Travel Diary · PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Seattle, You Had Me at Oysters
Pike Place · Space Needle · Gum Wall · Louis Vuitton stamps & everything in between
Some cities you visit and admire. Others you visit and immediately start Googling flights back. Seattle is firmly the second kind — a city that moves fast, eats well, and greets you with sunshine that locals will tell you is not guaranteed. We got lucky: every single day was clear, bright, and genuinely beautiful. Mid-June is the move, and we are telling everyone. From the salty perfume of Puget Sound at Pike Place to a Louis Vuitton passport stamp etched with the Seattle skyline, this trip was the kind you write home about.
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THE MARKET
Pike Place: Chaos, Color & Flying Fish
There's a reason Pike Place Market has been operating continuously since 1907. Step through its doors and you're immediately hit with the briny sweetness of fresh Dungeness crab on ice, the riot of hand-cut flowers stacked floor-to-ceiling, and the percussion of fishmongers who've turned tossing salmon into performance art.
We wandered slowly, grabbing samples, marveling at the produce stalls piled improbably high, and watching tourists realize the fish really do fly through the air. It's touristy, yes — and completely worth every minute. Morning is the move, before the crowds settle in and the light still hits the water just right.
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THE SIGHTS
Sky-High Views & Strangely Beautiful Gum
The Space Needle
Still iconic after all these decades. The observation deck delivers 360° views of the Olympic Mountains, Mount Rainier, and the glittering sound below. Go at golden hour if you can swing it.
Seattle Great Wheel
The gondolas are climate-controlled and the views of Elliott Bay are nothing short of dreamy. A surprisingly romantic detour right on the waterfront — don't skip it.
The Gum Wall
Objectively gross, undeniably fascinating. Layers upon layers of chewed gum pressing into the brick of Post Alley — and somehow a genuinely moving piece of collective, colorful folk art. The gum wall deserves its own mention. Tucked into Post Alley, it's one of those only-in-this-city things that sounds ridiculous until you're actually standing in front of it, genuinely moved by the sheer weirdness and warmth of it. People have been pressing gum here since the 1990s. It's been scraped clean twice. It always comes back.
Elliott Bay Waterfront
The thread connecting everything — Pike Place, the Great Wheel, and the ferry docks. Walk it slowly. The salt air and mountain backdrops make the whole city feel cinematic.
A note on the weather: Seattle's reputation for gray drizzle is real — but mid-June is where the city quietly transforms. Every day of our trip was sunny and clear, with temperatures that felt like a perfect 68°F and blue skies that made every view, from the top of the Space Needle to the ferry docks below, feel almost unfairly beautiful. If you've been holding off on Seattle because you're worried about rain, book your trip for mid-June and prepare to be converted.
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THE TABLES
Eating Seattle Properly
Seattle's food scene is the Pacific Northwest at its most confident: local seafood that arrived this morning, cocktail programs that take themselves seriously, and a general understanding that dinner should take a while. We ate very, very well.
01 — Elliott's Oyster House
Waterfront dining done right. The oyster selection rotates with the tides — order a dozen of whatever they're excited about that day, add a glass of something cold and crisp, and let Elliott Bay do the rest. The Dungeness crab is mandatory. The view of the ferries coming in makes it all feel like a painting.
02 — The Fisherman's Restaurant & Bar
No pretense, no fuss — just excellent Pacific Northwest seafood the way it's meant to be eaten. This is the kind of place locals actually go. Fresh halibut, clam chowder with real depth, and cocktails that go down dangerously easy. A classic for a reason.
03 — ZigZag Café
Tucked at the bottom of the market stairs, ZigZag is a local legend and one of the finest cocktail bars in the city. The bartenders here have serious pedigree, the room has lived-in warmth, and the drinks are exactly the kind of thing you describe in detail to everyone you see for the next week. If you order nothing else, order whatever they're most excited about.
04 — Salt & Straw
The sweet potato ice cream with buckwheat crumble. That's it. That's the review. The flavor sounds like a dare and tastes like a revelation — earthy, sweet, complex, with those crumbles adding a nuttiness that makes the whole thing feel almost savory. This was a specialty limited edition flavor that was so good we couldn’t pass it up! They do have free tastings, so you’ll get to taste test all of the amazing flavors. The standard flavor we also loved with strawberry balsamic with black pepper! Salt & Straw is always worth the line, and in Seattle, they lean into the Pacific Northwest pantry in the best possible way.
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THE SOUVENIR WE'LL ACTUALLY KEEP
Louis Vuitton · Seattle Skyline Stamp
We stopped into the Louis Vuitton boutique inside Nordstrom not for anything on the shelves, but for one of our favorite travel traditions: getting our LV passport covers hot-stamped at each city we visit. Seattle's stamp features the skyline — the Space Needle, the Sound, the silhouette of a city that earned it. There's something quietly meaningful about wearing your itinerary on the cover of your passport. Every trip, a new impression.
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WHERE WE STAYED
IHG Crowne Plaza Downtown Seattle
Location is everything in Seattle, and the Crowne Plaza Downtown nailed it. We were steps from everything — Pike Place, the waterfront, the Great Wheel — which is exactly what you want in a city where the best stuff is concentrated and walkable. The king room was genuinely spacious, impeccably clean, and comfortable in a way that felt effortless rather than designed. Views of the city from the room were a nice bonus at the end of long days on foot.
Everything we needed was there — and nothing felt overly fussy or in the way. It was the kind of hotel stay that does its job quietly and lets the city be the star. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to be in the thick of it without sacrificing comfort.
Pro-Tip: Seattle Will Work Your Legs
Here's what no one warns you about: Seattle is hilly. Not San Francisco levels of dramatic, but genuinely, relentlessly hilly in a way that catches you off guard. We walked everywhere — and we loved it — but by day two our calves had opinions. Wear your most comfortable shoes, build extra time into every walk, and embrace the burn. Honestly, we came home more toned than we left. Consider it a bonus workout built into the itinerary.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Seattle, We'll Be Back
Seattle is the kind of city that rewards slow travel — the kind where you follow your nose through the market, let dinner take three hours, and stay for one more round at ZigZag. Come in mid-June for the sunshine that the rest of the year doesn't always promise. Stay somewhere central so you can walk everywhere — just know that "everywhere" involves hills, and your legs will absolutely feel it. The mountains are always watching. The oysters are always fresh. And somewhere on our passport covers, the skyline is pressed in gold.
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P.S. — everything you just read? I booked it all as a Fora Travel Advisor. Flights, hotels, car, and adventures — let me handle the details so you just show up and eat oysters. Let's get your Seattle trip on the books.
Click here to start your journey: https://www.foratravel.com/advisor/angela-augustine
Before you book that Seattle trip, let's talk packing. A good windbreaker is non-negotiable, a packable umbrella will save you more than once, and packing cubes will make your hotel room feel like you actually have your life together. I put together my complete Seattle packing guide with everything I brought and everything I'd bring again — linked in my Amazon storefront. Click here for everything!
Tags: Seattle · Pacific Northwest · Pike Place Market · Space Needle · Travel Dining · Louis Vuitton · Luxury Travel · Crowne Plaza Seattle · Mid-June Travel
A Fora Travel Diary · Pacific Northwest Edition
