Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Washington > Seattle area
 [Register]
Seattle area Seattle and King County Suburbs
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 06-04-2015, 01:33 PM
 
153 posts, read 220,638 times
Reputation: 107

Advertisements

So after much advice on here we have all of our reservations for our first ever vacation to Seattle, all the way from Tucson AZ. We are looking for great fun cheap/free things to do, and possible great restaurants in the lower price end we may otherwise miss. We will be staying 4 nights (though the first night we wont get in until 9pm) in the heart of Ballard near Market/17th. We already do have some stuff planned. We decided to go the dumb tourist route and get a couple of those city passes. I normally don't like the touristy stuff but I already wanted to go to the zoo and the aquarium and at least one boat trip so it made sense.
The plans we have thus far for some restaurants to try are Salty's on Alki beach for Saturday brunch. I have heard mixed reviews of this place but also it does have all of the oysters, crab, and salmon Benedict I can fit inside of me.
I really wanted to try Paseo, and I wanted to try a little sushi place called Musashis.

I am looking for any other great ideas for this trip. We have a Friday night - Tuesday morning stay.

Thank you
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 06-04-2015, 01:38 PM
 
Location: Seattle
1,883 posts, read 2,085,676 times
Reputation: 4894
When are you here? Might be some things going on that you might not know of.

Will you have access to a car?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2015, 02:25 PM
 
Location: Seattle
8,182 posts, read 8,330,522 times
Reputation: 6001
Hi there ender554. Hope you have a great trip, my father in law lives near the Finger Rock trailhead in Tucson, love that place. I live in Phinney Ridge, not far from where you will be staying. Ballard is a great place to be. For free/affordable options, grab a bike (I don't mean steal one ), bike west to Shilshole, all the way to Golden Gardens. Make a bonfire at sunset on the beach, hard to beat. Go walk the locks in Ballard, very neat. Go to the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard, great museum. Get over to Fremont, definitely. Don't miss the "Troll" under the bridge, trust me. Go tour Theo organic chocolate factory in Fremont. Go to at least one of the microbreweries in Fremont. Get over to Magnolia (just on the other side of the Ballard locks). Although it would be a bit far to walk unless you had time, Discovery Park is pretty special: woods, bluffs, meadows, beach, lighthouse. If you drive over there, you can stop into very interesting Fishermans Terminal, mosey about and see some of the big fishing boats (like Dangerous Catch show boat) that go to Alaska. I do that sometimes with my 10 year old daughter, sometimes you get invited on for an impromptu tour.

As far as food, Paseo and Musashis are great options, affordable, delicious, character filled. You need to try some Ethiopia food while you are in Seattle. Although Cherry and MLK Way in Seattle's Central District is the epicenter for that (probably 7 Ethiopian restaurants within 2 blocks) there is little hole in the wall with deliciousness in the Greenwood/Phinney area: Zuma Grocery - Grocery - Phinney Ridge - Seattle, WA - Reviews - Photos - Yelp. There are also a lot of cheap, delicious ethnic eats in the U District, if you are looking at a map, look at 50th st and University Ave. Chili's South Indian is one of my faves: http://chilissouthindianrestaurant.com/

Enjoy this great town. Message me on this forum if I can help .

Last edited by homesinseattle; 06-04-2015 at 02:41 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2015, 02:42 PM
 
21,991 posts, read 15,746,064 times
Reputation: 12944
Oddly enough, the two things I think are "so-so" in Seattle are the zoo and the aquarium. It's not to say they aren't fun but I would put them lower on the list and others may disagree.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2015, 03:12 PM
 
153 posts, read 220,638 times
Reputation: 107
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seacove View Post
Oddly enough, the two things I think are "so-so" in Seattle are the zoo and the aquarium. It's not to say they aren't fun but I would put them lower on the list and others may disagree.
I have heard the aquarium is disappointing, it is more of a coming from this hot desert town we have no aquarium and our zoo is so so so sad and the animals are all too hot to come out.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2015, 03:21 PM
 
21,991 posts, read 15,746,064 times
Reputation: 12944
Quote:
Originally Posted by ender554 View Post
I have heard the aquarium is disappointing, it is more of a coming from this hot desert town we have no aquarium and our zoo is so so so sad and the animals are all too hot to come out.
Makes sense. If you're comparing our zoo to something like San Diego, you're going to be disappointed but it's perfectly fine as zoos go. I personally like the Underground Tour (some don't some do) because it is so uniquely Seattle. After the Seattle fire, the town was elevated one story and you can see some of the old early 1900s store fronts and such from that time.
http://www.undergroundtour.com/

Ferries are always going to be good and there's plenty to keep you busy downtown plus you can always do things like go to Whidbey Island, see Deception Pass, go to Anacortes, take a ferry to the San Juan islands - things like that.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2015, 04:14 PM
 
Location: Independent Republic of Ballard
8,075 posts, read 8,390,885 times
Reputation: 6243
Free:

Ballard: The Ballard Locks (concerts on weekends), Shilshole Marina/Golden Gardens Beach, Old Ballard/Ballard Ave, Sunday Farmers Market.

