University Village — Attraction in Seattle

University Village is our favorite metro Seattle shopping mall because it is a walk-around-outdoors style mall, clean and very attractive. There are many tables with umbrellas and large complementary umbrellas to carry in case of need.

It has a large selection of our favorite clothing stores such as Gap, Eddie Bauer, North Face, etc. It also has a large selection of eateries and several Starbucks. It has my favorite nursery store, Ravenna Gardens and a lot of shops for home and kitchen goods.

With two big garages and a lot of surface lots, parking is free and easy.

For us, it is a lot easier to go to Southcenter, but boy it can be crowded! With Covid still around, that's not always the best thing. Sometimes the lines are too long for us to want to wait. Southcenter Mall can get really trashed out and unsanitary. Northgate Mall is also more accessible for us; will it ever come back to its former size? Alderwood Mall is an excursion, seldom worth the drive.

We're so happy to have the U Village. My wife's favorite form of relaxation is window shopping. We always have a good time, have some good food, and come away with some joyous purchases.

Today was another such visit with our friend Teresa. I tried to do a crossword in Starbucks but it took forever to get the drink and a place to sit. Then it was just too loud to be able to think. I persisted until I kindly gentleman joined my table. Little did I know he would pull up four five chairs and bring his family. I thought, I'll just move outside and try it. It was too cold.

Even so I managed to pass a couple of hours while the ladies shopped. As usual my wife got some good scores. I haven't seen him yet but I bet they're from the Gap. We will go back when it's not so cold. It was really really busy. It's super popular.

12/10/23. A happy place for Christmas shopping! Gap, Williams Sonoma, Levi's we crossed a lot off our lists. My wife laments that H&M is gone.

Always free parking, courteous clerks and TA DA a Starbucks mobile order ready...

This was my first visit to University Village and I will definitely be returning. Plenty of parking and the parking garage is great; large spaces, plenty of them, extremely clean, well lit. Directions and other info are clearly and nicely displayed. Levels are clearly marked so it’s impossible to get lost. Same is true throughout the shopping area. I wouldn’t describe this as a “mall.” Stores are structurally connected but each store is individual; you must exit each store to the outside to enter the next...think of a charming upscale village without the cars. Walking area has socially distanced seating and is absolutely beautiful; extremely clean, plenty of seating, spacious, decorated with sculptures, live plants, fountains and amazing and unique artwork. Wide variety of stores; too many to list but something for everyone. Even if you’re not a shopper, this is a perfect place to grab a cup of coffee and walk around or simply sit and enjoy the day. I really appreciated the umbrellas located at frequent intervals for public use. Employees were warm, friendly and very welcoming. Although I live in Seattle, only a few miles away, I felt almost like a tourist in this peaceful oasis. If you’re like me and no longer feel safe shopping in downtown Seattle, are tired of the boarded up stores, garbage, panhandlers and generally dismal atmosphere, this will definitely be your new...

U Village has most of what you might want in a mall sort of area. There's clothing, housewares, decor, entertainment, food, gifts, tech stores, baby goods...

The parking situation is usually a little tricky, though. The south parking garage ends up getting long lines of cars stuck on their way up/down. I prefer to park either in the north garage or at the east garage near Qfc and walk. Or come during less popular hours (weekdays are your best bet, except Friday, of course).

Update: with the addition of the NW parking garage, it's much easier to park at u village. That one has yet to have a long line of cars for me, so it's now my favorite to park if I'm there for more than just QFC.

Update 2: the new area in front of the Apple store is really, really nice on a good weather day. There's plenty of space to just hang out and people watch, take a break, eat your snack, or even study at a table. They did really well with that remodel.

Update 3: if you go on a really non busy day, you can use the middle street portion to roller skate. It's pretty smooth pavement with the occasional thing to dodge, and mostly flat. If you're sneaky, you can also use the...