I’ve recently realized that I’ve taken for granted that I live in such close proximity to so many amazing cities and towns. My latest trip to Seattle is a true testament to that. Despite the city only being a short train ride and a 3.5-hour drive away, it’s still taken me over 4 years of living in the Pacific Northwest to visit. With a friend’s wedding to attend this month, I was finally forced (or, let’s say, strongly encouraged) to make my way up there and explore this beautiful city. 

Although our stay was short, my friend Kelsey and I still managed to pack in quite a bit during our 36-hour stay. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Seattle which made it very convenient to explore the city. Just the way I like it, our trip consisted of a good amount of sightseeing, coffee and good food. 

I don’t want to bore you with too much of a prologue, so I’ll go right into the details. Here are some highlights from our short, but extremely fun trip! 

Getting to Seattle from Portland by Train

Instead of driving to Portland, Kelsey and I opted to take the train. It made for a very pleasant trip there and back because all we had to do was chill and take in the views. We also didn’t have to worry about parking once we got there, which I here can be quite a headache. 

We rode the Cascades train there which took about 3.5-hours. On the way back, however, we chose to take the Starlight which takes about 4.5 hours. Despite the added time, it’s very well worth it because you can catch some amazing views along the way. Kelsey and I headed straight to the observation car as soon as we boarded the train, and were treated to a lovely sightseeing tour by a National Parks volunteer who shared historical facts with us about our surroundings. 

Pike Place Market

Although you can definitely expect this popular spot to be pretty crowded with tourists, it’s definitely worth a visit. Here you’ll find vendors selling everything from treats, arts and crafts, and produce. You can also head outside if you want to experience beautiful waterfront views. 

I mostly enjoyed walking by all the flower stands which were currently serving tons and tons of beautiful zinnias. I was pretty impressed at how affordable it was the buy a bouquet, and couldn’t resist traveling back to Portland without a gorgeous $10 bouquet of dried flowers. I had been eyeing a pretty similar one at Anthro that was priced around $50, so I think I got an amazing deal!

Volunteer Park Conservatory

Being the major plant lady that I am, I couldn’t miss out on a trip to the Volunteer Park Conservatory. This spot is about a 15-minute drive from downtown, but well worth the trek. For only $4, you can enjoy the conservatory’s beautiful collection of plants. The calethias and air plants here were far bigger than any I had ever seen before, and you can bet that the Southern California girl in me really loved strolling through their cactus collection. 

Volunteer Park itself is also quite beautiful. If you have time to walk through the grounds, you’ll notice a beautiful zinnia garden. And you can also catch a great view of downtown Seattle and the Space Needle if you circle the reservoir. 

Chihuly Museum and Gardens and Space Needle

I couldn’t leave Seattle without catching a glimpse of the famous Space Needle. While I didn’t feel inclined to go all the way up, it was still pretty cool to see this famous landmark in person. Plus, it was conveniently located next to the Chihuly Museum, which I did visit. 

I have to be honest: I had seen Chihuly art before while in Vegas and wasn’t quite sure if the museum was worth it. However, I’m glad I went because it was one of the most memorable parts of my trip. To start, viewing Chihuly’s beautiful work is much more enjoyable in a museum setting than in a busy Las Vegas hotel. Adding to that is the fact that at the museum you get a much more thorough scope of his work. I particularly loved visiting the glasshouse installation and learning more about his work in similar settings. 

Coffee and Places to Eat Around Seattle

Coffee and food are the focal points of most of my trips, but I surprisingly didn’t come to Seattle with set list of places I wanted to visit. It was actually kind of overwhelming to see how many food and coffee options were available as I was conducting my research. To avoid the stress of planning, I resorted to creating a list and checking what was available nearby whenever hunger or a craving struck. 

Thankfully, even without a gameplan in mind, we still managed to find some yummy food and coffee at these places. 

Dough Zone Dumpling House

Kelsey and I grabbed dim sum at Dough Zone after spending our first evening strolling around downtown Seattle and getting a sense of what was around. We were very surprised to find that there was a long waitlist when we arrived but took this as a good sign that the food must be worth the wait. Once we were seated, Kelsey and I got steamed buns to share, so it made for a very delicious, filling and affordable dinner. 

Elm Coffee Roasters

I wound up at Elm Coffee Roasters’ location on 9th and Thomas almost on accident. I ventured out for coffee early Saturday morning, only to find that the spot I was originally headed to was closed. I was afraid that I would have to do a lot more walking to find another coffee shop, but thankfully this spot was located inside a cool warehouse just across the street. 

This was a great place to enjoy coffee and read a book while I waited for Kelsey to text me that she was up and ready for a day of exploring. I liked that they had plenty of couches and tables around the warehouse to sit at and enjoy a morning cup of coffee. (In a way, it almost looked more like a West Elm showroom than a coffee shop.) And, of course, the coffee was scrumptious and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were serving pan dulce in their pastry display. 

Storyville Coffee

Storyville is hidden inside the second floor of a building right across the way from Pike Place Market. In addition to being in a convenient part of town, this coffee shop boasts delicious coffee. 

My friend Kelsey had their latte and was a huge fan. I, on the other hand, had an iced chai which was so smooth and cinnamony, and strongly reminded me of a Mexican horchata. To top it all off, one of their baristas was walking around with samples of freshly-baked cookies. Can you say yum? 

Aside from delicious cookies and drinks, this spot has plenty of seating space and large windows that allow you to get a view of what’s happening in Pike Place Market. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a place to enjoy the scenery away from the crowds. 

Anchorhead Coffee

We were very lucky to have this coffee shop with an impressive menu only about a block away from our hotel. In addition to your regular drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, they also offered plenty of specialty coffee and tea drinks. 

I decided to be adventurous and try their pistachio matcha latte. I had it iced and thought it was quite tasty, especially if you like the taste of pistachio milk. 

I also tried their “quaffle” which was described as a cinnamon roll, croissant and waffle mix. To be really honest, I’ve never been a fan of cinnamon rolls, so this probably was not the best choice for me to begin with. Thankfully, they have plenty of other yummy-looking pastry and food options to try if that’s not your thing either. 

Zeitgeist Coffee

This coffee shop had the perfect cozy vibes for a dreary rainy day and, since it was located only a block away from King Street Station, it was our last stop before heading back home. This is definitely a place to check out if you’re also in the mood for food. 

Since we stopped by early in the day, I decided to go for one of their breakfast sandwiches and it totally hit the spot! The egg omelet was so creamy and kept me satisfied for a large portion of the 5-hour train ride back to Portland. I’ll definitely stop by again if I’m ever in the area. 

As you can see, we managed to accomplish a lot during our trip to Seattle despite such a short stay. I’m glad I finally made my way up there and hope I can visit again in the near future to do even more exploring. I hope you enjoyed this Seattle travel guide and please let me know if you have any recommendations for my next visit down in the comments below.