Seattle/Vancouver - what's there to do?

[ellis555]

howdy

i just found out that i'm spending my spring break (march 21-26) in seattle and vancouver, as my sports team has a couple of games up there. i was wondering if any of you locals could tell me about interesting stuff to do.

any worthwhile tourist stuff (museums, etc), good bars or clubs, special festivals going on during those dates. any and all tips will be appreciated.

thanks
-ellis

[spankboy]

Seattle. Pretty much nothing to do except Pioneer Square, Space Needle, and Pike Place Market. Whoop-de-doo, the whole town pretty much shuts down around 9pm. Spend a lot of time getting drunk, or wired out of your mind on quad mochas--that's what we do, anyway. If you are interested in science or technology, the Pacific Science Center (by the Space Needle) or the Boeing Aviation Museum are kind of neat.

Vancouver, BC is a lot more fun. Great nightlife, take advantage of the killer exchange rate, maybe catch a hockey game. Go to the Granville area--good shopping, a few quality restaurants, good clubs, readily available late-night pizza.

That's my 2 cents. Oh yeah, make sure to go to Dick's Burgers while in Seattle. It's an institution, and helps line the stomach after too many bad microbrews.

-sb

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They say the Lord loves drunks, fools and little children.
Two out of three ain't bad.

[ignatiusjreilly]

Run from the border patrol! I've heard that's a big hobby in those parts...

[Ukulele Ike]

SMELL those trees! SMELL those Douglas firs!

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Uke

[Lord Derfel]

I don't know much about Seattle, but I live in Vancouver so I can help there. If you want museums, I strongly recommend the Museum of Anthropology at the University of BC. Lots of cool stuff there. For touristy shopping as well as nightclubs, go to Gastown. It's a little too touristy for my taste, though, so I recommend Granville Island (it's similar to Seattle's Pike Place market). If you want more alternative (and cheaper) shopping, try Commercial Drive. "The Drive" is the place where you'll find lots of vegetarian restaurants and hippie shops. 4th Ave is similar.

For live music, the best place is the Commodore Ballroom on Granville St. Remember, though, if you're a smoker, you can't smoke in any pub or restaurant in BC. If you want nature, try Stanley Park. If you ski, Whistler/Blackcomb is one of the nicest mountains anywhere. Lots of good restaurants in Vancouver, as well.

That's about all I can think of now. Enjoy!

[ConMan]

In Seattle, you have got to take the Underground Tour of the town! It was awesome and if you get the same guide we had, it is a laugh-riot!! If you have time, can get out of town and you are into nature, head over to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park. ~200" of rain a year - AMAZING!

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"Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'"
E A Poe

[ellis555]

thanks for all the replies so far.

out of curiousity, for those Vancouverites out there - was your airport initially intended to handle a much larger flight load? i was flying through on my way back from christmas break, and the place was huge and empty. i had a 3+ hour layover, and spent the entire time in a giant lounge that never held more than three other people. very strange.

-ellis

[Zulu]

Originally posted by ellis555:
was your airport initially intended to handle a much larger flight load?

Maybe it was slow due to weather that day? When I've been there it was packed. People everywhere, lots of tourists, planes coming and going.

When we there on a field trip for Aviation class, we went to the end of the runway to watch the heavies (jumbo jets) land and take off. We were there for about an hour, and saw dozens of planes. There was a plane landing or taking off every few minutes, and it wasn't even during peak travel time.

I don't know Vancouver well, but if you're ever in Victoria, you should go to the Royal British Columbia Museum. Amazing place. We spent 6 hours in there and didn't get bored. They also have a great wax museum.

[AWB]

When I was last in Seattle, we took the ferry from Seattle to Victoria, BC. The San Juan Islands are quite picturesque, as are the volcanic peaks to the east.

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When danger reared its ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled

[Spoke]

AWB is right. Do yourself aa favor and take a ferry over to Victoria (Vancouver Island). The scenic ride alone is worth the trip, plus Victoria is a nice, tourist-friendly town. (And the favorable exchange rate saves many bucks.)

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"Every time you think, you weaken the nation!" --M. Howard (addressing his brother, C. Howard).

[Demo]

While you're there, make sure to have High Tea at the Empress. This is a must. Also, they have a pretty cool Chinatown and a limited, but killer night life, if you decide to stay the night.

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"Every one is bound to bear patiently the results of his own example. "
-Phædrus

[Demo]

Sorry, that should have read, IF you go to Victoria...

