How to spend 3 days in Seattle, Washington.
| VITAL INFORMATION | |
| Population | 582,000 |
| Languages spoken | English |
| Currency | USD |
| Average temperature | Summer: 76F; winter 37F |
| High season | June to August |
Seattle is the place where grunge music started and the first cup of Starbucks coffee was brewed. With a metropolitan population that tops 3.3 million, the city has evolved into a hip and music-filled travel destination for the fun, energetic guy to enjoy. Let's take you there and show you how to spend 3 days in Seattle.
Day 1: Up on a high note
Tourists usually flock to Seattle's friendly west coast setting by plane, while residents of nearby Vancouver and Victoria often arrive by car or ferry. Sea-Tac Airpot is located 13 miles from Seattle, so if you do fly in, you'll be city-bound in due time.Seattle hotels are plentiful. The Fairmont offers the area's only five-star service. But we like the quiet, Mediterranean-style digs of the Hotel Monaco, which come complete with pet goldfish. Located downtown, The Monaco hosts the Hour of Indulgence, where guests enjoy nightly beer and wine near the main fireplace. Travelers on a tighter budget should try the Ace Hotel, a Euro-style rest stop with photo and graffiti murals that are appropriate for its setting in the hip and artistic Belltown district. The Ace even substitutes the Kama Sutra and condoms for the Bible and chocolate. If you need food, the artsy and tasty Cyclops Café is just down below.
Start your first day at the Space Needle, the most recognizable sight on the Seattle skyline. Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the needle stands 60 stories against a width that doesn't exceed 138 feet. By modern standards, it's no giant, but 45 million visitors have enjoyed the 43-second elevator trip to the top, where an observation deck offers panoramic city views. You can also spot the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, as well as the equally scenic Mount Rainier. For lunch, try the rotating Sky City Restaurant, where the menu is loaded with local specialties like smoked salmon with honey and peppercorn. On your return elevator ride to the bottom, you'll be cruising like a raindrop.
Paul G. Allen's Experience Music Project is your next stop. Allen's brainchild was built in 2000, and the first thing you'll notice is master architect Frank Gehry's unique sheet metal design. Almost four million visitors have enjoyed this 140,000 square foot ode to music with one of the most popular stops being the Sky Church, where tributes to rock pioneers like Jimi Hendrix play on a 40-by-70 foot screen. A stop at the Northwest Passage spotlights local Washington legends Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Bing Crosby. You can even try interactive exhibits that let you play music yourself or feel the rush of a simulated on-stage performance. Before you make dinner plans, take a quick ride on the Seattle Center Monorail, which runs right by the museum.
It's dinnertime and we're taking you to the Magnolia district where you'll find the Palisade Restaurant, comfortably located on the waterfront. The Palisade's rustic feel is complimented by a salt water pond that decorates the middle of the restaurant. The menu includes several seafood staples prepared at the hands of Chef Mike Bryan, but the Rotisserie Roasted Nebraska Prime Rib won't let you down either. You'll enjoy a great meal, coupled with a stunning view of downtown Seattle and the beautiful Puget Sound.
For the rest of the evening, enjoy the music of the legendary Showbox Theater, Seattle's iconic venue that dates back to 1939. From classic jazz or modern grunge, this ballroom has seen it all with a roster of past guests that have included everyone from Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington to Kid Rock and Blues Traveler. The atmosphere depends on who's playing, which only makes things refreshingly unpredictable. Tradition dictates that you start with a cocktail in the Green Room and one of their famous hot dogs after the show. Green Room patrons will also enter the Showbox showroom earlier than other customers. It's a great ending to your first night in the Emerald City.
Day 2: The underground wilderness
You'll begin your second day with a history lesson on the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. Engulfing 33 blocks of wooden buildings, the fire prompted developers to erect new buildings above the old ones, creating an entire underground quadrant. In 1965, the late Seattle resident Bill Speidel started a three-block underground tour of Pioneer Square that's still going strong today. The tour starts inside the 1890s saloon run by Doc Maynard and concludes at a rogue's gallery of quirky Seattle historical figures. If you're feeling daring, take the Underworld Tour, which puts an adult spin on the proceedings by discussing the city's early days of drug trading and prostitution. After touring, enjoy some fish and chips or a deluxe burger from the neighboring Underground Café.After lunch, a visit to the award-winning, 65-acre Woodland Park Zoo is in order. The zoo opened in 1899, and now hosts close to 300 animal species and over 7,000 trees. Considered to be one of the best of its kind in North America, the zoo's exhibits aim to recreate natural habitats as much as possible. Start with the African Savanna where you can hang with zebras and even hand-feed the giraffes. When you're ready for a new exhibit, you can opt for the wolves and bears of the Northern Trail, the South American animals of the tropical rain forest or the elephants of tropical Asia. Wherever you go, it's a nice diversion from the bustling city's core.
