easy Street Records and the vibrant Alaska Junction commercial core of West Seattle. Perks are available for nearby restaurants and recreational experiences. Rooms start at around $144.
For short-term rentals, there are lots of options in or near Ballard, the U District and West Seattle. Inventory can be sparse in summer and fall.
This article originally appeared in
The New York Times.
