[Swinefeld]

Hey folks,

Swinefeld is blowing into Seattle for five days starting on April 9 for a little R&R. I have a pretty good idea of what activities I might enjoy while there, but if there is anything that you can think of that isn't on the average tourist list of things to do, I would appreciate if you could fill me in. The last time I was in Seattle was 15 years ago and not for very long either. Also if there's any very overrated or avoidable things please let me know.

Much obliged,
JMM

[mhays]

Take a ferry to Bainbridge and back for the view.

Space Needle and Pike Place Market are obvious but must-dos. At the Market be sure to walk down narrow hallways and into the rabbit warren below the main arcade.

The Museum of Flight and the Experience Music Project are outside the "every city has" category.

Snoqualmie Falls is worth a visit if you have a car.

Rent a bike at Gregg's and do a couple laps around Green Lake.

The Ballard Locks are good, including the parks on both sides.

Personally I'd take a few very long walks.

Tacoma is worth a day trip if you're into good regional museums.

[Nutterbug]

Note that the Columbia Center's observation deck stands higher than the Space Needle, and is only $5 to go to.

[Urban Zombie®]

There's a club somewhere in Pioneer Square where you can eat sushi off of naked women. Forgot the name though. I'd give it a try if you can locate it and then report back on the experience! :D

[James Bond Agent 007]

It goes without saying . . .

Go see the mass construction site that is downtown Bellevue.

[Swinefeld]

It goes without saying . . .

Go see the mass construction site that is downtown Bellevue.
I will. How far is it from the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood?

Hmm...sushi off a naked lady. Can I skip the sushi and just eat the lady? :frog:

[testdrive]

Bellevue is about a 7 to 10 mi ride across Lake Washington on I-90 or 520. Usually is better to take I-90.

[BoulderGrad]

Note that the Columbia Center's observation deck stands higher than the Space Needle, and is only $5 to go to.

Also note that its only open on weekdays

[NW Mike]

:previous: While you are going up stop at Starbucks on the 40th floor for some coffee and FREE View! The Highest Starbucks that there is! And they are open 7 days a week if you can not make it to the observation deck.

[Seasun]

Make sure you don't miss the Central Library. It should be on all visitors' must-do lists but I think some miss it. A less obvious place to visit is St. Ignatius Chapel at Seattle University. http://www.seattleu.edu/chapel/
It's a small incredible building that is worth a visit if you're into architecture. Some people might call it a rip off of ronchamps but it's still a gem.
http://images.google.com/images?q=ronchamps&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1

Driving or walking through old residential neighborhoods with great houses and views on Capitol Hill and Queen Anne Hill is pretty cool too.

[Nutterbug]

:previous: While you are going up stop at Starbucks on the 40th floor for some coffee and FREE View! The Highest Starbucks that there is! And they are open 7 days a week if you can not make it to the observation deck.

I believe any Starbucks in Denver is technically higher.

[Aleks]

You can go get drunk in Pioneer Square, go get drunk in Belltown, or go get drunk in Capitol Hill. Broadway is really fun at night and you get to meet a lot of interesting characters. It's defiantly something tourists usually don't hear about but if you're into trashy, hippy, pot head people then that's your part of town. You're gonna be here during SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival) and that's always something to look up to. There are great movies and every so often you'll find a gay movie since Seattle has a strong gay community.

The Columbia Tower is open to the public from like 10 am to 5 pm. I went up there once and stayed there until seven and the fat security guard left without kicking me out. If your clever enough you can sneak to the 40th floor Starbucks since they charge to get up there in the Winter/Spring time.

Bellevue is always fun to go to if you want to spend money. Take a ferry to Blake Island and eat smoked salmon with natives of the Northwest.

Take a taxi to West Seattle and visit The Viewpoint on Admiral Way. It has great views and you will get to see everything to the East (I'm working on a huge panorama which I hope is at least 10,000x4,000 pixels when finished and I hope to post it in this forum once I finish). Or you can take the water taxi from downtown to West Seattle and walk up the hill to The Viewpoint. You can visit Alki Beach and Salty's (a restaurant) where you might see some sea lions.

