Going on a trip to the Northwest for the first time. My friend and I ( late30's) will be in Seattle fri, sat, and sunday in mid April. Our interests are markets, art, good food and drink. Any suggestions? Any museaum suggestions? I love Chihuly. We wan't to get a great feel for the city and see what we can. Is April too cold for being out on the water. I love too see a city from all angels. How about Pugent Sound? Is it worth the time to make a side trip?

Any suggestion is appreciated!!! Thanks.

Markets: Pike Place Market, Fremont Sunday Market, and Ballard Farmers Market (also on Sunday). My two choices would be Pike Place Market and Ballard Farmers Market.

The Museum of Glass is in Tacoma, and with your limited time in Seattle I'm not sure I'd make the effort to go (personal opinion). You could, though, see some Chihuly at Seattle Art Museum which is super convenient to the Pike Place Market.

April will be chilly, but don't let that stop you from getting out on the water. You can easily do a ferry trip to Whidbey or Bainbridge Island. You could also stay in Seattle and consider an Argosy Cruise in Elliot Bay, Lake Washington, etc.

Seattle is full of great restaurants. What kind of food do you like? What kind of price point are you interested in?

Pike Place Market

The Seattle Museum (close by) has a nice collection of Northwest Indian art.

Place to go for lunch: http://www.salumicuredmeats.com/

We had a nice dinner at Bastille.

check out Le Pichet on 1st & Virginia: http://www.lepichetseattle.com/pages/home.php

I agree with Michael about having lunch a Salumi.It is very popular.I suggest that you get out on the sound by taking a round trip ferry ride from the waterfront.If you time it to get back after dark you get a great view of the city.I am also a big fan of Chihuly and if you cant find enough in seattle the bus from downtown Seattle to Tacoma takes a little over an hour and costs about $2.50 and it stops right near the Tacoma art museum.Dont be confused with the glass museum which is right next door.It is interesting but the art museum has more Chihuly.

Thanks for the clarification on Chihuly in Tacoma. I stand corrected!

Now that the food, museums and art are covered, I'll let you in on the secret of economy lodging in Seattle. The HI Hostel.
http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostels...-060147.en.htm
You can't beat the price for a place that has bus service and Safeco Field and the Amtrak station within walking distance.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will look in to the ferry trips you suggested. I love all kinds of food and would love to try local places with north pacific cuisine if there is such a thing. I am not interested in fine dining on this trip. II like places where the food and drink are good. Casual is fine. I also would like to spend one night doing a pub crawl if there is such a thing. A cluster of bars or pubs??? I am planning on Pikes market, of course butbwill look into Ballards.

We are leaving Seattle early monday and going to Mt. Hood and surroundings before going to Portland. If time permits, i would like to see the museum in Tacoma. I think it is on the way. I am hoping to take the scenic highway with waterfalls on our way to Mt.Hood.

My favorite cluster of bars and pubs is in the Ballard area. Depending on where you are staying, you'll also find a good cluster in Capitol Hill or possibly Belltown...though I'm not by any means a Belltown fan. What kind of bars do you like?

I am very open. I am notso much a club fan. I like places to pop in, have a drink and on to the next. I like pubs, jazz places, blues, cafes. I am very open. No lines just pop in and out.

Agreeing with Beanweb, for a neighborhood-y feeling either go to out to Ballard or up to Capitol Hill (Pike/Pine corridor, 15th Ave East, or Broadway). For downtown bars the "Belltown" area (the north part of downtown Seattle) has the biggest concentration of them, but a more downtown feel. Or a few fun places in the Pike Place Market (Kells, Pink Door). Specific to live jazz check at: Tula's, Triple Door, or Jazz Alley.