OT Seattle tourist question

[J.Greene]

My wife and I are biking the San Juan Islands in August. I'd like to spend a few days in Seattle also. I'm looking for some "must do" ideas that are not the obvious ones. Suggestions appreciated.

JG

[Ozz]

What do you like to do? Eating, music, sight seeing, hiking???

[jbrainin]

If you're going to be in Seattle on a Monday night check out www.tuningtheair.com .

[J.Greene]

What do you like to do? Eating, music, sight seeing, hiking???

all of the above. We'd like to get a good feel for what Seattle is really like, or as much of it as possible in a few days.

JG

[C5 Golfer]

My wife and I are biking the San Juan Islands in August. I'd like to spend a few days in Seattle also. I'm looking for some "must do" ideas that are not the obvious ones. Suggestions appreciated.

JG

Suggestions to see if you are out of state and of course if these things interest you.
1. Day trip down to Mt St Helens and the observatory. Outstanding
2. Day trip thru Mt Rainier - Awesome sight
3. Salmon dinner at Ivars Indian Salomon house in Seattle
4.Dinner at Salty's on Alki -- seafood of course but beef and all the rest is good too! Don't miss this one at night.
5. Pike Place Market walk - watch the people and enjoy the food.
6. Trip to Olympics and or ocean - hiking is superb

[Steve Hampsten]

Jon,

Seattle isn't really about things that MUST be done. Just being here can be enough and riding the ferries will give you a good perspective on the Sound and the region.

If I had to pick some of my favorite things:

Riding Mercer Island from my house

Food and beer at 74th St Alehouse

Lunch in the International District

Coffee at Zoka, Herkimer, Victrola, or at the little crepe shop up the street

Maybe a stroll in the new sculpture park

A tour of HampCo Towers

Give me a shout when you're here if you can, maybe we can set something up.

[Kevan]

than Seattle during the summer.

Check out the tossing fish:
http://static.flickr.com/76/174156319_e09e4552e9_m.jpg

Check out the seals going after the salmon:
http://www.gocitykids.com/browse/attraction.jsp?id=27944

And you will absolutely love the islands. Never done it, but gotta believe the biking would be terrific.

[big shanty]

I don't get it when people come to visit "Seattle", then spend their vacation running up to Victoria, or down to St. Helens, or out to Walla Walla to drink wine. There is plenty to do in Seattle.....although Mt. Rainier is a must if you're coming in the summer. I've been to St. Helens 3 times and it has been a complete bust every time.....unless you have a perfectly clear day, totally not worth the drive (looking at 6-7 hours in the car). I can think of better ways to spend 7 hours in Seattle. Pike Place Market is cool, but I can't see spending much more than an hour there. There are much, much better places to eat than Ivar's = tourist trap. email me if you'd like some info.

[cpg]

doesn't it rain there like all the time? :) JG if you've never been you'll love it. If not, well...

Curt

[J.Greene]

If your around I'll take you up on that. I'd like to see where one of my two favorite bikes came from.

JG

Jon,

Seattle isn't really about things that MUST be done. Just being here can be enough and riding the ferries will give you a good perspective on the Sound and the region.

If I had to pick some of my favorite things:

Riding Mercer Island from my house

Food and beer at 74th St Alehouse

Lunch in the International District

Coffee at Zoka, Herkimer, Victrola, or at the little crepe shop up the street

Maybe a stroll in the new sculpture park

A tour of HampCo Towers

Give me a shout when you're here if you can, maybe we can set something up.

[William]

Cycling Lopez Island was fun. And don't forget to ride up Mt Constitution to the rock tower on Orcas Island. Great view from the top.

http://www.dataoptions.com/Photos/images/topofmountain-23.jpg

http://www.cyclelogicpress.com/images/photoalbum/USA/14MtConstitutionview.jpg

http://www.cyclelogicpress.com/images/photoalbum/USA/13triumph.jpg


William

[72gmc]

When I go to New York or San Francisco I think in terms of neighborhoods or sections of town--you could do the same thing with Seattle. I'd recommend looking at thestrangerdotcom and seattleweeklydotcom for tips on the variety you can get in each neighborhood.

