# I am going to visit Seattle - what should I do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 27, 2014, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828 "2014-01-27T06:08:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/1 "2014-01-27T06:08:53Z")
I’m starting a new job in early March, and for the first month will be in Seattle for product training. We are planning to have my wife join me from New Zealand for 10 days or so, with one weekend in Seattle and environs and the second weekend maybe taking the train to Vancouver (tips for this would be appreciated, too). So we need ideas for some places to eat and must-see things to do in Seattle, both for us together, and things I can do when I am on my own. I am going to try to get to Emerald City Comiccon (my wife will be around that weekend, but she does not want to come - not her scene - but almost all my favourite writers will be there so I don’t plan to miss out). ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/2 "2014-01-27T06:44:48Z")
If you enjoy music at all (and who doesn’t?), EMP is a must-see. It’s located right next door to the Pacific Science Center and the Space Needle, so you could make a day of that. Pike Place Market is also worth visiting, and the very first Starbucks in the world is there if you want a photo-op. Foodwise, Seattle has a very cosmopolitan restaurant scene, and you can find pretty much any kind of food imaginable. I’d recommend, at the very least, grabbing a bowl of Ivar’s chowder (which just can’t be beat) and a burger from Dick’s (which is sort of what McDonald’s would be today if it had never expanded beyond San Bernandino). ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/3 "2014-01-27T06:48:26Z")
One of the best meals I’ve had was at the Steelhead Diner at Pike Place. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/4 "2014-01-27T15:37:53Z")
If you can make a day of it, make sure to visit the Museum of Flight just south of the Seattle city limits. It’s got an astonishing collection from a Concorde and 60s Air Force One you can walk through, artifacts from Apollo 12, and a full floor each of WW2 and WW1 planes. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/5 "2014-01-27T16:01:04Z")
It’s definitely touristy, but the [underground tour](http://www.undergroundtour.com/about/) is really cool; and give you an entertaining history of the city. It’s amazing to me that some of the buildings in Seattle that you see from street level are actually the 2nd floor of those buildings, and the first floor of those building still exist but are now underground and used as basements. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/6 "2014-01-27T16:08:41Z")
The student district around the University of Washington has many interesting stores selling cultural items - both past and present. You are sure to find some things there you will like and even if you don’t, walking around makes for a very interesting afternoon - very inexpensive too. The University of Washington bookstore is very modern and carries a huge selection of books and other supplies - both for university students and for others as well. I used to love just walking around and looking at all the wonderful things they had for sale. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/7 "2014-01-27T16:47:22Z")
For Seattle: Underground tour for sure. Quite interesting. Food: [Salumi](http://www.salumicuredmeats.com/) - they’re only open 11-3:30 Tues-Fri. I recommend getting in line about 10:45 and ordering anything off the specials. Their non-specials are also fab, but the specials are especially good. Plan on taking it to go. [Serious Pie](http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=serious-pie), [Palace Kitchen](http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=palace-kitchen) or really any of [Tom Douglas’s restaurants](http://tomdouglas.com/) Lots of good oysters to be had, if you happen to like oysters. I’m partial to [Elliott’s](http://www.elliottsoysterhouse.com/) but there are lots of good oyster places to choose from. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/8 "2014-01-27T16:50:10Z")
The [Ballard Locks](http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/LocksandDams/ChittendenLocks.aspx) are fascinating. Especially during the salmon runs, but really any time. On a nice day, take the ferry to Bainbridge or Bremerton and just enjoy the views. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/9 "2014-01-27T16:53:10Z")
For Vancouver: [Legendary Noodle](http://legendarynoodle.ca/) (they make their own noodles right in front of you [Salt Tasting Room](http://www.salttastingroom.com/) - get a couple of daily plates (the ones where they choose the meats, cheeses and condiments for you) and be sure to include a couple of wine flights - let them choose! ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/10 "2014-01-27T17:10:35Z")
Bring an umbrella. ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/11 "2014-01-27T17:26:19Z")
> **[National Nordic Museum | Go on a Nordic Journey Across 12,000 Years](https://nordicmuseum.org/)** > > The National Nordic Museum is dedicated to our Nordic history and cultural heritage. A great Seattle museum experience for all ages. Order passes online. We enjoyed this museum. Here’s a summary of their permanent exhibits: The First Floor The Dream of America is the story of immigration told in an exhibit of life-like dioramas. Travel with your family back to the nineteenth-century Scandinavian countryside to begin the journey to America, starting with the move to the city. The voyage continues as you board a ship to make the Atlantic crossing, and land at Ellis Island. The adventure goes on to experiences in New York, and the expansion to the Midwest, Great Plains, and Pacific Northwest, ending in Ballard. Here the growth and development of a typical small Northwest community is displayed, complete with a post office, church, drug store, blacksmith shop, and a family home. The Second Floor The Promise of the Northwest includes two galleries that focus on the logging and fishing industries, which employed many immigrants who brought skills learned in the old country. These galleries show the contributions of the Nordic pioneers to the settlement of the Pacific Northwest. The Folk Art Galleries display treasured and useful items the immigrants brought with them, including folk costumes, textiles, tools, and furniture. Temporary art, history, and heritage exhibits are housed in the three galleries at the west end of the hall. The Third Floor The third floor exhibitions illustrate the differences and the common bonds among the Scandinavian people. There is one gallery for each of the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Each gallery highlights that group’s special achievements in the Pacific Northwest. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/12 "2014-01-27T17:48:58Z")
