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Seattle Info

Since there's quite a few friends and family moving or visiting Seattle, I put together a list of recommendations on things to do.  I'll update this post as I remember more suggestions.  Definitely let me know if you have any questions!

General Things to Do in the City
  1. Pike Place Market
  2. Woodland Park Zoo
  3. Aquarium
  4. Washington Park Arboretum
  5. Kayaking and canoeing around the Arboretum or Lake Union
  6. Underground Tour
    1. Tour of the streets below Seattle, and a funny brief history of Seattle
  7. Space Needle
  8. Columbia Center
    1. Panoramic view of Seattle - I like the view here better than the space needle, it's also much cheaper :)
  9. Theo Chocolate Tour
    1. They're the only fair trade, organic, bean to bar chocolate factory in the US. 
  10. Farmer's Market
    1. There's a few around Seattle, but the biggest one is in Ballard on Sunday
  11. Ride the Ducks - its kinda cheesy, but it might be fun for kids
  12. Exploring the neighborhoods of Seattle - each of the neighborhoods around Seattle usually have a main drag that have fun local restaurants, coffee shops, bars
    1. Areas I generally recommend is Fremont and Ballard for families
    2. Seattle Pi website of neighborhoods
  13. Visit the wineries in Woodinville
    1. While you're up there, there's also Maltby Cafe and the Redhook Brewery 
  14. Rent electric boat on Lake Union
    1. I haven't tried yet but heard many good things

Scenic Parks
  1. Green Lake
    1. Large lake with a walking/bike path, near Woodland Park Zoo
  2. Sculpture Park
  3. Ella Bailey Park
    1. Big open areas, BBQ, and a big park with views of the sound & Mt Rainier
  4. Golden Gardens
    1. Beach in Ballard
  5. Gas Works Park
  6. Kerry Park
    1. Another great view of Seattle 

Great Trips around Seattle
  1. Hiking - there's lots of hiking within a couple hours of Seattle, where you're walking through old growth forest, meadows, and creeks, and arriving at alpine lakes, waterfalls, or mountain views
    1. Pictures of hikes I've done (mostly in Seattle)
  2. Ferry rides
    1. There's a few islands with small towns west of Seattle - you can also go out to the San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula
  3. San Juan Islands - has cute towns with hiking, camping, whale watching, biking activities
  4. Whale watching around Anacortes 
  5. Olympic Peninsula
    1. This is west of Seattle and has wide range of activities, you can get here with a ferry ride
    2. There's a mountain range with great hiking, beaches on the Pacific coast, rain forest
  6. Leavenworth
    1. Small touristy Bavarian town couple hours east of Seattle
    2. Its fun to walk through town (only a few blocks though), we mostly go for the activities nearby - hiking, camping, water tubing, etc
  7. Vancouver
  8. Portland - only a few hours away
  9. Mt. St. Helens
  10. Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
    1.  Wildlife Park - I haven't been but have friends who highly recommend it

Events

  1. Skagit Valley Tulip Festival - April
  2. Cheese Festival - in Pike Place market,  May
  3. Seattle International Film Festival
  4. SEAFAIR - lots of activities from June - Aug
  5. Bite of Seattle - delicious food booths set-up in the Seattle Center,  July
  6. Chocolate Salon - July
  7. Bumbershoot at the Seattle Center - Labor day weekend
  8. Fremont Oktoberfest

Music
  1. There's a lot of great music in Seattle
  2. Some locations:
    1. Showbox
    2. Neumos
    3. Jazz Alley
  3. Ever year, there's Bumbershoot at the Seattle Center
  4. The Gorge, a few hours from the city has a number of shows.  Below are 2 I consider ever year:
    1. Sasquatch
    2. DMB
  5. Latest on Seattle Weekly 

Snow in Washington - what makes the winter fun!
  1. Checking conditions
    1. Sign up for Larry's Powder report
    2. Cascade Crud - aggregate of the various mountain conditions
    3. WSDOT - road conditions
  2. Skiing or Snowboarding
    1. Crystal Mountain - 2 hours south of Seattle
    2. Stevens Pass - 2 hours northeast of Seattle
    3. Mt. Baker - 2.5 hours north of Seattle, nearby has great cheap cabins for the weekend 
    4. Snoqualmie Pass - 40 mins from Seattle, good for night riding after work
  3. Snowshoeing

More Activities and Ways to Get Involved in Seattle
  1. DiscNW - ultimate frisbee community
    1. Lots of leagues and teams for all skills and commitment levels
  2. Indoor Rock Climbing at Vertical World
    1. If you're new to rock climbing, they have a great deal for beginner lessons and a week of free visits.  I haven't been, but I heard Stone Gardens is better if you prefer bouldering
  3. Dancing at the Century Ballroom
    1. Great classes and dance nights for salsa, swing, etc
  4. Washington Trails Association 
    1. Their website has useful trip reports of recent hikes and trail/road conditions
  5. World Affairs Council 
    1. Local non-profit that hosts lots of interesting talks, language tables, etc

Public Transit
  1. Metro Trip Planner
  2. Seattle Bicycling Guide
  3. Bikewise - public bike reports

Some Places (mostly food) I Like in Capitol Hill
  1. Sushi Maki
    1. Best priced and good sushi in Cap Hill
  2. Stumbling Monk
    1. Great selection of Belgian beer, and they don't mind if you bring food (like Sushi Maki which is just down the block :)
  3. Than Brothers on Broadway
    1. Delicious cheap pho, and they give you a free cream puff :)
  4. Bleu Bistro
    1. Love their caprese appetizer and pasta dishes
  5. Indian Express
    1. Really good Indian food, and you can do take-out
  6. Bikram Yoga at the Sweatbox
  7. City People
    1. Not really Cap Hill, but close.  If you sign up for their newsletter, you'll find out about their classes (went to one on chicken farming) and get a 15% coupon every month
  8. Habesha Ethiopian Restaurant
    1. Also not really in Cap Hill, but close and worth trying if you like Ethiopian food

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