Just a few thoughts:

1. Fremont: have good beer at the Dubliner, say hi to the "liberated" Lenin statue, wander the Burke Gilman Trail along the water to the UW campus
2. Capitol Hill: walk Broadway and enjoy the human-based wildlife, check out classic homes on Federal Street, go to Volunteer Park for the horticulture center and the Wing Luke Asian Museum
3. Ballard: walk Market Street and the old town section with brick streets, take a picnic dinner to the Chittenden Locks or Golden Gardens and watch the sunset

[Ozz]

Depending on how many days you have, I wouldn't burn a whole day going to Rainier, St. Helens or the Olympics. If you were going to be in town for a week it might be worth it.

If you want to do some riding, the ride around Mercer Island is lots of fun. Not sure where Steve hampsten lives, but the ride itself can be done pretty quickly...lots of turns and short hills, courteous traffic for the most part. Stop for coffee at the Starbucks in Leschi...popular stop / starting point for riders. If it is Saturday, visit Il Vecchio across the street and drool over the Pegorettis, Landsharks and Singers.

Lunch in the Int'l District is good (Dim Sum at House of Hong)
Stroll the waterfront and Pike Place Market (could take all day)
Picnic lunch at the Hiram Chittendam locks in Ballard (weekend evening is fun to see the drunk boaters smash into each other)
Dinner at Ray's Boathouse is a (pricey) treat
Dinner at Harvest Vine is more intimate (basque/tapas/good wine)
Ferry ride (Bainbridge Island) is a fun way to see the city from the water.
Check the music program at Benaroya Hall
Discovery Park in Magnolia is fun
pick up a copy of the Seattle Weekly (http://www.seattleweekly.com/) to see what music/plays are in town.

Do you know where you are staying yet? I'd suggest downtown, lake union, eastside or north (rather than south (renton, federal way, burien, sea-tac)).

The weather is usually terrific in August (don't tell anyone).

[William]

Seafair?





William

[Ozz]

Seafair?
William
July 7 thru August 5

Seafair (http://www.seafair.com/)

I really need to get back to work.....

[kat_w]

A few things for a great trip to seattle:

1. visit pike place , the new olympic sculpture garden, and a trip to the observation deck of the Smith tower. The Smith tower has a lot of history and provides a great view of the city even if it is a little grey outside, and it not super touristy.

2. If you have your bikes a trip into the neighborhood of Fremont along the Burke Gilman trail then out to the locks to watch the boats go through then out to Shilshole and Golden Gardens park or across the locks and up to Discovery park in Magnolia. There is also a loop around Magnolia that provides some of the best views of Seattle and the Olympics in my opinion. Or go out to West Seattle and ride along Alki beach.

3. Purple or Black Bottle wine bars downtown are fun, I love Brasa for dinner (kind of pricey but very good Spanish/Portuguese food with a Northwest flair), there are some good restaurants in Pike Place like Etta's and Matt's.

4. Go to a pub or have dinner in one of the neighborhoods like Ballard (People's Pub, Jolly Rogers, Old Town), Fremont, Queen Anne (the Paragon or Hilltop), or Green Lake (the Elysian). Sit at the bar and chat with the locals.

5. Get a latte (not drip coffee) in a coffee house that roasts their own beans. It is definitely not Starbucks, and you will understand why Seattle people are so picky about coffee. Zoka (near Greenlake) or Vivace (my favorite on Capitol Hill).

6. Rent a kayak and kayak through Lake Union or the Arboretum. I think this is one of the best ways to experience Seattle. There is a Mexican restaurant near the UW that rents kayaks and has great and unique Mexican food called Agua Verde. They have a nice patio too. There are a couple of other rental spots on Lake Union too.
7. Run or walk around Greenlake. This place is full of life in the summer.
8. Go to the zoo.
9. Eat sushi

[big shanty]

Listen to Kat W.....if you really want to experience Seattle, any combination of those activities will give you a great taste for the city. The Vivace espresso on Denny is especially good. I would add a few potential activities east of the city:

-Snoqualmie Falls
-Mt. Si/Little Si
-Issaquah Brewhouse
-Roanoke Tavern on Mercer Island (combine with a loop of Mercer on your bike?!)

