Seattle Things to Do Tips by jamiesno

I was a little bit skeptical when I ordered the Go Seattle Card online but I have to tell you it was one of the best travel investments I have ever made and I saved a lot of money.

Just go on the web site and get all the detail but bascially you pay for the card based on the number of days you need it. Personally I paid $69 USD for a two day card. Just a tip of the iceberg you get FREE admission to:

Space Needle®
EMP (Experience Music Project)
Argosy Cruises Harbor Cruise
Argosy Cruises Lake Cruise
Full-day Gray Line tour to Mt. St. Helens (A $79.00 VALUE!)
Full-day Gray Line tour to Mt. Rainier (A $79.00 VALUE!)
Gray Line Hop-on-Hop-Off Double Decker bus tour
The Underground Tour
Safeco Field Tour
Qwest Field Tour
Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame

I done the Mt. St. Helen's tour so I was automatically in $10 USD. I also done the EMP and the Space Needle and others for free! Each time I used it I was in more and more savings!!

So you get the picture. If you are going to be doing super touring like me over a day or two get this card and save your self a pile of money so you can then spend it on other things of course :-)

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Website: http://www.goseattlecard.com/

Seattle was the site of my very first VT meet! While in Seattle I met up with Arasnosliw. Despite my fears of stalking VTers, LOL, just joking it turned out great.

Got a tonne of local knowledge, saved a bunch of time, alleviating some aggrevation in the heat and had a great time.

I can't thank Arasnosliw enough and hope to have many more cool VT meets in the future!

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Website: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/6d7ce/

Just a minute away from HI Seattle I stumbled upon the Seattle Art Museum. It was free and open late on that Thursday night and I knew about a special Glass Exhibit from JetlagCity so I ventured in.

I only had 15 minutes until closure but got to see the great exhibit. No pictures with or without flash were allowed unfortunately :-(

You won't miss the site if you see the massive exhibit right outside the museum as seen in this picture I provided.

There was a neat little gift shop there as well. If you are really into art and much more knowledgeable than I am you will enjoy this site. Great architechure as well.

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Phone: (206) 625-8900.
Address: 100 University Street
Website: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/

Belltown was a very trendy section of downtown and they call it Seattle's restaurant Epicenter, Hot Jazz, Exciting Nightclubs, Vibrant Shops, Cool Offices, Great Apartments & Condos, Olympic Sculpture Park and a tonne of other stuff.

The web site has an entire listing of all the restaurants, night clubs and everything else. I ate at Mama's Mexican Kitchen in Belltown and had a great experience there.

I trust you will enjoy browsing around this area of Seattle as well. Cheers!

You will know when you are in the area by all the banners like the one in my picture on the light posts!

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Website: http://www.belltown.org

For me this market was one of the all time greats I visited. Just the atmosphere and busy activity made it a nice place to explore. The Pike Place Market began on August 17, 1907 and its still a vital part of Seattle's social and economic fabric. The nine-acre historic district is the Soul of Seattle and a national treasure.

I compared it to Vancouver's Granville Island another great destination. You will enjoy hanging out here. I could never have seen it all in the time that I had. You can go back there many times for sure!

The web site has a great map and listing of all the businesses.

The Pike Place Market was certainly one of the liveliest markets I had ever visited. I thought it would be hard to beat Vancouver Canada’s Granville Island but the Pike Place Market was right up there. It’s filled with great fresh food, unique stores and quality restaurants. I ate at Copacabana’s and that was great but it’s the atmosphere of all the activity that is special.

On the day I left I followed up on a tip that I read and went to the market between 6 and 7 am to watch it all come to life. The merchants are busy setting up and I guess early in the morning your nose is probably actually able to smell something. I distinctly remember being able to smell the flowers of one merchant and the seafood of another. It was very clear and enjoyable. On that morning there was a light mist falling on the city and the fine people at Lowell’s let me in for an expresso and view before they opened at 7. If I had more time I would have enjoyed breakfast that morning.

If it interests you the original Starbucks is actually in this market. On Saturday it was very busy with lots of street performers as well on the sidewalks.

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Website: http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/

Seattle Center is home to Seattle's most famous land mark that being the Space Needle however there is a lot more there than just the space needle.

