10 must-have apps when you’re new to Seattle

Seattleites and tech are inseparable. The Emerald City has no shortage of tech hometown heroes from big names like Amazon and Microsoft, to not-so-small players like Joe Coffee (to order your indie cafe brew in advance). If you’re coming to Seattle as a new resident, apps are a surefire shortcut to getting settled quickly.

From optimal transit directions to ordering the best banh mi in your area on those nights you can’t be bothered to cook.

Let’s explore all that your new city has to offer with these useful Seattle apps.

1. Zagat

Category: Restaurants

Seattle is well-known for its fresh seafood, breweries, coffee shops, and thriving food scene. When you’re new to the city and want to find the best restaurants, download the Zagat app. This Seattle app lets you search for restaurants by cuisine type while using the location feature.

Some of the top restaurants to try in Seattle include Heartwood Provisions, The Pink Door, Nishino, Joule, and Paseo Caribbean.

 

The app has pictures of each restaurant, menus, maps, and reviews curated by a team of editors. You can also save places to your favorites list, so you can try them the next time you dine out.

2. Postmates

Category: Food Delivery

Order food, snacks, or merchandise from your favorite restaurants and retailers in Seattle. With the Postmates app, you can placean order 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

All in all, a Postmates team member can deliver to your home, office, dinner party, the gym, or anywhere you are. The app allows you to track your order in real-time, and alert you with any delivery delays.

If you subscribe to the Unlimited Membership, you pay $9.99 a month and receive free delivery on orders greater than $15.

3. Wag

Category: Dog Walking

If you work or go to school full-time, having a good dog walker can be a lifesaver. With the Wag app, you can browse a list of reviewed dog walkers in your neighborhood.

Schedule a last-minute walk or book one a few weeks in advance, it’s up to you.

With lots of parks in the area, such as Discovery Park or Washington Park Arboretum, your furry baby will get plenty of fresh air and exercise during the day. With the Wag app, there’s also the option to hire someone to dog and house sit while you’re away on vacation.

Wag gives you the ability to leave notes and instructions for your dog walker.

Plus, you’ll get pictures from your pup’s walk and can send payment securely, all through the app. Their map even marks the best dog trails, pet-friendly restaurants, and pet groomers around Seattle.

4. WSDOT

Category: Transportation

The WSDOT app stands for the Washington State Department of Transportation. Download this app to access trafficdensity maps, travel alerts, ferry schedules, road condition reports, and more.

Also, should you rely on a car ferry regularly, the app will show you have many of the drive-up spaces are already taken for future departures.

You’ll also find information on the condition of local mountain passes and border wait times with British Columbia. If a car is your main form of transportation, this is a handy app to have.

5. PayByPhone

Category: Parking

Have you found yourself putting in street parking for an hour and a half only to find yourself too preoccupied with getting a parking ticket, to enjoy your (tardy) dessert order?

Using the PayByPhone app, you can locate designated parking spots near you.

Once you park, input the parking number into the app. You can pay with a credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.

Then, the next time you need to extend your parking time, you can do so right from your smartphone. No more literal last-minute dashes back to the car, or worse yet, a hefty parking fine!

6. Seattle Transit Bus & Train

Category: Public Transportation

The Seattle Transit app is free and provides live bus and train schedules in the Seattle area. Enter your current location and your desired destination to receive up to five different route options.

Once you select a route, you’ll get alerts telling you where to start your trip and when to transfer stations.

Also, this Seattle app has a live countdown feature to inform you when to board your bus or train.

7. Seattle Times Mobile

Category: News

Seattle Times is the preeminent news source in Seattle and all of the Pacific Northwest. For newcomers looking to stay abreast of local news and national headlines, the Times has you covered.

The app also gives you access to trending topics, entertainment news, and sports updates for local teams like the Mariners, Seahawks, and Sounders. Their Pacific NW Magazine offers some stellar suggestions for weekend trips and other happenings around the region.

As with most news sources these days, you’ll find that this Seattle news app lets you read 15 articles for free every month.

For unlimited access to articles, you can sign up for a monthly plan at a cost of $9.99 per month. The same digital subscription also gives you unlimited desktop access and a Print Replica copy (essentially a scan of the day’s paper).

8. Zoosk

Category: Dating

Zoosk is a dating app with over 40 million members worldwide. It has earned a reputation as a trusted dating subscription that connects people seeking romantic and loving relationships. The Zoosk app has a SmartPick feature and once you enable it, the app will send you recommended picks based on your interests and browsing history. If you’re new in town and single, this Seattle dating app can help you meet someone special and potentially your life partner.

Alternatively, you can also look into the locals-only Seattle Dating App. This homegrown dating app has a few more bells and whistles than your mainstream one including filtering by height and neighborhood, and coordinating availability by sharing your schedule.

9. Songkick Concerts

Category: Entertainment

Seattle hosts more than a hundred annual festivals, many of which are concerts or art and cultural events. One of Seattle’s largest annual art festivals takes place over Labor Day, by the name of Bumbershoot.

Above all, the Songkick Concerts app will notify you about these events and will send you messages when your favorite musical artists are coming to Seattle. This app connects to other apps like Apple Music and Spotify, so it can accurately track your musical preferences.

It also provides ticket prices for every concert so you can budget your month accordingly. Whether you’re more Billie Eilish or Deadmau5, you’ll be the first to know when the hottest concerts in Seattle are shared with the public.

10. STQRY

Category: Art and Culture

There are over 200 art galleries and five major art museums in Seattle, including the ever-popular Museum of Flight and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum.

Downloading the STQRY app allows you to find stories, interesting facts, photos, and videos on art exhibits and artwork in the local galleries and museums.

At the Seattle Art Museum, for example, you’ll find explanations of the exhibitions in the author’s voice in addition to an accessible Low-No Vision version for the visually impaired. This app is free to use and it’s ad-free.

You can also use the STQRY app to learn about and visit the Woodland Park Zoo, as well as local parks and gardens, such as the Seattle Japanese Garden.

Getting settled into Seattle?

As a resident of a Blueground furnished apartment in Seattle, you get access to a Guest App.

Though it doesn’t offer room service per se, you can request laundry service, weekly cleaning, and repairs at the click of a button. For new residents to Seattle or those looking for a serviced apartment, that’s a sweet deal!