[ellis555]

Zulu -

i was there on dec. 29th of this past year. mebbe people weren't flying because of y2k fears, but i would have thought it would have been a fairly peak travel time - and i was there for pretty much the entire afternoon.

also, what's the Royal British Columbian Museum?

for the rest of you -
what are the best streets for bars in either town? i'm going to be there with my lacrosse team, so we're obviously not going to be hitting museums the entire time.

-ellis

[Jo3sh]

Lotsa good breweries in that area, as I recall.

I know Pike is in Seattle, and Red Hook, too, if my memory is not wrong. In Vancouver, there's the Yaletown brewpub, which has some nice hand-pulled beers as well as good food, and Spinnakers is either there or in Victoria (my wife and I disgree which town it's in), and also has nice hand-pulled beers.

Damn it, now I have to go back. Shucks.


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A committee is a lifeform with six or more legs and no brain.

[capybara]

OK, Seattle is a fine town and contrary to popular belief it doesn't shut down at 7 pm. First if you want the true Seatown coffee experience try The Green Cat on Olive in the Capital Hill neigbourhood. I would also say to get on a number 44/45 bus that will take you from Pioneer Square to Ballard. Ballard is the old scandinavian part of town but is now the up and coming young hip area.

Places to visit in specific would be SAM (Seattle Art Museum), Archie Mcphee's (good toys and stuff), Mae's on Phinney Ridge, someone else said Underground Tour and I second that, and The Ave in the U-district. Touristy things are nice too, Pike Street Market is actually quite nice.

It's a nice town to jump a bus to a neigbourhood and walk around in because of the plethera of bars and cafes.

[Lord Derfel]

i'm going to be there with my lacrosse team, so we're obviously not going to be hitting museums the entire time.
Well then, why didn't you say so? In Vancouver, you'll want to hit the clubs in Gastown or Granville St. There are also some good clubs on 4th or Broadway (10th), but the highest concentration of clubs is in Gastown which makes a crawl easier. If you want skin, the best nudie bars are the No. 5 Orange or the Drake. The Cecil is way too expensive. Trivia: The Bon Jovi album, Slippery When Wet was named in honour of the shower at one of the local strip clubs. Can't remember which one, though. The best thing you can do is pick up a copy of The Georgia Straight. It's a local free paper that has a listing of what's happening at the local clubs and restaurants.

[ellis555]

sorry, thought i'd mentioned it. :)

now, anyone have similar advice for seattle?

thanks
-ellis

[Zulu]

Sorry for taking so long to reply, I was offline for four days.

also, what's the Royal British Columbian Museum?

It's a huge history museum, there's little or no artwork. It also has an IMAX theatre inside. http://rbcm1.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/

Several years ago, Prince Phillip visited the museum and was so impressed with it that he said they could use the title of "Royal." It was also one of the two or three stops in North America for the Leonardo DaVinci exibit, but I missed it by a week, dammit.
http://www.waxworld.com/ is the Royal London Wax Museum's website. Very fun place.

They also have a great horse-drawn carriage tour of downtown and Beacon Hill Park.

[CanadianSue]

When in Vancouver, head on down to Granville Island. Its great for wandering, going through the market and just general people watching.

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We are, each of us angels with only one wing,and we can only fly by embracing one another

[BurnMeUp]

Well if you're into music and bars and such check out The Crocodile Cafe, Fenix and Fenix underground (in pioneer square), DV8, or the moore theater, there are always bands playing there, most every night of the week.

Broadway is also good for an interesting walk. lots of bars, shops and such mostly catering to "alternative lifestyles".

There's also the Museum of Flight at Boeing field if you're into that, the Asian art museum in the capitol hill area, The Maritime museum, and the aquarium.

The piers are always fun to walk around while you go to Pike's market.

There is quite a bit to do in Seattle. I have avoided Vancouver, mainly because I am sick of hearing about the hype.

If nothing else get some kick ass seafood, some microbrews, maybe catch a semi-pro hockey game by the thunderbirds and check out a few local bands for under $10 at a bar or two.

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If you feel that you must suffer, then plan your suffering carefully--as you choose your dreams, as you conceive your ancestors.

[Cervaise]

As a Seattle resident, I can definitely confirm that, on the surface, it seems like there isn't a lot to do. But in reality, once you've been here a while, the activity list is endless.