Visit the Smith Tower's observation deck/China Room, the Seattle Underground Tour, and the other small museums around Pioneer Square. And of course, you can't leave without visiting the SAM (Seattle Art Museum).

EMP and Museum of flight really are amazing like mhays said. In Queen Anne you're gonna have fun. A lo of historic buildings and coffee shops. If you go to the Pike Place Market you have to go see the original Starbucks. The Retail District has a lot of nice shops if you have the money.

There's Tiffany's, Cartier, Chicos, Barney's NY, and other name brand stores which are located in Pacific Place. If you're a cheaper kind of guy you can go to Westlake just a block from Pacific Place where you can find cheap souvenirs, MacDonald's, and teens running around the place.

It's a must for any skyscraper/architecture enthusiasts with an account on this site to visit The Seattle Public Library #1. It was designed by Rem Koolhas and has a great design. One of my favorite structures of modern times.

For the outdoors:

You can go to Snoqualmie Falls like mhays said. Visit some of our mountains and if you have time then you can go to Mount Rainier which is beautiful this time of year (although it's been gray and cloudy a bit this year). Mount St. Helens would be cool to visit, but sadly the main observation platforms were closed due to people not visiting it as often as before.

Those are some of the things I remember but there are way more things to do here.

[mhays]

Bellevue is about a 7 to 10 mi ride across Lake Washington on I-90 or 520. Usually is better to take I-90.

I think it's bus 550.

[mhays]

Isn't it Blake Island that has the salmon bakes? I don't know of this sort of thing on Vashon.

[Aleks]

Yeah, woops, it's Blake Island I'll fix it. But yeah, I've lived here half of my life and I've never been there. I've never been to San Juan Islands either. Is the watertaxi still running anyways?

[Nutterbug]

How about a Clipper ride to Victoria, if you've got $100+ to spend on a return ticket and a permit to enter Canada?

[Swinefeld]

How about a Clipper ride to Victoria, if you've got $100+ to spend on a return ticket and a permit to enter Canada?
Thanks. Great suggestions so far. As far as visiting Victoria and/or Vancouver, what is the best way to do it? I'm assuming it can be done as a day trip. And yes, I'll bring my passport.

Seattle's parks look like must see things too. Gas Works and Kerry Park look awesome.

Keep it coming.

[seaskyfan]

Gas Works is great. From the park you can head a few blocks west to Downtown Fremont or directly north (up the hill) to Wallingford. Fremont has a great business district, a statue of Lenin, and a huge troll sculpture (fittingly under the Aurora Bridge). Wallingford has a ton of Craftsman bungalows and some great views of Downtown. From there you can also go to east to the University District, west to Ballard, or north to Green Lake.

Either Victoria or Vancouver can be a day trip but it would be a pretty full day. Vancouver averages 2.5-3 hours each way (with the border crossing as a big variable in terms of time). Here's a link to the Victoria ferry schedule:

http://www.clippervacations.com/ferry/ferryschedule

[arbeiter]

I will. How far is it from the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood?

Hmm...sushi off a naked lady. Can I skip the sushi and just eat the lady? :frog:

I work in Lower Queen Anne if you need any neighborhood specifics or pointers!

[Fiat Lux]

:previous: While you are going up stop at Starbucks on the 40th floor for some coffee and FREE View! The Highest Starbucks that there is!

Maybe in Seattle. There is one on the top of Stratosphere in Vegas.

[Nutterbug]

Thanks. Great suggestions so far. As far as visiting Victoria and/or Vancouver, what is the best way to do it? I'm assuming it can be done as a day trip. And yes, I'll bring my passport.
Car or no car?

Anyways, yeah, either can be done as a day trip, but it'll amount to not much more than a preview.

[Swinefeld]

I think there was a Starbucks at the top of the Strat.

Car or no car?
I will be renting a car at some point.

[Nutterbug]

I think there was a Starbucks at the top of the Strat.


