Never been to Seattle and need hints
 

We are taking a cruise out of Seattle next summer. We plan to arrive 2 days before the cruise leaves to see the city. (myself, husband, son age 21, and son age 17) I would love to hear what to see, where to eat, where to stay, etc. We arrive in Spokane and will drive to Seattle on a Wed. We will have all day Thurs. and part of the day Fri. before we sail. Thanks.

Maybe my trip report will help:
Seattle was wonderful! We had gorgeous cool clear weather. My husband and I never had a bad meal there. The seafood was fresh and delicious. The highlights of our trip were (tied for 1st place):
Take a ferryboat ride anywhere!
The view from Smith Tower (instead of the Space Needle)
Jazz Alley
Outstanding dinners (all downtown):
Elliott’s on the waterfront (wonderful dungeness crab)
Oceanaire,1700 Seventh Ave (where I tasted white salmon for the first time)
Jazz Alley (great food and romantic atmosphere with entertainment)
Triple Door (Pan-Asian, located beneath the Wild Ginger restaurant)
Other worthwhile activities:
Seattle Art Museum Downtown
The Hiram Chittenden Locks (which separates the salt water of Puget
Sound from the fresh water of Lake Union).
Aquarium
Underground Tour
Thanks to everyone for their good advice!

Stay at the Best Western Pioneer square you're close to the ferries there.Eat seafood at Mccormick & Smiccls on first ave.Paul

I was underwhelmed by Seattle, particularly the Pike Place area, Pioneer Square and downtown. The physical setting is incredibly beautiful, surrounded by water and mountains, but seedy streets and an interstate that cuts the city off from the attractive waterfront were disappointing. On the other hand, Ballard and the ship canal were interesting, and the area in and around the University of Washington is beautiful, and the UW campus is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

A day trip to Mount Ranier is a wonderful experience. One of the most beautiful places in North America.

The Mayflower Park Hotel is nice and very centrally located in downtown.

Pike Place Market
Pioneer Square
ferry ride
Space Needle/Seattle Center
Sculpture garden at the waterfront

Have lunch somewhere with outside seating if the weather is nice, like the patio at Pink Door, Cafe Campagne, Anthony's, or somewhere along the water front.

Have dinner at Etta's Seafood, Dahlia Lounge, or Serious Pie.

Ackislander, I'm sorry that you did not leave Seattle with a better impression of it.

I'm pretty sure that the "interstate" you refer to is the viaduct along the waterfront. This has been the subject of controversy for years. There are a number of Seattleites who fear that if the viaduct is removed, temporarily affording the connection between the city and the waterfront that you desire, the space will quickly be filled with condominiums which will wall off the waterfront entirely. This is prime property.

As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for...you might get it.

Bobmrg,
I think about San Francisco where the Embarcadero Freeway collapsed in an earthquake and the waterfront is much better for it and our own Boston Big Dig, which despite corruption and incompetence in the construction process, is in the process of transforming the city. It is public land, and you certainly don't have to sell it for condo developers! It can become a linear parkland with restaurants, merry go rounds, picnic grounds, etc! Rip it out (and maybe the train track, too, though I do love trains)!

Skip Pike Place and go to the Fremont area (be sure to see the troll under the bridge).

Acklander, the political reality is that the city government seems to be in bed with developers, and public comments go unheard. Trust me...if the viaduct comes down and is not replaced with some mode of public transportation, condos will rise as surely as the sun rises in the east.

HKP- I'm curious what you found so interesting in Fremont, that you would recommend skipping the Pike Place Market (which just had its 100th anniversary last week btw).

The land that the Viaduct rests on is public right of way. By law, condos or any other private development could not be built on it. In addition,
if the Viaduct were to be replaced with a surface option, no doubt Alaskan Way would need to be widened to accommodate a larger amount of traffic and the rebuilt streetcar.

Developers need no help from the city government--they're responding to the market conditions that make this such an attractive city to invest in right now. I think it's great that developers are building more condos and apartments in the city. It's a vote of confidence in the direction this city is moving, and it adds a lot of vitality to the downtown and the established neighborhoods. More condos and apartments means fewer people who have to drive everywhere for work, shopping, etc.

