My Seattle:: Local's Guide to Seattle

This week we have some dear friends from England visiting us! I think they're our first English visitors, but I have an increasingly bad memory and am trying to correct myself if that is untrue. Has anyone else visited us from England? Anyone?

With who I presume to be our first English visitors, I plan to put Seattle's best face forward, to make them leave with the impression that our drizzly city is actually a gem, an emerald even. Plus it's a great excuse to brunch daily and play visitor myself. 

Another reason I'm so happy to have them here, in addition to the fellowship of course, is that it's fun to have reminders of a life in England that seems distant sometimes. Aside from the fact that I'm writing a book about it and thinking about England daily, of course. But actually living somewhere is much different than writing about it.

One of the downsides of moving to a new city at least every two years since college (Santa Monica, Tokyo, Osaka, Seattle, Bath, Birmingham, London, Auckland and back to Seattle), is that while I've become pro at packing, it can feel like my community is scattered to the far corners of the earth. I invest in people, and vice versa, and then leave. It's a bit schizophrenic, all these lives I've created for myself. Having friends in town reminds me, Alisha, you actually lived in central England for two years, isn't that just nuts? 

Finally, entertaining visitors is all the excuse I need to compile a Local's Guide to Seattle. You won't find any Space Needle action on it, just a few of my favorite places to eat, drink and explore. 

Here goes, by neighbo(u)rhood...

Capitol Hill -

• Oddfellows and Elliott Bay Bookstore
• Caffe Presse and Stumptown
• Volunteer Park Cafe then walking around Volunteer Park and the surrounding gorgeous old houses
• Can't wait to try Analog Coffee + Poquito's when they open!

International District - 

• The Panama Hotel Tea + Coffee House (wonderful history about old Japantown too, and the setting of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet)
• Maneki Sushi (yet to try)
• Uwajimaya (just because of my acute Japanophilia)
• Zeitgeist Coffee (technically this is Pioneer Square, but who's counting?)

Ballard -

• Delancey (Molly Wizenberg and her husband's NY-style pizza restaurant)
• Honore Bakery
• A Caprice Kitchen (also yet to try their infamous brunch)
• Cafe Besalu and then drive up to Carkeek Park (in Shoreline, but worth it)
• Ballard Sunday Farmer's Market
• Bastille (French Cafe I'm biased toward)

Magnolia -

• Pastries at Upper Crust then Discovery Park
• Bay Cafe at Fisherman's Terminal for a nice diner experience (in my experience Englishmen like a good diner, or maybe it's just my husband)

Phinney/ Green Lake - 

• Herkimer (best coffee in Seattle) or Zoka coffee and walk around Green Lake

Wallinfordia -

• Tilth (for a local, organic brunch, heard great things and can't wait to try)

Queen Anne - 

• Toulouse Petit Cajun/ Creole (M-F brunch happy hour, all dishes $6!)

West Seattle -

• Bakery Nouveau + Lincoln Park

So my guide is heavy on the pastries, brunches and parks, but that's the kind of guide I write because that's the kind of girl I am.


Seattleites, anything else it would be rude to leave out? Where do you take your visiting friends and family?