Where to wander
Although it feels built up, you are never far from the water.
Take a peaceful walk along the Elliott Bay Trail, which tracks the shore with sculptures, nature reserves and wildlife, winding alongside railway lines and old industrial buildings. To the north, there’s Discovery Park and the magnificent Ballard Locks, which separate Lake Washington from Puget Sound.
Where to eat and drink
You are never far from a Starbucks — this is its hometown after all — but for an alternative, Storyville in Pike Place Market does a smooth latte. The market itself is one of the oldest farmers’ markets in the US and is bursting with seafood, fresh fruit and global fare. Savor Seattle will give you a tasting tour that is a meal in itself. For seated fare, it has to be Etta’s, which does astonishingly good crab cakes. Fremont Brewing just north of Downtown is your beer stop and, for some homegrown whiskey, try the tasting bar at the Westland Distillery.
What to see
No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to Space Needle, the city’s equivalent of the Eiffel Tower. Afterwards, get your slice of Nirvana at the nearby Frank Gehry-designed Museum of Pop Culture. Given the area’s tech history, it is also worth a trip to Living Computers: Museums + Labs, founded by Microsoft’s Paul Allen. More low-tech is Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour, a fascinating guided walk through subterranean Seattle. Ballard in the north has a wonderful Sunday market and a beautiful Nordic Museum. This is not entirely random: Scandi immigrants settled here in large numbers.
Where to stay
For the business oriented traveller, the Sheraton Grand Seattle does all you expect. Design-savvy visitors should try the Motif Seattle, which has some fine views of Puget Sound. Joy was a guest of Sheraton Grand Seattle (rooms from £195; marriott.com) and Motif Seattle (rooms with a view from £195; destinationhotels.com)
How to get there
Norwegian flies direct from Gatwick in spring and summer, from £315 return (norwegian.com). BA flies direct from Heathrow year-round, from £729 (britishairways.com)
