An Evening in Seattle

If you’re a regular to my blog (or follow me on Instagram), you’ll see I recently moved to start a new life in Vancouver, British Columbia. Part of my ambition to hop across the pond was to experience new places and travel as much as possible while working abroad. So far, I’ve managed to visit San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Kelowna, and Orlando. There are, however, so many more places still to discover. One of those places is just across the Canadian-American border – Seattle. Let me show you what I got up to during an evening in Seattle, in my first visit to this iconic city.

Travelling from Vancouver to Seattle

Also known as the Emerald City, the cool depiction of Seattle and its grungy vibe had always appealed. It therefore seemed like an obvious choice to tick off the bucket list. Jordan and I planned a trip to Oregon, and made Seattle a key stop on our journey. Firstly, it’s a perfect break from driving, and secondly on our way back, we had more time to explore. We set off on Thursday before the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.

Luckily enough, the drive from Vancouver to Seattle is pretty simple and quick. At around two hours in drive time, Vancouverites are able to drive through the border which is relatively quick. Even quicker if you own a Nexus card, which I highly recommend. We crossed and hit the gas as we drove on through Washington state. Although the climate and terrain is similar to British Columbia, you can tell you’re in the United States.

As a city for a reputation for frequent rain (Vancouver also has the well-deserved nickname of Rain City), we were spoilt with nothing but sunshine on our arrival into Seattle. We wanted to make the most of the sun during our first evening in Seattle, so went to find some scenery.

Kerry Park, Seattle

Our first stop was Kerry Park, a beautiful spot with a great view of the city. It’s situated in the affluent Queen Anne district, which boasts some incredible nineteenth century houses. You’re also treated to this view of the iconic Seattle skyline with its Space Needle.

From Kerry Park, you get a vista over Elliott Bay and the city. If the lighting’s good, you’ll catch the silhouette of Mount Rainier too. It’s quite spectacular and a viewpoint I highly recommend visiting.

The sun began to slowly drop from the sky, and if we’d have had more time, I’d have loved to see the sunset from here. Other sights were, however, calling so we went in search of them.

Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

With a quick pitstop for coffee to break up the driving, we set off for a walk along Seattle’s waterfront. We passed the hip restaurants and tattoo parlours of Queen Anne Avenue. Already I loved Seattle with its hipster, grungy vibe that smacks of all the incredible people and bands that the city has generated.

After a short walk, we discovered Seattle’s waterfront on Puget Sound. I’d have been fooled for thinking I was at Vancouver’s English Bay, staring across at the oil liners at sea under sunset.

Strolling a little further along the waterfront, you’ll discover the Olympic Sculpture Park. Many of the sculptures are really interesting and certainly add something to the waterfront. Although I feel as though Vancouver is more beautiful, Seattle definitely seems a more fun place to be. There’s more going on for entertainment, as you’d expect from a larger city.

It was a truly beautiful October evening in Seattle. Definitely take a walk among the sculptures, and see which you can find.

This particular sculpture may hurt your eyes. With the name Echo, it’s the creation of Jaume Plensa. In homage to the mountain nymph of Greek mythology, her eyes are closed as though she’s in a state of meditation. As you walk towards her, your own eyes are confused by her warped head. What do you make of the intriguing sculpture?

An Evening in Seattle

We walked towards the pier on Puget Sound, admiring the epic sunset on a perfect evening in Seattle. Wanting to explore more, we knew we’d be back in a few days to see everything the city has to offer in more time.

With several more hours left to drive that evening to Portland, we prepared to go back to the car. We walked once again along Queen Anne Street and back to Kerry Park, looking for food. We discovered the Blue Water Taco Grill, and popped inside.

The food was absolutely delicious. Excellent quality, tasty, filling, and also very reasonably priced. If you’re looking for some cheap and delicious eats, come here on Queen Anne Street. I’ll be back for sure. We found the car and sadly left Seattle’s sparkling cityscape behind. Driving into the darkness and onto Oregon, we looked forward to thoroughly exploring Seattle on our return. Watch this space for more in the coming days.

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Have you spent an evening in Seattle? If so, what did you do with your time? What are your top recommendations for the city? Let me know your tips in the comments below.