I think riding from Golden Gardens park up to Hampsten and back on the Burke-Gilman would be a great thing to do....with stops for food/beer/coffee along the way. If you're here on a Sunday, a great thing to do would be bike from UW through the Arboretum, and down to Seward Park along the lake.....in the summer Lake Washington Blvd. is usually closed off to automobiles on Sunday morning/afternoon, so you can get 16+ miles of car-free riding along the lake, which is pretty much unmatched in beauty.

If you like sushi, go to Kisaku between Wallingford and Green Lake. There is great asian food to be had in the International District too.

[J.Greene]

Thanks for all the great ideas guys. Since I live 30min from Disney World, i prefer my vacations to not be so touristy and your ideas fit the bill. I'm not sure yet if I'll have our bikes with us, I was planning to ship them to a bike shop in friday's harbour to have them assembled for riding in the islands. My plan is to land in Seattle and take a float plane to fridays harbor and spending a few days on either end of the trip in Seattle. Since this is a biking trip we'll be packed light and the ideas above have been great.

JG

[grateful]

Don't forget Mam's for good, cheap mexican!

[dave thompson]

I lived in the Seattle area for 15 years before I came to Spokane. Whenever I go to Seattle to visit, my main interest is eating seafood! Seattle is so close to the world's best oyster beds and salmon, crab, shrimp et al abound! Eating some of the best seafood ever is de riguer (French for 'it is necessary'. Sorry atmo)

[Ozz]

I...Whenever I go to Seattle to visit, my main interest is eating seafood! ...
My favorite seafood restaurants:
Ray's Boathouse - Shilshole
Palisade - Elliott Bay Marina
Ponti Seafood Grill - Fremont Bridge
Seastar - Bellevue
McCormick & Schmicks - Seattle & Bellevue

Dave - where do you like to go?

[dave thompson]

My favorite seafood restaurants:
Ray's Boathouse - Shilshole
Palisade - Elliott Bay Marina
Ponti Seafood Grill - Fremont Bridge
Seastar - Bellevue
McCormick & Schmicks - Seattle & Bellevue

Dave - where do you like to go?
Anyplace that serves Wescott Bay oysters, but primarily Shuckers.

When I lived over there we would boat up to Roche Harbor for the weekend. While at Roche, we'd dinghy over to the Wescott Bay oyster farm and hand pick a dozen or so yearlings. Those would be consumed just before the hot Dungeness crabs, that we had caught only a few hours before, were served.
(Those thoughts bring tears to my eyes!)

My next trip over there will be for the Seattle Bike Show next month. So I'll get my seafood fix then.

[sc53]

When I spent a long summer working in Seattle, my favorite thing to do was go out to Discovery Park and run or hike and picnic. Absolutely beautiful spot, fantastic views, and very uncrowded (at least when I was there). It felt like a national park. Also--the Arboretum! You can't believe the lush greenery and flowering, blooming abundance. Great for running or walking.

[Ozz]

Anyplace that serves Wescott Bay oysters, but primarily Shuckers.

When I lived over there we would boat up to Roche Harbor for the weekend. While at Roche, we'd dinghy over to the Wescott Bay oyster farm and hand pick a dozen or so yearlings. Those would be consumed just before the hot Dungeness crabs, that we had caught only a few hours before, were served.
(Those thoughts bring tears to my eyes!)

My next trip over there will be for the Seattle Bike Show next month. So I'll get my seafood fix then.
Yes, I forgot about Shuckers....very nice. The Brooklyn Cafe does a good job with oysters too.

Roche Harbor is fun.... :beer:

Agreed, you have not eaten crab or oysters unless they were alive minutes before digging in....oh my!

[kat_w]

If you don't have your bikes I might suggest renting a car on one end of your week on the San Juan islands. Lots of places you can walk, bus, taxi from downtown; however, a few of the must see things are a little farther away.

