marvelousemouse, did you plan a trip to SoCal recently? Thanks so much for all the recommendations. I will examine each.

suze, I really appreciate the help. I have liked Über in a few cities, so might try them. They are cheaper and no tipping.

Tabernash2- I leave for SoCal in July, and I'm very excited! You were quite helpful in my planning posts, thanks.

I also use yellow cab, as well as walking, bus, and my car. Would be interested to know how uber works out for you as u district is probably my least favorite place to park and the bus is not ideal during rainy season:(

I will definitely report back. Thanks again.

Good luck with your trip!! I love Seattle.

(Yes I know what Uber is, just that living here plus I own a decent car and know my way around by Metro bus, it's very seldom I'd need that kind of transportation.)

To lazy to scroll up - has anyone mentioned the Public Library? We were there when it first opened and did a walk through; very unique design.

We did Market Experience Tour; the tour guide was VERY good --
http://www.seattlefreewalkingtours.org/

Checking in from Seattle. Just got here last night. Looked for a place to eat within a couple of blocks, and ended up at Chipotle. A unique experience. Ha.

I'm looking at all the restaurant recs above, and will try for a reservation tonight. Maybe at Seattle Six Seven @ Edgewater hotel, as recommended by Deb above. Will take Über there, probably.

The hotel offers a shuttle, so I'll see where they go, also.

Also looking at all your other helpful ideas for places to explore. Thanks so much for those.

There's a snag in the plan, unfortunately. I am experiencing severe nerve pain from my hip down through my calf in one leg. It hurts like Hades to walk. Putting pressure on that leg is awful. I have a 'hitch in my giddyup'. Ha.

Have been working with my doc and my PT for weeks on it. DH and a radiologist reviewed my CT scan. No one agrees on what is actually causing the nerve pain, except that it's around L4/5. The disc looks ok. Thank goodness.

Maybe from years of horseback riding, combined with bad posture. It's a mystery.
I do recall an odd pain I'd get in my leg, on the side of my knee joint, after riding.
It felt like nerve pain now that I think about it. At the time, I ignored it. It would resolve while I was putting my horse away.

Sleeping is nearly impossible because it hurts in any position and any time I move. I'm fortunate to not be working at a traditional job now, so I can stay in bed late, to try to get sleep. Rest is the only thing that seems to help.

I'm trying to push through the pain, taking ibuprofen/Aleve/Meloxicam. They all give a minimal amount of pain relief.

My doc even prescribed an oxycodone for sleeping, but I haven't resorted to that. Yet. Also tried a mild muscle relaxer, which didn't help with pain.

Some stretches and yoga poses help a bit. My PT does a 'dry needling' technique into the major muscles. Which causes instant pain relief, but doesn't last more than a day.

DH assures me we can fix it without any invasive procedures. Although I am considering a cortisone shot.

Oh, well. Am enjoying relaxing in a nice hotel room. Could be worse.

Thanks again!

Sciatica. Sucks. Sorry.

Six Seven is wonderful.

Thanks, Deb. It's a pain like I've never experienced before. Much different than muscle or bone pain.

We tried Maximilien last night at the Market. Beautiful patio view at sunset. Food was good, but not great. Service excellent.

Six Seven is on our list. Will report back if we go there.

Feel like a burning poker is being stuck into the center of your tush [I call it my hiney bone] and then going down you leg, past knee into foot? BTDT

Got a resie for tonight at Six Seven. Will report back.

Yes, the burning nerve pain goes from my hip down to my calf. I am learning different ways to move my leg so the pain doesn't jolt me. It feels like an electrical charge. Fun.

Tabernash--Our DD's office is right by Six Seven and she and the ladies in her office are regulars there for lunch. They have run into local celebrities (like Russell Wilson, etc) quite a bit, lol!

I recommend Place Pigalle for the most delicious mussels, in Pike Place Market, behind the fish throwers. 81 Pike St. Nice view of Puget Sound with the Olympic Mountains in the background.

mms, those are some lucky ladies to eat regularly at Six Seven!

Thanks for the recommendation, SeaF.

Deb, we loved Six Seven. Gorgeous sunset views. Stellar service. Amazing food.

I had the shrimp/crab 'cake' to start. Unlike other crab cakes, theirs has no bread filling. It's all fish, and delicious. DH had a nice pear/walnut/arugula salad which he liked a lot.

For entrees, I had seared diver scallops, and DH had the halibut. Both were wonderful. I order seared scallops whenever they are on the menu, as they are my fave, and I've never acquired the skill to properly carmelize scallops at home. They were perfection.

