Seattle!

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Robb and I have decided to take an impromptu trip to Seattle! As I'm typing this blog entry, Robb is booking tickets. We plan to arrive Wednesday July 2 in the later afternoon, and return to the Bay Area on Tuesday July 8.

We've never been to Seattle, and are looking for suggestions of things to do, places to stay, and people to hang out out with.

We won't be bringing the bikes, and Robb still has considerable difficulty walking long distances. We're hoping to visit Point-No-Point, but otherwise have only the haziest idea of what we want to do. We'll have a rental car. Not sure about July 4. Robb's not great in huge crowds, so perhaps someone can suggest a small town fireworks display.

Please use the comments feature of the blog to advise us on fun stuff to do!

Like this print? It is by artist Patrick Anderson.

Comments

Anonymous said…
there is a Six Flags in Seattle and there is an amusement park called Game Works.

Game Works: http://www.gameworks.com/

Hope it helps!
Anonymous said…
Well, I live over here in West Seattle, so of course I have to rave about it. There is paved biking/hiking trail that follows the shore line around and you have terrific views of downtown and the ferryboats traveling across the bay to the Olympic Pennisula. There aren't hotels over here, but there are several B&B's....www.olympicviewbb.com, www.chittendenhouse.com, www.marineviewbb.com and www.guesthousebb.com...there are more, but that should give you an idea. :-) Since you are going to be here for the Fourth of July, I think the best views of the fireworks are from over here---but some will argue for Gasworks Park. :-)

The funky artsy area of town is Fremont and Ballard...Don't forget to check out the troll underneath the Aurora Ave. Bridge!

-Amanda from Seattle
Anonymous said…
I love Ballard as a place to wander and poke around. Then there are the Ballard Locks which are good for some entertainment as the boaties wait for lock operation. The Locks also have a fish ladder which is kinda cool to check out.
pre
Anonymous said…
Have a fantastic time!! It's a great city.
Anonymous said…
I have always wanted to visit Seattle. If I did, I would DEFINITELY go see the Troll Under the Bridge.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2236

~Idhunna
Anonymous said…
I LOVE Seattle, and Mickey lives there - you should drop her a line - hernameathotmail.com We love the Olympus Spa, though it's women only. I love the main library in downtown Seattle - they do an amazing tour for free that takes perhaps an hour. Totally cool to hear about all the design & eco-friendly choices that went into that place. The troll is good fun, too! There's the aquarium down the hill from Pikes Place Market, and the touristy yet fun Underground Tour of Seattle. SO much good stuff out there! Have a grand trip! - --Mel B in B'more
Anonymous said…
I saved this article from the Spokane (about 250 miles east of Seattle)newspaper. We, too are going to Seattle and taking visitors from Mexico City to see the sites. This will give you some of the Seattle highlights:
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/tools/story_pf.asp?ID=249474

A couple of years ago I asked basically the same question on Atlas Quest and sweet Amanda prepared an awesome itinerary that we followed. It is message #37209 on AQ.

My last tip is to use Priceline to book a place to stay. When we go we like to stay in Bellevue. It's a not-too-bad trip into downtown Seattle, just avoid the rush hour times. I bid $65.00 for 3 to 4 star hotel and have ended up at the Bellevue Hilton and also the Red Lion. Both are comfortable, but not handicapped accessible.

Our favorite place to eat is Sitka and Spruce, between a Quickie Mart-type place and a teriyaki joint on Eastlake sorta by Lake Union. The chef, Matt Dillon, was named by Food & Wine as the best new chef for 2007. No reservations and the place is tiny, so try to hit it early.
colls
Lisa said…
Anyone know anything about tidepooling? We're going to be experiencing some of very very low tides!

http://visitolympicpeninsula.org/tidepools.html

Does any of this mean anything to you locals?

We are looking for a beach that can be reached easily. No long arduous hikes. No having to dash across the freeway to get to the beach.
Lisa said…
Also, we are thinking about trying to find a place that will take up kayaking. We want to use a guide, in case we get into trouble. Robb and I have NO IDEA if he can still kayak, so we don't want to become Orca Chow by accident.
Anonymous said…
Well, Seattle is a great city! You're going to have a lot of fun! I would suggest that maybe looking into going across the Puget Sound for the 4th of July. There are lots of great places to watch fireworks from a car along the water, especially in Bremerton.
Anonymous said…
The Sculpture Garden looks really cool--sorry can't remember the name of it. I took a tour of the Underground City once and that has always been a great memory--perhaps too much walking though.
Anonymous said…
The Sculpture Garden is right downtown on the Northern End of the Waterfront. Very cool. If you have your heart set on going to Point No Point, I would drive up and take the ferry from Edmonds over and also visit Port Gamble while you are over there (very very cute and quaint little town---try to get the Ten Essential Systems Letterboxes by Mark and Elaine while you are over there)

As for Kayaking....Lake Union does Kayak tours ---
http://www.nwoc.com/

you are in the lake as opposed to the bay so you don't have to deal with the shipping lanes and such (wake from the ferry boats etc)
And you can probably see the houseboat from Sleepless in Seattle :-)
over here at Alki Beach, they also rent Kayaks
http://www.kayakalki.com/

-Amanda from Seattle
Anonymous said…
Restaurants near the airport: Bai Tong Thai at Southcenter, Wally's Chowder House and Des Moines Creek Diner in Des Moines, WA (also Anthony's Homeport for Seafood)

-Amanda from Seattle
Anonymous said…
I think there is a giant troll formed out of concrete that lives under a bridge in Seattle. That is about all I know about that. I suggest you look up a book called "Weird Washington". That book should be chock full of odd and wonderful things about the state. Thats about all I can do for you other than trolls.

PS. We have not had rain here in 1 month and things are dying all over. Please invoke the rain gods in Seattle and tell them to get their butts over Pennsylvania way, pronto. My garden is now a nicely fenced collection of dust, literally.

Annalisa
Anonymous said…
The giant troll is in the Fremont neighborhood, under the north end of the Aurora Bridge (Highway 99) across the ship canal. He clutches in his giant hand a real classic VW Beetle!
Anonymous said…
If you can manage the walking, check out the underground tour of Seattle. Not sure of the exact location...

--greg

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