Space-age cocktails and damn fine coffee in Twin Peaks country.
“The owls are not what they seem,” according to the Log Lady in the late David Lynch’s iconic TV series “Twin Peaks,” filmed amidst the unspoiled forests and misty mountains of Washington. I was here to find out if that was true, who killed Laura Palmer, and what the city of Seattle has to offer for travelers.
My visit kicked off with a food tour of Pike City Market courtesy of Eat Seattle Tours. Described locally as the “heart and soul of Seattle,” the street market was founded in 1907 and is one of the oldest and largest continuously operating public markets in the U.S. Situated across nine historic acres in Seattle’s downtown, the market consists of more than 220 independently owned shops and restaurants, 160+ craftspeople and 70+ farmers offering their wares.
Pike Place Fish Market is a key attraction at the city market, where it has operated since 1930. Famous for its tradition of throwing fish, the stall’s fishmongers will call out a customer’s order, and then hurl large fish—such as 3-ft. salmon—over the countertop, where another employee will catch and then wrap it. The performance often draws an audience who may then be invited to participate in the fish-throwing spectacle. Starbucks also opened its first store in the market in the 1970s and has been in continuous operation ever since.
Stops on the food tour included Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, an artisan cheesemaker whose produce is found in restaurants throughout Seattle; Truffle Queen, selling a range of truffles and truffle-infused items from condiments to oils and pasta; Hellenika Cultured Creamery, a gelato spot that uses Greek yogurt cultures to create unique flavor profiles, such as Lemon Poppyseed, Black Sesame and Honey Lavender; and other popular local stops such as Honest Biscuits, Pike Place Chowder, Chukar Cherries and Totem Smokehouse Smoked Salmon.
Steps below the market, accessed down a weathered stairway covered in tattered flyers and faded graffiti, you can find Post Alley and the Gum Wall, one of the city’s more unusual tourist attractions. In the early 90s, patrons of the Market Theater began sticking their used chewing gum on the establishment’s outside wall, and the idea caught on. By 2024, the wall had an estimated density of 180 pieces of chewing gum per brick, and stretched along 54 ft. of the alley. The wall had recently been cleaned at the time of my visit, so was a mere shadow of its past gummy glories, but there was still enough gum to get the general idea. Post Alley, also known locally as “Ghost Alley,” is said to be haunted by numerous personages including one of the market’s original developers, and is home to the Kell’s Irish Pub, located in a former mortuary and numbered among the most haunted pubs in America.
Next stop was pre-dinner cocktails atop Seattle’s soaring landmark Space Needle, constructed for the 1962 World’s Fair, and envisioned as “an Eiffel Tower of the Space Age.” Its observation deck located 520 ft. above ground level boasts panoramic views of the downtown Seattle skyline and the Olympic and Cascade Mountains. The Needle also contains the Loupe Lounge, a cocktail bar with a revolving glass floor that offers a range of space-themed craft cocktails such as the Botanical Moon, Supernova Spritz and Cosmic State.
Dining options in Seattle include high-end The Metropolitan Grill, housed in the historic 1903 Marion Building and specializing in filet mignon, New York peppercorn steak, Delmonico, porterhouse and Chateaubriand carved tableside. Purple Cafe and Wine Bar offers a more informal dining venue downtown with a pasta-forward menu and extensive wine list.
The Fairmont Olympic Hotel hosted us in elegant restored surroundings in Downtown. Opened in 1924 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, dining options at the hotel include The George, offering a brasserie-inspired menu, and oyster bar Shuckers. As well as the opulent central Olympic Bar, the hotel hides the Founders Club. Inspired by the speakeasy culture of 1920s Seattle, and concealed behind a secret door disguised as a bookshelf, this intimate upscale 30-seat venue offers a cocktail list based around aged, vintage and limited edition bottles. I tried the Founder’s Manhattan, made with Coalition Rye Whiskey, Vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao and Lot 35 Creamy Earl Grey Tincture.
The next morning began with a coffee tasting at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room, one of only six such facilities in the world, with the others located in New York, Chicago, Milan, Shanghai and Tokyo. We learned about the history of Starbucks and its roasting process, while sampling a flight of Starbucks Reserve specialty coffees.
Having drank our fill of coffee, we headed out to the Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie Falls. Owned and operated by the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, the lodge was the real life location for the Great Northern Hotel in “Twin Peaks.” The Snoqualmie people have lived in the region for 10,000 years and their traditional beliefs consider the waterfall to be the place where the first man and woman were created by the moon. Its rising mists, believed by the Snoqualmie to carry prayers, and thunderous waters are so imposing an experience that I’m not sure even David Lynch quite did justice to being there.
Salish Lodge, perched atop the waterfall, offers 86 guestrooms as well as a restaurant and lounge, but we were there to experience its award-winning spa. The facility offers nine treatment rooms and a menu of massage and body therapies that incorporate Pacific Northwest ingredients, as well as a soaking room, sauna and steam room. I noted a Damn Fine Coffee body scrub on the menu, made with coffee grounds, chocolate and wild cherry bark.
Next we dropped in at Filson’s flagship store to learn about the company’s Seattle history and create our own personalized key chains. Founded in 1897, Filson began as an outfitter for pioneers of the Yukon Gold Rush, and continues to supply hard-wearing quality clothing all over the US and in Milan and Tokyo. The flagship store features unique Pacific Northwest art and industrial artifacts.
Our time in Seattle concluded with a blacksmithing experience at Lawless Forge where we learned how to forge our own custom-made Damascus Steel Rings. The 3-hour lesson can host up to 12 participants, and involves hands-on hammering of molten iron as well as the opportunity to use a range of exciting power tools to shape and finish a ring that you can take home.
Other experiences in Seattle include whale watching with Puget Sound Express, a glassblowing experience at the Seattle Glassblowing Studio, scenic float plane tours with Kenmore Air or sunset sailing on Elliott Bay with Sailing Seattle.
