Seattle is a real coffee town with coffee shops and cafes everywhere. The original Starbucks coffee location, which opened in 1971, is right across from the Pike Place Market. It is worth a visit, but I found far better coffee places in town.
I really liked the pedestrian area on Occidental Avenue. You can stop in for a coffee at Caffe Umbria, at 320 Occidental, which has nice outdoor seating. I also liked the feel of Zeitgeist Art and Coffee around the corner, at 171 S. Jackson, which in addition to coffee has tempoary art exhibits.
Broadway is a street that runs the length of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. It has some interesting shops and restaurants and the neighborhood gets edgier as you get closer to downtown. You will find local flavor like Dick’s Drive-In which is known for its hamburgers (not bad ice cream either) at 115 Broadway East. Walking down Pine towards downtown, I found Stumptown Coffee Roasters which had good chai and a great atmosphere, at 1115 12th Ave.
In Ballard, I really liked the old buildings on Market St., as well as Ballard Ave. NW. There were some nice stores, a tea store, Miro Tea, and several coffee shops including Cugini Coffee which had good chai.
On Bainbridge Island, make you sure you walk down Madison Street where you will find Doc’s Marina Grill at 403 Madison, Pegasus Coffee House at 131 Parfitt Way SW, and the Harbour Public House & Marina at 211 Parfitt Way. Pegasus is the perfect place to have lunch, drink coffee, read and hang out. It had a great feel. I met locals who often come from Seattle to write and read!