Vancouverscape, a Vancouver based blog covering travel, tech, and lifestyle

Seattle is a vibrant coastal city with a wealth of great cafés. The nation’s first Starbucks opened here in 1971, and the tiny shop near the waterfront still sees a steady stream of visitors on a daily basis.

After I grab a cup of steamy hot decaf, it’s time to make my way around the city. With four days to explore, there’s plenty of time to take in the views in and around Pike Place Market (the 33rd most-visited tourist attraction in the world).

Nordstrom Personal Shopping Stylist

Sadly, Nordstrom is no longer in Canada, but it’s alive and well here in the Emerald City. In fact, Nordstrom Seattle was also the first to open its doors in the US, back in 1901. This elegant building has endured decades of change, the move to online shopping, and still maintains its position as a well-loved shopping destination.

I’ve got a personal styling appointment booked following breakfast at Lola, and my stylist already has already been informed of some of my favourite designers, my sizes, what I look for in choosing a wardrobe, and other details, all filled out in advance and emailed.

[We’ve All Had Too Much Sorrow…, a reference to a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song]

The Seattle Art Scene

A newcomer in the former Bed Bath and Beyond building (across the street from the Ändra Hotel) is Cannonball Arts, a multi-disciplinary collective space open from Thursdays to Sundays. Artist Ben Zamora’s bright white light installation (visible from my hotel window), We’ve All Had Too Much Sorrow… caught my attention, so I headed over to check it out.

What I found were two floors filled with local artist installations and pieces for sale in a large industrial setting.

Cannonball Arts, part of the Bumbershoot festival brand, aims to build community through immersive, bold, and amusing non-traditional arts experiences.

[The second floor contains a fun house VR ride, Monster, created by Brent Watanabe]

They also host weekly pop-ups featuring local vendors in the LoLo Lobby Bar, Rolling Hut, T Gallery & Elevator Bar.

Seattle Art Museum (aka SAM) has been on Seattle’s cultural map since the early 1930’s. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you look up to see a 48-foot tall black silhouette of a man with a mechanized moving arm. Fun fact: Its arm moves up and down four times per minute and rests for just four hours, in the middle of the night.

[FriendsWithYou: Little Cloud Sky fills the museum’s atrium with cuteness]

Their collections, installations, special exhibitions and programs are worldwide in scope and help to unite cultures through the centuries.

[Tariqa Waters: Venus is Missing]

Current exhibitions include Tariqa Waters: Venus is Missing (through January 4, 2026), an amusing journey through space courtesy of a retro elastic hair tie with two plastic balls, and the just-launched A Room for Animal Intelligence (a playful spin in AI), where a collection of animal mixed media sculptures each with their own viewpoint takes center stage, on through November 28, 2026.

[Just one of the exquisite pieces contained in SAM’s porcelain room]

Permanent collection standouts include the porcelain room, comprising over a thousand pieces from Europe and Asia, grouped visually by colour and theme.

Pike Place Market

Of course no visit to Seattle would be complete without a visit to Pike Place Market! Opened on August 17, 1907, Pike Place is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers’ markets in the United States.

[The always fabulous Three Girls Bakery, in operation here since 1912]

The Market is a place of business for small farmers, craftspeople, and merchants. With over 10 million visitors annually, Pike Place Market is by far Seattle’s most popular tourist destination.

A South African-Themed Cafe in the Heart of Downtown

It’s time to enjoy a meal at Karoo Cafe, a South African establishment opened late last year by SA native Olivia Vermaak, inspired by Little Karoo National Park. Here you’ll find a menu filled with South African-inspired cocktails, mocktails, shared plates and more located above bustling Kells Irish Pub and Restaurant.

Karoo’s shareable plates menu includes Piri-Piri chicken skewers, Boerewors (South African sausage) sliders seasoned three ways, and Beef Bobotie pies, a Cape Malay regional specialty.

The atmospheric living room-styled space is decorated with little white string lights, cozy couches, bar tables, a communal table and leopard statues sourced from an African supplier in the U.S. Karoo’s inventive cocktail/mocktail menu also caught my eye.

[Jacaranda]

From the alcohol section, there’s Bushveld Brandy, Durban Doozy, and Wild Warthog (a fusion of Vusa Vodka, Madagascar Vanilla coupled with lemon juice and fresh dragon fruit), and the non-boozy libations include Springbok Spritz, Fynbos Fizz, and the Honeyed Hadeda. The Jacaranda wins my heart with Ritual Tequila, lime, and blackberry. It’s a libation that honours Pretoria’s purple-lined streets each spring.

If mixed drinks aren’t your thing, there’s also a curated selection of South African red and white wines on offer.

Overlook Walk

Overlook Walk, the first-ever pedestrian connector between downtown and the waterfront, now bridges a nearly 100-foot vertical gap between Pike Place Market and Park Promenade, located next to Elliott Bay. The 17-block redevelopment stretches from the Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park stadiums to Belltown.

For those familiar with Seattle, this area has taken over the Alaskan Way Viaduct, and has been repurposed as a user-friendly way to enjoy sweeping views of Puget Sound.

[Half order bread service: House-baked focaccia, sourdough, fresh butter, local honey]

Hærfest

Over in the Fremont neighbourhood, Hærfest, opened in April 2024, is a cozy space focused on locally-sourced ingredients and sustainably-harvested produce. The menu is short but varied, broken down into starters, homemade pastas, and proteins. A family style four-course chef’s choice tasting menu (two diners minimum) is also available.

The modern, Scandinavian-inspired space has soft lighting with an open kitchen at the front. The atmosphere is casual, inviting conversation over uncomplicated dishes and inventive cocktails/mocktails.

[Dining on homemade pasta at Hærfest]

On a chilly December evening, I opted for the Tonnarelli, a thick spaghetti prepared with beef bolognese, sage, and Parmesan. Perfection, with just the right bite and loaded with that beautiful shaved Parmesan!

Andy Bell at The Showbox

I was excited to be in town for Andy Bell’s (of Erasure fame) show at the Show Box, a venue that’s been in existence for over 85 years! This Art Deco gem has hosted Muddy Waters, Pearl Jam, The Ramones, Duke Ellington, The Foo Fighters, Prince, and Seattle’s own Macklemore & Ryan Lewis within its storied walls. And the list goes on.

Andy Bell is currently on tour to promote his album, Ten Crowns, with Savannah Pope opening. They’ve just toured Portland and Vancouver and will continue this month with dates at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, then in Phoenix, San Diego, and LA, where he will wrap up the year with two nights at The Fonda Theater.

His solo show is energetic and features a good selection of Erasure songs for the fans (myself included). It was great to hear classics including Drama!, Chorus, Oh L’Amour, Chains of Love, A Little Respect, Sometimes, Blue Savannah, Love to Hate You, plus his latest, a cover of Olivia Newtown-John’s Xanadu.

Los Angeles-based chanteuse Savannah Pope kicked off the party in grand fashion, dolled up in white feathers and glitter for a half-hour set. Her vocal vibe and presence is a solid cross between Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush, and she belted out her tunes to the delight of the packed Seattle audience.

Bell and former Erasure band mate Vince Clarke are working together in the studio and hope to have a new album ready to celebrate four decades since the band’s debut record.

The concert provided a wonderful cap to my visit here, and getting to check out an OG live music venue in Seattle ranked high on my list.

[Beatrice Haverfield’s 1956 Elephant Car Wash Sign once stood at Sixth and Battery Street]

A big round of thanks to the team at Visit Seattle for providing the above experiences during my stay.