Seattle: A guide to short-term rentals

Seattle is served by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which sits south of the city center. Sound Transit’s Link light rail is a good public transportation option if you’re traveling from the airport to downtown. Trains depart regularly, and the journey to Westlake Station by Pike Place Market takes about 40 minutes. For bus service in downtown Seattle and other neighborhoods across the county, there’s King County Metro Transit.

Within downtown Seattle, streetcars are a favorite mode of transportation. You can hop on in the South Lake Union neighborhood or in the First Hill neighborhood. But don’t miss Seattle’s famous Center Monorail, which travels between downtown’s Westlake Center and Seattle Center. Biking is a great option in Seattle, and bike rental options are plentiful. Just be prepared for a spritz of the city’s famous rain (though inclement weather is often quick to pass).

And of course, walking is a great way to get around Seattle’s downtown and outlying neighborhoods, as well as to explore the Puget Sound and the lake that bounds the city to the east.

The Space Needle is Seattle’s most iconic building, built for the 1962 world’s fair. Take the elevator up 43 stories to the observation level and take in incredible views of Elliott Bay, the forested Cascade Mountains, and distant Mount Rainier.

Pike Place Market is another must-visit. See the Market’s famed fish-throwing tradition, browse the offerings of hundreds of local artisans, and check out the first Starbucks location.

The Museum of Pop Culture, in a Frank Gehry-designed building, has fascinating exhibits on everything that was once in vogue.

The Seattle Art Museum has a broad collection of works from across eras and regions, and the Olympic Sculpture Park brings the museum’s collection outside on the water about a mile away (for free).

Finally, take a trip through the Central Public Library, an architecturally lauded building covered in glass with colorful interiors and read a chapter or two with a bright view of Elliott Bay.

Whether you’re in the market for budget eats or a white tablecloth experience, some of the best food in Seattle can be found in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. For exceptional meals from all over the world, head to the International District and to Columbia City. You’ll find restaurants serving dishes from Japan, Mongolia, Kenya, Italy, and countless other global culinary centers. If you’re visiting Pike Place, be careful of crowds on weekends. But there are gems to be found among the food stalls.

Seattle’s nickname is the “Emerald City” because of its exquisite greenery, and there is no shortage of ways to enjoy your time outside here. 534-acre Discovery Park in Magnolia is a great place to start. Jutting into the Puget Sound, the park has a range of landscapes to explore, and at the end of the land you can take a rest by the West Point Lighthouse. Mount Si is an excellent place to hike, and visiting Mount Rainier, an active volcano and one of the country’s premier climbing destinations, is a perfect day trip.

Before the internet boom, before maritime trade, and before the Klondike Gold Rush to the north in Alaska, Seattle’s first significant industry was logging. During that period, a road that’s now called Yesler Way got the nickname “Skid Road” because of logs that timber workers would skid down the slope to transport them to a nearby sawmill. The area was later allowed to deteriorate, and its disrepair may be the origin of the term Skid Row, which was later used to describe blighted urban areas.