Seattle's gay history goes way back: Pioneer Square was known as "Fairyville" back in the 1920s, and featured the only west coast bar that allowed same-sex dancing. A cluster of pleasant cafes, restaurants, and trinket shops may keep you busy for an hour or two around 34th Street and Fremont Ave. Visit the troll under the bridge, a weird concrete sculpture and hang out by the giant Lenin statue. This Seattle neighborhood has officially designated itself "the center of the known universe," and who are we to say otherwise? If you'd like to get off the beaten tourist path, take a trip up to Fremont, the Berkeley of the PNW. Just don't visit the country's oldest Starbucks, because you have better things to do with your time than wait half an hour for unremarkable coffee. Gawk at fish-tossers at the Pike Place Market. Seattle's spectacular skyline includes the Space Needle. Head up to the top of the Space Needle for an amazing view, and try to time your visit to an hour before sunset (which is around 4pm in the winter) so you can see the sun go down. There's no shame in being a kitschy tourist! Just like San Francisco, some of Seattle's finest attractions are the most obvious. Once you finally make your way up to Seattle, you have a choice to make: to do it like a tourist or like a local. Visit on Monday for Metal Night, or check out Darcelle XV, a classic drag palace. While in Portland, swing by Ground Kontrol, a classic video arcade with an acceptable selection of beers and bar food. Visit Voodoo Doughnut for provisions, as a box of a dozen robust snacks from this place will feed a family of four for a week. Beware of winter storms that can render the roads treacherous, and of deer that may leap at your car at any time of year.įurther up the 5, Portland offers a little preview of the Seattle pleasures that lie just a few hours north.
#CUFF GAY BAR SEATTLE FULL#
If you've got a full day to spend in Oregon, divert up Route 62 to the gorgeous Crater Lake National Park, and enjoy a lovely lunch at Crater Lake Lodge as you gaze out over the pristine water. Once you cross the border into Oregon, you'll find yourself in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Park, where you can take a little diversion to hike the Soda Mountain Wilderness. Watch out for hotels that allow smoking, lest you be stuck in a smelly room. You should book a hotel in advance during tourism season, but if you're traveling during off-months (fall and spring) you can get away with using Priceline on your phone to find nearby deals whenever you feel like stopping. Your trip up the I-5 will take you through Redding and across Shasta Lake, where the views are tremendous and the hotels are adorably woodsy. You can visit by plane (we like Alaska Air for the SFO to SEA trip), but if you're not in a hurry, it's a pleasant two or three-day drive. There's no better city for a cozy getaway: it's close, it's walkable, and the locals couldn't be more accommodating to visitors. Look here for a fat-friendly lineup of mind-bogglingly glam vintage finds.Welcome to Seattle, northern travelers! The Pacific Northwest welcomes you with arms wide, and beards bushy.
Though Indian Summer’s jewelry box of a Capitol Hill shop is temporarily closed, owner Adria Garcia stays busy posting an immaculate selection for sale on Instagram. Two Doors Down, Madison Valley & Pioneer Square.Seattle has no shortage of proudly queer-owned bars and restaurants (and they're just the place to celebrate Pride).
Owners Christopher Ballard and Sean Willis, also the couple behind plant-based magazine Outbound Herbivore, are equally sweet. Seattle vegans have lost their collective mind for this new food truck, which parks outside the Ballard outpost of Cycle Dogs to sling photogenic doughnuts in flavors like french toast and rose petal. “Folks who don't necessarily follow the normal gender prescription of what people should wear.” Dough Joy Ballard Cofounder Alyssa Kaliszewski’s passion for sourcing gender- and size-inclusive vintage clothing colors the selection at this West Seattle shop: “I'm plus-size, and also bisexual, and wanted to find a way to offer vintage clothing for folks that are like me,” Kaliszewski says.