I consider myself a 100% Seattle, PNW girl, even though I've only lived in the Seattle area for the last nine years. But despite spending only a few years in Seattle (but living my whole life in Washington), I have become a classic Seattle-ite, from my Birks to my rain jacket to my "12" beanie and my Starbucks cup. It's so PNW, it almost hurts. Whenever I go down to Pike Place, the thing that drives me most up the wall, is tourists. Now, I try not to judge all you tourists and travelers out there making your way into the upper left corner, but sometimes it's hard when you're being a tourist in a new place, to not look like, well, such a tourist. I get it; Seattle is great, and we have a lot of really cool things here, but when people come and look outlandishly touristy, you stick out like a sore thumb and people will treat you differently. Even tourists get annoyed by each other sometimes! So, with this post, I want to show you some ways you can take Seattle by storm without looking like a total tourist, from your friendly neighborhood NorthWestie.
Step 1: Lose the selfie sticks
Okay, if I was told I was only allowed to say one helpful travel tip, THIS WOULD BE IT! Lose the selfie sticks people, seriously! First of all, if you're going to downtown Seattle or Pike Place or anywhere remotely close to those regions, you will quickly learn why it just isn't right (or safe) to use a selfie stick: frankly, there just isn't room to. Seattle is one of the best metropolitan cities in the country, which also means that there are a lot of people here. With Microsoft, Vulcan, Boeing and Amazon, Seattle has a boatload of people. Because of this, as soon as you whip out your selfie stick and decide to snap a couple pictures, keep in mind that there are hundreds of people rushing around you and you could quite possibly knock them over the head. Please, please, please remember this! Nobody likes getting smacked in the head with a selfie stick, and I'm sure you wouldn't like to have a broken phone either after it is knocked out of your hand and hits the cobblestone roads. Plus, for me personally, as soon as I see someone with a selfie stick wandering around Seattle, I instantly know that they are a tourist.
Step 2: Buy a rain jacket
One of the trademarks of Seattle is the excessive amount of rain we receive here. If you're wondering what the weather will be like when you come and visit, chances are it will most likely be raining. Because of all this rain, the people of Seattle (myself included) have gotten very accustomed to adding one piece of clothing to our closet: a rain jacket. Here's a fun fact for you too: we don't use umbrellas. As crazy as it sounds, Seattle-ites have ditched the notion of using an umbrella and instead opted for an easier, more portable solution, that being the rain jacket. So, when you come to Seattle and experience our constant downpour, leave your umbrella at home and invest in a rain jacket. Not only that, but when you're wandering around Seattle, you'll find there just simply isn't room for an umbrella and things could get awkward, because, well, if native Seattle-ites see someone with an umbrella, we can tell you aren't from around here.
Step 3: Be smart with your shoe choices
Wherever you go in Seattle, you will quickly learn that shoe choices are everything. Aside from the high end ladies in their Louis Vuitton heels or the business men wearing their fancy Gucci suede shoes, most people in Seattle stick to the two basic footwear groups: Nikes (or some other type of tennis shoe) or Birks. Seattle is a bit of an older city, with a lot of vintage buildings and cobblestone streets and oh, I forgot to mention, tons of hills. Similar to San Francisco, there are dozens of one-ways and tons upon tons of hills. Due to the insane amount of traffic, you will see a lot of pedestrians around Seattle trying to avoid the arduous calling of rush hour. You, most likely, will be one of those pedestrians. I suggest you wear Nikes or Birks or something of that nature because your heels will get damaged in the cobblestones and you won't be able to walk downhill in a pair of platform shoes. That way, you won't look like a tourist and you won't have blisters or a minor injury.
Step 4: Say "Pike Place" correctly
This is a super common mistake, and us native Seattle people will try not to judge you for it, but it will be difficult not to correct you. One of the most common mistakes tourists make when visiting our city, is calling Pike Place the wrong names like, "Pike's Place" or "Pike Street Market" or, my personal favorite, "Pike Peak Market". Keep in mind, you aren't going to a dude's house named "Pike", nor are you randomly on the street and you aren't standing on top of a peak; Pike Place is more than a street; there are multi levels and facets to it. So when you do decide to go down to Pike Place, make sure to use the right name. This will also help when navigating, so you won't get weird looks from natives when you ask where "Pike's" is.
Step 5: Don't jaywalk
One of the coolest thing about Seattle is how good are people are at using crosswalks. When the big Seahawks parade happened a few years ago, we were known as one of the most polite cities because we used our manners and also used the crosswalk. When I drive to downtown Seattle, I can always tell who is a tourist because they seldom use crosswalks. If you're afraid to use a crosswalk or don't know when to walk, just wait a second and follow the other people who look like they know what they're doing. Just remember to use the crosswalks! Safety is always key, and we wouldn't want you getting injured while having a good time.
Step 6: Be conscientious
Remember that while you are wondering to yourself, "is pot legal in Seattle?" (yes, it is) or standing in the middle of the cobblestone street at Pike Place (cars do drive there) or taking fifty thousand pictures of the Public Market sign (everyone does it), the first Starbucks, or the things inside of the market, that there are other people around you. Trust me, we enjoy that people want to come and be a tourist in our city, because Seattle is super awesome! But, we also live there. A lot of people actually do their shopping in Pike Place Market, so remember not to be so in the way that we can't get our regular shopping done. Also, cars do drive right by Pike Place Market, so it's not wise to stand in the middle of the cobblestone street and take pictures or chat with your buddies about where you should go next. Finally, make sure you aren't standing in the exact same spot in the middle of the sidewalk for a long amount of time so you don't end up blocking pedestrian traffic. There are people who do need to get by and are just going about their normal day. Find a place to step off to the side to, or where you aren't in the way. Nobody likes getting rude stares or jostled when trying to take a pic for Instagram.
Well there you have it! Part 1 of traveling Seattle and how not to look like a tourist. For my next blogpost I will be addressing some of the neatest parts of Seattle to check out. Stay tuned and visit Seattle, we love our tourists!
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