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 MICE groups.
My visit kicked off with a food tour of Pike Place 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 US. Situated across nine historic acres in Seattle’s downtown, the market consists of more than 220 independently owned shops & 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 yoghurt 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 feet 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-feet 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. The venue offers three meeting spaces and can host up to 300 guests.
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. The restaurant offers three spaces for private dining with the largest seating up to 40 or up to 75 for a standing reception. Purple Cafe and Wine Bar offers a more informal dining venue downtown with a pasta-forward menu and extensive wine list. It is available for full or partial buyouts and can seat up to 200.
The Fairmont Olympic Hotel hosted us in elegant restored surroundings Downtown. Opened in 1924 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 450-room property offers 28,000 sf of meeting space and can host up to 650 for a reception. 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.
Seattle’s convention hotel options include the Hyatt Regency Seattle, Hyatt at Olive 8, Grand Hyatt Seattle, Sheraton Grand Seattle and Westin Seattle. The Seattle Convention Center offers approximately 988,422 sf of space, including the recently added Summit building that features 62 meeting rooms, a 58,000-sf column-free and divisible ballroom, 248,450 sf of exhibit space, 140,700 square feet of naturally lit lobby space and the 14,000-square-foot outdoor Garden Terrace. The street level of the Summit building features several retail dining options, including outposts of much-loved Seattle staples Pike Brewing, Monorail Espresso, and Piroshky Piroshky, which allow meeting attendees to get an authentic taste of Seattle without leaving the complex.
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 guest rooms and several meeting spaces including a 2,000 sf ballroom. Dining options include 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, all of which can be reserved for group bookings. 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, and is available as a venue for small private events.
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 three-hour lesson can accommodate groups of up to 12, 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. The forge also offers knife-making classes that can accommodate groups of up to 45 or can even do a full buyout of the venue for up to 100 participants.
Other options for groups 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.
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