Seattle and the Single Girl

Looking for a quick weekend jaunt?  Somewhere you can enjoy the flavors of fall, breathe in the air off the misty mountains, and be pampered a little?  Seattle is safe, friendly, compact, and filled with a balance of unique experiences and familiar comforts – perfect for ladies who are sassy and solo and on the go.  We’ve got places to stay, treats to eat, things to do, and indulgences to partake in.  Read on, trusty travelers!
Though Seattle is a casual town, you wouldn’t know it from the airport boutiques at SEA-TAC.  When you disembark from your plane, make a bee line to Butter, a cute salon outpost of the upscale, London-based nail company.  Book yourself a mani-pedi as pre-flight prep for your return, and you’ll have a reason to want to leave the city.  You might need it!  With your reservation booked, skip past the airport Starbucks (hold out for the original at Pike Place Market), and get on the road.

Make sure you’ve got a great map or a GPS with you as you drive around the Space Needle city.  Lots of roads are one-ways or dead ends, so you’ll be roving in circles if you don’t keep a careful eye, especially since landmarks like the lakes and Mt. Rainier aren’t always visible.

Seeing the big sites like Seattle Center and Pike Place Market work best on foot, so pick a hotel that lets you easily do both.  We like The Maxwell Hotel for its proximity to Seattle Center, affordability, and design sense.  Surrounding yourself with color is a nice pick-me-up in a city that is often grey, and the bold patterns and hues in the rooms of the Maxwell will do the trick and then some.  Add to that free cupcakes in the lobby, and we don’t even need the free retro bicycle rentals or the free parking.  But we’ll take ’em!

With Seattle Center right outside your door, grab your rain coat (just in case) and your camera, and hit the streets.  Make your first stop the Experience Music Project.  Step inside for a look back at Seattle’s influence on American music and to make a little recording of your own, or just chill outside and snap some pictures of the Frank Gehry-designed building.  Also at the Center, which is really more of a complex of cultural attractions, get your ticket for a trip on the monorail.  It’s a quick ride, but cruising through downtown on a 1962 World’s Fair gem just can’t be beat, and it’s only four bucks for a round trip.  When you reach pedestrian-friendly downtown, shop ’til you’re ready to hitch a ride back.

When you’re hungry for a snack, head to Kidd Valley for the best onion rings in the whole, wide world.  Made fresh every day with Washington produce, these masterpieces are crunchy and sweet, and they come in a paper cone – so you can take them to go on your walk to Pike Place, where you can follow with some fresh veg, wood-fired pizza, or supersweet fruit.  Pike Place is a Seattle must-see.  Home of the famous fish throwers and the original Starbucks location, it also is a beautiful and colorful display of flowers, fresh fruits and veggies, specialty jams and honeys, chocolate, and crafts.  Live music and special events are always on the menu, too, and while you’re in the area, get a nice view of the city, the lake, and – if you’re lucky – Mt. Rainier, from the nearby park.

If you’ve got some extra time and a vehicle on your hands, make your way to Snoqualmie Falls, less than an hour east of the city and worth the drive.  Especially in the summer, the mist from the falls is cooling and pretty, as are the surrounding hiking trails that twist and wind through shady trees.  If you keep driving east along the super scenic 90 and 97 freeways, you’ll hit Leavenworth, a German town, ripe with sausages, beer, theme architecture, and boutique shops.  It’s another hour east, but the peaceful drive, with its hills, bubbling river, and shafts of sunlight through trees is practically a rebirth.

If you’re not a driver, never fear.  Get your pretty nature fix at Alki Beach, just a 20 minute drive across the West seattle Bridge and also surrounded by plenty of cool eateries and boutiques.  We hear Duke’s Chowder House is a good bet.

Photo credits: instyle.com, expedia.com