I always note how many diver scallops a restaurant serves, and Six Seven delivered 5 huge diver scallops. That's more than most places give you. Mmmmmmmm.

Thanks for the rec, Deb!

I also went to the space needle yesterday while DH was at the conference. Long lines, but at least I'd bought my timed ticket online. It was worth the trouble.

This afternoon we want to get on the water, so we are looking at taking a ferry ride and having dinner someplace. Maybe to Bainbridge.

Friday afternoon is open, and I'm looking into a whale watch cruise.

There are lots of things to do here. The weather has been nice. No heat wave this week. Today is cloudy, but still pleasant.

A note on our hotel, the Watertown-- great customer service here. The hotel shuttle had mechanical problems, and I had reserved it for two trips. The front desk called to say they would reimburse us for the two Über rides we took instead. Nice touch.

Not so wild about the neighborhood the hotel is in, though. We like a university vibe-- like at UCLA, Washington U in StL, Rice U, CU, etc. This area is too grungy for our taste, though. We didn't see any cafes nearby that interest us.

The Chipotle where we did eat when we got tired of walking, was really short-staffed, messy and dirty. I felt bad for the staff who were working the line and the register, because they were really busy and also needed to clean tables and refresh condiments, etc. They were really working hard!

Loving Seattle.

Bainbridge is the common recommendation, but if you like military/navy stuff, consider ferrying Bremerton. (Not saying it is better than Bainbridge, which we did not go to). Had an excellent lunch, albeit completely informal and bad for us :) , at Fritz European Fry house.

Tabernash--On her first day at that job, the ladies took her there and they ran into some celebrity. She texted me all excited, lol! What about doing a guided kayak trip right on the waterfront there in Elliott Bay? I love doing that, and we use Alki Kayak.

Good idea, mms. Thanks.

We took the ferry to Bainbridge yesterday evening. My walking is still limited, so luckily the Cafe Nola wasn't too far to go. We had a very nice dinner there. Cozy place. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Not sure what we will do tonight. We enjoy being on the water, so might take ferry to Bremerton or elsewhere.

I read somewhere that there's a ferry to a San Juan island, but I can't find it. Anybody know?

<i>Not sure what we will do tonight. We enjoy being on the water, so might take ferry to Bremerton or elsewhere... I read somewhere that there's a ferry to a San Juan island, but I can't find it. Anybody know?</i>

The San Juans are too far. The Victoria Clipper (Pier 69) offers day trips that leave at 7-something AM and get back at 7-something PM, so definitely not a dinner trip.

Today seems to be turning out pretty nice (no heat wave, that's for sure) so a couple of thoughts for later...

1. Not fancy, but fun - Ivar's Salmon House, not too far from your hotel, on the north shore of Lake Union. (You could walk it in 15 min. if you're up for it.) Terrific view of the skyline across Lake Union, pretty good food, a nice patio outdoors if it's warm enough. http://www.ivars.com/locations/salmon-house

2. Chinook's at Fishermen's Terminal. This is where the Alaska fleet moors; Chinooks is lively and with excellent food; you can walk out the piers to work off the dinner, very interesting scene. https://www.anthonys.com/restaurants...-at-salmon-bay

3. Also walkable, Agua Verde - surprisingly decent Mexican food with excellent drinks, rent a kayak if you want. http://aguaverde.com/

4. An Argosy dinner cruise from downtown - http://www.argosycruises.com/

5. The water taxi to Marination Ma Kai. Mai tais and Spam sliders overlooking Elliott Bay, what's not to like?
http://www.kingcounty.gov/transporta.../WSeattle.aspx and http://marinationmobile.com/#about

I know it's a bit touristy but we really like Saltys on Alki Beach. Take the ferry over, have dinner. We do brunch but I bet dinner is nice too.

http://saltys.com/seattle

Downtown, Blueacre Seafood, Von's, and Capitol Grille (I know it's a chain) are three of our favorites.

HTtY

Thanks, Deb and Gardyloo. I will check out those ideas.

The weather has been very nice. I'm glad we missed the heat wave last week.

One dumb thing we did last night. On Bainbridge, we stopped at a market and bought some protein bars and some scones. DH carried the little bag all around-- to/from dinner, to ferry, on the ferry, off the ferry, to Über ride.

Then, guess what? We left it in the Über car which we took to our hotel. Aaaargh. I was looking forward to a blueberry scone this morning!

We called the driver, and he already had other passengers but he saw our bag and said he'd drop it off at our hotel. But he didn't. Waaaaaa.