PLACES - Going to Seattle?

Seattle is the Emerald City because it's so green (in many ways). People thinks it rains a lot in Seattle but it actually rains more in Houston, but Houston gets its rain in 1,2 and 3 inch toad stranglers rather than the 1/8-inch a day misting of the Pacific Northwest.

How long are you there??? Do you have a car or transportation??? Where are you staying??? What do you want to see???? I've done Seattle with and without a vehicle.

Pike Place Market is THE place for me ... I try to do it every other day when I'm there if I'm not staying near there ... actually START my day there ... get the good stuff ... then come back at closing and pick up bargains. You can negotiate for bread at the end of the day. Also, got 3 lobsters for less than the price of two - my favorite deal everrrrrrrr!!!

Ohh ... Rainier Cherries when they're in season!!! They're my faves ... could eat them until I was sick (again - I have (yes, love them). And I have found ways to cook my own seafood and buy it fresh at the market - then go get some herbs and veggies and bread ... wines and beer ... local berries ... and I'm a happy camper. Many go to Pike Place Market to see the fish toss. It's fun to watch!

There’s several good places to eat around the Market. And there’s two originals. The very first Starbuck’s is in the market. I don’t drink coffee, but I do enjoy the place and the aromas. The other is Sur la Table. It’s full of all kinds of stuff you don’t have in your kitchen but could find a way to use, if your kitchen was twice as large! Just walk around the place and have fun.

Eats ... any place you feel comfortable in Chinatown ... grilled fish along the waterfront from any of the guys grilling on barrels ... Pyramid Brewing Alehouse across from Safeco Field. It's more than beer ... but if you LIKE craft beers, it's awesome!!!

If you have time and want to really see things, I recommend a Seattle City Pass. Besides going up in the Space Needle (it now gives you two trips - one in the day, one at night), it offers admittance to the Aquarium, Science Center, Woodland Park Zoo (incredible place to take animal pix). It’s also good for a cruise in the Harbor. PLUS, you get a choice of the Museum of Flight or the Music Project or the Science Fiction Museum (I took the Museum of Flight – spent the whole day there ... it has one of two Concordes in the US, the Air Force One 707 Lyndon Johnson was sworn in on, an SR-71 Blackbird, 747 number 1, and 727 number 1,000 .. among other great planes). When you’re at the Space Needle, ride the monorail, the first one in the USA.

The City Pass will save you half of what you’d pay to see these individually. But if you do the Space Needle, Harbor Tour and Museum of Flight, then the rest would be free.

http://www.citypass.com/city/seattle.html


also around town … If you didn’t do the Harbor Tour, then jump on a short Ferry trip ... probably cheaper … and ride across and back. If you liked "Frasier" head into the north side to see the views allegedly seen from his home (pretty homes and great views). Kubota Park is also cute. Take the Underground Tour – they raised Seattle 20 feet and you can see the old Seattle. You'll see and learn lots, like where "Skid Row" came from.

Into music? Seattle is the birthplace of grunge music but a wide variety of musicians are from the Emerald City. It’s the home of Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Jimi Hendrix, Kenny G, Alice in Chains, Qunicy Jones, Chris Cornell, Queensryche, and Heart. You can go listen to music in the places where they started. You can visit the Hendrix Memorial at the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery just outside the city. Check local publications for live music at places like The Crocodile, The Paramount, Moore Theater, OK Hotel and The Vera Project.


Getting away from the city …

Microsoft is headquartered just across the bay in Redmond. Take one of the floating bridges to get there.

Head for Snoqualmie for scenery (the falls are higher than Niagara but not nearly the water amount) and wineries.

The best oysters are at the mouth of Hood River on Puget Sound on the Olympic Peninsula. Take a Ferry to Bremerton and drive from there. If you have a rental car ... ??? I’ve had Dungeness crabs on Dungeness Spit – and all other kinds of seafood there as well.

There are two great lighthouses on the Pacific just north of the mouth of the Columbia River … North Head Light House is my favorite. Volunteers take turns staffing the lighthouse to give tours. You can rent the keeper houses by the day, week, or weekend. It’s at Ilwaco on the coast, it’s picturesque and awesome – great seafood just off the boats in town. Pretty views.

Other Ideas ... head for Mt Rainier - there's horseback riding at the base of the mountain that's fun ... the Boeing Plant in Everett ... orca's off San Juan Islands ... Mount St Helen's ... Columbia River (go down to Portland!) ... Tacoma Wildlife Park ...

Sports wise, there’s Mariner baseball and Sounders soccer.


Let me know if you need any additional (or more specific) suggestions.