Going to Seattle in September - What to see and do?

[Hunter]

Hello Gents,

I'm going to Seattle with my folks in the middle of September for my Dad's 50th Birthday. It is a big city with lots to do and I was hoping that some of you might give me a clue as to what is worth my time and money over going to tourist traps. I do want to go to the Sky Needle and I'm also thinking about the underground tour which sounds really neat.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Doc4]

16th September the Lions host the Alouettes in Vancouver ... if you are driving down.

 

[Hunter]

16th September the Lions host the Alouettes in Vancouver ... if you are driving down.

That would be good, going to fly though. Should try to get in a Lions game when they come play the Eskimos.

 

[The Accountant]

if you are into airplanes then visit the Boeing Museum. After touring the Museum go across the street to see the aircraft on display; a beautiful Lockheed Constellation; one of the 707's used as Air Force One, a Concorde, 727, 737 and the original test 747. The day I was there you could go through the Concorde and the 707; fascinating if you are into historical aircraft.

 

[Chadao]

Pike Place Market, the oldest continuously open open-air market in the US. Watch the vendors throw the fish. Lots of things to see and buy and places to eat. This also puts you in downtown Seattle.

Ballard Locks--not a huge tourist attraction but where Lake Washington joins Puget sound, so boat enter and leave both bodies of water via the locks. Also a salmon ladder, so in season you will see salmon climbing and jumping through.

SAM--Seattle Art Museum, also downtown.

While you are at the Space Needle check out the EMP--Experience Music Project--...are you experienced? Also in the same building the Science Fiction Museum. I got my picture taken with Gort the robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still.

 

[Hunter]

great suggestions, Thanks!

 

[WesternModern]

Make sure you visit a Top Pot Doughnuts shop.
The one in Capitol Hill is my favorite, but they're all great......just trust me.

 

[Bcobu1102]

You have to hit up The Market and Ivar's Clam Chowder. So good!

 

[blary54]

+1 to Pikes Place market. Very cool place.

 

[Doc4]

If you look really hard, you may be able to find a Starbucks.





... but seriously, I've heard that the Olympic Peninsula is very nice. Rent a car and drive?

 

[Chaloney]

The original Starbucks is across the street from the pike place market. Don't get excited though, it's just a Starbucks.

 

[Hunter]

Yeah I'm not a starbucks coffee sort of guy, I think I can avoid them.

 

[Topgumby]

IMHO, the best things about the Pacific Northwest have little to do with the city of Seattle.

If one is determined to see Seattle, then the suggestions Chadao make are all good.

If I never set foot in Seattle again, that'd be fine with me.

 

[Hunter]

IMHO, the best things about the Pacific Northwest have little to do with the city of Seattle.

If one is determined to see Seattle, then the suggestions Chadao make are all good.

If I never set foot in Seattle again, that'd be fine with me.

....okay then.... glad for the contribution.... Then again for me when it comes to anything on the west coast if it isn't Victoria it isn't #1 in my books.

 

[DiG3430]

I got to spend a day in Seattle while on travel for work last year. It's a pretty awesome city, so you shouldn't have trouble finding ways to kill time.

My first bit of advice is to be prepared for rain. A day without any precipitation is pretty rare, and from my experience it was usually the light, misty kind of rain so umbrellas didn't do too much. Next, bring comfortable walking shoes. Seattle is, without a doubt, the most hilly city I've ever been in (though, admittedly, I've never been to San Fran). If I wasn't wearing good, comfortable sneakers, my feet would've been blistered messes by the end of the day.

OK, on to the sights. Here's the list of things I was able to see in one busy day (note, this is the order I saw them, not a ranking):
1) Fremont Troll, a concrete monster of sorts the hides under an overpass and eats Volkswagens.
2) The graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee, to pay my respects.
3) Pike Place Market, an absolute must for anyone visiting the city. Buy your souvenirs here.
4) The first Starbucks, right across the street from the Pike Place Market.
5) Experience Music Project, in the shadow of the Space Needle. I mainly went just because they had a limited-time exhibit on AC/DC. If I had more time, I would've liked to see more of the rest of the museum. Looked really cool.
6) The Space Needle, right up there with Pike Place Market as must-sees for Seattle visitors.
7) Seattle Public Library, a nice place to visit if you're into architecture or photography. A pretty visually stunning place.
8) The Smith Tower, the oldest skyscraper in the city. I'm a nerd for that kind of stuff.
9) Merchant's Cafe, the oldest bar in the city, although I believe it has since closed.
10) Columbia Center / Sky View Observatory, currently the tallest building in Seattle and the best place for a bird's eye view of the city. The Space Needle is cool, but it's a good bit away from downtown and is the most crowded of the bunch. The Smith Tower has great history, but is now dwarfed by its neighbors. Columbia Center, meanwhile, stands above the rest and is right in the thick of the city.
11) Bill Speidel's Underground Tour, an extremely cool look at the history of the city, literally walking you under the current streets on what used to be Seattle's street-level. The tour leaves from Pioneer Square, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Seattle, giving it charm from the get-go.

It was a lot to do in one day, but it was a lot of fun. If I had to rate these things and give preference, I'd say this: The top two touristy must-see things are Pike Place Market and the Space Needle; and the top two lesser-known stops would be the Columbia Center / Sky View Observatory and the Underground Tour.

Oh, and if you're into coffee at all, I'd say to skip Starbucks and go into any Tully's you see. For me, it was the best coffee in the city, and I was happy to find it readily available in average-priced K-Cups when I got home .

Another handy tidbit is to use the Seattle Monorail. It connects downtown to the Space Needle/EMP and all the good stuff in that area.

Have fun! And be sure to let us know what you did while you were in town.

 

[Hunter]

Very cool thanks for the list... another thing I'm going to have to do is check out any second hand stores to see if I can find any razors... though I'm sure that their prices are outrageous.

 

[Curly]

As a Seattle native (now I live in the wastelands of South Dakota) DiG3430 has a great list of suggestions. If your into food, you must stop at Dick's Drive-in, the one on Queen Anne has inside seating, and if you don't stop at Ivars your simply a fool. Head north to Mukilteo and eat at the Ivars restaurant and watch the ferries. Time permitting, Tillicum Village is great too.

 

[thunder54]

If you have time you might try and head over to Filson's Flagship store and factory.

 

[JeremySeattle]

TOP POT DOUGHNUTS


This was going to be my suggestion. DO NOT MISS THIS. Several locations around town.

Since someone stole my thunder, I'll suggest Brouwers in Fremont. While you are in the neighborhood, stop by to visit Royal Grinders for the best gelato in town. Say hi to Lenin!

-J