Bettie Page House (now with a friend!)

For the last decade, Seattle commuters have been able to admire the beautiful Bettie Page as they make their way to and from Seattle's downtown and now, we can thank the owners of this Ravenna home for a new addition: Divine. 

Bettie Page (what a hottie, right?!) has been eyeing us for so long she seems like she must have always been painted two stories high on the side of I-5. But, alas, her story only began in 2006 when home owner Chris Brugos asked a friend, John Green, to add a little color to his home, even if it was in black and white. Bettie Page emerged after a lot of hours of work and is now a signature of Seattle, representing the openness of Seattle and the openness Bettie Page represented, far before her time. 

Sadly, in June Bettie was vandalized. The vandals stating feminism as their cause (yes...because that makes sense...vandalize a beautiful woman expressing herself openly...great logic. <---that was sarcasm). But the homeowners were not deterred; they brought Bettie back to her original spender and have given her a friend whose image is equally powerful: Divine. Divine was given the title "Drag Queen of the Century" and has been a powerful figure in the LGBT community. 

These ladies are killing it up there and that is saying something. We're not sure we could pull off the siding look. 

All joking aside, we love this house and hope that the community continues to support this art. It makes our city a better place! 

Seattle's Famous Film Locations

We are always a little bitter when we excitedly sit down to watch a new show or movie set in Seattle and we see Vancouver, BC buildings and public transport show up in the scenes. It is decidedly cheaper to film in Canada, so most production companies take the discount thinking Seattle and Vancouver are basically interchangeable. Throw in a shot of the Space Needle and you're good, right? 

Nope. Because we know. And we are loyal to our city.

So, let's pay homage to the films and TV shows that spent the cash and used real Seattle locations to film. Let's take a little tour around Seattle to find all the spots in various movies and shows.

TV

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Frasier's tour around Seattle. Top Left: Famous "Public Market" sign at Pike Place Market, Top Right: Space Needle, Bottom Left: Pike Place Fish, Bottom Right: Riding the Monorail

Frasier

We are letting them on this list, but just barely. 99.9% of Fraser was filmed on a set in L.A but for one special episode they came and shot in Seattle. They make it on the list because they hit up all the big hitters in 20 minutes, which is pretty amazing. In Season 5, Episode 5, you can see The Space Needle, the Monorail, and Pike Place Market including Pike Place Fish and Don and Joe's Meats.

Meredith Grey's house from Grey's Anatomy located in Queen Anne. Photo Credit

Greys Anatomy

Again, most of this show was shot on a set in L.A., but they do use a couple of genuine Seattle locations in the show! Fisher Plaza, home of KOMO News, is used to represent some of the hospital shots, and Meredith's Queen Anne home is a real house located at 303 W. Comstock St. in the Queen Anne neighborhood.

MOVIES

The Singles apartment complex located in Capitol Hill

Singles (1992)

This cult classic brings together everything Seattleites want in a film: music, love, and a good coffee shop. Plus that HAIR and alllll the flannel and a young Eddie Vedder! It also takes in a lot of Seattle over the 99 minute long picture. Occidental Park in Pioneer Square is the site where Kyra Sedgwick and Campbell Scott take a stroll. Scott eats a meal at Chandler's Crabhouse. They visit Seattle famous dive bars Re-Bar and El Corazon for concerts and they live in an apartment complex in Capitol Hill (totally where they would live if this was a true story). You also get to see Gasworks Park again (filmmakers love Gasworks, huh?)!

Tom Hank's Lake Union floating house in Sleepless in Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Seattle's favorite film. Don't argue, this is Seattle's favorite film. We love this movie and no one can take it away from us. Tom Hanks is a movie god, and he walked around our city to film this movie, so it is the best Seattle movie. Period. You can see a lot of the places from this film. The Baldwin's house boat still sits on Lake Union and looks exactly the same. You can take a boat tour to see it or our preferred method is to rent a kayak and paddle over. (Agua Verde is a good option). 

Sit your butt in the same stool that Tom Hanks sat in at The Athenian in Pike Place Market.

You can also plant your butt in the same seat as Tom Hanks at The Athenian. This is the restaurant Sam Baldwin (Hanks) gets lunch with his friend Ray. You also spot other Pike Place Market landmarks like the fish market and Inn at the Market as they walk to The Athenian. 

The famous paint ball course at Gasworks Park in 10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Now Sleepless in Seattle might reign #1 for Seattle films, but let's be honest, it was a littttttttle creepy. 10 Things I Hate About You is a much more accurate and realistic love story. And it is when we all first fell in love with Heath Ledger, so brooding, so misunderstood, he just wanted someone to play paintball with! 

