Seattle was nicknamed the Emerald City in the 1980’s because of it’s vast forests populated with evergreen trees and other diverse plants. On June 12th at roughly six A.M. I fell asleep on an American Airline flight out of Chicago and just like Dorthy I awoke in my very own Emerald City.
COST OF FLIGHT: 200$ round-trip with taxes and added fees. I decided I had to book because whenever I had looked at flights in the past they were usually 350$+.
STWF (SOLO TRAVEL WHILE FEMALE)
I have not gone on a solo trip since November (2016) when I traveled to Australia – and even during that trip I had a friend living in Sydney who I saw a few times during my visit; so this trip was exciting but also made me a bit nervous. I didn’t know a soul in Seattle. However – I have been wanting to visit Seattle for as long as I can remember, in high school my dream trips were: London, Paris, Japan, Australia and Seattle (the only place in North America I wanted to visit, go figure.)
Strangely enough I felt safer when STWF (Solo traveling while female) in Europe and Australia than i did during the night in Seattle. The area I stayed in and traveled around seemed to have a pretty strong homeless population, they were nothing but friendly to me and I actually enjoyed talking to one guy because he had some pretty awesome biker boots on and he liked my purple hair, but I did witness one get pretty aggressive with a couple who didn’t want to spare any change. Unfortunately this has to do more with being female and traveling alone than any other factor(s), the guy could have been homeless or a millionaire but when it’s dark and you’re in unfamiliar territory it gets a little uncomfortable to have strangers trying to talk to you as you’re trying to find your way home (especially when your phone battery is at 8%).
You may feel a bit lonely when solo traveling but you need to put yourself out there, go to a bar or restaurant or go see something that interests you (You will then be surrounded by people who are also interested in what interests you, ha!). If you start to feel homesick or lonesome just call or FaceTime a friend and show them all the cool things you’re getting to experience. Chances are someone will strike up a conversation with you when you are out – Ta Da! You are no longer alone. But also, try to enjoy the independence and the fact that you can go see what YOU want to see and on your own time.
OVERALL – Seattle felt safe, I am a tad paranoid of a person (better safe than sorry!) and I did go to a few cool bars and breweries and had conversations struck up with me by several interesting strangers – A bartender even showed me where Nirvana recorded their Bleach album in a little back room of the bar! So if you are thinking about visiting somewhere and you’re afraid to do it alone – coming from an extrovert who actually likes being around people… just do it, go – it’s a growing experience and it’s awesome.
Where I stayed: City Hostel Seattle
I stayed at a freakin’ hostel in Seattle. Yes. a hostel. in the United States. I was a bit skeptical because I have ever only stayed at them in Europe but I didn’t want to stay in a hotel room alone or an Airbnb because I would feel like I was limiting myself from meeting people – so I decided on a hostel because I am Demetra and I am an odd individual.
PRICE: 35$ a night for a 6-bed mixed dorm (Yeah, I could afford a hotel room but I’M CHEAP. 🙂
The hostel staff was extremely accommodating, they all seemed to be in their early to mid-30’s and very friendly and helpful. The rooms were okay, I am more of a low-maintenance traveler so to be frank, I don’t think most people I know would have liked the conditions of the hostel BUT if you travel a lot you would find them to be fine. The rooms were on the smaller side. I stayed in a mixed 6-bed room, I met a few of my bunkmates and interestingly enough they were all young men from South Korea. I was the only female in the room so that was interesting. The room was a little musty and the window was stuck open – that’s my only actual complaint.
The hostel was walking distance to all of the tourist spots tho – so that was a plus! And I mean the price was another plus..duh
Overall, I would rate the hostel as,
The Staff: 9.0
The Location: 8.0
The actual Room: 6.5
SITES
*** I actually bought one of those city passes for Seattle, I have never purchased one because I usually feel like they are a scam or waste of money but I saved so much money on sites I wanted to see so I would recommend buying****
I am going to list sites I visited while in Seattle below in order of recommendation by me, enjoy!
THE SPACE NEEDLE : YES! Believe it or not I would definitely recommend visiting the Space Needle and going to the top. (Yes! I, Demetra, who is TERRIFIED of heights) Not going to sugarcoat it, I did have a drink before visiting the Space Needle because you know, heights… but the view from the top is so amazing. Seattle is just so beautiful and usually I am like, “oh any view from high up looks the same in any city” but no, this was different. Just go.
