Things To Do
Walkable Neighborhoods/Restaurants
There are a lot of great walkable neighborhoods with delicious restaurants in Seattle. In Columbia City, we recommend Tutta Bella (neapolitan pizza), Marination (Hawaiian), Lottie's (drinks) Jackalope (Tex Mex) or Geraldine's (brunch- get there early for a table). Get ice cream at Molly Moon's. In Seward Park, Aslan Brewery and Both Ways Cafe are favorites of many. Third Place Books is an independent bookstore, and Cafe Vita offers a great cup of coffee. In addition to Alki Beach, West Seattle also has a number of restaurants and coffee places near the Alaska St /California Ave Junction. Capitol Hill is a fun neighborhood/gayborhood to explore as well. It will be very busy due to Pride festivities during our wedding weekend. There are tons of great restaurants, bars, and the famous Elliot Bay Bookstore. Pike Place Market and the Seattle Waterfront/Aquarium are also a lot of fun. They may be a little too crazy with FIFA fans. It's hard to predict in advance.
Alki Beach
Alki Beach is in West Seattle, not far from the wedding venue. It is a long strip of beach/boardwalk, and a great place to walk, run, or rent a bike or electric scooter. There are plenty of restaurants and coffee shops...our favorite is Marination Mai Kai, where you may also rent kayaks or paddleboards. Street parking is usually available a little bit south of Marination Mai Kai. Cactus, at the other end of Alki, is also a Seattle institution, and Salty's is famous for fish lovers.
Seward Park- Walk on paved loop trail, or in woods
Our favorite park in Seattle, about half a mile from our house, is a peninsula that sticks out into Lake Washington. There is a wide, paved loop trail of about 2.5 miles by the water, or you can head up the hill at the entrance to the park, park at the top, and walk in old-growth forest. Wear a suit if you want to get in the lake, and look for a beach without Canada Geese.
Poo Poo Point- Moderate hike
This is a favorite 6 mile, moderate hike of ours, about 40 minutes east of Seattle in Issaquah, in the foothills of the Cascades. Sometimes there are paragliders leaping off the viewpoint at the top, which is fun to watch.
Hike to an Alpine Lake
Our favorite hikes are to alpine lakes. These are icy cold in June, but if they have melted, its a refreshing plunge! For hearty hikers, we recommend Annette Lake or Mason Lake (both moderate-strenuous and about 7 miles). You may want an AWD vehicle for this (or be extremely careful with potholes on the dirt roads. The Washington Trails Association offers detailed driving and hiking directions on their website: www.wta.org
Seattle Pride Parade
The Seattle Pride Parade is happening on Sunday 6/28 in downtown Seattle. This is a favorite big-crowd event of ours, usually standing room or curb-seating if you are lucky. To get there, take public transit to Westlake Center, and then walk north along fourth avenue to find a spot to watch.
