I just posted this in the US forum without indicating Washington as the state, so bear with me if you run across both threads!

So, I've posted a couple of threads on here for help finding a hotel and restaurants for our trip to Seattle and you guys have been great!

Now I'm hoping those of you in the know can help with the order of our itenirary. Please excuse my ignorance of the city if some things are encompassed by others. And let me know if we're being too ambitious---we only have from Monday early afternoon to Wednesday late afternoon.

Here's what we have on tap so far:

Metropolitan Grill Monday night before heading to Safeco for the Mariner's/A's game and possibly doing late night eats at Lola (it's right at our hotel---the Andra) if we're so inclined.

Tuesday all we have planned is where we're eating (1:00 for lunch at Flying Fish, 8:30 for dinner at Matt's in the market), so here's what we want to include for our one full day there as well as our half day on Wednesday:

Experience Music Project
Downtown shopping
Waterfront
Space Needle
Pioneer Square
Pike Place Market

What is the best order in which to accomplish the most given what we have planned already? And are there any quintessential Seattle things that I've left out or is this a good base for two days?

Thanks for all the advice so far and please keep it coming

It's best to go to the market first thing in the morning, IMO so I'd do that first, then maybe head down to Pioneer Square from there. You could walk back to your hotel by way of the waterfront but I don't think there's really much worth seeing down there, personally. After lunch, you could head to Seattle Center--it's just a short walk from Flying Fish--for the Space Needle and EMP--I personally wouldn't bother with the Needle but obviously it's popular--then make your way back to the hotel via the new Olympic Sculpture Park and rest up before dinner. It would be a full day but do-able. Then you could shop the next day, or shop the first afternoon, and do Seattle Center the next morning.

When in Pioneer Square, there is a really fun tour of the underground (Seattle, or at least that part of Seattle, used to be some feet lower than it is now, hence all the little shops that you walk downstairs from the sidewalk to enter).

http://www.undergroundtour.com/

It would be logical to visit the Space Needle and Experience Music Project at the same time. They are next to each other.

From Pike Place Market you can walk down the hill to the Waterfront, and going south on the Waterfront, you will arrive at Pioneer Square.

Downtown shopping could be combined with either of these itineraries.

I'd start the day by catching the monorail, as your ride to the Saettle Center, Space Needle, EMP area.

Then walk or take a bus back down the hill to Belltown and lunch at Flying Fish.

After lunch, cut down to the waterfront and head south (no extra time required for "waterfront" as you'll see it walking along) to Pioneer Square. Cut in off the waterfront around the ferry terminal, that's Pioneer Square.

Walk back along 1st to Pike Place Market in the late afternoon. And do a little shopping like Nordstrom or Pacific Place on the way from the Market back to Hotel Andra.

You'll have a couple hours for a shower or nap or glass of wine, then walk back down to Matts for dinner.

Next day you'll have free just for shopping or going back to the Market in the AM.

I don't think that's overly ambitious for one day (these places are all within a few miles of each other) but if you feel it is... divide things geographically in half:

Tues - central & north includes EMP, Space Needle, Sculpture Garden, Belltown, Market & shopping

Wed - central & south includes Market, waterfront, Pioneer Square (maybe add Chinatown?) & shopping

great, thanks all! it's nice to have a "lay of the land" before we get there...