MUSEUM OF POP CULTURE : I meaaaaaan…. they had a NIRVANA exhibit, and a Jimi Hendrix exhibit, and a horror movie exhibit… and a Sci-fi exhibit… OH, and a NIRVANA exhibit!!!! This museum was just too cool. I could have spent hours in this museum but unfortunately i was pressed for time because I had a ticket to the Space Needle at exactly 4:30. But if you don’t have a lot of time in Seattle, definitely check out this museum.
KURT COBAIN MEMORIAL/ VIERETTA PARK: Okay, this may only appeal to a certain population and it is a bit off path from downtown Seattle… but, I did order an uber to take me to VIERETTA PARK to find the Kurt Cobain Memorial Bench. I listened to Nirvana on my phone and walked around the neighborhood, trying to catch glimpses of Kurt’s house. Oh, and did I mention it was raining? It caused very deep and symbolic emotions for me. RIP to an amazing artist.
CHIHULY GARDEN AND GLASS : I honestly would not have visited this (museum? gallery? garden?) if it were not included in the city pass tickets, but I am glad I did! It has some amazing and breath-taking glass sculptures. Very pretty.
PIKE PLACE MARKET: This is a huge outdoor/indoor market, which has anything and everything. I wandered around looking at food, fish, handbags, everything. It’s a bit touristy but you need to go eat at Pike Place Chowder, that is all.
SKY VIEW AT THE COLUMBIA CENTER: Great view – super scary! I wandered into this building and just started riding the elevators up.. nobody stopped me to pay until I reached the very top (haha oops.) It was like 10$ but the view is WAY higher than the Space Needle and you can see it looking super tiny!
THE AQUARIUM : OKAY, if you have read any of my other blog entries or just generally know me as a person you would know that I LOVE marine life and fish and sharks and everything water-related. (I’m a pisces, blame the zodiac sign) However, I was a tad disappointed with Seattle’s aquarium! Maybe it is because I have been to a few really amazing aquariums, like Sydney’s or London’s but I would probably skip the aquarium when visiting Seattle.
GUM WALL: I mean you just need to visit because of how bizarre it is, duh.
FOOD & DRINKS
PIKE PLACE CHOWDER: I have never had Clam Chowder before because I am a weird eater, but it was delicious and filling! I had seen SO many reviews and decided I had to go. The wait wasn’t as long as they quoted (45 minutes, I think I waited 15? maybe 20? I was distracted because someone struck up a conversation with me.. sorry!)
RACHEL’S GINGER BEER: I am not a Moscow mule drinker but I thought may as well try one if they specialize in Ginger Beer. It was really delicious and I was totally tipsy after one… the guy who worked here was also super kind and charged my dead phone for me.
ELLIOT’S OYSTER HOUSE: I do not like oysters… I tried one here and news update.. I still do not enjoy oysters hahaha. But I did have salmon which was the daily special and it was very good. I sat outside under an umbrella and it started to rain but it was a very calm and enjoyable experience and a good meal.. a tad pricey tho.
DOG IN THE PARK: I mean, I just wanted to try a Seattle hotdog… I’m not recommending it… just saying it’s what I ate because sometimes I am a garbage human
STORYVILLE COFFEE: Really good coffee and they give you a free bag if you give them your e-mail address, and they haven’t been spamming me so that’s cool too. The coffee shop is also super adorable, all wooden and instagram-worthy for all of you millennials.
SCREWDRIVER BAR: THIS IS THE BAR TO GO TO! This rock bar was so awesome and the bartenders were so friendly and cool, which for a solo traveler was nice because who likes getting drunk by themselves? Don’t answer that… Great drinks, great staff, cool vibe and also has some Nirvana history 🙂
CROCODILE: Live music venue with a sassy staff, the bar has a really awesome music history so I felt I needed to stop in for a beer.
OLD STOVE BREWING: This brewery was so cool! I wish I could frequent it, it had a really nice layout and atmosphere and the beers were good.
Overall, my trip to Seattle was amazing but I feel as though it was something I dreamed of and had pined for such a long time that it felt a bit surreal. I would love to go back to Seattle if I could find flights as cheap as I did this time and this time do less touristy things and more going out and experiencing more music culture and drinking culture. I definitely recommend a trip to Seattle to anyone and everyone tho 🙂
Runaway Blond 