Where to Travel Spring 2014:
Waterfront Getaways in the U.S.A.
In Search of… A Downtown On the Sea
Seattle, WA
A rare combination of pristine waters,
world-class food and laid-back urbanity
The iconic and still-thriving Farmers Market.
Photo by Richard Cummins/Corbis
Vibe: Something about Seattle feels so right-now—probably because all the things that are cool (like, all of them) are alive here: tech, coffee, music, trend-setting food, creative culture, and being close to nature. It’s easy to close your eyes and think you’re in a small European city, especially with so much breathing space, like restaurants that nearly float atop the Puget Sound and a giant lake that’s right in town.
Outdoor dining at the Edgewater Hotel.
Stay: The Edgewater Hotel hovers over Elliott Bay, a cul-de-sac of the Puget Sound, and foggy mornings reveal the Olympic Mountains and shipping barges.
But this is Seattle—land of the cool kid—so the rooms feel like luxury cabins, and the handsome lobby has antique rotary phones and backgammon. The Beatles were photographed fishing from the windows here in 1964—that’s no longer allowed, but you can book the very same room. Rooms from $205 to $2,500 per night. 206-728-7000.
Eat: Warning: The sunset views at the hotel’s Six Seven restaurant make the Washington wines and lime-cucumber coolers go down a little too quickly. Seattle is flush with farm-to-table gurus and James Beard winners. Brunch at Sitka & Spruce—where even mushrooms are transformative.
Kayaking on the Puget Sound.
Photo by Richard Cummins/Corbis
Be a tourist: Walk 15 minutes to Pike Place Market to see fishermen flinging salmon, and sip on a Frappuccino at the original Starbucks.
Be a local: Skipping on the coffee culture here is like going to Philly without getting a cheesesteak—there’s outdoor seating and trendy vibes at All City Coffee and Zeitgeist.
Water time: Take a narrated boat tour from Argosy Cruises, spot sea lions, and order a local draft beer. Or, if you’ve got the time, it’s a three-hour shuttle-boat ride up to Vancouver.
Another option: Head to Portland, Maine, a small, artsy town with great food. Stay at the Danforth, which has the heart of a B&B, but with polish. —Malcolm Burnley
Hit the Pavement
Georgetown is Seattle’s oldest neighborhood, but also its coolest.
A stand-alone city until 1910, Georgetown (which is only three miles from downtown) was built on moonshine and beer money, became an artist enclave, and is now restored to its original roots. Basically, it’s a cool place to spend a few hours. Georgetown Brewing Company and Machine House Brewery cook up ales there, food trucks like the Halláva Falafel truck have faithful followings, and there’s no shortage of hipster havens worth scoping out, like Georgetown Records or the Trailer Park Mall—where vintage and crafty wares are sold out of a series of trailers.
