BY TOM GIERASIMCZUK
Just a short and scenic ferry ride away, the emerald city beckons with new hotels, restaurants and placemaking mega-projects.
Over the 13 years that my family has called Victoria home, one question perplexes both our local and out-of-town friends and family more than any other: Why do you go to Seattle so frequently? More than Vancouver. More than Tofino. More than Mexico or Hawaii.
The answers depend on the inquiring company, of course. To the urbanists in our life, we cite the ability to “walk” there, courtesy of the Victoria Clipper’s downtown-to-downtown passenger service (as opposed to a BC Ferries odyssey).
For winers and diners, we mention the dizzying variety of Seattle’s 70 breweries and 1,700 restaurants serving up a bounty of Washington state-grown hops, produce and grapes that would impress a European with their terroir. For young parents, we point out the safety (despite what you hear on Fox News), walkability and overall inclusivity of a place that’s an ascendant American metropolis that still manages to be as Canadian a U.S. city as you’ll find.
This summer, two decades of investment in Seattle by visionary city leaders and local mega-billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates is blooming all at once, with new restaurants, hotels, festivals and city-shaping mega-projects not seen since the 1962 World’s Fair. If you haven’t been for a while, it’s never been easier or more worthwhile (stubbornly low loonie be damned).
The Access
It’s always going to be pricey to get off the South Island, so the next best thing is convenience and Seatown takes less time to get to than VanCity. The iconic Victoria Clipper takes you from the Steamship Terminal to Pier 69 and right into the city’s expanding waterfront (more on that in a bit). The crossing takes less than three hours, with about an hour to check in and clear U.S. customs. Return sailings start at just over $200, but spurge another $100 for the Comfort Class for free checked bags, top-deck seating and views, welcome Prosecco and unlimited coffee, tea, soft drinks, fruit and snacks.
Driving? The 65-year-old MV Coho ferry alone is worth the trip — a trip back in time where dogs (and beers) are allowed on deck, retro signage endures and a roof-top deck will have you squinting for whales and orca that sometimes make an appearance on the 42-kilometre, 90-minute sailing to Port Angeles, the largest town on the north coast of the Olympic Peninsula.
From there, it’s another 2.5 hours and a Washington State ferry crossing via Bainbridge Island that delivers the city’s ever-sprouting skyline on a platter upon a downtown approach.
The Waterfront
The Seattle waterfront will be completed next year, but it’s already drawing curious locals and visitors alike.
That eyesore Alaskan Way elevated highway was buried and tolled in favour of a walkable and bike-friendly promenade along Elliott Bay, with new shops and restaurants as well as a Washington State Ferries terminal to easily explore west of the city. The city’s many once-neglected piers are being reinforced and developed as micro-neighbourhoods and performance venues with a front-row view of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains beyond.
The Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion is also opening this summer, showcasing tropical species from the Coral Triangle in the Indo-Pacific. It links to the city’s iconic Pike Place Market (itself recently expanded with observation decks and new galleries) with new paths, stairs and an oculus window that allows passersby to observe sea life from below.
The Hotels
To accommodate all these people coming to see the new Seattle, hotels are opening and being renovated all over the city, with nods to both the city’s sustainability and history.
One of the most anticipated is the Hotel Westland in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighbourhood, just south of downtown. Located in RailSpur, a new sustainable micro-district that includes three historic warehouse buildings, the 120-room boutique property boasts a rooftop bar and events in its brick alley, and claims to be the second hotel in the country to be “carbon-positive.”
Just north, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel is showing off US$25 million in renos, just in time to celebrate its centennial in late 2024. Its new restaurant, an “American brasserie” called The George, is already a local fave for its opulent, classic design and commitment to locally sourced ingredients.
A few minutes’ walk away is equally lavish Korean luxury hospitality brand Lotte Hotel Seattle with some of the best hotel spa and restaurant experiences in the city (for a price).
Brand-new builds include the two-year-old Level Seattle in the Amazon-dominated South Lake Union area across from the Seattle Times newspaper offices. With spacious family studios and suites, some with full kitchens, in-suite laundry, three pools, indoor basketball court and climbing wall, it’s a destination unto itself.
The Restaurants
Powered by the post-pandemic demand, Seattle may hit 2,000 restaurants as new rooms and concepts open across the city. A few months back, three area restaurants made the New York Times’s 2023 Restaurants List: local Michelin-starred icon Canlis, as well as LTD Edition Sushi, and Seabird. Recent openings are equally fascinating. Darkalino’s is an Italian deli in historic Pioneer Square that’s also a sneaker shop.
A bit east of downtown, in the Greenwood neighbourhood, the just-opened Lioness is a Italian joint and wine bar from Renee Erickson’s locally loved Sea Creatures Group. Combine a quick walk-on ferry ride with your meal and head to West Seattle’s new Driftwood, a low-key spot committed to local cuisine.
Of course the city also boasts all manner of bars and more than 60 breweries (70 per cent of U.S. hops are grown in Yakima, Washington, a two-hour drive southeast of the city).
The Culture
Even for a city that boasts an 11-storey Rem Koolhaas-designed architectural marvel as its central library, Seattle is still adding to its cultural bounty over the next year.
The new Seattle International Film Festival Cinema just reopened as a nonprofit and features everything from the latest Christopher Nolan blockbusters to first-run arthouse cinema and a full calendar of the city’s film festivals.
Also opening in downtown’s historic Skinner Building this summer is the new Museum of Illusions, packed with kid- and teenager-friendly mind-bending exhibits and installations.
The expanding Pike Place Market just unveiled the Mutual Arts Collective’s gallery and multi-use event space, founded by Ashley McCready with her husband (and Pearl Jam guitarist) Mike McCready, a space committed to showing and selling work by artists who are impacted by structural inequities and systemic barriers. The opening gallery exhibit, “Unpacking Homelessness,” spotlights the work of seven artists who portray their unhoused experiences.
A bit north, in South Lake Union the Northwest Native Canoe Center is unveiling its Carving House over the next year to revitalize and educate locals and visitors about Pacific Northwest canoe culture and its vital role in Indigenous life.
You probably know the three-year-old Climate Pledge Arena for its massive concerts and as the home of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and WNBA Seattle Storm, but to dive into the most sustainable arena on the planet, it’s best to join the new hour-long tours that take you behind the scenes of one of the most ambitious sports and entertainment construction projects in North America.
The Festivals
Few North American cities do summer festivals better than Seattle and this summer is extra special because of the 50th anniversaries of Seattle Pride Month, the Seattle International Film Festival and the city’s beloved MLS Sounders soccer club. SeaFair, the massive 10-week celebration running from late June to early August, also turns 75 this summer, with a party that includes 40-plus events including air shows, parades and neighbourhood parties across the city.
Autumn doesn’t cool down either, with the 51st annual Bumbershoot arts and music festival taking over the city, August 31 to September 1 weekend, followed by Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience, an ode to Seattle’s glass art industry, honoured year round in the eye-popping Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum.
With so much to see, taste and do in Seattle, you might just find yourself visiting the Emerald City as often as we do. For more information, go to: visitseattle.org.
