Kirkland

Kirkland is a city of 93,000 (2019) in King County, Washington near Seattle.

Not to be confused with Kirkland (Quebec).

Understand

Established in 1888 by Peter Kirk with a vision of being the "Pittsburgh of the West", Kirkland today is a charming town on the east side of Lake Washington across from Seattle. It is the home of Northwest University, one of two summer training camps for the Seattle Seahawks, the other being Eastern Washington University in Cheney.

Get in

By car

Like many American suburbs, by far the most convenient approach is by car:

  • State Route (SR) 520 connects Kirkland to Seattle, via the Evergreen Point floating bridge on Lake Washington. The bridge is tolled, hence less busier than Interstate 90. SR-520 serves as the southern border between Kirkland and Bellevue.
  • Interstate 405 (I-405) is the outer loop of Interstate 5 that runs from Lynnwood to Tukwila (and the airport), through Bellevue. Keep in mind that rush hour traffic can be very daunting: expect a 45 minute to 1 hour drive from both ends of the freeway to Kirkland.
  • The more modern and capacious Interstate 90 (I-90) provides another route from Seattle across Lake Washington, via Mercer Island to reach I-405 in Bellevue.

By bus

Intercity bus services from beyond the region stop in Seattle.

Get around

The downtown area is small and very walkable. A car is helpful for convenient travel, especially after normal working hours, as bus service outside of downtown Seattle is not always frequent.

By public transit

The transportation hubs (bus stations) in Kirkland are the 🌍 Kirkland Transit Center on 3rd St at Central Way; 🌍 Totem Lake Transit Center; and the 🌍 Totem Lake Freeway Station at NE 128th St & I-405. The Kirkland TC offers routes with service to Downtown Seattle (*255 & Link); Univ of Washington in the U-District (255); Bellevue (245, 250); Redmond (250); Woodinville (230, 231); and other surrounding cities while the Totem Lake Freeway Station offers bus connections to Everett (532); Lynnwood (535); Snohomish via Monroe (424 in PM); Downtown Seattle (311 & 424 in AM); Bellevue (237, 342, 532, 535) and Woodinville (237, 311, 342 & 424).

See
  • The Seattle skyline and Olympic Mountains from one of the many waterfront parks.

Do
  • Explore Marina Park. Located in the pedestrian friendly downtown area, it hosts many small art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants.
  • Check out the many art galleries in down town Kirkland near the waterfront.
  • Yarrow Bay Marina, 5207 Lake Washington Blvd. N.E., ☏ +1 425-822-6066. Hourly powerboat rentals. Hours vary. 
  • Juanita Bay Park, 2201 Market St. Wetland park on the shore of Lake Washington; features some short and relaxing wetlands boardwalk trails and picnic areas. 
  • Flatstick Pub, 15 Lake St. Suite 100, ☏ +1 425 242 1618. Su-Th noon-midnight, F Sa noon-2AM. Minigolf bar with local beers on tap. Happy hour M-F 3PM-6PM. Yappy hour M-F 6PM-7PM, all day Su. (updated Mar 2019)

Buy

Eat
  • Lynn's Bistro. Excellent Sunday brunch. 
  • Cactus. 
  • Zeek's Pizza. Pricey but delicious pizza. 
  • Santorini Greek Grill, 106 Central Way, ☏ +1 425-822-0555. Excellent gyros and other Greek food. 
  • Bin On The Lake, 220 Kirkland Ave, ☏ +1 425 803-9000. 4-10PM. Serving local and seasonal new American fare, menus feature small and large plates so you can nibble and nosh as you choose. $20. 
  • Beach Cafe, 1170 Carillon Point, ☏ +1 425 889-0303. 7AM - 10PM. Seasonal patio and water views from every table. $12. 
  • Sarducci's, 955 6th St South. Hometown favorite sub shop; autographs on wall attest to its frequent patronage by Seahawks players when training camp was nearby 
  • Spud's Fish and Chips, 9702 N.E. Juanita Dr, ☏ +1 425 823-0607. Local tradition in the Jaunita neighborhood, right across the street from a pleasant lake beach park. Very greasy but delicious. 

Drink
  • Kahilia Coffee. Brand new, great independent coffee shop in downtown Kirkland. Serves Kona coffee! Best coffee on the Eastside. 
  • Kitanda Brazilian Espresso, 12700 124th St NE (between Les Schwab and Toyota of Kirkland). Skip Starbucks, and enjoy some of the best priced lattes in the area. They don't charge extra for soy and extra shots. Kitanda also sells groceries, Brazilian chocolates, hair products, etc. Their specialty is the Brazilian Mocha. Credit cards accepted. 
  • Caffe Rococo, 136 Park Ln. 6:30AM - 9PM (Last call at 8:30PM). The flagship coffee shop for Rococo Coffee Roasters, who provide coffee beans to numerous local businesses and coffee bars in the area. Friendly, relaxed, atmosphere, internet is always free, and you can stay for as long as you like. 
  • The Grape Choice, 9 Lakeshore Plaza. This favorite local wine shop has monthly selections at their tasting bar, and any wine can be bought by the bottle for drinking in the store or on the patio. Every Wednesday, they host a different, usually local, winery for a $5 flight of their top wines. 
  • Chainline Brewing Co, 503 6th St S, ☏ +1 (425) 242-0923, . M-Th 4PM-10PM, F 2PM-10PM, Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-8PM. The first brewery to open along the Cross Kirkland Corridor Trail. (updated Mar 2019)

Sleep

Go next
Routes through Kirkland
Lynnwood ← Bothell ←  N  S  → Bellevue → Tukwila


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