I put together this guide after getting requests for Seattle recommendations. Note that many of these businesses have multiple locations (especially the cafés) and that not all neigborhoods are represented here... yet. I'll keep updating this page as I discover more good places!
I'm also working on putting all of these locations on this Google Map.
* = if I was taking you on a tour and time was limited, these would be my tops picks.
Ballard
* Ballard Locks (we shot our wedding portraits here)
* Ballard Farmers Market (every Sunday)
Ballard Pizza Company (nice topping combos)
Blackbird Apothecary (perfume, candles, etc.)
Cafe Besalu (tiny bakery, great pastries)
* Caffè Fiore (café; love the hanging lights)
Camelion Design (home furnishings + gifts)
Cupcake Royale (for a sweet treat)
the Fat Hen (here's my blog post)
Fresh Flours (bakery/café)
Golden Gardens (here's my blog post)
* Honoré Bakery (here's my blog post)
Horseshoe (clothing boutique)
Hot Cakes (molton chocolate cakes, oh my!)
Lucca (very stylish gift shop)
The Monkey Bridge (yummy Vietnamese food)
The Palm Room (awesome plant shop)
* Paseo (amazing Caribbean sandwiches – I like the "Tofu Delight")
Sonic Boom Records (I like discovering new music at the listening stations)
Sunset Hill Park (tiny and not really a park, but there's a lovely view of the Olympics)
Swansons Nursery (huge nursery; I get my houseplants here)
Thai Siam (always a reliably tasty Thai meal)
The Walrus and the Carpenter (I don't eat oysters but had a great meal here anyway)
Phinney Ridge / Greenwood
* A la Mode Pies (scrumptious pie; here's my blog post)
A Muse (small craft supply shop)
Assemble Gallery & Studio (here's my blog post) – January 2013 update: now online only!
Bluebird (ice cream)
* Cornuto Pizzeria (tiny place, delicious Neapolitan-style pizza)
The Flourish Collection (paper goods + gifts; here's my blog post)
Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. (quirky gift shop; there's a tutoring center in back)
Herkimer Coffee (cash-only café; they play good music)
Red Mill Burgers (a Seattle staple)
The Ridgeback Cafe (good crepes)
Terra Bella Flowers (here's my blog post)
* Stumbling Goat Bistro (good for date night)
Where Ya At Matt (Creole food truck, moves around during the week)
Woodland Park Zoo (there's also a rose garden at the south entrance)
Green Lake
Chocolati (for truffles + hot chocolate)
Eva Restaurant (for a nice dinner; I had a great Bengali ratatouille here)
* Green Lake (here's my blog posts: part one and part two)
Fremont
Book Larder (cookbook heaven)
* Fremont Canal Park (a nice place to enjoy lunch by the water)
Fremont Troll (one of our iconic pieces of public art)
Homegrown (for a casual lunch)
Les Amis (a pretty boutique; here's my blog post)
* Milstead & Co. (modern café & very knowledgable baristas)
Norm's Eatery & Ale House (casual, very dog-friendly)
* Pie (savory and sweet individual-sized pies)
Theo Chocolate (retail shop + factory tours)
Uneeda Burger (I like their "Crispy Emmer Veggie Burger")
* that cool little area where the Burke-Gilman trail passes under the Aurora Bridge (a good picnic spot!)
The Whale Wins (love the ambience!)
Wallingford
Essential Baking Café (delicious bread)
Fainting Goat Gelato (lots of flavors!)
Gas Works Park (kitefliers + a view of Lake Union)
Issian (Japanese restaurant; we go for the tapas)
Kozue (small Japanese restaurant; I like their vegetarian sushi)
* Molly Moon's (unique flavors of ice cream & gelato)
Paper Delights (cards, gifts, etc.)
Tilth (New American food, nice homey ambience)
* Trophy Cupcakes (for a sweet treat)
Tutta Bella (Neapolitan-style pizza)
University District
Agua Verde Café & Paddle Club (Baja-inspired food + kayak rentals)
Araya's Place (vegan Thai food)
Henry Art Gallery (on the UW campus)
Scarecrow Video (carries practically every movie in existence; it's fun to just browse)
University Bookstore (books + art supplies)
* University of Washington campus (here's my blog posts: part one and part two)
Queen Anne
* Boat Street Cafe (for a nice brunch, lunch, or dinner)
Book Bindery (dress up!)
Canlis (for a fancy dinner; this is where we had our wedding)
EMP (music history + interactive exhibits)
Kerry Park (for that postcard-esque view of the Space Needle and downtown)
* Pacific Northwest Ballet / McCaw Hall (see The Nutcracker!)
