My wife and I (young 40ish) are planning a trip to Seattle and will likely drive up into Vancouver in mid-September or early October. We enjoy trying to hit not just the typical tourist stuff, but the stuff "beneath the surface." We enjoy scenic drives and historic type things.

We enjoy a nice drink or a smoke now and then, but are not wild party types.

Any thoughts?

The Seattle Symphony in its relatively new home is not to be missed. The hall is beautiful and has great acoustics. There are several very good theaters in Seattle - check the Friday edition of the two daily newspapers for details. Seattle is a young city with maybe not as much history as many others, but I enjoy walking around Pioneer Square or the International District/Chinatown. These two neighborhoods have some of the City's older and more interesting architecture. A cup of coffee at the outside tables at Torrefazzione Italia is pleasant and there are a lot of places to have a drink. A couple of uniquely Seattle attractions are the public vegetable gardens - Danny Woo Garden in the International District and the Western and Vine garden north of the Pike Place Market are two of the more striking. I would rent a bicycle and ride along Lake Washington Blvd. or on the Burke-Gilman Trail, or go north along the waterfront from downtown through Myrtle Edwards Park. A good neighborhood for walking with interesting older homes is Capitol Hill around Volunteer Park (which is where the Asian Art Museum is.) Near there is a cemetary which is an interesting place to walk around (visit the grave of Bruce Lee). Pike Street and Pine Street between Capitol Hill(Broadway) and downtown are interesting places to walk, eat, and drink. A good place for a late afternoon/sunset view is Gasworks Park on the north shore of Lake Union (I'm not sure if it will reopen by then, there is some environmental clean up going on now.)In mid-September Historic Seattle (Historicseattle.org) is having a tour of the Olmstead Park system in the City which might be something of a scenic drive and historic.

You should give yourself a day or two on one of the San Juan Islands. If you haven't been to Deception Pass you should take a detour and see that.

If you're at all interested in marine life, try a behind-the-scenes tour of the Vancouver Aquarium. We did the Beluga Whales and it was quite memorable. They have several tours to choose from and you have to book in advance. Check to see what the traveling exhibit is at the Vancouver Museum (natural history). They are usually excellent. We saw Diana's dresses when we were there.

Victoria is definitely worth a couple of days. YOu could easily spend the entire day at the Royal BC Museum. Craigdarroch Castle has a very interesting story and has been beautifully restored. Of course, Buchart Gardens is always beautiful.

In Seattle, check out the fascinating market in the Chinatown area. I can't remember it's name, but any local can tell you. If you like baseball, Safeco field is a beautiful park. The Seattle Museum of Fine Art also has excellent traveling exhibits (as well as permanent ones). We saw The Impressionists when we were there a couple of years ago--what a treat that was.

Don't miss Granville Island in Vancouver. It has a great market you could grab some lunch in and eat it outside by the water.