Alki Beach – The sunny side of a cloudy city

Alki Beach is a popular coastal community located in the most westerly point of West Seattle, jutting out into the Pudget Sound.   Alki is one of my favorite places in the city. During the morning hours you can grab a cup-a-joe from your preferred coffee shop and take a stroll along the boardwalk.  Or, sit on some driftwood lining the expansive beach and watch as the colossal ferries float by.

Sitting anywhere on Alki offers views of downtown Seattle and that of the iconic Space Needle.  I especially enjoy an early morning walk…as the sun begins to rise, the water is very calm and the tide is low.  In the distance you can hear seagulls squawk, baritone ferry and fog horns blow, with the lapping of the water on the shore—during this time of day you can help but feel a great sense of serenity. You’ll often see people meditating or performing some form of martial art exercise.

By the afternoon (especially on a sunny day and/or on the weekends) the area is hopping with activity, often with special or annual events, such as weddings, volleyball tournaments and competitive runs like the If you’re into Frisbee or playing catch and the beach is too full, there is a large park just a block from the beach with two baseball/softball fields and plenty of room to play.

The Alki Beach boardwalk is two and a half miles long, providing outstanding distances for activities and exercise.   Only a small portion of that two and a half miles has a sandy beach, the rest is seawall. Naturally the beach portion of the area is the most crowded, so your best bet to find parking is on the extreme ends, or inland a bit. There is however a free shuttle that runs every 15 minutes or so, which makes parking beyond the beach much easier. The shuttle also allows you to explore other areas of Alki and West Seattle as it makes a big loop along the water and up and over the hill into West Seattle.

Seacrest Park, which is located on the far end of Alki, provides kayak, paddle board, scuba and other rentals.  Seacrest Park is also where you can catch a water taxi to take you to downtown Seattle to explore the waterfront district, Pike’s Place Market, Seattle Center, the stadiums and aquarium. You do not want to park in downtown Seattle, it’s a mess!  Parking and taking the pedestrian water taxi, then walking to your destination is your best bet.

While you’re at Alki Beach, you may also want to check out:

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• Log House Museum is the birthplace of Seattle and honors the Denny party who landed on Alki beach in 1851.
• Alki Bathhouse often has art exhibits and other activities.
• Many great local restaurants…one of my favorites is Cactus.  Cactus is a contemporary southwestern restaurant with outstanding food (I really like the seafood enchiladas) and a great open-air layout.
• Salty’s is something of a Northwest institution. The view is spectacular, and the romantic atmosphere can’t be beat.
• Phoenecia has a small, intimate setting with a great vibe.  The food is contemporary American served tapas style so you can try many dishes.  They also have artisan thin crust wood-fired pizza.
• If you’re not from Seattle, you simple must try some fish & chips…if it’s nice out…take them to the beach.  The Spud is a Seattle institution and has been on Alki Beach since 1934.  My Dad used to take me there when I was a kid…”Single with extra fish please” is what I’d order. I have very fond memories going there with my Pop!
• While the Spud is good, just two blocks away is a place called, “SunFish” which I think edges out Spud. SunFish only takes cash and the owners are a couple of old crotchety brothers…they remind me of the Soup Nazi in NYC. They’re good guys…it’s just customer service is not their forte…thankfully good food is.  The seafood skewer is outstanding too.

If you live or have been to Alki Beach, let my readers and me know what you like most by placing a comment below.  Click the following link to see more of my pictures of Alki Beach.  If you enjoyed this post and video, please click the “like” button to share with your friends and family.