It’s no secret that Seattle is beautiful, artsy, and a great travel destination. I have enjoyed every single trip! In 2022 I when to Seattle with some friends and we took a tour with Lynn from Seattle Under the Radar Tours while we were there and it was fabulous! So when I went on my recent trip to Seattle in August, I contacted her for another tour. We wanted somewhere we hadn’t explored yet so she suggested West Seattle with one stop in Seattle along the way. It was a super suggestion!

Lynn’s Website for Seattle Under the Radar Tours. ⬇️

https://seattleundertheradartours.com/

Lynn picked us up at our downtown Seattle hotel and we made one great stop before heading to West Seattle. She took us to the Starbucks World Headquarters in the Seattle neighborhood of SoDo. Inside is a cool Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Here are a few photos of the outside and inside.

Wall of Starbucks Important Events ⬆️

Next we set out for West Seattle, which is across the bay from the Seattle Riverfront. Below is a link to a Wikipedia map and additional information.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Seattle

One thing I noticed right away is that West Seattle has a more relaxed, small-town vibe. Lynn took us to the West Seattle Farmer’s Market in the downtown area (called “The Junction”), where we happily shopped for fun and eclectic food for a picnic on the beach at Lincoln Park. By the time we were done browsing and buying, we had a great collection of unique foods - everything from tamales to cookies to specialty peaches to pizza from the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. It was fun for my son and me to see what a Farmer’s Market on the West Coast offered.

Look at the different color beans! Have never seen those before! ⬆️

Plus there are fun shops in The Junction! (Downtown West Seattle)

Before we headed to Lincoln Park, Lynn was sure to lead us through the famous music store in downtown West Seattle called Easy Street Records and Cafe. What a cool place! Big name bands and performers like Pearl Jam and The Sonics have played to in-house crowds. The store has been listed as one of the top ten record stores in the country. It was fun to see where so much music history took place! See the store webpage for additional details. ⬇️

https://easystreetonline.com/CustomPage/5825

After our shopping at The Farmer’s Market, Lynn took us to Lincoln Park, a lovely park with picnic tables and driftwood right on the bay. Lynn was super organized, dropping us off by the picnic area to park the car, bringing a small cloth to lay out the food plus utensils. We had a wonderful picnic, enjoying the conversation, the food, and the view!

After our delightful picnic, Lynn drove showed us many other areas in West Seattle. We saw Alki Point Park, dozens of quaint houses, folks playing beach volleyball, a seal swimming in Elliott Bay, and even a totem pole!