Welcome to Seattle! Everything you’ve heard about us is wrong.

Much has been said about our little corner of the world. For years, Donald Trump has been painting Seattle as a lawless danger zone where we force everyone to use they/them pronouns and skin rich people alive. The right-wing media has followed suit by doing bogus on-the-ground reporting from our city streets and editing footage to make it look as though our whole city is a depressing wasteland akin to The Last of Us. 

Don’t believe what the conservative mainstream media wants you to believe: Seattle can actually be a really beautiful, welcoming place. The air smells nice, we produce some very cool weirdos, and our nature is Lord of the Rings-level stunning; we here at The Stranger love this place with a capital L-O-V-E. And we want you to love it, too.

That’s why, for the past few years, we’ve been compiling this guide to the city, How to Seattle, a Stranger digest of sorts, featuring so many of our favorite things to do, eat, see, and hear right here in Seatown. (First tip: Don’t call it that.)

If you’re an avid Stranger reader, some of this information will be familiar, as it’s compiled over years of coverage and previous issues of How to Seattle. Jump around—look for and do all the new things that appeal to you! But if you’re new in town, a tourist looking to make the most of a long weekend, or a person who just learned how to read (congratulations!), you’d be smart to start your journey by poring over every page and soaking up all our hard-earned, heavily researched recommendations. 

We’ve also included little checklists at the end of each section so you can keep track of your progress. If you’re up for the challenge, find out how Seattle you are with our worksheet in the back! It’s like homework, but fun. Because while most of what they’ve said about us is oh so wrong, some people have gotten it right. We are pretty nerdy here. We do love books; we think learning is cool. But we’d never eat the rich... a lot of us are vegans or vegetarians.

See you out there,

Your Friends at The Stranger

Attractions & Landmarks
Welcome to Our Weird Little Corner of the Country

Arts & Culture
Where to Find Pop Surrealism, Experimental Dance, and the Best Popcorn You’ll Ever Eat at a Movie Theater

Food & Drink
Seattle Is So Much More Than Burnt Coffee and Dick-Shaped Clams

Music & Nightlife
From Punk Shows at Roller Rinks to Trivia Nights Hosted By Jeopardy! Champs

Queer
Where to Find Spectacular Drag Shows, Gay AF Book Clubs, and Meathead-Free Sports Bars

Outdoors
Go Touch Grass... and Sand and Trees and Salt Water and Sea Anemones

How Not to Seattle
Follow These Few Basic Rules to Ensure You Stay on Our Good Side

Cover illustration by Pete Gamlen

Creative Direction & Design by Corianton Hale