Ackislander: I agree. The Viaduct is a nightmare and the city needs to do a better job of with the appearance of public safety around Pike Place (along Pike between 1st and 4th Avenues, in particular).

I just got back from a 4-day weekend in Seattle. DON'T stay at the LaQuinta on 8th street!

DO have dinner at Cutter's Bayhouse on the waterfront next to Pike's Place. The Haddock was wonderful, the mango mojitos great and the dessert (blueberry crumble a la mode) delish.

I loved Pike's Place Market. Yes, it's touristy. But it IS an adventure. Picked up some tea at a tea shop, some nice cheese and fruit and beautiful flowers. Some local honey and a mug from the very first Starbucks. But the kids might not enjoy it so much.

The aquarium is really nice. A ride up in the Space Needle does afford a lovely view.

And if you leave the boys on their own for a wee bit, the Barolo tapas bar on Westlake. The tapas was incredible. Try the porcini rissoto, the cheese tray had brie that literally melted in my mouth. The steak was mouth-watering. House wine was pretty good and very inexpensive during happy hour. Bill was 63 bucks for four plates of tapas, four house wines, a bellini, 2 mojitos and a cup of coffee! :) wonderful.

Pike Place IS a "scene," I'll give you that. And I didn't mean to step on toes -- happy 100th, by all means. If you don't go down to that area, it's true that you might miss what the waterside area "means" to Seattle.

But it exists primarily for tourists, wouldn't you say? There's a whole lot of gimcracks and gewgaws and a crush of people, with some pretty nice produce and flowers and a couple of good restaurants. If you'll never go back to Seattle ever again, I guess it's a Must See.

What I meant about Fremont is that it's both a retail area with somewhat more original stores and several good restaurants, and a residential neighborhood that would give you a flavor of Seattle that's more indicative than, say, the Pioneer Sq. area.

HKP, we drove around the Fremont area (was that where the beautiful homes and landscaping were?) and thought the troll under the bridge was a hoot!.

No, I do not think the Market is just for tourists. I live here, work nearby, and shop for fresh produce, bakery, fish, etc. there regularly. Sure the tourists get in my way in the summertime as I'm going about my usual routine -lol!

Check it out in the middle of winter, it's still lively with plenty of Seattle people going there.

Oh and don't get me wrong, I've nothing against Fremont (used to live there). If someone is looking to MOVE to Seattle, rather than just coming as a tourist for 2 days, Fremont is definitely a neighborhood I recommend for living in.

I'm another tourist who was underimpressed with Pike Place Market. It was, to me, not a very clean place. My impression: it was mostly for locals as tourists have little need for the fresh seafood and produce. OTOH, I loved the flower vendors and watching them take a piece from this group and a couple of pieces from another group and put together a wonderful, reasonable priced arrangement. In fact, I fantasized about planning a wedding and going there on THE day to pick out the freshest, prettiest and most affordable.

That said, because it is such a calling card for Seattle, I think any tourist who does not go there will forever think there is something important in Seattle they missed...so...go!

One of my favorite places to wile away a 1/2 hour was...correct me here, locals...the little park (Kerry Park) in the Queen Anne section (north of the Space Needle) that overlooks the city horizon. It is the place where most of the Seattle travel pictures are taken. After being there, whenever you walk through an airport and see a Seattle poster, you will say "I was RIGHT there!"

We were genuinely entertained by the Underground Seattle tour. Not only is it amuzing, but you get a lot of history of the area.

And DO take a ferry ride somewhere. Incredible how they can move so many people and cars so quickly. Truly a science!

solduc, if you think that the city fathers cannot be rolled to cede virtually anything to developers, you haven't been reading the papers. Remember the voters shooting down the stadium funding? Stadium is there, isn't it? And we are both paying taxes to retire the bonds and high ticket prices to see the games. "No" from the voters does not mean the same thing in Seattle that it means in other places.