The Road We Trod Black Travel Guide to Seattle

Black history museums, an art gallery filled with hand painted portraits of our faves and fried catfish are just the start.

Hi and welcome to so many new subscribers! I’m grateful that you’re here. First things first, happy MLK day everyone! I don’t believe in the white-washed version of MLK that’s shared these days with nothing but quotes about love and togetherness. Instead, please enjoy a clip from one of my favorite speeches of his, given in Cleveland in 1967.

Now on that inspiring pro-Black note, let’s get into the first ever Black travel guide from The Road We Trod!

Confession: I fell in love with the idea of Seattle because I am a massive Frasier fan. Yes, the uber-white (I’'ll be the first to admit the show didn’t age well), highbrow comedy from the 90s. So many people are probably turned off by the premise of following the life of a therapist who returns home to Seattle, but I swear to you that I have spent many, many hours laughing out loud to the excellent writing that still gets to me after seeing each episode dozens of times.

At home in my favorite Seattle souvenir.

That said, when my partner and I decided we wanted to visit Seattle for his birthday, it was my first trip there in over 20 years (way before my Frasier infatuation) and I was determined to experience the side of the city I never saw on the show. I also believe there tends to be this misconception that there are no Black people in the Pacific Northwest. Lies, we everywhere! Though the region isn’t widely associated with the Great Migration, Seattle was very much a part of it, with more than 10,000 Black folks moving to the Emerald city in the 1940s, during and post-World War Two. Thriving Black, middle-class communities existed in the Central District, with many Black families ending up there due to segregation and redlining policies. Although those same policies have led to the Central District not being a predominately Black neighborhood anymore, Black-owned businesses and cultural institutions now thrive across the city.

Below, The Road We Trod’s Black Travel Guide to Seattle. With videos!

*Note, this is not a comprehensive list, but covers the places I personally have visited.*

P.S. Interested in more Black travel guides in the future? Please consider becoming a paid subscriber, where you’ll receive one Black travel city guide per month. For now, enjoy this freebie!

Restaurants/Coffee/Drinks

• Boon Boona Coffee - Seattle is known as a coffee city, particularly as home of the first Starbucks, but there are so many amazing and hyper-local coffee brands to try instead. My vote is for Black-owned Boon Boona Coffee in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, where all the coffee is exclusively sourced from African nations including Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya. Though coffee has become colonized, its worldwide origins are in Ethiopia, and I love that Boon Boona’s Eritrean founder, Efram Fesaha, is cultivating a space where traditional coffee ceremonies are celebrated.

• Communion - Dining at Communion felt like being welcomed into the home of an old friend. Everything about it was so US. From the R&B music, to the predominately POC staff, to the laughter coming from all of the tables, Chef Kristi Brown and her son Damon have created one of the warmest restaurants I’ve experienced in a long time. I was especially touched by the altar to the ancestors lovingly tucked away near the kitchen filled with framed photos. The menu changes regularly (not a single thing we ate is on the current menu lol), but the waitstaff makes excellent suggestions if you can’t choose.

• Jackson’s Catfish Corner - I never would have expected fried catfish as good as what we had at Jackson’s outside of the deep south. Now I know that’s not fair but it is what it is lol. The catfish strips at this family-owned restaurant were crispy and perfectly seasoned and paired so well with the mayo-light coleslaw. If you want the snapper strips, definitely call ahead because we were so bummed when they were sold out, but the team made up for it by giving us extra shrimp. I still dream about the hushpuppies.

  

• Métier Brewing - Ya’ll know I don’t drink, but Chris is a craft beer fan and has even made his own brews. The beer industry is incredibly white, so Chris goes out of his way to support Black-owned breweries whenever he can and I’m all for that. We had a lovely talk with co-owner Rodney Hines about the community he has built, while relaxing at their flagship taproom on Cherry Street. Chris enjoyed a flight of four beers, but the Central Calling IPA was his fave.

Things to do

• WOW Gallery - My friends Veronica Very and Hiawatha Davis have created an oasis and love letter to Black women in their WOW gallery. Standing for “Wonder of Women,” their sacred space is filled with beautiful portraits of inspiring Black women across generations (like Zora Neale Hurston, Beyonce and Simone Biles), all painted by Hiawatha. I met the glowing couple one summer in Martha’s Vineyard and immediately bonded with them as they shared readings from Veronica’s book Dear Sista, a book filled with such affirming and loving words specifically for Black women that brought me to tears. WOW gallery is luxurious, healing and the truest definition of a safe space. It’s a must-visit in Seattle.

  

  had to take a snap in this throne at Noir Lux

• Noir Lux Candle Bar - Chris definitely gave me a side eye when I told him we were going to be making candles but this experience was SO fun! Born out of covid and a desire to stay connected with her friends during isolation, founder Colina Bruce, started sending her friends care packages with candles she made at home. A business was born! Now she and her team host pouring sessions at their fab studio with dozens of scents to choose from, or you can snag candles online.

Cultural Institutions

• Northwest African American Museum - There were Black pioneers. Like, Oregon Trail pioneers! WHY ISN’T THIS IN HISTORY BOOKS?! Black pioneer George Washington Bush (what a name lol) is just one of the fascinating people we learned about at the NAAM, a museum housed in a former school that was once occupied by Black activists who were determined to make the building a Black history museum. There were exhibits on famed artist Jacob Lawrence and other notable Black Northwesterners like Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones, but my favorite sections talked about all of the regular Black folks who made a way out of no way, building both thriving Black middle class communities and Black Panther chapters in cities like Portland, Seattle and Tacoma.

• Jimi Hendrix Park - Don’t miss this sculpture park right outside of the NAAM, where you’ll find quotes from Hendrix’s songs inscribed in the sidewalk alongside metal cut outs of his silhouette, guitars and his portrait.

  

  Chris and I got to spend time with Uncle Lenny and Aunt Marilyn while in town, a huge priority for me especially since my Dad passed. Uncle Lenny and my Dad were friends for more than 60 years. Obv I had to rep his team lol.

• Lenny Wilkens Way - If you’re an NBA fan (and even if you’re not), take a moment to stop by Climate Change arena where the Seattle Sonics once played and snap a photo by the Lenny Wilkens Way sign, dedicated to the third winningest coach in the NBA and a NBA hall of famer as both a coach and a player. He was also one of my Dad’s best friends and it was such a joy to get to see Uncle Lenny while we were in town 🤍

Other Seattle must dos

Tourists touristing! Also, bless Chris for standing on that clear bench with me atop the Space Needle because heights aren't his favorite. Also, can you believe that enormous red and orange sculpture is made entirely of glass?

We’re not going to pretend like you’re going to ONLY do Black-owned things in Seattle and that’s ok! There are some bucket list items you’ve just got to see. The first is Pike Place Market, and lucky for you, they’ve put together a list of Black-owned businesses at the market. In my own experience there, Le Panier had the best almond croissant I’ve had outside of France. The second place you must see is the Space Needle, but be warned that timed tickets mean nothing. We had timed entry tickets but we still ended up waiting in line for over an hour to get to the top. The experience above is worth the wait though, and there are clear benches you can stand on to get epic photos. Finally, the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum needs to be seen to be believed. I have never seen so many incredible sculptures made from colorful glass, it was otherworldly!

I hope you enjoyed this guide and please let me know if you visit Seattle and take my suggestions! Moving forward, Black travel guides will only be available to paid subscribers so please consider upgrading! See y’all soon.