Seattle Central Library: 13 Shades of Red, Then Pike Place Lunch

Start on Level 3, where the Living Room spreads out beneath the faceted glass facade. Ride up one floor to Level 4, known as the Red Floor: its curved corridor and stairs wrap in 13 shades of red and pink, with Robert's Rules of Order stenciled along the walls. Rather than every room being red, this striking crimson hallway connects meeting spaces like a vibrant artery. Keep going to Level 10, the highest public floor, to look down seven stories into the atrium below.

Walk out the Fourth Avenue entrance and head downhill toward Pike Place Market. The 0.7-mile route takes about 14 minutes on foot through downtown streets, so bring an umbrella if it rains. Once inside the market, both lunch spots offer warm indoor comfort. Beecher's Handmade Cheese (1600 Pike Place, open daily 9 a.m.–7 p.m.) serves hot mac and cheese (around $8.50–$14.50) and grilled sandwiches. Tucked into Post Alley, Pike Place Chowder runs daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., ladling warm sourdough bread bowls and clam chowder (cups from around $9.95).

This rain-friendly Seattle sequence pairs free indoor architecture with hot comfort food: photograph the crimson Level 4 corridor and 10th-floor lookout, then take the 14-minute walk to Pike Place for lunch. Neither destination charges admission, leaving lunch as your only expense. The library opens daily at 10 a.m. (closing at 6 p.m. Friday–Monday and 8 p.m. Tuesday–Thursday; closed Nov 11 for Veterans Day and Nov 26 for Thanksgiving), while most market stalls wind down around 5 p.m.