Vacation in Seattle

[Catbert]

DH and I are taking a short vacation to Seattle in mid-September.  I found this thread which has a lot of great ideas:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/offbeat-things-to-do-in-seattle/msg372817/?topicseen#msg372817

I still have a couple of specific questions:

Ideas for breakfast places (we are staying at the Crowne Plaza downtown on 6th)

We'll be celebrating a wedding anniversary so any ideas for one nice dinner?  The Pink Door near Pike Place market was suggested.  I can go a bit pricey as long as DH doesn't have to wear a tie.

We are renting a car one day to tour the Boeing plant (DH worked in aerospace).  What other sightseeing should we do in that general direction?  We plan to use public transportation and our feet the rest of the time.

We are in our 60s if that makes a difference in your suggestions. 


 

[pac_NW]

Breakfast - the Fat Hen, Portage Bay
Dinner - Pink Door is great. I would also recommend How to Cook a Wolf in Queen Anne. Dalia is also tasty. Best Mexican - Fonda la Catrina in Georgetown.
You might find time to visit Whidbey Island, officially a San Juan island - short ferry ride from Boeing. A ferry ride to an island like Bainbridge or others is iconic for Seattle. Carkeek Park is on the way to Boeing - lovely.

[wendyj]

The Museum of Flight might be of interest to you.  From reading your post,  I think you mean you are driving up to Everett to tour the Boeing assembly plant?  The Museum of Flight is just south of Seattle by Boeing Field.  I think walking or bussing to the Pike Place market for breakfast would be nice.  If you go early, when it is just opening, it is not too crowded and I don't think would be as bad in September, as in the summer.  Lots of good coffee shops too, besides Starbuck's which are everywhere, obviously!  You might like Cherry Street Coffee, which is close to your hotel.  I would second taking a ferry ride anywhere, if you have time.  You could drive to Anacortes from Everett and take a day trip to the San Juans, but not sure how long a trip you are planning.  There are so many great options and things to do and see!  Should definitely hit Seattle Center/Space Needle and if it's warm enough, and it's working, run through the fountain! 

[Ricky]

Seattle for some reason isn't big on traditional breakfast fare. They're more geared towards coffee and cafe's. Skillet in Capitol Hill is a great choice and has excellent chicken & waffles. Not too far from downtown and definitely worth it at least one or two mornings.

[Dicey]

Loved the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field, which we found via the CityPass program. (Not great for such a short visit, so I don't recommend it for this trip, but would otherwise.) I highly recommend the Seattle Central Library. Awesome architecture, great views on clear days, cool art. If you're pressed for time, go to the top and work your way down via the perimeter ramps. Did I mention it's free? Depending on your schedule, there might be a program on that you might enjoy.

http://www.spl.org/locations/central-library/cen-plan-a-visit

If you go to Pike Place Market (do), be sure to find the Gum Wall. Gross, but charmingly quirky and of course, free!

[milesdividendmd]

Din tai fung for soup dumplings!

[clarkfan1979]

I was in Seattle last week and did the city pass. It was only $69 and you got EMP, Chuhily, Aquarium & the Spaceneedle & some sort of boat thing that we didn't do. I was big into Nirvana as a kid, so the Nirvana exhibit at the EMP was worth it. They have a Stars Wars thing that cost an extra $15. I wanted to do it but the rest of the group didn't.

You can do ferry for $5 a person if you don't have a car. It's a great view trekking across the sound.

I had a bad experience with breakfast at Portage Bay in Ballard. They ended up comping the whole meal and offering free drinks because it was so bad and they know they messed up.

Maybe a quick trip to the mountains?

[big_slacker]

Maybe a quick trip to the mountains?

If you like hiking and have a car Sun Top is short and should still have some amazing views of Mt. Rainer. Or if you want a longer/harder hike Poo Poo Point to the east has an incredible view. Google either, they're easy to find.

[2ndTimer]

This suggestion will depend on where you live.  If you are not from a place with a vibrant Asian population I would definitely visit the International District to wander around and absorb the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of these cultures.  If you come from somewhere like San Francisco, you can do this at home so it would be less new and exciting.  If you like dim sum  I would definitely recommend Jade Garden.

[Bearded Man]

Visit West 5 in West Seattle. Also Alki Beach with sweeping views of downtown Seattle and the Space Needle at night. You can even build a fire on the beach!

Ride the ducks!

Do the underground tour of pioneer square.

Space Needle.

Checkout the Show Box!

Pikes Place Market of course, which has the first Starbucks...

Visit building 92 at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond.

Checkout the Experience Music Project

The Pacific Science Center.

Chopstix!

[Vilgan]

For dinner: Restaurant Marche on bainbridge. We did my wedding reception dinner there and go back each anniversary. Its our favorite place to eat in the Seattle area and the ferry ride to and from is a lot of fun too. Other places mentioned are great, but Marche is pretty darn fabulous. Be sure to make reservations a few weeks ahead though.