Also, downtown Seattle can be a little dead on weeknights while the neighborhoods will much more lively and interesting on these days. The outlying neighborhoods (where people actually live) are not far from downtown. Capitol hill is walking distance as is lower queen anne. Fremont is probably 3 miles and ballard is probably 4. It is all Seattle but the names are used to distinguish the areas of town.

If kayaking is not your thing and you want to get out on the water on Sundays there is the ice cream boat that leaves from Fremont and cruises around lake union. It is a fairly inexpensive ($8-10).

I really appreciate when people come to Seattle to really take time to experience the city rather than just doing all of the touristy activities. You will have a great time. Hopefully you will get a few days when the mountains are out.

Any more questions feel free to PM me.

[dave thompson]

A ferry ride is also de riguer. A round trip ferry ride from Seattle to Bremerton and back is a wonderful way to kill a few hours and the view of Seattle is picture postcard stuff. And the tang of the salt air!

[baselthedog]

Go check out the Seattle Public Library, a fantastic building inside and out by the great Dutch firm OMA. It's right in the middle of downtown. I know this doesn't quite fit the normal notion of "vacation" or "recreation" but I think one of the delights of travelling abroad is to look at interesting buildings that normally wouldn't get designed/built in USA, and here is one right on home turf.

[Ray]

Stay downtown if you can - great base of operations. Walk around and hang out. Pike Place and Pioneer Square are the great old-timey anchors, but a lot of the downtown and the Denny Regrade are cool. The new library is a gas, as is the Hendrix museum at the Seattle Center. Just spend a couple of days walking around downtown between Pioneer Square and Seattle Center. Stop in as many funky bars and coffee houses as possible (NO Starbucks or SBC!).

Check out the neighborhoods. Capitol Hill, Ballard, Wallingford, the U. District, Fremont. Drive around Leschi and Magnolia and check out the amazing houses and views. Walk or jog or run around Green Lake with all of the other Seattle-ites.

Espresso (not latte, not cappacino - just straight espresso that's way better than you ever thought possible) at Vivace.

Take a ferry ride out to Bainbridge and back - you don't even have to stay, but the ferry ride itself is cool and you can walk down to the dock if you're staying downtown.

If you're in the mood to see a whitebread old suburb that's turned into a really vibrant new city, drive over the bridge to Bellevue and check out the downtown and maybe a close in neighborhood or two. Then head out to the Bel-Red area and check out Microsoft - you won't believe the scale of that company. They have a whole New York City worth of office space out there.

But don't try to cram too much in - just stick to the downtown and a few of the neighborhoods (like little small towns in the city) if that's all you have time for.

-Ray

[William]

Do they still have the Underground tours of old Seattle?






William

[Vancouverdave]

Visit the Seattle Aquarium, on a pier downtown. Also very close to the new sculpture garden (at the beginning of the Elliot Bay Trail, if you're on a bike,) Pike Place Market, and other downtown locations. Are you by chance a guitar player? Trading Musician at the north end of the U District is the best "instrument zoo" in the Northwest.

[julia]

+1 and Emerald City Guitar in Pioneer Square.

what the heck, you probably have enough ideas by now but - - - if you're in Pioneer Square, check out the Elliott Bay Bookstore (high ceilings, old brick, old wood, and a fantastic selection).

galleries - right around the corner from Elliott Bay is Occidental Square, check out Grover/Thurston and Davidson galleries; a couple blocks over is the best in town, Greg Kucera; time for lunch, don't miss Salumi, Batali's much-praised Italian deli - good luck finding a seat, if it's decent out bring your sandwich to the waterfall park round the corner, it's an oasis.

and, someone's gotta mention the nightlife! all Seattle's bars and clubs are proudly smoke-free. check out the Stranger, our beloved alternative hipster rag for listings (online too) - my favorite is the Tractor Tavern on quaint Old Ballard Ave in, yup, Ballard. alt/indie/country/whathaveyou, great venue on the best street in town.

julia


Visit the Seattle Aquarium, on a pier downtown. Also very close to the new sculpture garden (at the beginning of the Elliot Bay Trail, if you're on a bike,) Pike Place Market, and other downtown locations. Are you by chance a guitar player? Trading Musician at the north end of the U District is the best "instrument zoo" in the Northwest.

