I've been to Seattle on a few occasions previously and have always stayed downtown. Is there a "hidden" part of the city that has alot of culture, etc. that tourists tend to miss? I'd just like to make sure that I see Seattle as completely as I can. Thanks.

sure! take either of the floating bridges across the lake to the eastside. or, if you have the time, take a ferry, and visit pt. townsend.

Not sure what you mean by " a lot of culture,etc." That might not be as abundant as it is in a larger city. But,there are a couple of "cultural" institutions that don't seem to be on the itinerary of most tourists. One, in particular, is the very nice, and of manageable size, Henry Gallery on the University of Washington campus. Another is the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park.For an interesting walk with stores, cafes, galleries, from downtown I would walk uphill (east) on either Pike or Pine Street to 12th Ave. On the Seattle University Campus is the renowned (but seldom visited by tourists) Stephen Holl designed chapel of St. Ignatius. Return downtown by walking on Pike or Pine. Chinatown/International District is a culturally rich area. In addition to the shops and street life check out the Wing Luke Museum and the Danny Woo Memorial Garden (a neighborhood vegetable garden - really very interesting). Another interesting neighborhood vegetable garden/work of art is the Belltown Pea Patch at Western and Vine.

Really depends on your tastes. Aside from downtown and the Aurora Avenue/SR99 motel strip, the only area of town with a cluster of accommodation is around the University of Washington, in the so-called “U District.” There are plenty of cultural offerings through the University, ranging from theater to music to lectures etc, also plenty of street drama, too much for some people some of the time. The U District has lots of shops and cafes; there are two very nice museums on the University campus itself. The Best Western University Tower hotel (formerly the Meany Tower) is a lovely art deco building with a good location; there are also motel-type and B & B accommodations close to the upscale University Village shopping center just east of the campus.

The other must-see parts of Seattle for lovers of the funky and fun are the Wallingford and Fremont Districts, a couple of miles west of the University (Fremont along the north shore of Lake Union.) Great strolling, shopping, bars, restaurants, weekend markets, outdoor movies in parking lots, a statue of Lenin and a monster Troll lurking under a bridge, kite flying amongst the ruins at Gasworks Park (with drop-dead view of downtown across the lake) a branch of Dick’s 50s-style hamburger drive-in (“Reeshard’s”), gobs of fun. Fremont calls itself the “center of the universe” and who are you to argue? Even if you end up staying downtown it’s only a 15 minute bus ride to these areas.

With apologies, here's a semi-useful idea.

There used to be, and may still be, a tugboat that has been converted into a bed and breakfast.

I saw this a few years ago, but have lost all the info I had, so can't even give you a name.

However, it did look like fun, the cabins were small but spotless (I had a tour) and there was a nice lounge area.

If I was going back to Seattle, I'd try to find it myself.

BAK

For a young, hip and upscale area, consider checking out Kirkland. However, I wouldn't recommend staying on the east side if you have business to get to in downtown Seattle in the morning.