Seattle Washington has everything you could ever want in a city. Great food, delicious coffee on every corner, arts, museums, sports, a temperate climate, the ocean. Seattle is also a hotbed of green technology and committed to becoming the first climate neutral city in North America by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2030. Currently on track to reduce emission to below 1990 levels by 2012, Seattle may become an even more desirable destination to visit or more move to.
Seattle Airport: Avoid Driving into Seattle Washington If You Can
As you make your way towards Seattle, you'll quickly realize why Seattle is ranked as one of the United States most traffic-congested cities. It can easily take over an hour to get in or out of Seattle during peak traffic hours compared to 20-30 minutes from the Seattle airport to downtown Seattle. From shuttle buses to rental cars, the Seattle airport offers many different ways for you to get downtown Seattle where the action is.
Food: Savor Seattle Food Tours
There are many restaurants and food tours in Seattle, but, with over twenty tastings of a variety of different foods and beverages, Savor Seattle Food Tours is ranked as one of the best tours and is also a great way to become familiar with the restaurant scene. Year-round daily tours focus on consumables that are fresh, local, organic, seasonal, and sustainable. And with individual ear pieces for everyone, the guide is easy to hear no matter where you stand.
Shopping: Pike Place Market
Truly a must see in Seattle. Whether you want to buy fresh seafood or just watch fish be thrown back and forth between the workers at the Pike Place Fish Company, Seattle's Pike Place Market will satisfy your seafood needs. Not just for the seafood lover however. At this huge market there is something for everyone. Buy some fresh flowers, sample delicious fruit, or buy a mouthwatering vegan cookie on your way to the original Starbucks.
History: Bill Speidel's Underground Tour
The tour begins in a restored 1890s saloon for a fascinating and funny history lesson before taking you down into the tunnels beneath the oldest part of Seattle. The original city of Seattle was built at sea level, so, in the late 1800s, after heavy rains huge mug puddles "deep enough … to consume dogs and small children" would form in the streets. The citizens of Seattle lived with these mud traps in their streets until the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 that destroyed over twenty-five blocks of Seattle. The underground was created during the reconstruction of what is now Seattle's Pioneer Square. The streets were raised to eliminate the mud trap problem but the new buildings of brick and stone where constructed at the street's original level. People and shop owners continued to use the old sidewalks while the eight feet and higher retaining walls were built, new higher sidewalks and streets were paved, and huge tunnels, which are thirty feet high in place, were created. The underground showcases the original first story of every building, the second story being at the current street level. Well worth the $15.00 adult admission. If you only plan on doing one tour, Bill Speidel's Underground Tour should be it. Also, the underground gift shop, where the tour ends, is located, as it should be, on one of those original first floors.
Thirst Quenching: Pike Pub & Brewery
With twelve different varieties of beer, all brewed on the premises, this micro-brewer is prefect to quench your thrust. If you are having trouble deciding which beer to get, maybe try the Pike Sampler: six 4oz glasses of half the beer the pub offers with descriptions of each beer. If trying six different beers can't help you decide what pint to order next, Kilt Lifter is a scotch ale that won't disappoint. Seattle's Pike Pub & Brewery also has a micro-brewer museum that covers nine thousand years of beer history. With great beer, cool decor, good food, and a lot of history, Seattle's Pike Pub & Brewery is worth checking out.
Bird's Eye View: Seattle's Smith Tower and Space Needle
The Smith Tower and the Space Needle provide some spectacular perches to survey the city from. If you want a panoramic view of Seattle, sit in the Space Needle's rotating restaurant, SkyCity, for an hour. The Seattle Monorail goes to the Seattle Center fairground where the Space Needle, many other attractions and the arts and entertainment centre in Seattle are located at the Seattle Center, making the Seattle Monorail a must.
There are many Museums to choose from in Seattle. The Museum of Flight, the Seattle Museum of Art, the Science Fiction Museum. Look for current exhibitions that interest you and go. Odds are you won't be disappointed.
