Seattle may not have a lot of snow, but there’s plenty of holiday spirit, and that makes it a special place for a holiday shopping spree.
From Seattle Center to Westlake Center to Pike Place Market, the usual visitor attractions get a little more special on a cold winter’s day. Crowds of excited, bundled-up families and couples sample Westlake’s seasonal offerings, like Quest’s carousel rides, or nearby kettle corn and elephant ears. Christmas music is everywhere, while vendors make balloon animals for the kids.
Make it an overnight trip and it’s even better. First, you’ll be sure to see the many holiday lights along the downtown streets, including the famous Macy’s star, the Space Needle lights, and many other special seasonal touches. And, by spending the night, you can turn a shopping trip into a real getaway.
Our home base was a Seattle landmark, the Edgewater Hotel. You might remember that the Edgewater was famous during the sixties when the Beatles stayed there and fished out the window. In fact, it became the obvious choice for many famous rock groups who came to town during that period to play one of Pat O’Dea’s spectacular rock concerts.
Today, Edgewater has a classic elegance that combines the best location in Seattle with updated interior design that evokes the rich Northwest Native American heritage. The first thing we saw upon entering our oceanfront room was a Washington State Ferry, right outside our window and across the waters of Elliott Bay. Our view made us feel like we were traveling on a cruise ship with nothing but water between us and the ferry. This, of course, is the main attraction of the aptly named Edgewater, a place literally on the water with incredible views of Puget Sound and nearby islands.
Our room featured many Northwest accents such as a log headboard on our comfortable king bed, bark molding and wood paneling over the corner fireplace, Native American designs on the rugs with knotty pine baseboards and characters and Indian designs on wood. framework entertainment center. In the bathroom, a large claw-foot tub looked terribly inviting, while modern colors and fixtures made the room look like something you’d see in an interior design magazine. The floors were amber quartz slate, while the room also included a glass-enclosed European spa shower.
With a room at Edgewater, which boasts a constant parade of boats right outside your window, there’s a temptation to linger there and enjoy the endless sights and sounds. But we came to Seattle to check out the city’s Christmas activities, so our first stop was Pike Place Market, just a few blocks away and within walking distance of Edgewater.
The market is one of the most recognizable symbols of Seattle, right up there with the Space Needle. That probably has something to do with the way TV sportscasters always show market footage while broadcasting Seattle Seahawks or Washington Huskies sports broadcasts. Usually the take is one of the fish handlers who throws out king salmon; therefore, we were pleased that, on our arrival, the fish were actually flying. Like the 50 or so visitors standing by, we had seen Pike Place Market’s famous fish release for ourselves.
Those fish handlers in their tracksuits, hoodies and aprons aren’t the only reason to stop by the market at Christmas. The market goes all out on its decorations and actually has Christmas trees available, not that we’d want to bring one back to Edgewater. Walk just north of the first fish market and you’ll enter a hive of activity where it seems almost everything you want is for sale: fresh fruit and produce, honey, herbs, bouquets of dried flowers, jams and jellies, nuts, fruit , chocolates, t-shirts, bags, you name it. In fact, there are several fish markets in the same building, as well as restaurants where you can dine on fresh fish even before leaving the market.
Just across the street from the market, across from the Starbucks, a musical group called the Slimpickens pumped up the crowd with upbeat 1930s-style music played in a four-piece setup: guitar, double bass, violin, and washboard. Dressed in 1930s attire, the group also seemed to be getting a Depression-era response to their music: lots of smiles and foot tapping, but not many coins falling into their prominently placed mug.
Around here we came across Piroshky, Piroshky, a small takeaway restaurant that serves fresh Russian piroshkies for just under $5. These were freshly baked, and if you’re wondering, piroshky is a bit like a puff pastry filled with meat, cheese, or other fillings. They are delicious and, for us, provided a quick and inexpensive lunch.
Instead, some friends of ours went to Von’s Grand City Café, a few blocks from the market on Pine Street, where the food was okay, but they reported that it was their first time coming across canned champagne. They ordered a champagne split and the can that was delivered to their table had a straw attached to it, which our friends said reminded them of the boxes of fruit drinks they give their kids. Of course, that’s what visiting the “Big City” is all about: experiencing new things.
Just a few blocks from the market is Westlake Center, a modern, multi-story mall with one-of-a-kind stores and, due to its location near Macy’s and Nordstrom, the epicenter of downtown retail activity. It’s here that, for just $2 each way, you can jump on the monorail, originally built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, and speed to Seattle Center, where its Winterfest celebration has non-stop festive entertainment and one of the best model railroads and miniature trains. Christmas towns that your children will ever see.
Soon it was time to head back to Edgewater, where we watched the fog and marveled at how the few sailboats that were out on this wintry day were able to dodge the Washington state ferries. Thank goodness for foghorns and radar, we guess. Just a few minutes’ walk from Edgewater is the Spaghetti Factory, where we enjoyed a tasty but inexpensive dinner.
The night was quiet and when the sun came up the next day the sky was blue and the view from our room was like a postcard. No need to miss that view over breakfast – down in Edgewater we stopped for a hearty meal with the best views in town at the hotel’s award-winning Six Seven restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised at the reasonable prices, given the restaurant’s prime location and reputation for luxury.
More downtown exploration was available for our second day, with no shortage of merchandise available at unusually good prices. Soon it was time to go home, but it wasn’t like a trip home from the mall where you’re exhausted and swear never to go shopping with the crowds again. Yes, we had done our Christmas shopping well, but we were also invigorated by an unforgettable vacation trip to Seattle’s Winter Wonderland.
For more information about Seattle, visit visitseattle.org or call 206-461-5840. For more information about Edgewater Hotel, visit edgewaterhotel.com or call 1-800-624-0670.