A Slightly Different Seattle Trip Report, April 2005
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A Slightly Different Seattle Trip Report, April 2005
I'm recently back from several days in Seattle, and I have posted online a small amount of photos from my trip... just some interesting images that I thought captured Seattle (but not the conventional shots). Here is the website with those pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/carma223
I was initially in Seattle for a convention downtown, so I stayed at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers. The hotel was terrific and had a great location. I probably won't be of much help to those looking for restaurant suggestions since I'm a vegetarian (no, no seafood), but for those who are interested, my friends took me to probably the best vegetarian restaurant I've been to, called Carmelita's (north of Woodland Park on Greenwood Ave.) Not cheap, but very worth it... great service, great wine list, incredible food.
I personally was less impressed with some of the conventional sights that people talk about visiting... for example, I could definitely have skipped the Space Needle, and I pretty much did Pike Place Market in 15 minutes (it was not all that interesting to me). So this trip report might be for the more unconventional (or younger) traveler, as I mostly enjoyed discovering some of Seattle's more offbeat places. Below are some cool places that I found.
For the progressive-minded, there is an amazing bookstore called Left Bank Books right on Pike St. as you head toward the Market. It's a fantastic little co-op with a ton of stuff you can't find anywhere else.
Speaking of bookstores, Elliot Bay Book Co. in Pioneer Square was beyond incredible. This independent place blows away any Border's or Barnes & Noble I've been in. A must for any book lover visiting Seattle!
Another interesting place is the Fremont neighborhood (funky, offbeat). Underneath the bridge there is a huge sculpture of a troll squashing a life-sized VW Beetle. There are lots of oddities like this in the neighborhood; walking maps of the various places can be found on some of the street corners (or in various guidebooks). The neighborhood is also home to a handful of great bookstores, CD and vinyl shops (visit Sonic Boom -- a fantastic CD store filled with hard-to-find indie stuff), antique/junk stores, and other interesting boutiques. For string musicians, there's a fantastic place called Dusty Strings with an enormous collection of acoustic instruments like dulcimers, guitars, mandolins, etc. They're very friendly and will let you play for hours! I wasn't in Fremont on a Sunday, but I hear on that day there's a great outdoor flea market.
And finally, for those interested in music (especially rock 'n' roll), visit the Experience Music Project (at Seattle Center, next to the Needle). I strongly suggest visiting right when they open and head up to the interactive rooms before the throngs arrive. These rooms allow you to play guitars, basses, drums and keyboards in semi-private cubicles (onscreen instruction available) with all kinds of great effects, plus you can jam with others who "log in." The instruments are in great shape and you hear yourself through fantastic JBL speakers. The museum was originally going to be a Hendrix museum (since he was a Seattle native), so the Hendrix collection is incredible. Also impressive was the Guitar Gallery, with dozens of instruments showing the evolution of guitar design throughout history.
http://community.webshots.com/user/carma223
I was initially in Seattle for a convention downtown, so I stayed at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers. The hotel was terrific and had a great location. I probably won't be of much help to those looking for restaurant suggestions since I'm a vegetarian (no, no seafood), but for those who are interested, my friends took me to probably the best vegetarian restaurant I've been to, called Carmelita's (north of Woodland Park on Greenwood Ave.) Not cheap, but very worth it... great service, great wine list, incredible food.
I personally was less impressed with some of the conventional sights that people talk about visiting... for example, I could definitely have skipped the Space Needle, and I pretty much did Pike Place Market in 15 minutes (it was not all that interesting to me). So this trip report might be for the more unconventional (or younger) traveler, as I mostly enjoyed discovering some of Seattle's more offbeat places. Below are some cool places that I found.
For the progressive-minded, there is an amazing bookstore called Left Bank Books right on Pike St. as you head toward the Market. It's a fantastic little co-op with a ton of stuff you can't find anywhere else.
Speaking of bookstores, Elliot Bay Book Co. in Pioneer Square was beyond incredible. This independent place blows away any Border's or Barnes & Noble I've been in. A must for any book lover visiting Seattle!
Another interesting place is the Fremont neighborhood (funky, offbeat). Underneath the bridge there is a huge sculpture of a troll squashing a life-sized VW Beetle. There are lots of oddities like this in the neighborhood; walking maps of the various places can be found on some of the street corners (or in various guidebooks). The neighborhood is also home to a handful of great bookstores, CD and vinyl shops (visit Sonic Boom -- a fantastic CD store filled with hard-to-find indie stuff), antique/junk stores, and other interesting boutiques. For string musicians, there's a fantastic place called Dusty Strings with an enormous collection of acoustic instruments like dulcimers, guitars, mandolins, etc. They're very friendly and will let you play for hours! I wasn't in Fremont on a Sunday, but I hear on that day there's a great outdoor flea market.
And finally, for those interested in music (especially rock 'n' roll), visit the Experience Music Project (at Seattle Center, next to the Needle). I strongly suggest visiting right when they open and head up to the interactive rooms before the throngs arrive. These rooms allow you to play guitars, basses, drums and keyboards in semi-private cubicles (onscreen instruction available) with all kinds of great effects, plus you can jam with others who "log in." The instruments are in great shape and you hear yourself through fantastic JBL speakers. The museum was originally going to be a Hendrix museum (since he was a Seattle native), so the Hendrix collection is incredible. Also impressive was the Guitar Gallery, with dozens of instruments showing the evolution of guitar design throughout history.
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carol, thanks for taking the time with this great trip report. since it's my home town you're talking about, it is wonderful to hear what different kinds of things interest different folks! glad you found your way around. susan
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Is the statue of Lenin in the Fremont neighbourhood? My older folks were very excited when they came from the city bus tour, but they couldn't recall the location. I spent that day at Mt Rainier.
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Yep, Lenin is in Fremont.
Glad you had a good trip Carol. Since you liked Fremont, next time you are hear try to get into Ballard- there is a store called Archie McFee's that I think you would really like too!
Glad you had a good trip Carol. Since you liked Fremont, next time you are hear try to get into Ballard- there is a store called Archie McFee's that I think you would really like too!
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