Known for coffee, rainy weather, and grunge, Seattle takes pride in being a little offbeat. In fact, they take being quirky and ahead of the curve pretty seriously. The city did give us Starbucks and Nirvana, after all. Spend your 48 hours in the Emerald City exploring old Seattle favorites as well as looking for the next big thing.
Pike Place Market is one of the city's most popular attractions, and for a good reason: it's a microcosm of everything that makes Seattle what it is. Views of the ocean, fresh seafood, locally-sourced goodies, coffee shops, great people watching, and other quirky offerings can be found here.
The EMP is a museum dedicated to everything pop culture, which means exhibits on everything from indie games and Hello Kitty to horror movies and Jimi Hendrix. The Science Fiction Museum housed within is a favorite: artifacts from "Star Trek," "Blade Runner," "Mars Attacks!", "Dune," "Terminator 2," and more can be found here.
Meet Seattle's most beloved citizen: The Fremont Troll! This massive public sculpture is located under the George Washington Memorial Bridge, and is a play on the classic Scandinavian Billy Goats Gruff fairy tale.
At Ballard's Archie Mcphee, you can find some of the absolute weirdest novelty toys you've ever seen in a store filled with stuff you don't need at all, but desperately want. Displays of bizarre creatures, like the mysterious "Wallingford Beast," line the walls, bacon-flavored candy sits near the register, and toys like boxing nuns, unicorn horns for your cat, and boxes of bedpans all beg to be bought. You'll buy this stuff to give to friends, but we all know you're going to keep it for yourself.
The best time of year for your 48-hour Seattle getaway: Spring is rainy, and winter can be pretty cold here (although there's some great skiing in the area), so summer and fall are ideal times to visit. The overall temperatures remain pretty mild, despite the fact that the city is known for its drizzly weather.