Parsons Gardens (very small but pretty, and Betty Bowen Viewpoint is right across the street)
Le Rêve (bakery & café)
* Seattle Center + Space Needle (there's lots of events at Seattle Center)
SIFF Cinema (art-house theater; there's also our annual film festival in May/June in multiple locations)
Stuhlbergs (fine home accessories + clothes/toys for kids)
Three Birds (gifts)
Toulouse Petit (Cajun/Creole food)
Queen Anne Books (small bookstore; they have friendly, knowledgable staff)
Downtown / Belltown
Benaroya Hall (seattle symphony & other events; we went to talks here by David Sedaris & Stephen King)
Black Bottle (gastro-tavern)
Café Fonté (coffee and good food, nice atmosphere)
Caffe Migliore (café; I like their citrus bread slices)
Central Library (fun, modern architecture; here's my blog post)
Columbia Center Observation Deck
* Dahlia Bakery (delicious treats; no indoor seating but a few tables on the sidewalk)
DeLaurenti (specialty foods; loads of pretty olive oils)
Etta's (seafood)
Freeway Park (there's not much "park", but it's interesting to walk through)
Library Bistro (cozy, good for happy hour)
Local 360 (american, locally sourced)
Macrina (bread + pastries)
Matt's the Market (especially for the perfect view of Pike Place Market)
Marché (bistro + wine bar, nice atmosphere)
Michou (fantastic deli – no seating, though)
Mistral Kitchen (american)
* Olympic Sculpture Park (here's my blog posts: part one and part two)
* Pike Place Market (fish throwing, cheap bouquets, gifts, Rachel the Pig; here's my blog post)
Le Panier (French bakery)
* Le Pichet (delicious French food)
Liave (beautiful gift shop)
Pier 66 (go up to the rooftop observation deck)
The Pink Door (Italian food + cabaret)
Piroshky Piroshky (the best Piroshky in Seattle)
Paper Hammer (paper goods + gifts)
Purple (restaurant & wine bar)
Seattle Art Museum, aka SAM (for an afternoon of art)
* Tavolàta (Italian food; I love their gnocchi)
Top Pot Doughnuts (see my blog post)
Watson Kennedy (chic gift shop)
South Lake Union
The Center for Wooden Boats (historic wooden boats)
Cuoco (northern italian food)
Lake Union Park (right on the water; nice view of north Seattle)
Nollie's Cafe (cute lil' bakery/cafe)
Off the Rez (Native American food truck, delicious frybreads, moves around during the week)
Serious Pie (pizza)
Pioneer Square
Caffè Umbria (especially for the gelato)
Cow Chip Cookies (eat them warm)
Fireworks (gift shop, a little bit quirky)
* First Thursday Art Walk (bonus: free wine + snacks at some galleries!)
Grand Central Bakery (delicious sandwiches)
Waterfall Garden (a hidden away sanctuary)
Zeitgeist (cafe, good for lunch)
Capitol Hill
Anchovies & Olives (seafood; here's my blog post)
Asian Art Museum (for more art)
Caffé Vita (here's my blog post)
CakeSpy Shop (cute gifts, heavily dessert-themed)
Elliot Bay Bookstore (love to browse here – they also have a good selection of literary journals)
Garage (bar + pool tables + bowling alley)
* Marigold & Mint (darling flower shop)
Poppy (platters of tiny dishes)
Rione XIII (yummy pizza + pasta)
Skillet Diner (American; they also have a food truck)
Spinasse (fresh pasta, great desserts; here's my blog post)
Volunteer Park Cafe (service was slow but tasty food)
Volunteer Park Conservatory (beautiful Victorian glass building)
Madison Park
The Lavender Heart (chic gifts)
* Cafe Flora (beautiful interior, vegetarian menu, delicious yam fries)
West Seattle
Alki (2.5 mile long mile strip of beach)
* Bakery Nouveau (get the almond croissant)
Buddha Ruska (thai food; delicious crispy garlic chicken)
Capers (home decor + gifts)
Circa (good breakfast; I haven't been here for dinner yet)
A few random other spots...
Bainbridge Island (take a ferry over – here's my blog post)
Burke-Gilman Trail (for walking, jogging, cycling, etc.)
Columbia City Bakery (delicious baked goods)
Discovery Park (a huge, huge park in Magnolia)
Mojito (very tasty Latin American restaurant in the Maple Leaf neighborhood)
Ravenna Third Place Books (bookstore)
Saltoro (a little bit out of the way, but we go here for the truffle fries)
Uwajimaya (a big Asian grocery/gift store in the International District)
Oh, and...
Lodging: I recommend Hotel Ändra. I like what I've seen of the Ace Hotel, but have only stayed overnight in the Portland one.
Getting around: I use the bus system a lot. (Just don't ride the 358). Use Metro's Trip Planner to figure out what route to take, then One Bus Away (I have the app version on my phone) to get realtime bus info. There's also the Light Rail that goes between downtown and Sea-Tac, and the Streetcar that runs between South Lake Union and downtown.
Shopping: for shopping your heart out, go downtown around 5th ave and Pine. All your typical retail therapy is around there – Nordstrom, Macy's, J.Crew, Anthropologie, Gap, and so on. University Village also has plenty of shopping.
The outdoors: I can't give specific recommendations because I'm not really the outdoorsy type, but I still feel the need to mention that for those who are interested in it, Seattle is a terrific place to live for hiking, camping, kayaking, so on and so forth.
Weather: we have really beautiful summers (usually July through September) with temps in the mid-70's. Winters can get into the mid-30's and it doesn't snow every year. Any significant amount of snow basically shuts the whole city down. The rest of the year is a mix of overcast days, rain, and sun breaks. It doesn't rain here as much as you might think, but we have enough gray days that sunny days are really cherished.
