We’re just two people
who fell in love with Seattle.

And then couldn’t stop writing about it. This is our little corner of the internet — a love letter to the most underrated, overcast, endlessly surprising city on the West Coast.


HOW IT STARTED

It started with a rainy Tuesday and a really good bowl of ramen.

We moved to Seattle on a whim — my partner for a job offer, me just because I couldn’t think of a good reason not to. We knew nobody. We had two suitcases, a terrible sense of direction, and absolutely no idea that this city would completely rewire how we think about home.

That first year, we got lost a lot. We stumbled into dive bars that turned out to be neighbourhood institutions. We found coffee shops tucked into alleys that nobody had told us about. We discovered that Seattle’s famous drizzle isn’t gloomy — it’s just the city’s way of keeping its secrets. The good stuff only reveals itself to people who stay.

“Seattle doesn’t show off. It doesn’t need to. The more time you spend here, the more it gives you — and that’s exactly why we started writing.”

Seattle Rain Garden started as a shared notes document between us. Restaurants we loved, neighbourhoods we wanted to revisit, things we wished someone had told us before we arrived. Eventually a friend said: just put it online. So we did.

“Hi — we’re Sam and Riley, and we’ve been writing about Seattle for longer than we ever planned to.”

Between us, we’ve lived in six Seattle neighbourhoods — Capitol Hill, Fremont, Ballard, Columbia City, West Seattle, and now Phinney Ridge. We’ve eaten our way through Pike Place Market more times than we can count. We know which ferry to take to get the best view of the skyline, which hiking trail outside the city is worth the 5am alarm, and where to find the city’s best katsu sandwich (we will fight you on this).

Sam is the photographer and food obsessive — the one who drags us back to a restaurant three times before he’ll write about it. Riley is the planner and neighbourhood nerd — the one with seventeen browser tabs open at all times, researching the history of a building nobody else noticed.

Together, we believe Seattle is one of the most exciting, liveable, and genuinely surprising cities in America — and that it deserves better than generic travel guides written by people who spent a weekend here and called it research.

Everything on this site is based on real experience, genuine opinions, and a lot of time actually spent in this city in all its drizzly, green, endlessly interesting glory.

Sam & Riley
SEATTLE, WA

WHAT YOU’LL FIND HERE

Every side of the Emerald City.

We cover Seattle the way locals actually experience it — not the top-ten-tourist-attractions version, but the real neighbourhoods, real restaurants, and real hidden corners that make this city so special.

🍜

Food & Drink

From Pike Place Market to hole-in-the-wall pho spots in the International District. Craft breweries, natural wine bars, legendary burger joints, and the coffee shops worth crossing town for.

🏔️

Day Trips & Nature

The Cascades are right there. The Olympics are right there. The islands are right there. We cover the best escapes from the city — trails, ferries, weekend getaways and everything in between.

🏘️

Neighbourhoods

Every Seattle neighbourhood has its own personality. We go deep on each one — the best streets to walk, where locals actually eat, the history behind the places everyone drives past.

🎭

Arts & Culture

Seattle’s music history runs deep and its arts scene is underrated. Live music venues, galleries, film festivals, and the cultural events that make this city more than just a tech hub.

✈️

Visiting Seattle

Planning a trip? We’ve got you. Where to stay, how to get around, what to skip, what not to miss, and the honest advice we wish someone had given us when we first arrived.

🌧️

Living Here

Thinking of moving to Seattle? We cover the real stuff — cost of living, neighbourhoods by personality, what the winters are actually like, and why the rain isn’t as bad as everyone says.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

How we write, and why it matters.

The internet is full of travel content written by people who were paid to say nice things. We’re not that. Here’s what we actually stand for.

01

We only write about places we’ve actually been

Every restaurant, trail, bar, neighbourhood guide, and hotel recommendation on this site is based on our own genuine experience. We don’t publish based on press releases or sponsored trips we haven’t personally taken. If we haven’t been there, it doesn’t go on the site.

02

Honest opinions, even the unflattering ones

If a much-hyped restaurant wasn’t worth the wait, we’ll say so — gently, but honestly. Good travel writing helps people make real decisions, and that means telling the truth about what disappointed us, not just celebrating everything.

03

Local knowledge over tourist shortcuts

We live here. We’re not passing through. That means we know which Pike Place fish vendor is actually worth buying from, which “hidden gem” cafe is now overrun with influencers, and which neighbourhood to avoid on a Saturday afternoon. Real local knowledge, updated regularly.

04

Seattle for everyone, not just tourists

We write for people who want to understand Seattle, not just see it. Whether you’re visiting for a weekend, planning a move, or have lived here for years and want to rediscover your own city — there’s something here for you.