The Top Things to do in Seattle While at SourceCon Fall 2013

Editor’s note: SourceCon Fall 2013 is just two weeks away. Below, sourcing lab presenter Carment Hudson shares some of her favorite things to do in Seattle.

Seattle, they say, is having a moment. The weather is near perfect. Pearl Jam is back. Macklemore. North West is what everyone is naming their babies. And Sourcecon is coming!

I can’t think of a better place for the best and brightest of the sourcing world to gather. Seattle is a recruiter’s town. Competition for top talent is stiff and good recruiters and sourcers are highly valued.

So my advice is to get here early. Take the time to see the town and network with the locals. Maybe take in a Mariner’s game. (I have no idea if the Mariner’s are having a moment. I do know that Safeco Field, with its retractable roof and awesome food concessions is a great way to spend the afternoon).

A few more iconic Seattle spots to check out while you’re here:

Technically, Sourcecon is being held in Redmond, WA, on the beautiful, sprawling Microsoft campus. Make sure you visit Microsoft’s Visitor Center (right next to the company store) and keep your eyes peeled for some of the incredible paintings and sculptures, part of the Microsoft Art Collection, found all over the campus.
If you do make it over the bridge to Seattle proper, take in a few of the sights at Seattle Center, including the Experience Music Project, the Space Needle, and the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibits. (Remind me to tell you about the time I ran into Questlove at the EMP!)
We love our coffee in Seattle. My favorite East Side coffee shop (every thing east of Seattle is considered the East Side. And everything is east of Seattle) is Café Cesura. I’m there at least once a week, sipping a triple iced latte in their special cups.
Of course, you gotta visit Pike Place Market. And the gum wall (gross!) Walk it off by heading to South Lake Union, near the Amazon.com Headquarters. You’ll want to take in the hipsters, walking their dogs and discussing the merits of big data scalability and reliability. Reward yourself with some really good pizza at Serious Pie.
The conference hotel is pretty close to Marymoor Park. Take few minutes to soak up the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. While thinking about search strings.

There’s so much more to do and see here. And SourceCon will be action-packed with relevant content and conversations (not to mention SourceCon After Dark). So I’ll stop here. If you want a restaurant recommendation, or to check out a concert, ping me. See you in Seattle!