Bears in Seattle
 

I forgot to mention that Bill and I are going to be in the lovely Emerald City the first week in August. We're flying up on the 3rd, and returning on the 10th.

We're going to my nephew's wedding (in the Space Needle, no less!) on the 4th. We'll be at my brother's in Kent on Sunday the 5th for family stuff. That leaves the rest of the week for sight seeing!

Any suggestions? Any must sees?

I LOVE that city!

Pike Place Market
Her Farm for a FABULOUS dinner
Snoquolme Falls
Pioneer Town
Canoeing through the botanical gardens

There's a start.

If you're a fan of music at all, the EMP is an absolute must. That also gives you an excuse to visit the site of the 1962 World's Fair, and take a trip up the Space Needle if you're so inclined. We just watched an old Bell Telephone promotional clip from the '62 fair, and I was amazed at just how much of the scenery was so familiar, much of the structures built for the fair survive today. I adore it.

Don't know if you're a baseball fan, but Safeco Field looks amazing from the outside and I hear it's a great park to take in a game.

The underground tour, starting in Pioneer Square, is a hoot.

Ride the monorail, just because you can!

Renting a canoe at the UW Aqautic Center and paddling around is fun (not sure if that is the canoe rental NA is referencing for the Arboretum or if they have their own.

Oooh! Oooh! They still have the "Music behind the magic" Disney exhibit at the EMP. And I'm out of school that week!

The Mariners have home games on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th, which probably won't work for you - then they're out of town.

The Waterfront can be fun - Aquarium just got some renovating, but I haven't been down there since.

Eating at Ivar's is a must for some. Some also like to see the Ballard Locks, but that might just be my family.

The Falls are a good side trip. If you are so inclined, an overnighter to Mount St. Helens is recommended. And I'm pretty sure you can now drive to the Paradise visitor center in Mount Rainier National Park (there was a pretty devastating flood that wiped out much of the roads/trails in the park).

There's a good art museum downtown, the baby elephant died but I still like the zoo, you can go kayaking through Portage Bay, you can spend an afternoon having a picnic lunch and walking around the arboretum....

I've heard that there are a couple of coffee houses up there. And a little software company too.

A dining recommend from me would be the 5 Spot. It isn't the absolute best in the world I just love that it completely changes it theme, menu, and decoration every few months (and it is good).

Thanks for the suggestions!

The EMP is already on our list (Bill is just dotty over Frank Geary and I think he would stop breathing if we didn’t go.) As is the Underground, Pike Place, and Pioneer Square. We’re going to a wedding in the Space Needle. So we get to see that for free…

I’m starting a list of restaurants.

Oh, and Lisa, dear… This body does not do canoes.

There's a really good McDonalds on Pine Street.

Bad Kevy! No biscuit!

Why? is the one on Alaskan Way better?

We love the Melting Pot, it's a fondue place. You can order the grand night out and have four courses of fun. They do great wine pairings also. There are a lot of great trendy places right in that area that I can't remember the name of.
On Bainbridge Island there is a diner that was shipped from the East coast that is delicious!
They have some great Irish pubs around town.

Oh and we discovered a place called Pints and Pies, that has great beers and meat pies.

If the husband was here he could tell me the names of others places we have eaten. I'll have to ask him what the Italian place was, they even delivered to our hotel one night!

mmm.....Ivars....

Bill wants to know what and where we should avoid.

You can start with that McD's Kevy mentioned. Unless you like meeting Seattle's local gang population.

In general, north is safer than south. There are areas downtown around 2nd and 3rd in the pike/pine area that I wouldn't hang out in at night. During the day, there are shoppers and workers about, so it's not so bad.

Pioneer Square can be dicey at night. It's also one of the big nightclub scenes. For some reason the whole area gives me the heebie jeebies and always has, but that's just me. It's a very historic area and popular - just be alert.

Anywhere near the waterfront is a bit dicey at night. But being alert is generally sufficient. More likely to be hassled by bums and druggies than attacked.

South Seattle, areas like the Central District and Columbia City are mixed. Used to be much lower class, and now they're being gentrified. So, a mix of white yuppies and gang bangers.

Yessler Terrance should probably be avoided.

Capitol Hill is generally fairly safe. Although my mom always was afraid I'd be hit in a drive-by shooting there. You know all those violent gay gang.... :rolleyes:

The U-District is generally pretty safe. I might avoid frat row, but that's more because I can't stand the stench o' frat rat. That area is also well known for aggressive panhandling and open drug use, but it's not terribly violent usually.

Queen Anne Hill has a lot of neat shops and restaurants and parks, but I never seem to get there.

Doesn't that make the place sound lovely?

