We often go on road trips to Seattle because it is only a short 2-2.5 hour drive from Vancouver (map). We have family there and sometimes I just go for the SHOPPING. There are two outlet malls on the way to Seattle. The first one is The Shoppes at Burlington. I haven’t gone to this one for awhile, because it was under renovations for a while and it was pretty shitty. This one is actually very close to the border and it looks like it is getting better because stores like Coach and Lululemon have now opened there. The one I frequently visit is the Seattle Premium Outlets. It is approximately 2 hours away and it is much bigger than the first one. When you arrive in Seattle, there’s Westfield Southcenter Shopping Center which has 240 stores for the serious shopper.
I’m not a huge fan of Seattle city itself, but it is worth a visit if you are in Vancouver because it is so close. However this could be because I am not too educated about Seattle. During my first visit there in 2007, we walked around downtown and I wasn’t too impressed. It was a typical urban city with pig statues everywhere – similar to the moose statues in Toronto at one point. The Space Needle is also an attraction there, but we weren’t too enthusiastic about paying to go up the elevator of that thing. I really enjoyed the Pike Place Market. It is a huge market selling all sorts of things; famous for the fish salesman throwing the fish around when people purchase. It is full of energy with so many sights of fresh food and interesting retails shops. We are hoping our upcoming visits will include a Seahawks football game and some food adventures I will report on.
Location: Vancouver, BC to Seattle, WA (map)
Getting There: Driving – Highway 99 South in BC turns into I-5 South which goes directly to Seattle
