If you’re in the mood to do a little shopping while you’re in Seattle, why not try University Village.  Located just east of the University of Washington University Village mall boasts just about every store that you’d ever need, with shops that range from affordable, to extremely upscale and pricey. University Village is a great place to go on a nice day, and the mall is designed like an outdoor villa and kept immaculately clean. It has plenty of café seating, and a play area located in the center for the kids. Of the numerous stores, some of the most popular at University Village are Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Coach, J. Crew, Williams & Sonoma, Barnes & Noble, and Crate & Barrel. The atmosphere is fairly relaxed and friendly, and the patrons are generally young, due to its proximity to the university. You’ll see plenty of college kids studying outdoors with a latte, or working behind the cash registers. U-Village (as the locals call it) is a great place to go around the holidays, for they spare no expense in decorating, and trick-or-treating at the stores is encouraged around Halloween. There is plenty of parking, especially since the recent addition of a free parking garage. There are also quite a few hip restaurants. If you don’t manage to catch University Village on a day without rain, don’t let its status as an outdoor mall dissuade you: in true Seattle fashion, community umbrellas are available, and there are at least six places to get a cup of coffee to warm up with.

University Village is open Monday - Saturday 9:00am - 9:30pm Sunday 11:00-6:00pm