We were in Seattle five years ago and experienced–and enjoyed–a number of the typical tourist attractions downtown.

Now that we live here and family and friends have started coming to visit, we wanted to re-experience some of those sites to make sure they were how we remembered.

I would hate to send someone off to an attraction with a high recommendation and find out things have changed and the experience isn’t exactly as I remembered!

We took the opportunity to revisit a few favorites downtown with my in-laws, beginning at Pike Place Market, heading to Pioneer Square for the Underground Tour and ending at City Center to see the Space Needle and International Fountain.

We don’t know Pike Place well enough yet to get back and forth to our favorite stalls efficiently, but we eventually acquired the requisite crepes, biscuits, doughnuts, cherries and jellies. We also swung by the original Starbucks and infamous Gum Wall before walking toward Pioneer Square.

The rain started up as we headed south but was basically done by the time we arrived and checked in for our tour.

I didn’t remember specifics from taking the tour a few years ago, but I remembered going up and down from the current main streets to the former streets and that we thought the guide was hilarious.

I was very happy to find this is still the case–the tour is very funny, the history is fascinating and we enjoyed seeing the areas underground that still demonstrate how the original storefronts and roads looked. I don’t know of any other city with quite this background so I do recommend the tour to anyone interested in a humorous take on Seattle’s history.

Afterward we walked along the boardwalk to Pier 57, grabbing some fudge to go and popping in the waterside antique store before climbing back up to the market.

The weather was still pretty gray so we took the monorail to City Center so my in-laws could go up in the Space Needle.

Brian and I grabbed some popcorn and enjoyed the street performers and people watching until they returned. Luckily they were able to get a pretty good view of the surrounding area, despite the light cloud cover.

There’s so much to see and do in Seattle and beyond, but it was nice to circle back to a few things we had done years before so we know if they’re still worthwhile recommendations.

I likely will always recommend staples like the market and Space Needle, but if you have time to explore Pioneer Square, I do recommend the Underground Tour as well. It’s funny and will give you a new appreciation for the city!