Seattle rewards travellers who skip the observation-deck tickets. Olmsted-designed parks, a free public sculpture park and library atrium, $2-$8 counter meals in the International District, and a ferry ride where walk-on returns cost nothing.
SAM's 9-acre waterfront outdoor gallery, free and open daily 30 min before sunrise to 30 min after sunset. Richard Serra's Wake, Calder's Eagle and a Puget Sound-Olympics panorama sit on a reclaimed fuel depot at 2901 Western Ave.
Rem Koolhaas's 2004 glass-and-steel diamond at 1000 4th Ave. Free entry, no ticket. Ride to Level 10 for the Betty Jane Narver Reading Room ceiling, then walk down the chartreuse escalator and the Book Spiral's four-storey continuous ramp.
A 20-acre Japanese garden in Rainier Beach built by Fujitaro Kubota from 1927, now a city park with free admission daily 06:00 to 22:00. Necklace of Ponds, Moon Bridge, Mountainside waterfall and mature Japanese maples over stone paths.
A 1.26-acre bench-and-railing terrace on Queen Anne's south slope at 211 W Highland Dr, giving the postcard shot: Space Needle, downtown towers, Elliott Bay and Mount Rainier on clear days. Always open, no fee, no gate.
The 1928-founded Asian grocery at 600 5th Ave S anchors the ID. Its food court sells full plates for $10-14, while the bakery aisle runs $2-4 for hum bao and taiyaki. Open daily 08:00-22:00 with a Kinokuniya bookstore inside.
Home port of the North Pacific fishing fleet at 3919 18th Ave W. Walk the docks past crab boats free of charge, then eat at Chinook's or the Highliner counter where fish and chips or a chowder cup land around $10-16 — half the waterfront price.
The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, opened 1917, lift boats 6-8 m between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. Grounds, botanical garden and the 21-step underwater fish-ladder viewing windows are all free, 07:00-21:00 daily.
The 1954 local burger institution at 115 Broadway E, cash-and-card walk-up window open until 02:00. A Deluxe burger runs about $5.50, fries $2.60, hand-dipped shake $4.50 — a full dinner under $12 in Seattle's priciest nightlife district.
Washington State Ferries sail from Pier 52 roughly hourly. A walk-on adult passenger fare is about $10.15 and is charged westbound only — the return leg to Seattle is free, making a 35-minute crossing with skyline and Olympics views a round-trip bargain.
A 52-acre Olmsted-planned ridge park at 3801 Beacon Ave S with an open lawn, free skate park and a west-facing rim looking over SoDo to the Olympics. Reached in 6 minutes on the Link light rail from downtown to Beacon Hill station.
Seattle's largest green space at 534 acres in Magnolia, free and open 04:00-23:30. The 4.5 km Loop Trail crosses meadow and forest to the South Bluff, with a side path down to West Point Lighthouse and two miles of tidal beach.
A 4 km sand-and-promenade strip facing the city across Elliott Bay. Free all day; the Water Taxi from Pier 50 costs about $5.75 each way with an ORCA card and lands at Seacrest Park, a 15-minute walk from the Statue of Liberty replica.