Visiting Seattle area .... (Vancouver, Bellevue, Redmond: houses, neighborhoods, university)
Seattle areaSeattle and King County Suburbs
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My family and I will be in the Seattle area in a couple of weeks. We will be staying in the Redmond area. The trip is both buisness and pleasure. We only have 3 days and would like to see both downtown Seattle and the Bellevue area. Just wondering if anyone could give us some great "points of interest." It will be during a weekend right before Thanksgiving. Any info would be great!!!
Go to Downtown Seattle and visit Pikes place market. Its a pretty cool place with alot of different shops. Another thing is to take in the view from the top of the SPace Needle. Bellevue? It dosen't compare to SEattle with things to do.
My family and I will be in the Seattle area in a couple of weeks. We will be staying in the Redmond area. The trip is both buisness and pleasure. We only have 3 days and would like to see both downtown Seattle and the Bellevue area. Just wondering if anyone could give us some great "points of interest." It will be during a weekend right before Thanksgiving. Any info would be great!!!
thanks
Must See
Pike Place Market Bring your appetite and get there early. As Yogi Berra once said. "It's so crowded, no one goes there anymore"
Seriously though, I'd shoot for 9am.
The Crumpet Shop is a wonderful place top start your day. It's actually on 1st Ave, just one shop north of the intersection of 1st and Pike. Fabulous freshly made and toasted crumpets with a variety of ingredients. Try the Vermont. Maple butter with Cream Cheese and Walnuts (Optional) By the time you're done there, you'll have free reign of the shops.
There is every conceivable type of ethnic food there. It's truly an orgy for your senses. The flowers will blow you away, as will the fresh food. The colors, smells and people watching are top notch. On the weekend and the afternoons, it's really packed, alas the early arrival helps.
A few restaurants worth noting there.
Etta's. Tom Douglas' place. (Appeared on Iron Chef and won actually) Pricey, but always good.
Cutter's Consistently good, moderately priced. Great view. Try the smoked salmon chowder.
Campagne French and pricey. But superb.
There are tons of less expensive places in or right near the market as well.
The Space Needle
Can also get crowded. But this time of year, not so bad. If the weather's bad, skip it. If it's decent, this is a must see. And you can take the monorail to downtown and walk 4 blocks to the market.
Ferry Ride to Bainbridge Island.
The Ferry Dock is a short walk from the market. This is also weather driven choice. Decent weather, go for it. It's a 30 minute ride. You can walk to the town of Winslow, (nice little shops and cute cafes), or simply stay on the boat for the return trip. Spectacular scenery.
Drive the neighborhoods.
Seattle is a city of neighborhoods. Built on hills, it's also a city teeming with vistas. Take a drive over the West Seattle Bridge and visit Alki. The view looking back at the city is amazing
Magnolia is an amazing neighborhood with a wonderful little village and areas with incredible water views.
Queen Anne, butted right up north of Downtown is a bee's hive of actitivity. Great food and scenery as well.
Ballard - Shilshole. Ballard is the heart of the Scandinavian community is Seattle. (Seattle is the base to much of the Alaskan Fishing industry)
Great sit down Restaurants at the market. The area is now a hot bed of shops and cafes. Shilshole is not to be missed. Incredible views. Have a drink on the deck at Ray's on a nice day. (They have heaters and it's well protected. The view will bring tears to your eyes) The Hiram Chittenden Locks are always a (free) attraction The fish ladder there is cool too.
And on the south side of the Ballard Bridge just to the west is Fisherman's Terminal. The base to the Alaskan Fishing fleet. A memorial is there to all those who've lost their lives. Chinook's restaurant is there. Dynamite Seafood. The alder planked salmon or halibut are other worldly. Their Seafood bar is also very good. Try the halibut and chips or the fish tacos there.
If you're into Zoos, not far from there is The Woodland Park Zoo is good one.
Be sure to take a spin through Capital Hill and check out all the amazing Victorian Homes.
No visit to Seattle is complete without seeing the "Troll" Literally tucked under the North End of the Aurora Bridge, it's a little taste of the Fremont Neighborhood. Fremont is the Bohemian capital of Seattle. Charming and full of great restaurants and funky shops.
And a drive across one of our floating bridges is a must. Try 520 (mid day, don't try this at rush hour), it will take you to Bellevue right past the University of WA and Husky Stadium.
Seattle in the mecca for Espresso. It is a well deserved title.
Here are a few of the must try
Vivace is my personal fave. But this review pretty much is spot on.
And dining in Seattle is an endless supply of great food. Thai food is everywhere. (Bahn Thai is a fave, Wild Ginger is the best, but it's a bit pricey) Vietnamese (Monsoon is the bomb. Try the claypot Catfish. You will think you died right then and there) Sushi too. Great Italian. (Rialto in Fremont is a gem) The waterfront downtown is a bit of a tourist trap. There are some very good places to eat there. Elliot's and The Bell Street Pier are both top notch.
Have a ball.
As for Bellevue, the city is Okay. Shopping is very good there. But the scenery and real culture is in Seattle. If you do venture east, this time of year, 15-20 minutes east of Bellevue is Snoqualamie Falls. This time of year it's freakin amazing. It will be roaring. And you can drive right to it.
Have a great time.
Last edited by JustCallMeTC; 10-29-2009 at 08:02 AM..
Wow, thanks so much for this post! I'm moving to Port Townsend next summer and right about that same time my brother and his wife will be passing through Seattle on their way to a family reunion (her side) in Vancouver. We wanted to meet and see a few sights, but I'm not familiar with Seattle (yet) and was going to have to ask for suggestions. I think our weekend will be full, thanks to yours!
Really looking forward to making weekend trips into Seattle from PT after I get settled there.
Wow, thanks so much for this post! I'm moving to Port Townsend next summer and right about that same time my brother and his wife will be passing through Seattle on their way to a family reunion (her side) in Vancouver. We wanted to meet and see a few sights, but I'm not familiar with Seattle (yet) and was going to have to ask for suggestions. I think our weekend will be full, thanks to yours!
Really looking forward to making weekend trips into Seattle from PT after I get settled there.
Port Townsend is an amazing town. What a beautiful spot. Be sure to check out Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge. As well as the Dungeness Spit. All great spots.
And in the summer, Centrum.org puts on a bunch of great music shows at Ft. Worden including the Blues Fest. The music scene there is pretty cool.
If I could make a living I'd consider moving there.
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