MagicRat

Probably a very dumb question, but on the Fodor's home page for Seattle, there is a picture of a train of some sort emerging out of a building.

http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...ngton/seattle/

Is this part of the rapid transit system, or a museum of some sort? I couldn't find any detailson the website. Whatever it is, it looks fun!

Thanks

Alan

MagicRat

I told you it was a dumb question - I presume it is the "two-minute monorail ride from Downtown's Westlake Center mall to the Seattle Center"?

Alan

johnthedorf

It's the Monorail coming out of the Gehry designed Music Experience Project building.

MagicRat

Thanks John - all makes sense now!

Alan

suze

Funny, I live in Seattle and come to the Fodor's forums every day and never even knew there was a "Seattle page". Oops, maybe I should do that sometime -haha- see what they have to say about my fair home city.

suze

Yup, that's the monorail downtown coming from Seattle Center area towards the downtown core.

That first paragraph is an absolutely riot! And completely not true!! About how we're all busy out mountain climbing and kayaking and stuff. What a hoot!

I'm sure someone must do that, but I can honestly say in my entire circle of friends, acquaintences & coworkers, I do not know one single person who does those things.

lennyba

Someone's got to keep the bars and restaurants in business.

321go

suze, really? Wow, things have changed. Growing up there, everyone (well not everyone, but the majority) did stuff like that. Even me, and I'm definitely not an outdoors person. Of course, that was in the summer. In the winter we all sat around reading and yes, drinking coffee.

Fodorite018

Suze--Definitely different circles When we lived there, and still when we go back, that is all the stuff we love to do! Hiking, climbing, skiing, sailing...all so much fun.

suze

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure plenty of the population are doing all those things. Just not the people I happen to know... Mine's more a restaurant, bars, galleries, art shows, museums, theaters, city parks kind of a crowd.

Gardyloo

I think whoever listed the Odyssey Museum as a top attraction should have his/her checking account audited.

And one restaurant listing for the Eastside, and the Herbfarm at that? Looks like that part of the work was phoned in.

FainaAgain

Looks like the monorail, but not like a photo, more like a painting.

Katie_H

Thanks for the feedback Gardyloo and all.

The Odyssey Museum is recommended as a top attraction for kids. We'd love to hear your opinion about it --you can post a quick review here if you'd like:
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...ew-149518.html

If there are restaurants that you think we should review, feel free to let us know here or drop me the editors a line at [email protected]. I'll be sure to mention this thread to the editor for the next edition---sounds like we need more Eastside coverage. How far out from central Seattle is Eastside?

Gardyloo

Katie, sorry for snarky sounding comments.

The Odyssey Museum (strictly IMO) is an under-funded venture kept afloat by the Port of Seattle coughing up money annually, which the State auditor says is improper. It is targeted to kids, so its inclusion in the "kids in tow" section of the Seattle guide might be justified; otherwise it's not in the same league as some of the other "top attractions." However it's likely very short for this world, and under-investment and poor management are going to make it less and less appealing (for all age groups) before the end arrives.

Here are our top seven sights for kids in the city, the text reads. But even if it's just for kids (and I would think the "kids in tow" section is more appropriate for that line) what about Seattle Center - which includes the Space Needle and Pacific Science Center among the many attractions; or the Ballard Locks where kids can look through underwater viewing windows and see wild salmon migrating into the lakes and rivers... and so on?

As for restaurants on the Eastside, lordy. You're talking about a third of a million people - many of them very cosmopolitan and quite well heeled (a certain prominent software company is headquartered there for instance) who like to eat. There are dozens of restaurants that your correspondent should be aware of - Third Floor Fish, or Barking Frog, Cafe Juanita (probably the best overall restaurant in the entire region) and umpteen more.

The "Eastside" is an area around 30 miles long and 20 miles wide, starting about 5 miles east of central Seattle (depending on where you measure) on the other side of Lake Washington.

I take the point about offering reviews, and I will when time permits. But you guys are the travel publishers, after all.

lennyba

<How far out from central Seattle is Eastside?>


Whole 'nother country.

Katie_H

No offense taken gardyloo--- I should probably take a closer look at our most recent Seattle guide. I'm just guessing that our Eastside section in the Seattle guide (the reviews here on fodors.com come from our guides) is smaller because perhaps it's not a destination for many travelers to the city. I might be wrong about that though so don't hold me to that.. =)

Regardless, you've personally piqued my personal interest. Seattle has long been on my "most go" list--still haven't made it there (closest I've come so far is Vancouver).

Gardyloo

Katie, regarding the Eastside as a tourist destination, you're probably right. However as a visitor destination, which IMO would include business travelers, it may well be a bigger draw than Seattle itself. There are a lot of high-tech firms over there in addition to Microsoft, and quite a few vendor firms to Boeing, too. These draw a huge number of visitors from around the world - Seattle has direct air service to Asian and European destinations way out of proportion to the city's size.

These are visitors who may not come for the kayaking (or they may) but they'll certainly be going to restaurants and staying at hotels and visiting some of the area's highlights when they can. It's an important demographic for publishers, I'd wager.

Katie_H

Point well taken-- we definitely want to be a valuable guide for business travelers too.