I didn't have much time to explore it all but will take more time next time around. Key Arena is there, the Experience Music Project, an amusement park, nice park areas and a massive fountain. Not the one seen in this picture. I would have showed a picture of it but on the day of my visit there was still no water in it. I guess where it was still spring and arasnosliw was so excited to show it to me :-) It is actually called the International Fountain built for the World Fair in 1962.

There are theatres, science center, skate parks and a lot more. At the web site I have there you can find a map of all the facilities.

Chances are if your in Seattle you will be spending some time in this area. You can get the mono-rail right to it.

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Website: http://www.seattlecenter.com/

"Where Seattle Begins!" This is the catchy slogan some marketing firm decided to put on Pioneer Square. Technically that is not true today it might be better put "Where Seattle Began!"

When you read a bit of Seattle history you will discover this area is where many of the original Seattleites started to settle in the beginning.

Through good advocacy the district has been preserved in a lot of ways. You will notice the architecture is much older than the modern sky scrapers with historic murals still in tact.

In the buildings you will find a very vibrant downtown area filled with art galleries, nightclubs and a variety of restaurants. It's a great downtown area.

A couple of unique monuments in the area include the Klondike Museum, Fireman's Monument and Waterfalls Park. It's the type of area if I get to return I would like to eat, hang out, explore around some more and just enjoy the beat of the city.

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Website: http://www.pioneersquare.org/

The Underground Tour seems to be famous in Seattle. Prior to doing travelling I wasn't sure if I would bother with this but when I was there more local people said that I should. So I did and I truly enjoyed it. It was unique to say the least.

I won't try to explain the evolution of Seattle to you in this tip but you truly get to see what happened and experience much of the old artifacts that still exist.

The guides were all funny, my guide Lucy was particularly good. I assume because of her training and interest in the arts, she certainly kept people on their toes.

On the day of my visit there was literally hundreds of participants at 3 pm on an off season Saturday in May. You start of in the Doc Maynard pub where they give you a humerous overview and preamble of what is to follow.

You then proceed outside for interpretation around a few city blocks above and beneath the city blocks. Underground it is dark obviously as you walk along a wooded walkway to observe all the artifacts.

Bill Spiedel was a very enterprising man so as you would expect at the end of the tour you exit from the underground straight into Rogue's Gallery where you can buy all sorts of fun things. I opted for his book, "The Sons of the Profits".

I should also mention for some reason I though Bill Speidel would be leading the tour. Mr. Speidel is now passed away :-( He lived from 1912 - 1988. They will tell you lots of fun stories about this man as well. A journalist and businessman he was one of the great Seattle historians. His writings are easy and fun to read but he exemplifies what you will learn to be the Seattle spirit.

I give this tour two thumbs up and recommend you go. This is another things you might want to do very early on in your visit. That way you will have a better appreciation for specific city districts and even know who the odd street or business is named after. Whether it is Yesler Way, Denny's Way or Doc Maynard's Pub.

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Website: http://www.undergroundtour.com/

This venue in Seattle was worth the visit but it would have been heaven for a music buff. The place is located at The Seattle Center and the outside look of the building will get your attention off the start.

There was a lot of exhibits. No pictures allowed of the artifacts. There was an extenisve exhibit on Jimmy Hendrix and Bob Dylan. I thought the personal journals of Hendrix where interesting to read. The Beatles are there, tonnes of old guitars and other instruments.

Making this place fun was the fact it was interactive. You could do recordings there, make videos, play the drums, guitar, keyboard and bass as a solo or in a group in sound proof chambers.

It was hear I learnt that arasnosliw is not exactly musically inclined. She likes to sing away, beat the drums and strum the guitar but it wasn't exactly sounding the best. I enjoyed that because when I tried I was much, much worst, LOL :-).

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Website: http://www.emplive.org/

Here is a picture of the Aquarium I got from the Washington State ferry. I also walked by it a couple of times when exploring the waterfront.

Unfortunately for me it closes at 5:00 pm in May and with my around the clock schedule the doors where all locked when I got there.

So that is my only tip go there earlier! On the web site you'll see it does look like a nice facility.

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Website: http://www.seattleaquarium.org/