The Fremont Troll where Joseph Gordon Levitt filmed

This movie has our favorite Seattle spotting, the Fremont Troll. Young and still dorky Joseph Gordon Levitt has a hormone filled conversation with his love interest Bianca (such a 90s name).

Gasworks Park also makes an appearance when Heath and Julia have a crazy game of paintball, although we don't think that giant paintball course has ever been open to the public. And their prom is filmed at The Paramount Theatre, Balllllerrrrr! 

Left: I-90 Bridge, Right: Chihuly Garden and Glass

Laggies (2014)

We still can't decide if we liked this movie or not..but if you hate it you still get some decent Seattle shots. Chihuly Garden and Glass makes an appearance as a wedding venue. You really can rent this for a wedding, it costs $-- or your first born child, one or the other.

You also get a very pretty shot of the I-90 floating bridge since the main character (Knightley) lives on the Eastside.

Say Anything (1989)

Corey's house is real!! Gosh we love when this happens! It is in Ballard, located at 6507 Parker Court Northwest, Seattle, WA 98117.

Bob's Java Jive from Say Anything is a bit worn down these days

Bob's Java Jive in Tacoma makes a drive-by appearance in Say Anything. Today this is a super strange coffee shop turned bar. We don't recommend it as a place to go unless we really hate the person. 

Waiting for Interurban. Photo by Xurxo Martinez

You can also catch a glimpse of the statue 'Waiting for the Interurban', a local favorite located in Fremont, Seattle, when Diane is on her way to graduation. On graduation day in Seattle this statue could very probably be decorated in the exact same manner. 

Seattle Vacation in 48 Hours

We would like to start this post by saying you cannot do Seattle in 48 hours, you can barely do one neighborhood in that time, but realistically not everyone has time to spend months here exploring every nook and cranny. This post is for people who are coming to Seattle for a weekend and need to hit up only the best of the best. 

Friday

You will probably be arriving in Seattle in the late afternoon. We are going to immediately throw you a curve ball and send you up to Capitol Hill. This is one of the best neighborhoods in Seattle for a number of reasons, and you can't miss it. First check out Melrose Market, maybe have a few oysters at Taylor Shellfish Company to keep you until dinner. Then head over to Elliott Bay Book Company, the #1 bookstore in Seattle, to browse their amazing selection with awesome staff to help you find your next favorite book.

Photo source

After this you can go check out the Jimmy Hendrix statue (air guitar is encouraged). Now you've earned dinner! Here are three options you can pick from depending on what floats your boat: Stateside,  Trove, or Tavolata. Finish the night off with a drink at Unicorn, the wackiest bar in Capitol Hill. 

The Unicorn's decorations are only outshone by their crazy cocktails.

Friday's hotspots

Saturday

Rise and shine and put your walking shoes on! Get to world-famous Pike Place Market at 9:00 AM before it gets swamped. Grab a crumpet at The Crumpet Shop and then start exploring. Check out Pike Place Fish (hint: when someone buys a fish they do the famous fish toss), the gorgeous flowers stalls, and grab free samples from many of the shops, including our favorites Ellenos Yogurt and Britt's Pickles. If you grab any food (hint: Piroshky Piroshky or Pike Place Chowder) and want a quiet place to enjoy it we recommend the Urban Garden. It's a bit tricky to find (located down the hallway to the left of Don and Joe's Meats), but a great secret of the market. 

Cute pig welcomes you to the Urban Garden in Pike Place Market

After you have thoroughly explored the market take the short walk down to Seattle's waterfront. The best stretch is between the Seattle Aquarium and Ivar's Acres of Clams. You can take in all the street artists, beautiful views of the Puget Sound, ride the Seattle Wheel, and get some food if you are hungry again. We have details all the best waterfront spots in this post. 

Miner's Landing and the Seattle Wheel 

Once you have worked up an appetite grab the water taxi located at Pier 50 ($4.50 one way) and take a short 5 minute boat ride across Puget Sound to get to our favorite seafood restaurant, Salty's, for your quintessential PNW dinner. This place has a fun atmosphere and killer views of the city skyline. Plus the food will make your life complete. 

Saturday's route

Sunday

Sleep in a little today and then grab a coffee at one of Seattle's MANY coffee shops. Once you have caffeine in hand head over to the Olympic Sculpture Park. This is an extension of the Seattle Art Museum and is a beautiful place to spend the morning. Start at the top (entrance at the corner of Broad St. and Western Ave.) and then wind your way down the main path to the waterfront where you will find the park's newest sculpture (and our personal favorite), Echo. 

