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.
Tragically, Market Theater Gum Wall was scraped clean in November of 2015...but of course, The Man can't keep such an important piece of Seattle history down, and within hours, the first few wads of gum were back on this alley wall in Pike Place. When they cleaned it, though, they removed over 2,000 pounds of chewed up gum.
If you're not too grossed out by the gum to grab a bite to eat, you should sample one of the city's favorite dishes: chowder. They offer different kinds at Pike Place Chowder. The Market Chowder is a great way to go, since it just has whatever the chef thinks looks best that day, but they also make a mean smoked salmon chowder, and even have a vegan, gluten-free option.
The Seattle Pinball Museum is all about pinball. They have machines from as far back as the 1960's, the world's largest pinball machine, and a massive collection of classics. Plus, it's a flat rate for unlimited free play, so you don't have to worry about quarters.
It's hard to believe, but the Seattle you see today was literally built on top of the original city. Flooding, fires, and plagues caused the city to decide to regrade the streets a level above the original, and what was once the street level of the buildings became hidden. You can tour the Seattle Underground Tunnels and old basements, which have been decorated to look as they did in the 19th and early 20th centuries, for an interesting look at the city's history.
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.
