One day in seattle---help
 

We'll be arriving in Seattle one day early for a cruise. Any suggestions on what to do? Any must sees in one day? Thanks.

Go to frommers.com. Click ?Destinations? at the top of the page, next to ?Home.? Scroll down to ?Washington.? Click ?Seattle.? Click ?Overview.? On left of the screen, click ?Frommer?s Favorite Experiences.? Go back to the Seattle page and click ?Attractions.?

The Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island and shopping were the highlights of our trip.

We also enjoyed the monorail and the aquarium. Meals at the Dahlia Lounge, Flying Fish and Salty's were all very good. Have fun!! ***kim***:)

I second kimamom's three suggestions, especially Pike Place. I would add Paul Allen's Experience Music Project if you have 3-5 hours to spare. Dmitriou's Jazz Alley downtown (6th St.?) is terrific for jazz.

I loved "the market". My only regret is that we were there in August, the busiest time of the year. We went in the afternoon and I've since heard that the best time to visit, especially during high tourist season, is in the early morning when they first open. ***kim***

Woodland Park Zoo is one of the top 10 in the country. Most exhibits are now natural and educational. Give it 2-4 hours to see everything. It's only 15-20 minutes from downtown.

If you've never been to Seattle and only have a day...I would recommend keeping near Pike's Place Market. There is scads of shopping, sights & you'll really get a feel for Seattle. A long walk or short cab ride away is Pioneer Square. Again lots of unique shops and a great feel. I've taken the Underground Tour which is filled with lots of Seattle history by great tour guides.

Here's a day plan for a first-time visitor to Seattle with a short timetable (I've adapted this from a similar post at cruisecritic.com - which you should visit BTW.)

Start at the Pike (not Pike's) Market (1st and Pike) for breakfast at the Athenian Inn (seen in <i>Sleepless in Seattle</i>), Maximilien in the Market, or Cafe Campagne, and spend the morning poking around the market. Stay hungry enough for lunch; take any of the buses on 1st Ave. south (downtown they're all free) and ask the driver to help you get to Jackson and Maynard in the International District (aka Chinatown) for browsing and lunch at either Uwajimaya Village, the wonderful Asian super-store complex, with great Asian fast-food court, or at the House of Hong on Jackson St. for (IMO) the best dim sum in town. Then waddle through the I.D. and down Jackson St. to the Pioneer Square neighborhood. More shops, galleries, (bars if you need more calories) and other diversions (also entertaining and non-threatening street people sometimes) in this historic core of the city and one of the nations's largest National Historic Districts.

Eventually make your way to foot of Yesler Way (the original &quot;Skid Road&quot; BTW) and get on a ferry boat (as a foot passenger) to Bainbridge Island, a 35-min. crossing of Puget Sound that every visitor to Seattle ought to take. If you're still energetic, you can walk from the Bainbridge terminal to the village of Winslow (5 min.) and do a little shopping, or 5 min. further to the Harbour Public House for a micro-brew and a lovely view of Eagle Harbor and the ferry system's boneyard (old boats never die, they just rot at anchor.) Then return in the early evening to Seattle. The light on the skyline is magical at sunset, and don't forget the view of the Olympics in silhouette to the west.

If you're still energized, stroll some more around Pioneer Square (just inland from the ferry dock) for cafes, bars, music, shops, or hit a Mariners game at Safeco Field (7:05 PM when they're at home), or take the free city bus back up 1st Ave. or 3rd Ave. so you can go to your hotel and collapse.

Or, the low-energy version of this is to go to the market, do the market thing, then return to your hotel for a nap. Then either do the ferry thing or, even lower energy but more dangerous financially, walk a few blocks (depending on which hotel) to the Pacific Place shopping center on 6th Avenue and shop till you pop at various places (or at the Nordstrom world flagship next door), have a meal at one of the (all pretty good, actually) restaurants, then snooze in the dark at one of the movies at the multiplex in the center. After, there will be plenty of places to dose yourself with chocolate if you're inclined - the Cheesycake Factory, urp - or, better, the dessert buffet at the Sheraton. Oh-my-god.

You're sailing for Alaska. You should stock up on real big-city life before you head out.

Definitely the market with lunch at Matt's at the Market. I'd suggest you also go to Pioneer Square and check out the Elliot Bay Book COmpany. You will be astounded at the treading material available to you for that cruise. If you are going to eat in the Pioneer Square area I recommend Salumi. It's tiny, it's sausages and salamis, it's great.

whoops..that's reading material but it's a funny slip &quot;treading material&quot; for a cruise!

One day goes fairly quickly. Here is what we did in one day. We started at the space needle. then we took the monorail to the downtown area which is a block from Pike Market (the main floor is the only groud floor at the market) Then we went to the aquarium which is about a block away. Then we took a harbor cruise for about an hour. The feery to Bainbridge will eat upo too much time. We went to the zoo the second day which is about 30 minutes by car so it probably is not an option. Also, a highlight was going to the locks 9can't remember the name) nearer to the zoo where we saw Salmon climbing the ladders.

They're the Hiram Chittenden Locks. Didn't have enough time to do them when I went, but it's one of those things you'll have to see to believe.

Stay close to Pike Place Market. After you check out the market and eat some great food, you can catch a Metro bus and head south to Pioneer Square -- buses are free downtown.