Hotel Ballard

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Ballard's glittering designer hotel, which opened in May 2013, exemplifies the neighborhood’s upward rise. The seduction begins outside: Hotel Ballard has a lovely street profile, with its wrought-iron balconies blending in with the redbrick edifices of yore. Inside, it’s even more opulent (upholstered headboards, funky chandeliers, super-streamlined bathtubs), but stays faithful to the neighborhood’s Scandinavian heritage with Nordic murals.

Guests get free use of the equally fancy Olympic Athletic Club next door.

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Nearby attractions

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4. GS Sanborn Building

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The GS Sanborn Building is Ballard’s only example of Romanesque architecture, a style that was popular on the East Coast in the 1880s. It has a sandstone…

5. Portland Building

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A great example of the decorative brickwork that graces many of the buildings along Ballard Ave, the Portland Building has housed all kinds of businesses…

6. Commemorative Bell Tower

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On the corner of Ballard Avenue NW and 22nd Ave is the original location of Ballard City Hall, sometimes called ‘Hose Hall,' which also contained the jail…

7. Bergen Place Park

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8. Ballard Building

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