Pike Place Market and Seattle Center
 

So much to see.....so little time.....

If you had to pick ONE place to eat and maybe 2-3 can't miss shops or attractions at each place, what would they be?

For Pike Place Market, the fish market is a can't miss, but I have no idea about anywhere else. I hear good things about Pink Door for lunch?

For the Seattle Center, I assume the Space Needle is a can't miss. I'm thinking the Science Center might be good as well, but no idea where to eat.

Thanks for the advise as usual.

The Pink Door would be a good choice for lunch especially if you are able to sit on the deck. Elliot's Oyster Bar would also be a nice choice for seafood with a waterfrontview. You might consider taking a tasting tour of Pike Place Market, we went with a group of 8 & everyone was very pleased. www.savor seattle.com for details.

For me, the market is a "wander around and see everything place." If you are staying somewhere with a kitchen, pick up fish and vegetables at a market vendor, then bread and dessert from Le Panier bakery right across the street, and you have a nice meal. I think Etta's Seafood, which is a Tom Douglas restaurant near the market, is great for lunch.

I would definitely do the Space Needle. The Pacific Science Center is good for families with young children, but I think the Experience Music Project museum is better for adults or families with teenagers, IMO.

The Pink Door is OK if the weather is good & you can get a seat on their patio.
As far as great food there's all kinds of other options within the Market though... Cafe Campagne, Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar, Kell's, Etta's Seafood, Maximillien's, 3 Girls bakery, DeLaurenti's italian deli, Mishou, Market Grill sandwich, Pike Place Chowder, etc.

If I had to pick a one-time one-place for lunch in downtown Seattle I'd probably to go Dahlia Lounge. Or maybe Assagio's also on 4th. Or Cutter's Bayhouse because of the great food and wide selection of seafood on the menu.

I'm not sure I consider Seattle Center a must-do. I've never even been to the Science Center myself (and I've lived here decades). UP the Space Needle is worth it. As is a ride on the monorail.

oops and because Cutter's has a waterview. Same for Anthony's down on Pier 66.

Well...it depends on what time of day you will be there and where you park, what food you like...since I just came back I will try to help.
http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/

For moring, I would pick Lowell's..great breakfast..you can't get anywhere else and a view of the ferrys, Olympics and Puget Sound.
http://www.eatatlowells.com/

For lunch or dinner Etts's walkable to northend of the Pike Place Market
http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=ettas

I would for sure peek into Athenian Rest. as that bar is where they filmed Sleepless in Seattle. I would go to the Starbucks (original one. look at the sign and see if you can tell the difference), I love the Wind Up store and the 3D Wood Puzzle store (a great Space Needle one, Pike Place Nuts had some great selection for snacks,Delaurant has a great deli bar and has Salumi by Mario Batalli's Dad that they will slice for free as well as other take out picnic lunch ideas ( they have my favorite olive oil Mustaphas from Morocco) and take a look at the mustards!
I would go to Le PAnier for cookies, breakfast pasteries, cakes and they had some fab fruit tarts. Three Girls Bakery has some nice take home breads, and the Totem SmokeHouse store has all kinds of canned salmon, and I even saw canned razor clams! Chukar cheeries has great chocolate covered cheerie and Sotto Voce has wonderful oils and vinegarss you can't get anywhere else. Many of these places will let you order and ship.
Most people walk the main upper area, but I recomend you walk some of the lower courst and alleys.

At Pike Place Market, don't miss the shops "down under" in the main building going down the stairs in the building on the water side of the street. There's ALL kinds of fun shops there.

At Seattle Center there's a decent food court in the Centerhouse where you can eat. Besides the Space Needle and for special events I don't think seeing the Center will take much time. Oh the International Fountain is nice if it's a sunny day.

And the flowers, OMG the flowers at the market are so amazing.

And don't miss Beecher's cheese shop. Etta's was a great place to eat and it's just a short walk from the market.

Everyone seems to run downtown to eat and explore Seattle when in reality this area is only a small part of all that the city has to offer. Yes the Space Needle is nice (never actually went to it to see it) and the Pike Place mkt is a nice shopping market with a few restaurants, but these are a little boring if you ask me. I don't travel across the continent to see fish juggled but Im sure the locals pride themselves on having a nice fish market.