[Bradford]

Eat Dungeness crab

[J.Greene]

J,

Thanks, I'll be making note of these and more from above. Seattle sounds like a fantastic city from all the responses.

JG


+1 and Emerald City Guitar in Pioneer Square.

what the heck, you probably have enough ideas by now but - - - if you're in Pioneer Square, check out the Elliott Bay Bookstore (high ceilings, old brick, old wood, and a fantastic selection).

galleries - right around the corner from Elliott Bay is Occidental Square, check out Grover/Thurston and Davidson galleries; a couple blocks over is the best in town, Greg Kucera; time for lunch, don't miss Salumi, Batali's much-praised Italian deli - good luck finding a seat, if it's decent out bring your sandwich to the waterfall park round the corner, it's an oasis.

and, someone's gotta mention the nightlife! all Seattle's bars and clubs are proudly smoke-free. check out the Stranger, our beloved alternative hipster rag for listings (online too) - my favorite is the Tractor Tavern on quaint Old Ballard Ave in, yup, Ballard. alt/indie/country/whathaveyou, great venue on the best street in town.

julia

[Ozz]

...time for lunch, don't miss Salumi, Batali's much-praised Italian deli...julia


How did I forget to mention this? :crap:

To borrow a phrase from dbrk..."humdiggity"!

[Marron]

With all these Seattlelites on the forum, have I been missing all the group rides?

The coolest new thing in town is the Olympic Sculpture Garden. I hate the use of this term, but the setting and design are in fact world class. Definitely take the time to visit this site.

Lopez Island is probably the quietest island of any size and very pleasant for riding. Its the least impacted by the relentless Californication of the San Juans.

Mt Rainier would be my must-see out of town trip. The unfortunate thing is that there has been massive road and trail damage from a severe storm this past November so its unclear how accessable the park will be by summer. There's a possiblity that RAMROD wont happen this July.

If you want to ride when you're in Seattle you should check out the Cascade Bike club site. They have a daily (relentless?) schedule of organized rides that are not a bad way to comfortably see the area at a sedate pace. And when I say daily, I mean morning, noon and night, so you can almost hook up with them.

[julia]

J,

Thanks, I'll be making note of these and more from above. Seattle sounds like a fantastic city from all the responses.

JG

you're welcome, j.g., and do come visit us at the towers, we'll take care of you. . .

oh yeah (but wait there's more) after lunch at Salumi, round the corner on Jackson is Zeitgeist Coffee, one of the nicest in town. have one of my friend Elizabeth's Sputnik Cupcakes. . .yum. . .

[erikbrooks]

If you have any interest in fine woodworking, this place in Pioneer sq is a must:
http://www.nwfinewoodworking.com/

Seattle is also very 'bookish' - the famously funky bookstore in Pioneer sq is Elliott bay:
http://www.elliottbaybook.com/

I also think that the headquarters of REI is interesting, but only if you have wheels (preferably bike wheels - the car garage is TIGHT) - there's nothing else of interest nearby.

I work next to the new Seattle library - it elicits strong responses, and mine is pretty negative. YMMV. I see tourists with cameras outside all the time. Meanwhile the interior is cluttered with recent paper signs attempting to help users actually find anything.......

I'd take Mt Rainier off the list this year, or at least check shortly beforehand. Last I heard, some of the destinations will be open as dead-end roads, but doing a loop of the mtn is very unlikely.

[Vancouverdave]

EVERY public place will be smoke-free--bars, restaurants, etc. It is now Washington state law that you may not smoke within 25 feet of any public indoor space!

[OldDog]

My belly is full just reading of the swell places to dine.

Never been to Seattle, sounds like a great place to kill a week this summer. More questions: 1) what time of summer is the dryest (sp?) and 2) where could one rent a nice bike?

[J.Greene]

EVERY public place will be smoke-free--bars, restaurants, etc. It is now Washington state law that you may not smoke within 25 feet of any public indoor space!

