Bears in Seattle

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Prudence

Bad Kevy! No biscuit!

Why? is the one on Alaskan Way better?

[cirquelover]

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!

[ozron]

Originally Posted by Prudence

Eating at Ivar's is a must for some.

mmm.....Ivars....

[JWBear]

Bill wants to know what and where we should avoid.

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by JWBear

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....

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?

[wendybeth]

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!

[Ghoulish Delight]

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.

[JWBear]

Thanks Prudence! I'm making notes.

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

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.

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.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by JWBear

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.)

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.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

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.