Adina’s Seattle

Seattle local Adina Marguerite Pease is a creative type who lives to wander. While she’ll always be a California girl at heart, she moved to the Emerald City seeking greener pastures, and found them. When she’s not exploring the Pacific Northwest, Adina sets out on road trip adventures around the world with her husband and their Vizsla pup, Parsley. Here are a few of her favorite things about the city she calls home.

Follow Adina’s story on her website and on Twitter and Instagram @adinamarguerite.

Seattle Is My City

When someone comes to visit me, the first place I take them to is Sunset Hill Park for a beautiful view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

September is the best time to visit my city because the crowds have thinned, the kids are back in school, and the sun is often shining.

You can see my city best from Kerry Park. On a clear day you’ll not only get a lovely look at the city skyline, but also of Mount Rainier.

Locals know to skip the downtown Pike-Pine area and check out the north Seattle neighborhoods of Ballard and Fremont instead.

The Fremont Sunday Market is the place to buy authentic, local souvenirs from regional artisans.

In the past, notable people like martial artist Bruce Lee, children’s author Beverly Cleary, and science educator Bill Nye have called my city home.

My city’s best museum is the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum because of its fascinating collection of historical law artifacts and displays concerning the Puget Sound area.

If there’s one thing you should know about getting around my city, it’s that you simply must take a ferry ride every once in a while. There’s no better way to see the city than from the waterways surrounding it.

The best place to spend time outdoors in my city is Discovery Park. Its 534 acres are filled with trails, meadows, driftwood-strewn beaches, and the historic West Point Lighthouse.

My city really knows how to celebrate the summer solstice because we truly appreciate the sun. The Fremont Solstice Parade brings out artists, dancers, and naked (but often painted) bike riders.

You can tell if someone is from my city if they appear ready to set off for a hike in the nearby Cascade Mountains at a moment’s notice.

For a fancy night out, I make reservations at Tilth and order the eight-course gluten-free vegan tasting menu.

Just outside my city, you can visit the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and it’s just as beautiful as it sounds. In addition to offering a number of great day hikes (one of the easiest being Snow Lake), you can always backpack in and have the option of waking up lakeside.

My city is known for being dreary and slightly depressing, but it’s really inspiring and uplifting when the sun and mountains are out in their full glory.

The best outdoor market in my city is the University District Farmers Market. Recently expanded with more street space and new vendors, this year-round Saturday market is giving popular favorite the Ballard Farmers Market a run for its money.

Miro Tea is my favorite place to grab breakfast, and Capitol Cider is the spot for late-night eats.

To find out what’s going on at night and on the weekends, read local neighborhood blogs such as MyBallard or PhinneyWood.

When I’m feeling cash-strapped, I walk from my home in the Wedgwood neighborhood to Matthews Beach Park, a lovely, wooded swimming hole that makes me feel like I’m on a mini-vacation.

To escape the crowds, I plan a weekend away on the Washington Coast in Kalaloch—preferably in winter, when prices are low and the storm watching is excellent.

The dish that represents my city best is a salmon slider, and locally produced hard cider is my city’s signature drink. Snag a slider from Loki Fish Co. at the University District Farmers Market and sample the many local varieties of hard cider at the Noble Fir.

The glass atrium at the Chihuly Garden and Glass is my favorite building in town because of the beautiful floral art installations and views of the Space Needle.

The most random thing about my city is the Fremont Rocket. It’s actually a Cold War-era fuselage mounted on top of a building in the “Center of the Universe,” as the Fremont neighborhood likes to be known.

The Tractor Tavern is the best place to see live music, but if you’re in the mood to dance, check out an ’80s night at Nectar.

An alternative marching band performing on a barge under fireworks could only happen in my city.

In the spring you should wander the quad at the University of Washington and admire the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

In the summer you should take a stand-up paddle boarding yoga class with WASUP Yoga in one of the many waterways around the city.

In the fall you should take a hike in the Cascades to view the bright yellow larches in all their glory. Blue Lake and Lake Ingalls are two of the best options for viewing the autumn foliage.

In the winter you should cross your fingers for a full dump of snow in the city and join a sledding party on a closed-off street. If that’s not possible, head to the mountains to snowshoe Artist Point.

If you have kids (or are a kid at heart), you won’t want to miss the EMP Museum, which is filled with all sorts of past and present pop culture treasures.

The best book about my city is Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage, because it gives a personal account of life, love, and business through the lens of a small neighborhood restaurant in Seattle.

When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is “Thrift Shop,” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.

In 140 characters or less, the world should heart my city because of its sparkling waterways, nearby snow-capped peaks, and mix of evergreen and deciduous trees.