Recs for a weekend visit in late February? (Seattle, Bremerton: rental car, rental)

[hoffdano]

Wife and I are visiting in late February, probably for a Thursday to Sunday. I know the weather isn't the best at this time, but what suggestions do you have? We are 50-ish, like good food, great beer, we're active. Haven't chosen hotel nor have we decided on a rental car or not. We will be in the Key Arena Feb. 26 for Eric Clapton.

Any suggestions welcome and appreciated.

[hoffdano]

Wow. No help, huh?

[CarlB328]

Well, February is probably the worst month to visit Washington. It's dark when you get up, and dark by 5:00pm. It will be cold and wet the entire time and there's nothing going on as far as events go.

Unless you want to go skiing, your best bets are to do museums and similar attractions in Seattle so you won't have to be outside too much. The Space needle, Seattle aquarium, maybe the art museum or experience music place might be good ideas for you.

[Inkpoe]

Seattle Events February 2011 Calendar - Eventful would be a good source to check out when the time come.

It definitely be wet, cold, cloudy. There is a thread somewhere that has the area's great restaurants, so check that out! We have wineries about 35 mins out, so if thats your thing...

[Dthraco]

The ferry to Bremerton can be fun, inexpensive too. You can walk-on and just go round-trip from the docks. When you get to Bremerton, you can usually see several large Navy Ships. The ferry that crosses during sunset is nice. When you come back into town it's all lit up from the water. Takes 45 min one-way. Dress warm.

Space Needle observation deck is cold, but also provides a great view. One could easily do that the day of the concert, as it's within walking distance of Key Arena.

Might as well see "Blackie" at EMP (if it's still there).

The Public Market has some interesting shops, and plenty of places to eat near-by.

Good beer...lots of that here:
The Pike Brewing Company: Home - Downtown, walking distance to Pike Street Market
Elysian Brewing Company - Near to the stadium (south side of town)
Seattle | Pyramid Breweries - Across from Safeco Field (south side of town)

Most restaurants and pubs have great beer on tap as well.

All of this stuff can be accessed via cab, no need to rent a car.

[Ira500]

I'll second dthraco's recommendation to go for a ferry ride. But I'd go to Bainbridge Island instead of Bremerton. I'd get off the boat in Bainbridge, walk into town ( 5-10 minutes), and go have a coffee or lunch at Pegasus. They've been roasting coffee there for 31 years, and the food's good and not expensive:
The Pegasus Coffee House

[AzDreamer]

If you want to stay near Key Arena there are lots of good places to eat and drink in the Lower Queen Ann neighborhood. I don't know about hotels there, but you can zoom in on the area with google maps and search for 'hotels'.

Downtown has more hotels and eating and drinking options.

Yelp.com is good for finding highly rated restaurants and bars.

[dcgolf]

If you are staying in Belltown or lower queen anne (which is where key arena is)-- there are some great places to eat/drink for happy hour (5-7pm). In Belltown, try Tavolata or Branzino on second ave. Zigzag cafe on Western ave. behind Pike Place market. I'm sure there are other places that others may recommend.

[hoffdano]

Thanks for weighing in. I figured the weather would be a downer. But I figured we can make do. I was kinda thinking, start the day with some great coffee, have a great lunch with a local beer, do something walkable, or cab-able, then have a great dinner.

I had forgotten about the Space Needle. I hadn't been up there since I lived in Seattle for 4th grade 1967 (?).

Thanks for the ideas about the ferry and EMP. Cool.

Looking forward to the visit.