I love washington state already.

JG

[Marron]

I've spent much more money there on a single item than any bike. We've had one of David Grey's rectangular craftsman tables for the past 8 years. I think I've mentioned this before on the forum, but when he personally delivered our table he told me to get some scratches in it right away so that we could just enjoy it. Good advice for a new bike. (We still don't have any scratches in his table.)

[Ray]

1) what time of summer is the dryest (sp?)
1984 had rain once in all of July and August - the night of July 31st. Usually a bit of a crapshoot though. 1983 it rained all summer. Usually plenty of sun in July and August but rain is always possible. June tends to be somewhat more rainy. September is probably the most predictably beautiful month, but never a guarantee.

In terms of Rainier, if the weather is nice enough that you'd enjoy a day on the mountain, the views OF the mountain from Seattle are mind-blowing enough. It just takes over the skyline and TOWERs above the city. But you can go weeks without more than a peek, and that's true even if you're ON the mountain. I can't tell you how many times I've been up to Longmeir and Paradise and not seen anything but the roads and the closest trees.

-Ray

[C5 Golfer]

J,

Thanks, I'll be making note of these and more from above. Seattle sounds like a fantastic city from all the responses.

JG

Damn.. can't beleive I forgot to mention these.


Bring your golf clubs and Play these courses.

Washington National -- outstanding
Gold Mountain - Olympic course
Harbour Pointe

Just play golf and eat -- you'll go home happy

[J.Greene]

Damn.. can't beleive I forgot to mention these.


Bring your golf clubs and Play these courses.

Washington National -- outstanding
Gold Mountain - Olympic course
Harbour Pointe

Just play golf and eat -- you'll go home happy

A golf course is a place to take a 4wt fly rod for a few minutes of simple enjoyment in the evenings atmo. Thanks for the ideas though.

JG

[C5 Golfer]

A golf course is a place to take a 4wt fly rod for a few minutes of simple enjoyment in the evenings atmo. Thanks for the ideas though.

JG


Did not know you were a flyfisher so with that I would go here..

http://www.trophylakegolfclub.com/subcontent.aspx?SecID=845


They offer both - rent all the equipment too. I think there maybe a fish to catch on each hole. But this is super nice. I almost beaned a guy fishing with one of my wayward shots.

[bironi]

Do they still have the Underground tours of old Seattle?






William

Yes, but they have probably expanded quite a bit since you took the tour. I would stop by Elliot Bay Bicycles at the north end of the Pike Place Market. This is the home of Davidson Cycles. Make sure to drink the local beers also. :beer:

[72gmc]

I almost beaned a guy fishing with one of my wayward shots.

Dad has been asking me to go fishing with him at Trophy Lakes. Let me know when you're there so I can plan accordingly!

[J.Greene]

I almost beaned a guy fishing with one of my wayward shots.

pay to play?

JG

[erikbrooks]

A golf course is a place to take a 4wt fly rod for a few minutes of simple enjoyment in the evenings atmo. Thanks for the ideas though.

JG

For even more enjoyment, do it this way:

http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~yaz/en/squirrel_fishing.html

[LilBolt]

If you have an interest in aircraft, http://www.futureofflight.org/currentexhibits.html to see how commercial aircraft are designed & built, or http://www.museumofflight.org/Portal.asp?Flash=True for a nice collection and history.

[J.Greene]

We got back from our trip to Seattle and the San Juan Islands Saturday. The San Juans are fantastic for cycling. The best 5 days of cycling I have ever spent. Seattle is a great city. Thanks to everyone who mentioned ideas about what to do. We stayed exclusively downtown and still could have used several more days to see everything. I regret not having the time to meet Stave Hampsten. Thanks again for everyone's ideas.

JG

[Steve Hampsten]

I'm bummed too, Jonathon, but it wasn't the best of weeks for me.

Next time!

Glad you had fun - it's a lovely part of the country, isn't it?

[J.Greene]

Glad you had fun - it's a lovely part of the country, isn't it?

Yes,

if I could pack up my business and move it easily, I'd be one of your new neighbors before year end.

JG