Touring the Browns’ road cities: Seattle’s stadiums, Pike Place Market, Space Needle

Our road cities tour continues with a look at Seattle, where the Browns will play this Sunday for their third road game of the season.

Getting to Downtown Seattle

Not many people are going to drive from Cleveland to Seattle, so flying there is a pretty safe bet. Alaskan Airlines, which is based in Seattle, introduced nonstop flights from Cleveland to Seattle during the past year, which gets you there in about five hours. Even if you do connecting flights to Seattle, it’s not too bad, going about 7-8 hour total.

By vehicle, it is a 20-minute drive to Downtown Seattle from the Airport. If you are looking for public transportation, you can board a Link Train at the airport by purchasing an ORCA card ($5) and loading it with some money. The cost to go from the airport to Downtown Seattle is $3, and about a 50-minute ride.

Seattle’s Sports Stadiums and Arenas

Lumen Field (home to the Seahawks and Sounders) and T-Mobile Park (Mariners) are right next to each other, a little bit south of the Downtown Area. There are two Link stations that get you close to the stadiums from Downtown, making it nice to go from your hotel to the stadiums. When my brother and I went to Seattle in March 2022, the only sport that was in season was soccer, so we went to Lumen Field for a Sounders game to get the vibe of the area:

I filmed a video that also shows the inside of Lumen Field, and how the surrounding streets and outside of both stadiums look:

As for other sports teams, Seattle doesn’t have an NBA team any more, but if you are near the Space Needle, the Kraken (hockey) play at Climate Pledge Arena.

5 Tourist Things I Would Do in Seattle

1. Visit Pike Place Market: I can’t rave enough about Pike Place Market. Usually, you don’t want to tell tourists where they have to go when visiting a city, but if you’re traveling to Seattle and don’t experience Pike Place Market, I almost have to ask, “What the hell were you thinking?” The best time to visit is around noon, when the crowds are plentiful. We went back later in the day one time and it was a lot less exciting with few people around. Whether it be the classic fish tossing, the vendors, or the multiple floors of various knick knacks, you’ll find something to eat, souvenirs, and a bunch of memories.

Also located at Pike Place Market is the Gum Wall, which is a tourist attraction in its own right.

2. Check Out the Space Needle Area: The Space Needle is also synonymous with Seattle, and you can take the monorail from the Westlake Station in Downtown right to the area without having to walk the streets. You can pay to ride the Space Needle to the top, or just enjoy a walk around the area that includes the Museum of Pop Culture, Children’s Museum, Chihuly Garden and Glass, Planetarium, Science Center, and various parks and artwork. You’re also just a 15-minute walk from South Lake Union, which was a peaceful and pretty area.

3. Kerry Park & Bicycling the Queen Anne Neighborhood: If you are biking enthusiasts, I recommend getting a hotel at the Mediterranean Inn. Not only are the prices not bad, but you are very close to the Space Needle, and best of all, they offer complimentary bicycle rentals, which was the best perk ever for my brother and I. If you can make it up the steep hill on foot with a bicycle, you first get great views as a gem of a small area called Kerry Park:

Bicycling around the Queen Anne neighborhood let us soak in the architecture of the houses for awhile, before we headed to Elliott Bay where there was a popular bicycle path that took you back toward the Downtown Seattle area. Beware: as you can see from the video below, the method of getting from Queen Anne to Elliott Bay by bicycle is not recommended unless you’re in shape (i.e. can carry the bike down stairs) and don’t mind some homeless tents.

4. Capitol Hill and CHOP Zone: If you visit on a Friday or Saturday night, be sure to go to the Capitol Hill area down Pike or Pine, just East of Downtown Seattle. The streets have restaurants and bars all over the place, and the college crowds were out and about everywhere. The first night my brother and I walked through the area was on a weekend, but we just enjoyed the walk — I didn’t take pictures or videos.

We went back on a Tuesday night, and it was absolute deadsville — as if I would never even think to recommend the area to anyone. I did still salvage a video concept that night, though, because I shot the video below to show how Seattle’s “CHOP” zone looked in the present day. You may remember the national headlines a few years ago about the citizens occupying the streets in Seattle, so I wanted to show how that area looked in the aftermath:

5. Seattle’s Waterfront Boardwalk: I am not into seafood personally, so Seattle’s Boardwalk area doesn’t appeal to me in particular. Nonetheless, as a tourist, it was still an area that I had to check off my bucket list, as well as seeing the Seattle Great Wheel illuminated at night time. Note: I know the city was doing road work construction over the past year or so in this area, so I’m not sure if it was complete or not.

Other Adventure if You Have Time and Money

Beecher's Cheese and the Original Starbucks: Located right next to Pike Place Market, Beecher’s is a go-to stop for mac & cheese, and it’s also fun to look through the windows at all of the cheese being processed. On top of that, a few blocks down is the original Starbucks, although beware that you will have to wait in line a little bit for that.

If you have been to Seattle before, please share some of your thoughts and recommendations, whether they be tourist attractions or dining locations!