Union Street Steps: Elliott Bay Sunset, Then a Fireside Rooftop
From November into January, Seattle's sun sets before 5 PM. Watch it from Union Street, then walk uphill to a rooftop patio.
📍 Union Street Deck to the Rooftop
🌅 Catch the Sun Over Elliott Bay
The Union Street deck sits on the pedestrian bridge the city opened in December 2022, linking Western Avenue and Alaskan Way with a wide staircase and a glass elevator. Norie Sato's steel sculpture, drawn from a fern frond and a gull's wing, arches over the walkway, with Elliott Bay and the Great Wheel beyond and state ferries crossing the water. Sunset lands at 4:51 PM on November 1, 4:33 PM on November 15 and 4:20 PM on November 30. Check that day's time and arrive 20 to 30 minutes ahead.
🔥 Climb Up to the Rooftop Patio
From the deck, walk one block south to University Street, climb the Harbor Steps to 1st Avenue, then keep going uphill three more blocks to 400 University Street. Allow 10 to 15 minutes, longer if you start down on Alaskan Way or wait for the bridge elevator. Next Level Lounge opened on the roof above Fogo de Chão in December 2025, pairing an indoor bar with an outdoor patio that local coverage says has two fireplaces. Patio and fireplace seats depend on the weather and the night, with no promise of a spot by the fire.
🧭 Time the Route Around the Light
Leave work about 30 minutes before that day's sunset, watch the bay turn orange, then start the climb once the sky goes blue. Upstairs, the lounge menu lists yuca fries and Brazilian empanadas at $10 each and a Premium Caipirinha at $16, with other signature cocktails at $17 to $19, before tax and tip. On a gray afternoon, skip the deck and head straight up to watch the office towers light up from the indoor bar. Monday to Thursday it runs 4 to 10 PM, Friday 4 to 11 PM.