[Noodle]

You will have a great time!

The Pink Door is a Seattle classic but there are many more places to choose from. There is only one restaurant in Seattle I know that requires a tie! Casual dress pretty much anywhere. My current fave for special occasions is RN74 downtown but Matt's in the Market is a classic; Steelhead Diner does seafood--nice enough food to feel special but still casual.

Lots of great things to do. The Sculpture Garden downtown is a nice walk with a great view of the water. For people with a car and a little time, I always recommend the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. The exhibits are interesting but the cool part is that they always have glass artists demonstrating their work.

I will say--there is plenty of breakfast food in Seattle but it tends to be out in the neighborhoods where people live--downtown is mostly tourists and business people. When I'm downtown in the morning I usually just go to a bakery (they often have a few cooked things too). There is a Belgian Waffle place called Sweet Iron that I liked a lot.

[Telecaster]

We are renting a car one day to tour the Boeing plant (DH worked in aerospace).  What other sightseeing should we do in that general direction?  We plan to use public transportation and our feet the rest of the time.

We are in our 60s if that makes a difference in your suggestions.

Near the Everett Boeing plant at Pane Field is the Flying Heritage Collection.  They have quite a large collection of WWII aircraft (and other related stuff).  And they actually fly the planes!   Watching the planes fly is free, which they do on most saturdays.    There is also a museum where they house the planes. 

http://flyingheritage.com/TemplateEventsCalendar.aspx?contentId=54

[Goldielocks]

Sci Ffi Museum -- If you ever read Sci Fi, or watched sci fi movies / tv shows and especially Ripley in Alien movies.  This is for you.

I did not really want to go, but DH dragged me in, and it was AWESOME!!! 

[zippyc]

If the weather is nice, check out Ballard (great Farmers market on Sundays from 10-3pm) and the Ballard Locks.

A not fancy restaurant that I Love is Wild Ginger. It's nice and you will probably need reservations, but a tie will not be required (nor will it be required at most Seattle restaurants - we don't roll like that).

For views without crowds, go up to the viewing deck at the Columbia Tower on 5th and Cherry.

Again, if nice weather, Duck tours are goofy, but it's a nice way to see the city and get out on the water.

[hownowbrowncow]

Duck tours?  Total rip-off, cheesy and don't get me started on the music.

I recommend the Ice Cream Cruise http://www.seattleferryservice.com/schedule2/

$11 vs. $29 for the same ride as the ducks and the captain is a real character.  Board by the MOHAI

Lloyd Martin, Lark or Local 360 for a nice dinner.  The L thing was totally unintentional. 

[spokey doke]

I second a ferry ride (like out to Bainbridge and back)...great views of the mountains, water, and city...I especially like to time it so I come back in the evening or as the sun is setting and see the city as it lights up...Take a picnic or grab some food on the other side...

[cautiouspessimist]

I second the Seattle Underground Tour. It's really interesting, though at $16 per person (60+ price) it is a bit expensive for a 75 minute tour.

[SeattleStache]

The Center for Wooden Boats in SLU offers free boat rides on Sundays. Get there early to sign up and you can choose which type of boat you'd like to go out on. Took my brother on a sail boat ride and it was a fun/free thing to do.

[seattlecyclone]

Aviation-related, the Museum of Flight is absolutely excellent. Your husband can easily spend a day or three there. It's not at all near the Boeing plant, but it's a pretty easy bus ride from downtown. Near the Boeing plant, the Flying Heritage Collection is worth a visit. The Museum of Flight also has a facility up that way where they restore old planes for museum display. It's also pretty cool. If you don't want to spend your whole trip looking at airplanes, I would probably prioritize the Museum of Flight over the Flying Heritage Collection and the restoration center.

[OlyFish]

Make a reservation to http://www.manekirestaurant.com/ for dinner if you like Japanese food. They have amazing stuff but if you don't have a reservation you will end up sitting crammed in at the bar with no elbow room. but even if you have to do that, it's still worth it.

If you are beer people, you can do a walking beer tour in Ballard area.

riding the ferry over to Bainbridge has pretty views and is cheap or free if you are on foot.

I also like South Lake Union for walking around/ people watching/ eating things.

I get agoraphobic in big crowds so I don't love going to PP market, but it is worth seeing. I still will never understand people who wait in line for 20 minutes to get coffee at the original Starbucks... which tastes exactly like every other damn Starbucks. There are better coffee places right around the block with no lines! or other Starbucks a block away with no lines! Literally the only difference is that there is a line at that one and you can see the Mermaid's boobs.

The other place I like is the Seattle Cider company, which is in the south part of the city, kind of towards the airport. they have all kinds of specialty ciders.

[Goldielocks]

Take the 2+ he drive across the border and go outlet shopping at 75 cents on the dollar!