The Best Shopping in Seattle

Seattle, Washington, has some of the best shopping in the country. Whether you want to spend $50 on a pair of shoes or $5,000 on a fabulous work of art, Seattle has everything at the tip of your fingers without ever leaving the downtown area.

In the heart of the city, the top fashions can be found on just about every corner. Ann Taylor Loft, Gucci, and Banana Republic are just a few of the stores downtown that can put a large dent or hole in anyone's wallet, but there are options for the more financially challenged as well. Stores like The Gap and Nordstrom Rack can give those on a slightly smaller budget a fun shopping experience without being late on the electric bill.

One of my favorite all time places to go, not just for shopping, but just to see and spend time, is Pike Place Market. The market is a vast Farmer's market with scads of booths of flowers, jewelry, pottery, art, and gourmet foods. The market also has some great restaurants that overlook the water. Whenever I was downtown and had the chance to go, I would spend time at Pike Market and often would leave with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Sunflowers are my favorite and the market always had the most gorgeous sunflowers at a reasonable price.

I grew up on the east coast, in New Jersey and Florida. I remember as a kid and young adult the big department stores being Macy's and Burdines. Whenever we went shopping, we went to Macy's or Burdines, and whenever someone talked about shopping they talked about shopping at Macy's or Burdines. Of course now Macy's owns Burdines and many other major department stores around the country, including one of the big Seattle stores, The Bon Marche. One of the stores Macy's hasn't gotten its greedy hands on is Nordstrom!

I had never heard of Nordstrom before moving to Seattle in 1998, but in fact, downtown Seattle is the home of the upscale department store, and the first Nordstrom is right in the heart of the city. To me, shopping in Nordstrom is a luxury, as the prices are typically out of my budget. But, they do have large sales throughout the year that are a very big deal to Seattleites. I remember having a boss who would take the day off work for the Nordstrom half yearly sale!

Now that Nordstrom has ventured out and is showing up in malls around the country, it is not quite a event to go, but having the original store in Seattle makes it worth mentioning.

There are a few other places to note for downtown shopping including malls such as Westlake Center and Pacific Place. Pacific Place has the more upscale shops like Tiffany's and Bebe, while Westlake Center is more the everyday man's shopping. Both are easily accessible by bus, car, or by walking if you live or work in the downtown area.

Venturing a bit out of downtown and in to Pioneer Square is the best place to find things that show Seattle's history as well as the more eclectic shops, such as the ones that sell rugs and tapestries, art, and antiques. I love shopping in Pioneer Square because it really feels like the heart of Seattle.

In addition to the great shopping to be found downtown and in Seattle itself, there are a host of other malls in the towns and cities that surround Seattle. Bellevue, WA has Bellevue Square Mall, which was once the most profitable mall in the country. In Lynnwood, WA you will find the newly renovated Alderwood Mall which has not only every store imaginable but also many of the yummiest restaurants; such as PF Changs, The Macaroni Grill, and The Claim Jumper.

Other notable shopping malls are The Westfield shopping mall in Tukwila and the outdoor shopping mall at Redmond Towne Center. Westfield, formerly known as Southcenter Mall has most major stores, including a Nordstrom and Macy's. The shoppes at Redmond Towne Center have a variety of different types of stores, some reasonably priced and some more upscale.

There are so many things that make Seattle a fun place to visit and a wonderful place to live. Sports, theater, culture and all kinds of fun outdoor activities such as sailing and hiking are some of the many benefits to this great city. I'm a shopper, and with all the shopping options in Seattle, I could be kept busy for weeks on end. Now, if only I had the money, I'd be a happy girl!

http://www.seattle.com/shopping/