For example, not a lot of people know about Sorry Charlie, a restaurant/bar on Lower Queen Anne (close to the Seattle Center). The hook here is the piano player; he knows literally every song ever. There's a microphone next to his piano; people go in, request a song, and he accompanies you while you sing. Yes, folks, it's Live Lounge Karaoke. Great cheesy fun, even if you just want to sit and listen. I haven't been there in a year, so I can't vouch for it right now, but the drinks at the time were strong and cheap.

Also, while you're in town, it's definitely worth the time to make a day trip into the San Juans. If you like galleries and artisan handiwork, I'd suggest the Mukilteo ferry up to Whidbey Island, and then a quick drive to Langley -- a charming little artists' community. Or drive up to Anacortes and take the Friday Harbor ferry. Or if you want just a quick ride to see what it's like, cruise over to Bremerton from the downtown Seattle terminal.

Another fun trip is to go northeast, up to Chateau Ste. Michelle's winery. Sure they're the local Big Boy, and there are better winemakers, but the trip is still enjoyable.

If you like clubbing, definitely drop in at the Crocodile. Or, better yet, look for the free alternative weekly, The Stranger, and check out their nightlife/music listings -- you can't go wrong, whether you're looking for mosh, ska, disco, or whatever.

A good afternoon could also be spent wandering around the International District. (It's sort of our Chinatown, except for all the Koreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, etc., so "International" is what we call it.) Tons of restaurants, hole-in-the-wall shops, and so on. Don't worry about crime -- as long as there are two or three of you, and you're not trying to score heroin in front of the old Newmark, Seattle is really, really safe.

Things not to do:

Skip the Space Needle. The food is overpriced and not very good, and it's not worth the fee to just go up the thing. It's much cooler to look at from the ground, anyway.

Blow off the waterfront restaurants -- Cutter's and the like. You pay for the view, not the food, and you might as well just drive over to Alki (in West Seattle) for a much cooler, and FREE, view of the city.

Don't bother shopping downtown. Our recent "core revitalization" has brought in a bunch of generic chains: Planet Hollywood, Niketown, Old Navy, and so on, places you can find in any large city. Rather, shop-hop in the funky neighborhoods -- Fremont, Broadway, and such.

And to wrap up: I have to put in a plug for my favorite restaurant in Seattle, the Two Dagos from Texas. It's in Belltown, on the corner of First and Vine. It doesn't look like much, but the chef is a genius -- he's an Italian who grew up in Texas and studied in San Francisco, New Orleans (under a Thai chef), and Paris. Huge portions, and everything is delicious. Service is slow, and the ambience is weird, but the food makes it worthwhile. Great margaritas, and fabulous steaks. For dessert, have the Two Mousse Sampler: it's an orgasm on a plate.

P.S. If you're going to be here in March, you might get to see the Kingdome blow up!

[BurnMeUp]

Originally posted by Cervaise:
[B]As a Seattle resident, I can definitely confirm that, on the surface, it seems like there isn't a lot to do. But in reality, once you've been here a while, the activity list is endless.

[B]
Cool, another seattileite, howdy from Redmond!


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If you feel that you must suffer, then plan your suffering carefully--as you choose your dreams, as you conceive your ancestors.

[ellis555]

thanks very much for all the responses.

as a lacrosse team, we generally do our pub crawling en masse, so i'm not too worried about crime. :)

surprisingly enough, we're actually fairly erudite as well, so the museum mentions are much appreciated.

again, thanks. you've all been most helpful.

-ellis

[Frankie]

So we got another huh??

Me
Burn
GirlNextDoor
Our Favorite diety-Pluto
cervaise
who am I missin?


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-Frankie

"Mother Mercy, can your loins bear fruit forever?/Is your fecundity a trammel or a treasure?"
-Bad Religion

[Frankie]

In Seattle-

Go to Pioneer Square. Its the old section of town and has many bars for your pleasure.

Also Belltown, it is at the other end of town and is alot of fun.

Check out www.seattle.sidewalk.com (http://www.seattle.sidewalk.com) and It'll give you lots of information.

Seattle haas clubs of every type so if you are looking for a specific type email me and I will let you know. Also, you might want to check with BurnMeUp, I think he is a bit more nightlife centered than I am.

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-Frankie

"Mother Mercy, can your loins bear fruit forever?/Is your fecundity a trammel or a treasure?"
-Bad Religion