How to do seattle right

Hippies, coffee, and mountains, oh my! I rushed to the Emerald City as fast as I could when I found a $187 roundtrip ticket on hotwire from Austin. The trick? Go during the off season. October doesn't exactly scream peak travel time to the pacific northwest, but it was AHMAZING! I happened to luck out and have miles of autumnal colors next to glassy waterfront and mountainous views, but still have sunshine and clear skies with temps in the low sixties while I was there. Perfection. 

I only had about 2.5 days to travel while my kiddos were with their dad, but I opted to take this trip solo so I could try to check off my bucket list in record speed. 

Tip #1: Hostels! I found a "hostel style" airbnb in Wallingford and stayed in my own lockable room with a comfy queen bed for about $45 a night...hostels range $35-55 in the city and hotels can be upwards of $350 a night!

Tip #2: Make a list. I researched top neighborhoods first and then researched the "must eat" "must drink" "must see" and "must do" in each one of those neighborhoods. I kep things categorized in a list on my phone and then I searched personal interest like the art scene, museums, and instagrammable parts of the city. 

Tip #3: Function over fashion. I'm typically a girl who loves to shop before a trip so I look adorable everywhere I am, but...Seattle doesn't give two shits about fashion. Its about comfort...walkability and wickability (taying dry). I brought a pair of good walking shoes, warm layers and a backpack to carry fruit and water in (although in Seattle you'll get your water intake from the gallon of coffee you drink every day).

My bucket list for Seattle included (and I did):

Capital Hill: 
Rainbow crosswalks
Molly Moon Ice cream
The Reef
Jimmy Hendrix Statue
Revival Vintage
General Porpoise Doughnuts
Pietini at Piebar
Nightlife is suggested here too, but I was solo so I opted out

Pikes Place Market:
Gum Wall off Post Ally
Chowda
Macaroons at La Panier
Great Ferris Wheel
Fish throwing at the docks
Beecher cheese

Fremont:
Center of the Universe Sign
Fremont Troll
Gasworks Park
Joule (restaurant)
Fremont Brewery
Whale Wins mural

Downtown:
Chihuly Glass Sculptures
Museum of Pop Art
Seattle Dog at Dog in the Park 
Amazon Spheres

Wallingford:
Beatles mural at Golden Oldies
Slave to the Needle mural
Yoroshiku sushi

Ballard:
Ballard Way for bars/nightlife...Matador, Kings, Hazlewood craft cocktails, Mcleods
Oysters at the Walrus & the Caroenter (get there by 4pm)
Rays Boathouse
Ballard Locks
Bike the trail to Golden Gardens Beach

I did it all, too! I used public transport like the link rail into town from the airport for $3 and either Uber or Lyft between naighborhoods, but mostly I walked and biked. Everything is accessible by foot or bike in that gorgeous city. I also befriended locals and was able to get a ride here and there as needed. 

Note: the Seattle freeze is real. With all the techies in town, the general culture tends to be a bit introverted. People were nice when spoken directly to, but its not common to be included into a conversation or for someone to initiate a conversation with you. I brought bluetooth headphones though and this helped with GPS while on foot, but also listenung to music as I traveled or enjoyed a microbrew at a bar solo in the sunshine!

Seattle, I'll see you again soon, but next time I plan on hiking, biking, and chasing waterfalls!