Seattle is a lot of fun. As Pru stated, it's an edgy kind of fun, but one that you won't forget anytime soon. Pioneer Square is a blast, but nasty as well, so go in the daytime. (We have a pic of our family posing in front of the totem in the square, while behind us in the bushes a half naked bum is struggling to get his pants back on. This was taken at 4:00 pm on a Sunday). The waterfront is cool- we ate at the Crabpot the last time we were there and it was fantastic. If you want a cool little boutique type hotel, the Warwick Hotel is great! It's within walking distance to everywhere downtown, and has a fabulous deli store across the street where you can buy everything from lite beer to vintage wines, and lots of great food as well.

Have a great time!:cheers:

We did Pioneer Square at night on our last visit, it ain't so bad (remember, JWBear's lived in Lakewood, a stone's thrown from Compton). Standard club scene in some very cool old buildings. As long as we kept to the main drag (1st st.), I didn't feel unsafe.

Thanks Prudence! I'm making notes.

Yes, but Lakewood is a world of difference from Compton. (For those of you who are not familiar with it, Lakewood was the first planned community/mega-suburb in southern California. It's very Steppford-ish. The population is older, middle class, and very friendly - everyone waves at you. Bill said it reminded him of the south.)

The iffy neighborhoods in Long Beach are much closer to us where we live now.

Yeah, I know, but it sounds better to say "a stone's throw from Compton." My overall point was, as SoCal residents, our threshold of sketchiness is a bit higher than those from the PNW. If you've ever walked back to your car after a show in Hollywood, Pioneer Square in the dark isn't likely to feel very threatening.

True.

I'm cross posting this in both the Seattle and YouTubery threads.
I'd recommend renting MST3K's take on "Killer Shrews" and watching this short as an extra, but for instant gratification, click here for Bell Telephone at the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle.

No, the canoes are rented at the UW then you have to paddle like mad to get across the lock to the arboretum. The last time I was there I was picking blackberries and feeding them to geese. It was funny to see the whole blackberry descend the throat of the goose.

Pioneer Town has a monthly event called First Thursdays where all of the galleries have their openings. It's a fun event if your timing fits.


Elliott Bay Books. Go.

Books? Did someone say "Books"?! :D

Never had a problem with Pioneer Square at night but then I was taking midnight walks into the Central District without being bothered (my aunt, who lived in Seattle at the time, freaked when she found out I was doing that).

My problem with Pioneer Square is I never understood why people would go down there in the first place; unless you were going to get smashed off your ass barhopping there didn't seem much to do.

Yeah, I was mostly unimpressed. Standard club/bar hopping stuff, though with a slight extra cool factor due to the age of the architecture housing it.

And that's the problem with Pioneer Square. People go there to take advantage of the joint cover and wander about getting as drunk as possible. Which makes a large portion of the crowd down there very unpredictable. Normally it's mostly okay, but the volatility of drunken revelers, gang bangers, drugged out bums, and whatnot means that when something goes wrong it can REALLY go wrong. (Take the Christopher Kime beating death, for example.)

I think it's a matter of perceptions. Pioneer Square is cool to check out, but anyone who has ever lived in Seattle or it's environs knows that it can be dangerous. Years ago, I walked on the beach at El Segundo long after dark while waiting for a friend's flight to come in. I didn't know until someone told me that most white folks don't go down there in the daytime, let alone night. To me, it looked like any ordinary beach.

What a great video. I love seeing how the phone technology has changed between 1962 and the present.

Excellent monorail footage at the beginning. If you get a monorail, does it come with it's own monorail song?

I was surprised at how many extras (call waiting, call forwarding, 3-way calling) they were boasting that didn't become standard consumer fair until I was well into my adolescence.

I hear those things are awfully loud...

So, what kind of weather can we expect for the beginning of August?

Humid. It should be nice, though. Seattle is beautiful when it's sunny.

Except for the part where no one has A/C. Bleh.

For the dates of your trip the average high is around 78-80 degrees. The record highs are generally in the low 90s (though one day has a 100 degree record high, I think I remember that if these are SeaTac stats).

Of course, historically the average rainfall for your days is between 0.25 and 0.5 inches. Presumably those average highs and average rains generally don't happen at the same time (Seattle is generally not one of those "warm rain" towns).

There is no humid in Seattle. More humid than the desert, perhaps, but nothing CLOSE to real humidity.

I'd say high temps 75-95. It's supposed to be 70 something today, but it was 97 last week.

Yeah, definitely nothing compared to what is known in SoCal. Much more humid than Spokane, though.

Mono means one and rail means rail...

I've experienced Seattle humidity and heat several times and it was MUCH worse than So Cal. No where close to the South or the East though.

Were you perhaps in the shower? :p

Seriously, it is hardly EVER humid here. If it is humid, it's only briefly as the weather in our lovely "convergence" zone switches over from warm to storm. Nothing that lasts any significant length of time.

Interesting, maybe it is just somehow different and that makes it seem worse.

I've never experienced anything in Seattle (and I know you know, but in case anybody doesn't I did spend my first 22 years in Western Washington) like I do on an average spring day in LA (neither of which are as bad as Hawai'i which doesn't hold a candle to Houston).