There is a lot to do in Seattle Washington, so it's best to just head to downtown Seattle and begin exploring. If you book a room in one of the many hotels or hostels near the Pike Market, you'll always find something to do when returning to or leaving your room.
Seattle Airport: Avoid Driving into Seattle Washington If You Can
As you make your way towards Seattle, you'll quickly realize why Seattle is ranked as one of the United States most traffic-congested cities. It can easily take over an hour to get in or out of Seattle during peak traffic hours compared to 20-30 minutes from the Seattle airport to downtown Seattle. From shuttle buses to rental cars, the Seattle airport offers many different ways for you to get downtown Seattle where the action is.
Food: Savor Seattle Food Tours
There are many restaurants and food tours in Seattle, but, with over twenty tastings of a variety of different foods and beverages, Savor Seattle Food Tours is ranked as one of the best tours and is also a great way to become familiar with the restaurant scene. Year-round daily tours focus on consumables that are fresh, local, organic, seasonal, and sustainable. And with individual ear pieces for everyone, the guide is easy to hear no matter where you stand.
Shopping: Pike Place Market
Truly a must see in Seattle. Whether you want to buy fresh seafood or just watch fish be thrown back and forth between the workers at the Pike Place Fish Company, Seattle's Pike Place Market will satisfy your seafood needs. Not just for the seafood lover however. At this huge market there is something for everyone. Buy some fresh flowers, sample delicious fruit, or buy a mouthwatering vegan cookie on your way to the original Starbucks.
History: Bill Speidel's Underground Tour
The tour begins in a restored 1890s saloon for a fascinating and funny history lesson before taking you down into the tunnels beneath the oldest part of Seattle. The original city of Seattle was built at sea level, so, in the late 1800s, after heavy rains huge mug puddles "deep enough … to consume dogs and small children" would form in the streets. The citizens of Seattle lived with these mud traps in their streets until the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 that destroyed over twenty-five blocks of Seattle. The underground was created during the reconstruction of what is now Seattle's Pioneer Square. The streets were raised to eliminate the mud trap problem but the new buildings of brick and stone where constructed at the street's original level. People and shop owners continued to use the old sidewalks while the eight feet and higher retaining walls were built, new higher sidewalks and streets were paved, and huge tunnels, which are thirty feet high in place, were created. The underground showcases the original first story of every building, the second story being at the current street level. Well worth the $15.00 adult admission. If you only plan on doing one tour, Bill Speidel's Underground Tour should be it. Also, the underground gift shop, where the tour ends, is located, as it should be, on one of those original first floors.
Thirst Quenching: Pike Pub & Brewery
With twelve different varieties of beer, all brewed on the premises, this micro-brewer is prefect to quench your thrust. If you are having trouble deciding which beer to get, maybe try the Pike Sampler: six 4oz glasses of half the beer the pub offers with descriptions of each beer. If trying six different beers can't help you decide what pint to order next, Kilt Lifter is a scotch ale that won't disappoint. Seattle's Pike Pub & Brewery also has a micro-brewer museum that covers nine thousand years of beer history. With great beer, cool decor, good food, and a lot of history, Seattle's Pike Pub & Brewery is worth checking out.
Bird's Eye View: Seattle's Smith Tower and Space Needle
The Smith Tower and the Space Needle provide some spectacular perches to survey the city from. If you want a panoramic view of Seattle, sit in the Space Needle's rotating restaurant, SkyCity, for an hour. The Seattle Monorail goes to the Seattle Center fairground where the Space Needle, many other attractions and the arts and entertainment centre in Seattle are located at the Seattle Center, making the Seattle Monorail a must.
There are many Museums to choose from in Seattle. The Museum of Flight, the Seattle Museum of Art, the Science Fiction Museum. Look for current exhibitions that interest you and go. Odds are you won't be disappointed.
There is a lot to do in Seattle Washington, so it's best to just head to downtown Seattle and begin exploring. If you book a room in one of the many hotels or hostels near the Pike Market, you'll always find something to do when returning to or leaving your room.
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