How to be Seattle’s best cheesy tourist in 2 days

A few years ago I went to Seattle for a charity event. My best friend and I decided to fly in a few days early to be “tourists” beforehand. Clearly, I always find an excuse to explore new places. This was the first time I truly considered blogging. Researching what to consume our 2 days of adventure, I realized how much I truly enjoyed finding great spots and sharing them with all of my peeps. So with my “pretend blog” (yes, I’ve been calling my potential blogging this for years) I documented everything. And now, I finally get to share with you all, the best way to be Seattle’s best cheesy tourist in 2 days. And let me just say, to this day, this was one of my favorite mini vacations!

The travel details

We landed late on Tuesday night. First off, If you can fly in during the week rather than the weekend, you’ll save significantly. Secondly, if you take a late-night flight, it’ll probably be even cheaper… I prefer this because you get to spend the first day refreshed and jet-lag free.

Suck at packing? Check out my Guide to HOW TO PACK A STRESS FREE BAG FOR YOUR WEEKEND GETAWAY.

After we landed, we Ubered to pick up our rental car (I highly recommend Turo App. SO much cheaper!) and drove to our VRBO home. Okay, I know not everyone is a huge fan of renting some random person’s house and would rather rent a hotel convenient to everything, but these can be as much of an experience as a tourist attraction. And I’m all for unique experiences. So we stayed in a Tiny House! It was so cute and perfect for the two of us. Bonus, we got to see if we could actually live in one for real life. Interested? Check out the listing here: https://www.vrbo.com/121846

With such little time, where should you spend it?

Day 1

Pike’s Market

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If you go to Seattle, you have to go to Pike’s Market. Not only is it, like the tourist staple of the city, but it’s also really freaking cool. The market is right by the water, giving you beautiful views. But it’s also filled with a huge variety of vendors. Seriously. You can get everything from clothes to homemade jams to gorgeous flowers. Honestly, If I lived around there (and was actually getting married, ha) I would buy my bouquet from Pike’s Market. They had some of the most beautiful bouquets I’ve seen!

Oh and Bonus! It’s a wet market. And they throw fish. Like it’s not just a rumor or something that’s just on TV. I got to watch a man chuck a fish across part of the market to man. And yes, I was freaking excited about it and totally nerded out. You will too. Also, The Original Starbucks is located here, so if you’re a Bucks’ head, you can get a location-specific mug to commemorate it.

Mount Rainier

Okay, full disclosure here, I’m still not 100% sure if we saw the actual mountain. I mean, yeah, we saw it from afar on the Space Needle (those views!) and we did see A mountain. But I cannot confirm or deny that it was Mount Rainier.

But I totally believe it was.

You see, we made the trek later in the day, and made it as far as the National Park entrance before it got dark and we turned around. Why? I’ll be honest, it was the beginning of a horror movie. First off, We didn’t tell anyone what our plans were for the day. Secondly, We actually ended up losing cell service and it was getting dark. There was real “breakdown, get stranded, and get attacked by the creatures of The Hills Have Eyes” feels happening. Did I mention we stopped at a sketchy forest park ranger building to pee? I’m telling you, it was a horror movie opening. I could almost hear the crowd yelling at me for getting out of the car.

BUT I would do this adventure thousand times over. The entire drive was beautiful. And we even found a taco truck on the way there that was delicious (Don’t worry, you get the name in my “The Shameless Guide to the best food in Seattle”, I know the anticipation is killer). Also, we stopped at a casino on the way back to see if we could go home millionaires. It didn’t happen. We lost fast and left for food. (always, food). However, we did see a mountain. So it totally counts. If you have more time, I would recommend actually going into the national park and exploring… and maybe tell someone so you don’t become the hills mountain’s next victim.

Day 2

The Space Needle

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Literally a landmark in the USA. You watch a show based in Seattle, the space needle is most likely in the intro (looking at you Grey’s Anatomy). Visiting this landmark is the definition of being Seattle’s best cheesy tourist. Facing my fear of heights was totally worth the slight panic attack I had out on the “air deck”. Oh & shout out to the security guard who somehow managed to convince me to stand on a bench and lean against the glass. Did I mention it sits at like a 30-degree angle?! In addition to the air deck, they also added a second floor, The Loupe, with the world’s first and only rotating glass floor. Pretty cool ( and slightly terrifying) to stare down at the whole city at a completely different angle. Basically, if you even only have a day in Seattle, hit up the Space Needle… and Chihuly Garden, conveniently located right next door.

Chihuly Garden and Glass

So we got the CityPass which gave us access to the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass, The Pacific science center & a roundtrip ride on the monorail. The Science center was okay. But I’m from Boston and have the Museum of Science. So I have high museum expectations (spoiled, I know). The reason we did the CityPass was that it was the best bang for our buck. I expected Chihuly to be some over the flourished garden with like glass sculptures. I was totally wrong. Guys, this place is SO cool. It’s all fancy glass blown sculptures and figurines. It’s something you can’t explain unless you’ve been. So, like, just take my advice, and go.

You can get all the ticket and CityPASS information here: https://www.spaceneedle.com/

Are two days really enough?

There are definitely things I regret not doing while there. The infamous Ferris wheel. Although, I’m still not sure if I have enough gall to get on it. Because this was about a twenty-minute discussion while eating our piroshky staring at it. Ultimately, our fear of getting stuck at the top made us nix the idea. In addition, I would also like to visit the Sound Garden, and maybe the real Meredith Grey house (because apparently it’s real?!). But if you only have 2 days and don’t want to overdo it while also not underdoing it, then this is the best way to be Seattle’s best cheesy tourist. Why? Because We have tourist traps, panic attacks, time to relax, and some great food.

See the best places to eat here: (Just Kidding, I haven’t posted it yet. But it’s coming soon, I promise! Looks like you’ll just have to subscribe in anticipation 😉)

Did I miss anything mentionable? Been here and completely disagree. Tell me in the comments!