Second the recommendation for the EMP. Try to get there right when it opens and head immediately to the top floor. You can play around in little private “recording studios” that guide you through guitar, drums, vocals, mixing, etc. The rooms can get very crowded, but if you run up there while everyone else is slowly working their way up, you’re fine. If the weather is decent (lower your standards a little), we enjoy [Agua Verde](http://aguaverde.com/). You can rent kayaks, paddle around on Lake Union, then enjoy a margarita on their deck after. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/13 "2014-01-27T19:20:19Z")
If you make it to the Comiccon, look up the fantasy/sci-fi model exhibit. There are some first-rate model builders in the PNW, and a significant number of them are going to be participating in the exhibit. Including yours truly (altho I dunno about the “first-rate” part). ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/14 "2014-01-27T20:34:29Z")
Pioneer Square for the shops, pubs, and people-watching. Pike Place Market for everything food, and artisan items. Check all the levels of the market (excellent comic book shop on the second level, if it’s still there), and then cross over to the waterfront for touristy things, souvenirs, etc. Snoqualmie Falls would be a nice short side-trip, but I don’t know how much water will be falling in March, and hasn’t there been a shortage of snow? Seattle doesn’t have much of a central downtown. All the best stuff is at the north and south end. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/15 "2014-01-27T22:07:29Z")
Near Salumi, in the Pioneer Square area is the smallest national historical park - the [Klondike Gold Rush Museum](http://www.nps.gov/klse/index.htm). ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/16 "2014-01-27T22:45:21Z")
You might enjoy a visit to [Fantagraphics](http://www.fantagraphics.com/). I think the EMP and Tom Douglas’s restaurants are laughably overrated, but YMMV. It’s not only rainy but also windy. I’d bring a raincoat, not an umbrella. Seconding recommendations for the Ballard Locks, Bainbridge Ferry, Underground Tour, and Museum of Flight. [The Stranger](http://www.thestranger.com/) is good for finding live music, readings, movies, theater, etc. You could always join a bunch of Dopers for [pub trivia](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=712392). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/17 "2014-01-27T22:47:39Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > It’s definitely touristy, but the [underground tour](http://www.undergroundtour.com/about/) is really cool; and give you an entertaining history of the city. > > It’s amazing to me that some of the buildings in Seattle that you see from street level are actually the 2nd floor of those buildings, and the first floor of those building still exist but are now underground and used as basements. This is exactly what I came to recommend! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/18 "2014-01-27T22:54:42Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > For Seattle: > > Underground tour for sure. Quite interesting. > > Food: > > [Salumi](http://www.salumicuredmeats.com/) - they’re only open 11-3:30 Tues-Fri. I recommend getting in line about 10:45 and ordering anything off the specials. Their non-specials are also fab, but the specials are especially good. Plan on taking it to go. > > [Serious Pie](http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=serious-pie), [Palace Kitchen](http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=palace-kitchen) or really any of [Tom Douglas’s restaurants](http://tomdouglas.com/) > > Lots of good oysters to be had, if you happen to like oysters. I’m partial to [Elliott’s](http://www.elliottsoysterhouse.com/) but there are lots of good oyster places to choose from. Agree with all of these. Several great acts performing at [Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley](http://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/calendar.jsp) in March, including Sergio Mendes, Arturo Sandoval and the Rebirth Brass Band. The [Chihuly Garden and Glass](http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/) is nice if you like that sort of art. It’s over near the Space Needle and the EMP Museum. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/19 "2014-01-27T23:02:42Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Several great acts performing at [Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley](http://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/calendar.jsp) in March, including Sergio Mendes, Arturo Sandoval and the Rebirth Brass Band. Seattle’s got a very good local jazz scene too, if you’re into that sort of thing. Full calendar of gigs [here](http://earshot.org/Calendar/calendar.asp). The Royal Room and Tula’s have consistently good music and are a lot cheaper than Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley or The Triple Door (which are also good). ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828/20 "2014-01-27T23:08:51Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Bring an umbrella. Only if you want to declare that you are a tourist. The rain here is rarely more than a drizzle. We just walk around in it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-visit-seattle-what-should-i-do/679828.md?page=2)