We're taking you to Wild Ginger for your second Seattle dinner. Spoiling tourists and locals with Asian specialties for nearly 20 years, Chef Nathan Uy doesn't modernize traditional dishes or blend them with North American cuisine. The food is derived from tasty Pacific Rim recipes that help make Wild Ginger the most popular restaurant in the city, according to The Zagat Guide. The tasty menu has a lot to choose from. We're partial to the Dungeness crab, which are kept live on-site and can be prepared five different ways.
More music is on the menu tonight, and a few hours at the Crocodile Café will certainly hit the spot. Locals consider it to be Seattle's grunge mainstay, where some upstart bands are lucky enough to land record deals within weeks of performing there. Nirvana and the Presidents of the United States of America got their start here, and the crowd is a pleasing mix of music lovers and aspiring musicians. If you want to talk music and sip a few bevies, this is the place to do it. For a small venue, the acoustics are solid and the party is sure to last into the wee hours of the morning. You might not have heard of the acts, but if they hit it big soon afterward, your night at the Crocodile will hold many fond memories.
Day 3: Discover your natural rhythm
For your last day in Seattle, your morning begins in the historic Pike Place Market. A Belltown market that's been open for business since 1907, Pike Place still stands as the city's busiest tourist attraction. Your stroll should include the Pike Place Fish Market, where employees toss giant fish back and forth. When you feel like a coffee, it's only a short walk to the first-ever Starbucks -- complete with its original logo. Chow down on some of the ever-popular breakfast quesadillas at Lowell's, and don't leave Pike Place without saying goodbye to Rachel, the official bronze pig mascot.Head over to Magnolia for a hike through Discovery Park, the biggest public park in Seattle. At 534 acres, you can see wildlife in most directions, whether it's birds, chipmunks or California sea lions. Walking is the norm here, with most of the 12 miles of paths forming the Loop Trail, a trek that goes through several habitats and offers a morning look at Puget Sound. For some quiet time, stop at one of the two beaches, located at each end of Discovery Park. If local native history piques your interest, there's also the nearby Daybreak Star Cultural Center.
For your last Seattle supper, you'll be served at Cascadia Restaurant. It's a popular dinner spot where meals are served against a modern backdrop with a "rain window" to observe Chef Kerry Sear's careful preparations. If the weather's nice, take a seat on the patio of the city's hippest district and feast on a gourmet meal of white truffle gnocchi or wild king salmon.
It's party time at Lo-Fi for your last night of 3 days in Seattle. A giddy throwback to the party scene of 1970s' Manhattan lofts, Lo-Fi is the kind of happening joint that would make Andy Warhol proud. Inside its walls, you'll find mostly hip-hop and electronica from the record-spinning DJs who keep the energy alive. Although it has somewhat of a funky apartment setting, Lo-Fi manages to squeeze in a bar, a dance floor, a few comfortable couches, and a stage. When you're not dancing up a storm, have a sip at the bar and gaze out onto a clear view of the Space Needle, where the first of three adventurous days in Seattle originated.
tips for the trip
- If you're looking for golf, you'll be happy to find The Golf Club at Newcastle, which was designed under the guidance of former Masters Champion, Fred Couples.
- If you want to make a unique stop in Seattle, you can visit the grave of martial arts legend Bruce Lee in Lake View Cemetery. His son, Brandon of The Crow, is also buried there.
- Depending on when you visit, you might be lucky enough to catch the annual Seafair in July and August or the renowned Seattle International Film Festival in May and June.
the emerald city
Don't let Seattle's rainy reputation fool you. For one, it clouds more than it actually rains. For another, the rainy reputation might be the work of locals who don't want the secret out that the Emerald City is a happening place to be. Take an escape to the Pacific Northwest's hippest city and you'll come away with memories of oodles of good food, a plethora of great music and an altogether fun time.Resources:
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