I will be renting a car at some point.

Then scratch the Clipper, take a ferry to Bainbridge Island, drive to Port Angeles, take the Coho ferry to Victoria.

From Victoria, drive to Swartz Bay and take a BC Ferry to Tsawwassen, and drive to Vancouver.

From Vancouver, take the 99 and I-5 back to Seattle.

[mhays]

For a Canada sidetrip, I'd suggest a day in Victoria. You can take a fast ferry in two or three hours each way depending on which boat. It goes from downtown to downtown, so no car needed. Victoria is a fascinating, idyllic small city, very walkable and scenic. It's also not overwhelming like Vancouver -- Vancouver deserves a couple days at least, maybe on another trip.

Edit: After reading the last post, those are fine ideas, but it would be vastly easier to take the Clipper in my opinion. The trip to Port Angeles is pretty long, and requires waiting for two different ferries each way.

[Nutterbug]

For a Canada sidetrip, I'd suggest a day in Victoria. You can take a fast ferry in two or three hours each way depending on which boat. It goes from downtown to downtown, so no car needed. Victoria is a fascinating, idyllic small city, very walkable and scenic. It's also not overwhelming like Vancouver -- Vancouver deserves a couple days at least, maybe on another trip.

I guess Butchart Gardens is out of the question then.

Anyways, I refrained from mentioning Vancouver to begin with, because I didn't want to be seen as poaching Seattle's tourists. I figured Victoria is a side excursion common to both cities though.

[mSeattle]

Visit Tacoma, our PNW-style "Rust Belt" city.

[jake840]

Point Defiance Park (http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=24) is always a good option. It is one of the largest, if not the largest urban park in the Puget Sound area.

[mhays]

Am I the only person who would consider it a waste of time to go all the way to Victoria or Tacoma and mostly visit a park? For me, the first day is for walking around and seeing the city. I don't go to museums either, unless I'm somewhere for several days and don't feel like walking as much.

[arbeiter]

Am I the only person who would consider it a waste of time to go all the way to Victoria or Tacoma and mostly visit a park? For me, the first day is for walking around and seeing the city. I don't go to museums either, unless I'm somewhere for several days and don't feel like walking as much.

Given the time he has, I agree. Although Victoria is truly a treat that cannot be imitated in Seattle proper. Butchart Gardens is a worldwide attraction for good reason - the maritime climate is even more maritime there, and it's bound to be a half step more flowery and springlike.

[Nutterbug]

Given the time he has, I agree. Although Victoria is truly a treat that cannot be imitated in Seattle proper. Butchart Gardens is a worldwide attraction for good reason - the maritime climate is even more maritime there, and it's bound to be a half step more flowery and springlike.

Thplendid! :D

[arbeiter]

Thplendid! :D

Didn't you get the memo, men can enjoy cherry blossoms too! ;)

[Nutterbug]

Didn't you get the memo, men can enjoy cherry blossoms too! ;)

We just like to break them. ;)

[Swinefeld]

Didn't you get the memo, men can enjoy cherry blossoms too! ;)
Yes, even manly men like me. :haha: :haha: :haha:

Actually, Victoria is a place I'd like to visit. I like the other suggestions so far.

After Seattle I was planning on a visit to Olympic NP, Mt Rainier NP, Mt St. Helens and if time permits, a drive to Oregon and some of the sites around there including Portland and possibly Crater Lake. All in all, I will be in the Northwest for 10 days.

[arbeiter]

Yes, even manly men like me. :haha: :haha: :haha:

Actually, Victoria is a place I'd like to visit. I like the other suggestions so far.

After Seattle I was planning on a visit to Olympic NP, Mt Rainier NP, Mt St. Helens and if time permits, a drive to Oregon and some of the sites around there including Portland and possibly Crater Lake. All in all, I will be in the Northwest for 10 days.

Oh you can do it, I didn't know you were gonna be here for 10 days.

