For so many of us, Seattle is a medical or entertainment destination—the kind of place you go for a few hours or a day trip. But one of the benefits of spending a whole weekend there is the opportunity to experience more of the city at a slower pace. And to eat more good things, of course!
Stay
One of my favorite neighborhoods to stay in is South Lake Union, and Astra Hotel, Seattle, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel is a great choice for a bit of luxury without any stuffiness. The hotel’s decor is an homage to space travel—‘astra’ means ‘to the stars’ in Latin—down to the constellation-patterned carpets.
“We came up with that name because of the neighborhood that we live in,” says Alleah Pac, Astra’s director of sales and marketing. “It’s always been a hub of progress, [from] when it used to be [mostly] shipyards to now, the tech giants—the neighborhood is very innovative… that’s how we came up with the name: forward thinking and evolving and…launching into space and to the stars.”
Photograph by Anne Godenham
The tech-y window shades and space-themed art are great, but by far my (and my son’s) favorite innovation was Sparky, the hotel’s robot butler, who’ll bring a little dental care kit right to your door should you happen to forget yours. He also carries other amenities, snacks, and even room service; my son’s fear turned quickly to love, and the chocolate Sparky brought us only fueled his obsession. We couldn’t walk through the lobby without saying hi to Sparky, and our heartbreak at saying goodbye on our last morning was only eased by the stuffed version of him we brought home with us in the car.
Eat
We popped downstairs on our first night for dinner at the hotel’s all-ages restaurant, Otium Grill & Greens (if our son hadn’t been with us, we definitely would have added a drink at the stunning 21+ rooftop bar, ALTITUDE Sky Lounge). We parked ourselves on a curve of the “wavy couch” next to a stunning tiled mural of tropical birds and tucked into Grilled Chicken Inasal—was well worth the 30-minute wait the server warned us of, and in the meantime we devoured The Kraken (crispy fried “shrimp, tubes, & tents”) and the Otium Salad, which was like an elevated little gem Caesar with mint and bacon. Our son’s Otium’s Beecher’s Mac & Cheese satisfied his hunger for all things cheesy while also giving us indulgent leftovers to snack on the next morning.
Photograph by Anne Godenham
I crept away during naptime on Saturday to visit Smith Tower right at opening (12 p.m.), which meant it was easy to grab a table by the window to take in the sweeping views of the sound and city. After taking far too many photos of the 1914 building’s gorgeous architectural and historical details on my way up to the 35th floor, I took my turn around the viewing platform (and took the requisite selfies), then came back inside to indulge in a delicious Ahi Tuna Bowl an Observatory Sour cocktail, which was incredible, with tart passionfruit, tequila, and Creme de Peche.
Photograph by Anne Godenham
I met up with my boys back at the hotel and we headed down to the waterfront to catch a boat tour, after which we grabbed an early dinner at Elliot’s Oyster House. Don’t let their waterfront location and longstanding fame fool you: Elliot’s isn’t resting on its laurels. Everything we ate was fresh and delicious, the service was attentive without being distracting, and the entire experience vastly exceeded our high expectations. We started with a dozen oysters (but of course) and a Single Crab Cake and White Clam Chowder for the little one—he absolutely devoured the chowder, and my husband and I stole most of his crab cake. For mains, my husband had the tender and tangy Tequila Lime Mussels and I had the Grilled Copper River Sockeye Salmon, which was cooked to perfection and so tasty I had to fight off the kiddo. We were too full to indulge in dessert, which was the only (self-made) disappointment of the meal!
Photograph by Anne Godenham
On our last morning, we took a short walk to the nearest Café Hagen, a small, upscale local chain with wonderful coffee and unbearably good pastries. We opted for the Weekend Brunch Board because it offered both sweet and savory options and gave us plenty to choose from in attempting to get our kid to eat some real food.
Do
Smith Tower is a definite don’t-miss, and it’s right near Pioneer Square, where you can walk across the gorgeous tree-lined plaza, grab a drink from Zeitgeist Coffee and listen to whatever music is playing (on the day I visited it was a full band, courtesy of an Amazon event), or stop in at cool shops like Glasshouse Studio or Seattle’s National Park Store.
It’s also worth making time for a bay cruise with Argosy Cruises, a family-owned, Seattle-operated company that’s been running cruises for more than 75 years. Even on a cloudy, windy day, the one-hour Seattle’s Original Harbor Cruise was the perfect activity for our little family—it would be equally great for kid-free adults. The rain held off just long enough for us to get a fabulous view of Seattle’s various waterfront neighborhoods, and our born-and-bred-local guide, John, offered historical and anecdotal insights that kept us engaged and taught us a few new things while we snacked on popcorn and watched the waves.
