I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I travelled to Seattle on a work trip. It wasn’t a city that had ever been on my bucket list, so I didn’t know much about it other than its famous Space Needle.
I was there for four nights with work, but only really had 24 hours to actually explore the city and enjoy it outside of the conference I was attending.
While Seattle wasn’t my favourite city in the world, I loved the food and bar scene there!!
So, ready to find out how to enjoy 24 hours in Seattle?! Let’s go!
Arrive in Seattle and Check-in at Palihotel Seattle
I stayed at the Sheraton Grand Seattle as it was one of the hotels that was pre-approved by Amazon (my employer at the time). It was fine and a good location, but quite tired and desperately in need of a facelift.
If I stayed in Seattle again, I’d 100% stay at the Palihotel. I went there for breakfast one morning and it was sooo beautiful!! The location is also amazing as it’s right by the famous Pike Place Market.
Dinner at Market Diner
After checking-in to the hotel, head for a relaxed dinner at Market Diner inside the Pike Place Market. Some colleagues and I went here on our first night, and it was actually so great.
It’s a classic American diner – the food was solidly reliable and they did a brilliant Arnold Palmer!
Drinks at The Charlotte
After dinner walk up to The Charlotte, which is a swanky bar on the top floor of the Lotte Hotel Seattle. We loved the cocktails here and the relaxed vibes.
The bar is super trendy and beautifully designed, with sweeping views over the city.
Day 1
Rise and shine, it’s time to take on Seattle in just one day!
Breakfast at Hart and The Hunter
Fuel up with breakfast at Hart and The Hunter, the restaurant inside Palihotel Seattle.
Trust me, you don’t want to miss this spot. I had the best french toast I’ve ever eaten.
It was unbelievable, the outside was perfectly cooked and the inside was soft and fluffy and just beautiful. It was sooo tasty!
The Original Starbucks
After breakfast walk around the corner to the very first Starbucks! I’m not a coffee gal at all, but even I got a lil excited to see the OG Starbucks cafe.
If you do like coffee, make sure you get one here.
Pike Place Market
After visiting the OG Starbucks, walk across the street to the Pike Place Market.
Weep at the fact you can’t take any of the beautiful fresh fish home, then remind yourself it’s full of microplastics anyway, so probably best to avoid.
Visit the craft shops, specialty food shops, and cute lil farmers market stalls.
Pioneer Square
Next up, walk 15-minutes to Pioneer Square, the city’s original downtown.
It’s super cute with beautifully preserved 19th-century Romanesque Revival architecture, offering a glimpse into Seattle’s past.
Wander through its tree-lined streets adorned with vintage street lamps, and you’ll discover a vibrant arts scene, with numerous galleries and cafes.
Amazon’s Seattle Spheres (Biomes)
Now, you can either walk 30-mins or get an Uber to to Amazon’s Seattle Spheres.
I was very fortunate that because I worked for Amazon I could go at any time and day and use my work pass to gain access, but members of the public can visit 10 a.m.–6 p.m. PST on the first and third Saturday of each month. It’s a working Amazon office which is why it isn’t open to the public on weekdays.
So plan your trip to Seattle accordingly and book a visit in advance if you want to do these!
And I promise they’re worth visiting!! I was absolutely blown away by them.
The Spheres are an Urban Arboretum with many of the plants coming from Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and South America.
I walked inside and you could instantly take a deep breath and feel clean, clear, fresh air. The arboretum is sooo beautiful and you honestly feel as though you’re in a different world.
Lunch at Bacco Cafe
After visiting the Spheres, walk to Bacco Cafe for lunch. I really enjoyed this place, it’s reasonably priced with delicious food.
Just make sure you save space for dessert because you’re gonna walk over to Top Pot Donut next!
Top Pot Donut
Top Pot Donuts are famous in Seattle, so naturally I had to try one.
They have heaps of different flavours and although I just went for a basic original donut, it was sooo good!
Top Pot have a bunch of different locations across Seattle, but I went to the one on 5th Ave as it’s enroute to the Space Needle area.
Chihuly Garden & Glass
Before heading up the Space Needle, stop by Chihuly Garden & Glass, which is located right by the Space Needle!
I sadly didn’t have time to go inside because their closing time when I was in Seattle was 5pm and I got there at 4:30pm, and I was so disappointed! I’d seen the Chihuly glass exhibition at Kew Gardens in London back in 2019, and was SO impressed by the beautiful glass sculptures.
If I go back to Seattle, I’m 100% going to Chihuly.
Space Needle at Sunset
You cannot visit Seattle without visiting the famous Space Needle observation tower, which has been designated as a Seattle landmark.
The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, with a restaurant and observation deck at the top.
It’s honestly such a cool building, it looks super futuristic and actually reminded me of something you’d see at Walt Disney World!
We were super lucky that Amazon actually hired out the entire Space Needle area for the Amazon Accelerate conference closing party.
It was sooo much fun getting to roam around the area for hours and go up the Space Needle whenever we wanted.
I 100% recommend going up for sunset, it was just absolutely stunning and the views over the city as the sun was setting were just magical.
You can also explore the park around the Space Needle, which is really pretty with lots of trees and a big fountain, and the Museum of Pop Culture.
Dinner at The Pink Door
After the Space Needle, head to The Pink Door for dinner. It’s on the laneway just behind the Palihotel so super close to the hotel.
The restaurant is SO cool and was one of my favourite places in Seattle.
They have live music, really amazing food (try the lasagne!), and delicious cocktails! You really can’t go wrong. I adored the different rooms and the whole design and vibe of the place was immaculate.
Just make sure you book in advance as it gets booked up quickly!
My Honest View on Seattle
I’m glad I went to Seattle and I enjoyed experiencing the food, but there isn’t a huuuge amount to do there so I think 1-2 days is a perfect amount of time for a visit.
I also didn’t feel overly safe in Seattle. Even when I was out with male colleagues, I still never felt safe. There is a huge unhoused community, and unfortunately the vast majority have addiction issues.
My boss saw one of them on the sidewalk, injecting drugs into their eye in the middle of the day. At one point I walked through a corridor of unhoused people, all screaming and shouting and clearly having difficulties with addiction and mental health.
It was really sad and difficult to see, and it’s a shame the local government aren’t able to help these people gain access to addiction support, mental health support and shelter.
I try and do 1-2 solo trips a year so you’ll see a lot of solo guides on my blog, but personally I wouldn’t visit or recommend Seattle for a solo trip based on the above experiences. If you’re going to visit, definitely make sure you visit with someone.
And if you’re travelling to Seattle, why not turn it into an adventure and visit the Rocky Mountain States while you’re over that way!?
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