I like the little towns of Kingston and Poulsbo, as well as Port Townsend. I don't think you really should bother with both Olympic and Mount Rainier NP's. The likelihood that it'll be clear and sunny is probably hit or miss for Rainier and unlikely for Olympics. Pick one, I would suggest, the Olympics are better for summer.

[Aleks]

Oregon is a little far and you might have to sleep in your car or rent a new room in a hotel. You can take the train from Seattle to Spokane though.

You can visit UW and the Arboretum on Capitol Hill.

[mSeattle]

Portland is closer than Spokane. However, Crator Lake is going to be a day and half leaving 8 days to do other things (2 days each in the big three and 2 in smaller cities between them). Also, it might still be winter in the mountains, especially high up like around Crator.

Is this a photo-work trip or relaxing one?

[Nutterbug]

Yes, even manly men like me. :haha: :haha: :haha:

Actually, Victoria is a place I'd like to visit. I like the other suggestions so far.

After Seattle I was planning on a visit to Olympic NP, Mt Rainier NP, Mt St. Helens and if time permits, a drive to Oregon and some of the sites around there including Portland and possibly Crater Lake. All in all, I will be in the Northwest for 10 days.

If you have that much time and are going by car, I'd do a circle route from Seattle, up to Anacortes, through the San Juans, to Victoria. On the way back, I'd take the ferry to Port Angeles, catch a glimpse of Olympic NP by going up to Hurricane Ridge (would take arbeiter's advice and not spend too much time at Olympic, since the Pacific coast is bound to be even rainier than Seattle), and head back through the Kitsap Peninsula, stopping by at those towns that arbeiter recommended, and take the ferry across the Sound from Bainbridge back to Seattle.

[Swinefeld]

Portland is closer than Spokane. However, Crator Lake is going to be a day and half leaving 8 days to do other things (2 days each in the big three and 2 in smaller cities between them). Also, it might still be winter in the mountains, especially high up like around Crator.

Is this a photo-work trip or relaxing one?
Relaxation and lots of picture taking. Like I said, I'll probably be renting a car so distance isn't too much of an issue. Just as long as I get back to Seattle in time for my departing flight.

How about the Cascades?

[Fiat Lux]

How about the Cascades?

Still full of snow. Do you ski? If not, Paradise Inn at Mt. Rainier would probably be your best bet. You may need tire chains.



On your way to Paradise, you could swing by Northwest Trek and see our NW wildlife:

http://www.nwtrek.org/

[OhioGuy]

I took the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria back in the fall of 2006 and I really enjoyed my time there. On top of that, the time spent on the boat traveling through Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca was wonderful!

(though I actually stayed there for 4 nights as opposed to just a day tour where you'll only have about 7 hrs... but that's probably enough if you just want to hang out in downtown and maybe do a bus tour)

[Swinefeld]

Oh boy, two days away! Are there any good sports bars in the Queen Anne Hill area? Probably a dumb question since I'm staying near the Key Arena.

[mhays]

There's one on First Ave N (two blocks east of First Ave W -- Queen Anne Ave is "0") a block north of KeyArena. I don't know what it's called but it's next to an Indian place.

You picked a good neighborhood for your hotel. There are probably 15-20 eating places, centered around QAA & Mercer. Good mix of cheap and fancier, lots of cuisines.

[Fiat Lux]

There's Sport in Fisher's Plaza (the hospital from Grey's Anatomy) on the other side of Seattle Center. A lot of the bars in the Lower Queen Anne area have t.v.s. I go to Peso's before UW football games on occasion and catch some of the early games before I head off and tailgate in Montlake. There is another place a block west with a bunch of t.v.s, but its name escapes me.

[Swinefeld]

Seattle was a lot of fun. Thanks for all the suggestions. I can't wait to go back again.

[OhioGuy]

You gotta tell us what you did during your visit! :D

[Swinefeld]

You gotta tell us what you did during your visit! :D
Had lunch with the Dalai Lama. :P

[Swinefeld]

Part one of the Seattle photo tour is up and running here (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=150437).

I've got four more Seattle tours in the works as well.