Prudence, I think you are just used to it, or maybe it's because we have so little humidity here that it seems like a sauna over there. At any rate, to JW it won't seem too bad, as SoCal is far worse than Seattle when it comes to muggy weather. (Especially that 'June Miasma').

see if you can spot Frasier !

Well, this is it. We're flying out this afternoon. I'll have my laptop, so I'll try and give you daily updates - with pictures.

Any last minute advice?

Don't eat yellow snow. :p


Oh and have fun.

Have a wonderful time. Take lots of pix.

Nordstrom's in Seattle rules.


Have a good trip, JW! We're driving over there in a few hours- takes us about 4 hours from our town. We fly out of SeaTac in the wee hours of the AM tomorrow.

We turned down the heat a bit for your visit. If you get a break from the festivities, the Blue Angels do their air show this weekend, which means it must also be the weekend for the hydro races.

We're here!

Note to self: Never rent a car from a company that doesn't have an office at the airort ever again! It took us over an hour to get the car. We had to wait for their courtest van, then he drove us a good 15 minutes away from the airport to the car rental office. Then when we got there, there was a line...

Our plane landed at 7:50. We didn't get to the hotel (which is 5 minutes from the airport) until almost 10:30. :rolleyes:

While we were waiting at baggage claim, i called my brother. We missed the rehearsal dinner last night, but there is a buffet lunch for the family memebers at 1:00 today. From there, they are going to take us all by car to the Space Needle where the wedding is taking place. Then the reception is going to be a sit down dinner. Swanky!

The hotel has wireless highspeed, but I can't get it to work.... Dial-up bites.

Day 1 & 2:


Still can’t connect to the hotel’s wireless. Arrgghhhh. No pics until we get back. Sorry.

We didn’t make it to the hotel for lunch. No big deal. After we got there, we were shuttled over to the Space Needle with the rest of the family members. We gathered on the lawn below for wedding pictures. Then we were whisked past the lines of tourists and up one of the elevators to the 100 foot level function space. We were given passes that let us up to the observation deck for free.

The wedding went off well. Between the ceremony and the start of dinner, Bill and I escorted my mother and my aunt up to the top. We found out that our passes also let us by-pass the line at the elevators to come pack down. Cool!

The reception is a blur, and we finally got back in about midnight.

Today, we drove out to my brother’s house near Kent. Both families were there. We had lunch, then the bride & groom opened all the presents.

The land where his subdivision sits was clear-cut in 1911. He showed us a couple of cedar stumps and logs in his front yard that are remnants of that logging effort.

We’re back at the hotel now, planning our assault on the city tomorrow.

When I read the title "Bears in Seattle", I actually thought it was going to be about a Chicago Bears/Seattle Seahawks game. I don't know if anyone has ever been as wrong about anything, in the history of incorrectness, as I just was.

Carry on.

Ugh. Sorry to hear about the rental car fiasco! Can't wait to hear about the mega-swank wedding!

We're still alive! I've haven't had time to post - sorry. The city is beautiful! I'll post more when we get home (and get my broadband back).

We're back!

YAY!

I'll have pictures up later today or tomorrow (if anyone is interested).

Yes Please

Candid photography, know what I mean ?? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more. A nudge's as good as a wink to a blind bat, know what I mean?

:D

Day one (Saturday)

Day Three (Monday)

(We didn't take any pictures on Sunday.)

I'll do the rest tomorrow.

I see you noticed what we always called the "pencil building". (I think they've started projecting movies on it. )

The ferry to Bainbridge Island is around 40 bucks. I would probably stick to the mainland.

ok, I'm a little slow today. nevermind.

You can also drive to Bainbridge. Sure, it takes forever, but then you get to drive through (and try to pronounce) Poulsbo.

Great pics! I miss that city! I haven't been there since the EMP opened.

Is the Seattle Tower in Pioneer Town? It looks vaguely familiar.

BYW, did you happen to see this guy?

Take a look at my avatar...

Oh... Seattle Tower is downtown - 3rd and University

I'm sooooo observant. :rolleyes:

Day Four (Tuesday)

Day Five (Wednesday)

Day Six (Thursday)

Day Seven (Friday)

I could drop several thousand dollars in that Laguna Pottery store.

Easily!


(Ok Chris... How much will you pay me to not give Lisa their URL? :evil: )

I already found it, looked at it, went to ebay and have some Riviera plates on my watch list.

See MY avatar. ;)

Eh, she has a job, she doesn't need my permission to spend her money

There is also the space issue. Your house only has a finite volume... :D

You go! :snap: :snap: :snap:

It looks like you were able to see many great places. Thanks for the fun pictures.

I've never seen or heard of this troll before.

I love how each photo is lit from different angles

Any relation to the pottery store in Laguna Beach (The Pottery Shack)?

That has never stopped her before!

Looks like you had a good time! Love the pics (and yeah, I do kinda see the smashed guitar thing. Not the whole building, but the bright red part looks like the body, with broken frets lying on top of it. Nifty).

Isn't that library amazing!