The Emerald City + Epic World Cup Action
Oh my goodness! How do you say fun, fun, fun?! It’s no secret that I’m a huge sports fan; I’ve spent my life playing, watching and promoting all kinds of sports at all different levels. I just love the competition, the grind, the passion, the highs and the lows. So when I realized I’d be in the area of three World Cup games this summer, how could I not try to get close to the action?! My first taste was the first game to be played in Seattle—an opening group stage game between Belgium and Egypt. Only having been to Seattle once before—for a college volleyball tournament where we didn’t get to see much more than the hotel and the gym—I was super excited to be able to experience it on a not-your-average-day in the city.
Seattle is a huge sports town. Afterall, the Seahawks just won the Super Bowl! They also have professional teams in baseball (MLB - the Mariners), women’s basketball (WNBA - the Storm), hockey (NHL - with the best name in sports—the Kraken!), men’s and women’s soccer (MLS – the Sounders; NWSL – the Reign) and even professional rugby (MLR – the Seawolves). So I guess you could say it was a win-win-win that I had the opportunity to explore this beautiful Pacific Northwest haven known as ‘The Emerald City’ a few times this summer.
Let’s start with a few fun facts about this city that is globally renowned for its iconic Space Needle, a thriving tech and aerospace economy, and its deep-rooted coffee culture:
• Tech & Industry Giants: It serves as the headquarters for tech and retail giants like Amazon and Microsoft, and was the historic home of Boeing, driving a legacy of global innovation.
• Coffee & Food Culture: As the birthplace of Starbucks, Seattle boasts a massive concentration of independent roasters, third-wave coffee shops, and world-class fresh Pacific seafood, including salmon and Dungeness crab.
• Music & Pop Culture: Seattle is the birthplace of the 90s grunge movement—spearheaded by bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam—and features highly acclaimed cultural stops like the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP).
• Iconic Landmarks: Attractions like the 1962 World's Fair Space Needle, the flying fish at Pike Place Market, and the quirky Fremont Troll anchor the city's tourism.
• The Great Outdoors: Nicknamed "The Emerald City" because of its surrounding lush evergreen forests and parks, Seattle offers unparalleled access to outdoor recreation, including views and trips to Mount Rainier National Park.
And I got to experience just about all of these in a short amount of time.
First, the World Cup. The organizers did an AMAZING job hosting such a massive international sporting event. The area around the stadium was immaculate; many downtown streets were closed to vehicular traffic to make room for about a gagillion fans; and there seemed to be one colorfully clad and super-friendly volunteer for every three fans. Same with the law enforcement presence. And the VIBE. Y’all. There were fans there from all over the world, and everyone seemed to be ecstatic to be there. There was so much unity, friendly encounters, singing and dancing. It was truly refreshing to witness and experience, particularly in this age of domestic and international division.
Maisie and I combined exploring the city itself with participating in World Cup events – we hung out outside the stadium for a bit, then went to three different public watch parties, joining thousands of others watching and cheering ‘the beautiful game’ – all while taking in iconic Seattle sites. All told, we walked over nine miles around the city that day!
In-between watch parties, we took the time to explore the iconic attractions in the downtown area, including the wharf, Pike Place Market, Olympic Sculpture Park and the Seattle Center where the Space Needle looms large. It was fun to see the name “Elliott” everywhere (spelled the same, even); apparently, this large bay bordering downtown that serves as the primary harbor for Seattle was named after Midshipman Samuel Bonnyman Elliott. In 1841, expedition commander Charles Wilkes mapped the Puget Sound and named the massive harbor “Elliott Bay.” Wilkes routinely named landmarks after his crew members, and young Samuel Elliott was part of the specific survey party that charted those waters. Seattle was very walkable (albeit with tons of hills and stairs!), and it was a beautiful sunny day, so I again counted my blessings!
The next day we moved our campsite to the west side of Seattle, on the edge of Olympic National Park. In between exploring the park and the Olympic Peninsula over the next 10 days, we took a day to go BACK to Seattle for yet another World Cup game—and in this one, the US was playing! Again, how could I not join in? We took the ferry over this time (complete with a police boat escort :-0; see picture) and got to take in the iconic skyline as we crossed my namesake body of water, Elliott Bay :D. I was glad to have gotten the lay of the land earlier in the week, so I had a good feel for where to go before, during and after the game, knowing that it was likely to have even more fans in the area due to the US playing.
Heading to the stadium, we came across fans dressed in all manner of stars and stripes—and some Aussie green and gold, too. Everyone was so excited to be there! Joining the masses walking to the stadium, cheering and singing was just so … refreshing. And fun. I decided the best place to take in the game would be RIGHT outside the stadium so that I could hear the cheers and jeers, the chanting, the announcers, the national anthems and the drumming, almost as if I was in the stadium. We eventually found a spot to be able to sit down just outside the main gates (a large concrete planter), watched the Tomahawk choppers fly right over our heads, and joined a bunch of people with the same great idea, LOL.
There was just one little hiccup. Watching the game live on my phone, it didn’t take long to realize there was at least a 30-second delay between the live action and the feed I was watching along with the rest of the world. So when we heard the raucous roar of the fans a mere 11 minutes into the game, we were all pretty confused. Afterall, on our screens, the ball was on our defensive end of the field, and they were just playing through. Then 30 seconds later, we saw the goal happen. IYKYK (if you know, you know). While thrilled to be that close to the action, I decided to head out across the city to experience the craziness of the watch parties for the second half of the game. The Pioneer Square watch party was PACKED to say the least. It was a bit of a challenge to maneuver through that mass of humanity—but again, it was super fun as everyone was just having a good time. We ended up at Pacific Place, a downtown three-story mall with a giant atrium where they stacked three massive screens on top of each other to stream the games where people can see from all three floors of this fancy-ish mall. They even converted one end of the mall for a fan-oriented area called Seattle Soccer House, with makeshift bars, lounges, and play areas for kids.
We also went back to the Space Needle, walked the whole wharf again, explored Pike Place Market, and took in the sights and smells of the city. We had another long but really fun day before heading back on the ferry. I forgot to check, but we probably walked another 8-10 miles.
All in all, I found Seattle to be a lovely city—realizing though, of course, that my experience there was quite skewed by all the World Cup fanfare. While I don’t think I’d want to make Seattle my permanent home—with only 71 completely clear, sunny days each year—I could see myself living in the area; the whole Pacific Northwest is just so darn beautiful!!