Will be in Seattle for four days in August. Three adults: a couple and 25 year old son. We're staying downtown and we do have a car. Please tell me the sights and experiences we must not miss!

Depends upon your interests, but here are a few thoughts to get you started (in no particular order):

Museum of Flight
Ferry boat ride to Bainbridge Island
Seattle Asian Art Museum
Museum of Glass in Tacoma
Pike Place Market
Kayaking/Sailing on Lake Union
Experience Music Project
Any of the wineries
Mt Rainier

To the above, you might add:

• A baseball game.

• A play or a cruise: discount tickets are often available at the ticket office located in the Pike Place Market at 1st Avenue and Pike Street.

• Our new library has been praised for its forward-looking architecture.

• We have a great zoo at Woodland Park.

• Mt. Rainier is the most popular day trip from Seattle.

• Woodinville, north of town, is a popular destination for wineries.

• If you rent a car you may want to explore Alki Beach (West Seattle), the western shore of Lake Washington, the view from Kerry Park on Highland Drive (Queen Anne Hill), Magnolia Bluff, the locks, Shilshoe Bay and Golden Gardens Park, and Green Lake (for our most popular three-mile walk).

• In Pioneer Square there is a National Park devoted to the Klondike Gold Rush.

• A meal in an authentic Seattle joint, such as Mamma’s Mexican Kitchen.

• Searching for oddities in Ye Olde Curiosity Shop on the waterfront.


PS The Asian Art Museum is closed until January, 2006.

Visit the Ballard Locks with lunch at Ray's Boathouse afterwards

Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill to climb the water tower (poor man's space needle) and visit the lovely conservatory

Seattle Art Museum (downtown)

Seattle Public Library (downtown)

Pioneer Square Underground Tour

Have dim sum in Chinatown

... plus all those good ideas already covered above!

I second the Ballard Locks. I especially enjoy Gas works Park. Make sure to take your camera it has a fantastic view of downtown Seattle. There are funky things to do like finding the troll under the Auroa Bridge. Stolling threw the Freemont district is fun. You never know what you will see on Broadway, where you could stop for a Dick's Deluxe. Seattle is a wonderful city with a lot of fun things to do besides the Pike street market (which is also fun). Have a great time!

Thank you all so much for these suggestions. We really do want to experience a Seattle neighborhoood while visiting and we do have a car. Which one do you all suggest and where to have lunch too--Fremont?

Sure Fremont's great. Or maybe Ballard? Madison Park on Lake Washington and have lunch at Cactus?

I live on and like Capitol Hill very much, but it's not as "neighborhoody" I don't think.

I agree with the suggestion about driving to Madison Park (at the end of Madison Street, near Lake Washington) and lunch at Cactus. If you like salad, the one with steak is very good. Ask for dressing on the side.

After lunch, take a drive on Lake Washington Boulevard.

Also, you might enjoy walking on Broadway between about Olive and Roy. At Roy, Deluxe is a well-established place that serves salads, hamburgers, etc. and across the street is Siam on Broadway, which is one of our best Thai restaurants (Lunch Mon-Fri, only).

After lunch, take in the view from Volunteer Park

If you like art museums, visit the Frye on First Hill, which specializes in representational art. Parking and admission is free. Nearby is St. James Cathedral.

The Madison Park idea looks great-checked out Cactus and looks great also except it's closed on Sundays for lunch--and I think that's the day we're going to try to do our neighborhood exploring--any other lunch ideas for there?

I can’t recommend any place for Sunday lunch in Madison Park.

On the weekend crowds gather in front of a few popular brunch restaurants that might appeal to your 25-year-old son. These include The 5-Spot on Queen Anne Hill and the Coastal Kitchen and Julia’s on Capitol Hill.

The Deluxe on Broadway serves Sunday lunch, as does a new nearby Vietnamese restaurant—Pho Cyclo, which dishes up good spring rolls, noodle bowls, and rice plates. The aforementioned Galerias is next door to the Deluxe, and I believe it serves a Sunday brunch or lunch.

You could go down to Madison Park and poke around, it's really nice there, and if you don't find something open that appeals (there are several other cafes and pubs besides Cactus)... then come back up Madison a ways.

If you cut into the Arboretum on Lake Washington Blvd. you are right near the Japanese Garden.

There's a number of other restaurants like Cafe Flora (vegetarian and very popular for brunch) and others, but again more dinner places I'm not sure about Sunday lunch. If you're still hungry and haven't found a meal yet, continue on back up to Capitol Hill.

Yes Galleria's on Broadway definitely serves Sunday brunch from 11-2 and then goes into lunch menu. It is very festive and a bargain at $7.25 per person. Good food, friendly service, Mexican flavors.

I would not really recommend Broadway otherwise, because it is not the lively place it was 10 years ago. There're lots of vacant buildings, construction projects, etc. I would not hold it up as a very good example of a Seattle neighborhood at the moment, unfortunately.

Volunteer Park is great, you can access it from 15th Ave E or Broadway either one. You can climb the water tower for the best free view in Seattle. And check out the lovely old conservatory with 4 large rooms of beautiful plants.

Coastal Kitchen on 15th and Volunteer Park would be another good combination. There's lots of nice shops... sonic boom records, horizon books, victrola coffee house, cafe ladro, etc. along 15th.

You are so helpful! Our son lives in San Diego right now but has thought of relocating to Seattle and we were hoping to get an idea of some of the various neighborhoods in addition to enjoying all the tourist sights of downtown and the waterfront. You really can't get this kind of info from a guidebook--you need the local people!

For a 25 year old guy thinking of relocation...

I'd look at Fremont, Wallingford, or Ballard (if he wants to live outside downtown, these are the closest in 'suburbs').

Or Capitol Hill (there're 3 main districts- the Pike/Pine corridor, between the freeway up to Broadway, then Broadway up to 15th).

Madison Park is gorgeous but expensive and more for older people or families.

Other places he might like include Belltown or Queen Anne hill.

My recommendation for a Sunday outing/brunch etc. destination in August would be West Seattle. South from downtown to the West Seattle Fwy/Spokane Street exit, head west, exit at Harbor Avenue, then right along the waterfront looking across Elliott Bay to the downtown skyline. For brunch-with-view to die for, expensive and okay food, but the aforementioned view, Salty's on Alki (can't miss it) is very popular with locals and visitors alike. Otherwise, just keep on following the waterfront around toward the retail strip at the north end of the West Seattle peninsula, where the Alki Cafe and Alki Bakery pack 'em in and justifiably so on weekends. Walk it off on the beach (don't miss the minature Statue of Liberty), watch ferries and sailboats (or at 5 PM departing cruise ships) - some of the best views in town, and a variety of okay-to-good restaurants, etc. along the strip. Very lively on weekends.

If it's a Sunday, head up to the top of the hill in West Seattle (use Admiralty Way, or just more or less figure your way to the top) and visit the Sunday farmers' market at the corner of California and Alaska. Fresh fruit like you won't believe, try one of the baked items from the Little Prague Bakery stand (OMG); mingle with the folks. Homey, fun place, out of this world produce.

Does Boeing still give factory tours in Everett? I did that about 10 years ago and really enjoyed it (but I am quite a nerd).

Yes.