I recently spent a week and couldn't get enough of the choice of restaurants and nightlife. Being a native of NYC I must admit that I am a bit spoiled in my restaurant experience, but I'm always looking for the next best thing that I usually find in other cities.

During the day you might want to take a walk through Lake Washington Park and the Japanese Gardens inside. It's an AWESOME park with huuge trees and awesome trails. I havent seen the movie Twilight but I hear that the park resembles scenes from the movie since it was shot in the state of WA. The Japanese Garden is a small part of the park that costs about $6 to enter but it is a piece of art. There is a Koi pond and a super-manicured garden, that you can walk through as you follow a path, with a wide array of botanicals.

At night, head to Capitol Hill for the nightlife and the restaurants and you will not be disappointed. This area is about a $12 (10 minute) cab ride from the heart of downtown, there are also several bus lines if you are inclined to navigate public transport. Meet the locals here, they are pretty good people. Check out the stretch of restaurants, bars and clubs on Broadway. If you are into Jazz, you MUST go to Dimitriou's at Jazz Alley, its a world renowned establishment.

This is a walking city if I have ever seen one before. Kick the pavement north or south to escape the crowds of downtown. You can be sure to find some interesting corners of city civilization that are both relaxing and well worth the excursion. But be sure to pack your walking shoes! The STEEP hills of Seattle rival those of San Francisco.

He or she who explores with an open mind is doubly rewarded.

Thanks for the replies!! :)

For Pike Place Market, I know there are several buildings there (North end, Sanitary building, Upper Post Alley), but are they worth looking at?

Or is the main arcade (where the fish market is at) the main one (unless you have a specific desination in one of the other buildings of course).

there are interesting things to see in all of the buildings, i would not limit yourself to the main building by any means.

and parmada, if you liked the big trees in the arboreteum, you'll have to come back sometime and take a trip out to olympic national park or to mt rainier--those are nothing ;-).

parmada, we will be seeing other areas of Seattle, but certainly didn't want to miss the downtown section. The gardens sound beautiful...not sure if we'll have time for them this time though.

Wanderer, ok, we'll look through the other buildings as well.

I was also looking at google maps street view and was starting to wonder.....how easy is it to get to the waterfront? Do you walk "under" the freeway?

I was hoping after we walk along Pike Place north to Virginia St., we could turn left and just walk straight to the Waterfront, but I don't think we can.

The Pacific Science Center is a bit dated, in my opinion. Consider taking a 30 minute ferry from the waterfront to Bainbridge Island. It's a beautiful view of the city and can be a lovely ride on a nice day. There are stairs and an elevator from Pike Place Market down to the waterfront. There are more stairs south of the market.

SeeingtheSights: i think you are placing too much prominence on Pike Pl Mkt. It's a market. You go there and walk through it and it has different levels. Its a good "last day" place to visit to buy all of those souvenirs for everyone back home. i was in Seattle for about a week but i tried to make the most of the area. Limiting myself to the downtown area to see a market where they sell groceries seemed like a waste of time for me, granted that I did take a brisk walk through it. I regret not spending more time seeing parts of the state that are unique and interesting i.e. Mt Rainier and the Olympic Park, but it seemed to me that I would have had to dedicate a better part of my trip to do just that.

AndiM: good advice, I went to Bainbridge twice and had a great time each visit. The 45 minute ferry ride is beautiful at night, and it only costs $6.90 per person round trip. Be sure to eat at Nola's, on Bainbridge Island! Excellent food there and it is close to the ferry. Once again, be ready to walk, walk, walk. BE CAREFUL if you walk too far! There is a casino on the opposite side of the island, right across a bridge.

Thanks for the info!

Some good ideas here for my trip in September. Hope the weather holds.

We loved The Pink Door! We had dinner there this past May and really enjoyed our meal there. We also loved Anchovies and Olives, both places can be booked on www.opentable.com You can also read reviews on this site. Seattle has so many wonderful places to dine! ***kim*** ((#))