Hello, dopers!
The family is heading up to Seattle for a week and a half at the beginning of July. We are taking a vacation, sure, but also scouting out the place as a possible home in a few years. (Me, hubby, 17-year-old son.)
Now, I haven’t been to Seattle in twenty years, at least not for more than a day. I always loved the place. I got Starbucks’ coffee by catalog before they came to Phoenix. I did the underground tour. I hung around with friends. It was grand.
But now, we are going back, and I don’t know any locals. We like sailboats, nature walks (not too strenuous, please), funky museums, neighborhood cafés. We plan to spend a couple of days meandering around Olympic National Park, too. Maybe a nature cruise in the San Juans if we can swing it. Does anyone have any ideas what we might do, or any not-to-be-missed favorites in the area?
All suggestions welcome!
Thanks,
Theobroma
I like Carkeek Park. It has some easy but nice trails, and lovely scenery. Plus it’s right on Puget Sound so it’s cool and breezy even if it’s hot in July.
It’s cheesy but I sure as hell enjoyed my Duck Boat Tour of Seattle! I think even a 17 year old would find it amusing.
If you like sailing, thislooks like fun. I haven’t done it, but I see the boat out and about.
The University of WashingtonArboretum has some nice easy trails that are interesting.
I love going to the San Juans, and would recommend a trip there to almost anyone.
TheBallard Locks are a huge draw. Always interesting, and in the summer you’ll see salmon running.
The King Tut exhibit just started at the Pacific Science Center. Supposed to be pretty great, I hear he was buried with a donkey.
The San Juans (kayaking, whale watching) and Olympic NP (giant trees, spectacular beaches) are both really nice.
Mount Rainier is worth at least a day trip. Go on a clearish day. Plenty to see up there without strenuous hiking.
The view from the Space Needle is better at night than during the day IMHO.
The Seattle Aquarium is smallish, but a good one. Sea otters!
Deception Pass is one of my favorite places to hang out for a day in the summer (or winter).
Thanks, y’all!
Can’t wait for July. Can. Not. Wait.
Got up to 113 degrees today per my car temp display. I hope I get rained on some. I forgot what “wet from the skies” feels like.
Aw…
ABSOLUTE MUST 1: Ferry ride through the San Juan Islands, preferably around dusk.
ABSOLUTE MUST 2: Pike Place Market. It’s only kinda touristy, be sure to explore the lower levels.
Happening neighborhoods: Capitol Hill, Fremont, Belltown
Beauty in-city: Ravenna Park - giant wooded ravine in the middle of the city. Gas Works Park – spectacular city views. Discovery Park - genuine wilderness right next to downtown.
Beauty afar: Dungeness Spit, near Sequim on Northern penninsula. Hoh Rainforest, just incredible.
EAT!! Salvatore = amazing Italian. Dim sum in the international district. SEAFOOD!!
Just drive around and marvel at the amazing topography. Interlaken Drive East is crazy. Alaskan Way viaduct (still standing??) for incredible views of the Sound. Waterfront everywhere.
Well, thanks for making me miss Seattle again…I was beginning to forget…
Gotta disagree with this! Thats an hour of hell you wish you could have back. Every piece of crap you would* never *want to buy, at twice the price! I’d reccommend avoiding that place like The Clap.
I never considered buying anything there so I can’t comment on this aspect. But it’s a quirky, lively, historic market with awe-inspiring views of the Sound and some decent seafood restaurants (also with awe-inspiring views of the Sound). If you’re into that kind of thing.
It doesn’t rain very often in July. We don’t have our famous rainy weather in the summer, only in the winter. That said, today is June 1 and it’s been gray and drizzling for the past few days.
You absolutely must go visit Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe on the waterfront to visit my old friends Sylvesterand Sylvia. Plus a ton of other stuff that you’ll never see anywhere else.
Hey, go figure, another Phoenician contemplating moving up to Seattle. I’ve been wrestling with flying up for a short vacation in a month to check the place out and see if I’d like to live there myself. Talk about a timely thread.
This is what I’d miss most about Arizona. Summer monsoons are fantastic.
And this would make up for the lack of monsoons. I so badly want overcast skies that last more than a few hours.
Pike Place has some damn good food, Mi Sum Pastry, Mr. D’s Greek Delicacies, Piroshki Piroshki, and quite a few more that arent right on the street.
and the produce/seafood is great there as well.
of course I am a guy, I don’t go there to shop.
Rent a kayak at the University of Washington and paddle a half hour to the arboretum shores. Neither my niece nor I had ever been in a kayak before, but we had a great time.
The space needle is not a happy place at night. Take this advice from someone (me) who thought it would be a good idea to stay at a hotel next to it, and walk back from the downtown convention center at 1am.
I’ll be going to Seattle, in July, so I’ve been following this thread with some interest. One thing that I’ve been wondering about whether it’s possible to go on some sort of grunge music walking tour. One of the main things I associate with Seattle is Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, etc., and it’d be kind of neat to visit some places related to that bit of musical history. Any tips?