Magnolia: Discovery Park/Beach.

Wallingford/Green Lake: GasWorks Park, Archie McPhee's.

Green Lake: Green Lake, Woodland Park (east of the Zoo).

Fremont: Lenin Statue, Fremont Troll, Burke-Gilman Bike Trail (ride from Fremont to U District to Bothell and beyond).

U District/Ravenna/Montlake: UW Campus, Cowen/Ravenna Park, UW Aboretum (across Montlake Bridge), Magnuson Park (on Lake Washington).

Capitol Hill/First Hill: Volunteer Park, Frye Art Museum.

Lower/Upper Queen Anne: Seattle Center/International Fountain, Kerry Park (viewpoint), Kinnear Park.

South Lake Union: Center for Wooden Boats.

Downtown/Pioneer Square: Pike Place Market, Klondike Gold Rush Museum.

Waterfront: Sculpture Park, Elliott Bay Park, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Coast Guard Museum.

West Seattle: Alki Beach (via the Water Taxi, not free), Schmitz Park

South Seattle: Seward Park, Kubota (Japanese) Garden, Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection.

Eastside: Marymore Park, Snoqualmie Falls, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park.

Cheap: Water Taxi (Waterfront), foot passenger WSF Ferry Ride, Canoe/Rowboat rentals (UW Waterfront Activities Center).

Cheap eats: Ethnic eats along the Ave (University Way), Larsen's Danish Bakery (Ballard), Paseo (Fremont), Dick's Drive-In (Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Lower Queen Anne), Ivar's Fish & Chips (Waterfront), Saigon Deli (Little Saigon), Uwajimaya Village Food Court (International District), Marination Station (Korean/Asian/Hawaiian - Capitol Hill), Pike Place Chowder, Piroshky Piroshky (Pike Place), Aladdin Gyro-cery (U District).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-06-2015, 04:50 PM
 
153 posts, read 220,638 times
Reputation: 107
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey View Post
Free:

Ballard: The Ballard Locks (concerts on weekends), Shilshole Marina/Golden Gardens Beach, Old Ballard/Ballard Ave, Sunday Farmers Market.

Magnolia: Discovery Park/Beach.

Wallingford/Green Lake: GasWorks Park, Archie McPhee's.

Green Lake: Green Lake, Woodland Park (east of the Zoo).

Fremont: Lenin Statue, Fremont Troll, Burke-Gilman Bike Trail (ride from Fremont to U District to Bothell and beyond).

U District/Ravenna/Montlake: UW Campus, Cowen/Ravenna Park, UW Aboretum (across Montlake Bridge), Magnuson Park (on Lake Washington).

Capitol Hill/First Hill: Volunteer Park, Frye Art Museum.

Lower/Upper Queen Anne: Seattle Center/International Fountain, Kerry Park (viewpoint), Kinnear Park.

South Lake Union: Center for Wooden Boats.

Downtown/Pioneer Square: Pike Place Market, Klondike Gold Rush Museum.

Waterfront: Sculpture Park, Elliott Bay Park, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Coast Guard Museum.

West Seattle: Alki Beach (via the Water Taxi, not free), Schmitz Park

South Seattle: Seward Park, Kubota (Japanese) Garden, Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection.

Eastside: Marymore Park, Snoqualmie Falls, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park.

Cheap: Water Taxi (Waterfront), foot passenger WSF Ferry Ride, Canoe/Rowboat rentals (UW Waterfront Activities Center).

Cheap eats: Ethnic eats along the Ave (University Way), Larsen's Danish Bakery (Ballard), Paseo (Fremont), Dick's Drive-In (Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Lower Queen Anne), Ivar's Fish & Chips (Waterfront), Saigon Deli (Little Saigon), Uwajimaya Village Food Court (International District), Marination Station (Korean/Asian/Hawaiian - Capitol Hill), Pike Place Chowder, Piroshky Piroshky (Pike Place), Aladdin Gyro-cery (U District).

what an awesome guide thank you!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-06-2015, 09:31 PM
 
5,075 posts, read 11,093,792 times
Reputation: 4669
If you're going to Ballard, one of the good relatively cheap eats is Ray's Cafe (the upstairs part of the restaurant) at happy hour. The sound/mountain view is one of the best in the city and the bar's happy hour menu is priced really good for the quality of food.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-06-2015, 10:12 PM
 
Location: Seattle
1,883 posts, read 2,085,676 times
Reputation: 4894
Again, will you have a car? Lots of fun things to do outside the city.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2022 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Washington > Seattle area

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top