Sculptures that double as benches in the Olympic Sculpture Park

From here you can make your way over to Seattle Center, which is a short walk. This park is the most popular in Seattle because of that giant needle people come to see. We recommend getting the joint ticket deal to visit the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit because Chihuly is a mad genius (we did an entire post on this place here). Or if you are here around lunch you can get a free ticket to the Space Needle viewing deck if you eat at SkyCity, the rotating restaurant at the top of the Needle (spend a minimum of $25/guest).

One of the many spectacular Chihuly pieces in Seattle Center

We also love the EMP in Seattle Center. The EMP's exhibits pay tribute to all types of entertainment (think Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix, horror and fantasy films, and the Seahawks) and is well worth the $22 ticket price. 

If you haven't already, grab a quick lunch. Seattle Center's Armory building has lots of options so everyone in the group should be happy. Sometimes there are some pretty delicious food carts hanging out in the area too. You can then take your food and enjoy it by the International Fountain and listen to the music. 

From here head up Queen Anne hill to Kerry Park (you can walk, but be warned, the hill is gnarly). This park has arguably the best views of Seattle and the Space Needle. There also happens to be a delicious ice cream at Molly Moon's just up the street from it, so if you want to make a pit stop on your way we support that decision. 

The views from Kerry Park are phenomenal.

Take your photos, eat your ice cream. That's a wrap. Your 48 hours in Seattle is complete and you hit up all the best things! 

Sunday's route 

5 Things To Check Out In Snoqualmie, WA

Snoqualmie. The first town name that visitors have to learn to pronounce correctly, right up there with Issaquah and Tulalip. All our neighboring towns have something in common besides their unique Native American names, they also all have great attractions to draw you out of the bustling city. Snoqualmie is our favorite, simply because it has such a variety of things to experience for people of all ages. It is a great town to take family visiting from out of town, head to for a date night, or simply a day with friends. 

1. Check out Snoqualmie Falls - Alright, we have to get the most obvious out of the way first. It's worth the hype (unless we are having a dry season and then it's just like any other waterfall). It's a free attraction, which is always a plus, and the viewing deck is accessible (bring on the strollers and wheelchairs). It has a great review of the history, and you can also hike down to the base of the falls for some really spectacular views to compliment the ones from the viewing deck.

Insider Tip: Go hungry and grab lunch after at Salish Lodge's bar, The Attic. It is right next to the falls so you can just pop in after. The views are kind of awesome. 

The real deal: a steam engine train

2. Visit the Northwest Railway Museum and Ride the Train - This one isn't for everyone. The steam engine is a cool piece of history, and since it is old and authentic, it goes very slowly and the trip is not through a particularly stunning part of the country side. That being said, if you aren't too cool for school, ride the train! It's fun and you get to experience a piece of history in a real way. In addition to the train, you can visit the museum at the train depot. It's small, but if you are interested in the history of the area or love trains, stop in.

Sugary crack. Photo via mrslemontea Instagram

3.  Grab some ice cream at Snoqualmie Falls Candy Factory - if it's a hot day or you have kids in the group this a great place to stop in for a snack. They have candy, popcorn, and a good selection of ice cream to give you a little (or big) sugar kick. There is a chalkboard wall for kids to enjoy and seating outside for soaking up some sun. 

Sigillo Cellars has a cute atmosphere and great staff! 

4. Enjoy a wine tasting at Sigillo Cellars - This tasting room is easy to locate and convenient to get to and has friendly service and delicious Washington wine. You can stop in for a short visit or long, depending on what you want. We personally recommend spending some time here (are you surprised? We loves the wine). You can sample all the wine (and then some), have some food, and enjoy the live music they have on most weekends! In the summer the outdoor patio with views of Mount Si make for a perfect night. 

See, that's what we are talking about! Photo via Nyonyoge Instagram

5. Try not to lose all your money at Snoqualmie Casino - It's new and shiny and you can gamble. I don't really think we have to add many more details here except maybe an additional disclaimer to be careful gambling, you are not Rainman and never, ever will be. 

Sidenote: Are we the only people who associate this place with very overplayed tagline? "Seattle's Closest Casino!" Why is that the selling point? Are people who gamble frequently also lazy and do not like to drive? Is it because you will stay here until the buttcrack of dawn and want to drive home quickly to pass out in your piles of money? If you want us to come to your casino tell us about your awesome fountains and sparkly decor, also the buffet.. draw us in with crab legs!

Ok, sorry. Rant over. Other than the sub-par casino tagline, Snoqualmie is a fantastic place to visit! Let us know if you have other favorites in town in the comments below.