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Grey Area goes to Seattle

  
 
Grey Area
11:56 / 04.05.04
So yeah, I've decided to take off for a week and not even think about my research, 80000 word thesis and screwed up local politics. I'm going to Seattle. And seeing as past 'tell me what to see' threads provided other Barbeloids with good info I'm asking for the same.

What listings mag should I get to find out where the good bands are playing? Where are the good and cheap restaurants that serve up heaps of quality food at dinky-dee prices? Can I go everywhere on foot or should I bite the bullet and rent a car? Inform me, you masses of the 'Lith...my mind craves information.

Oh, and would any Dublin-based Barbeloids have a driveway in which I could dump my car for a week? Dublin airport's parking charges are feckin' scandalous hey.
 
 
Doctor Singapore
22:10 / 04.05.04
Look for the free newsweeklies "The Stranger" and "Seattle Weekly" for band/club listings...they're available pretty much everywhere, and have pretty comprehensive A&E coverage.

I don't live in Seattle, so can't recommend any good restauraunts...but having visited many times, I'd say you can get just about anywhere in downtown and surrounding areas (U District, Belltown, etc.) by foot and/or bus.

Definetely check out Pike Place Market...it's a little touristy, but a good place to grab an espresso or a quick bite to eat, and it's fun to watch the vendors in the fish booth throwing and catching the merchandise as they fill out orders.

If you can spare the time, the "Experience Music Project" (rock 'n' roll museum, next to the Space Needle) is worth a look. Admission is $20, but you could (and I did) spend close to a whole day looking at all the exhibits. If the price seems too steep, at least check out the Frank Gehry-designed exterior.

Any other Nothwesterners with more specific advice?
 
 
Baz Auckland
22:49 / 04.05.04
I would walk. The city's nice enough not to need a car. AND you can ride those really neat underground buses they have! Themain art gallery's quite nice (hard to miss with the 40ft moving sculpture out front). There's also a tour of underground Seattle which takes you through the 19th century buildings that are now underneath the city after being built over... pretty cool (although I missed the tour myself)...

..If you were going for longer than a week I would say "go to Vancouver! It's only 2 hours away!" But if you do get bored, it is pretty close...
 
 
pony
02:32 / 05.05.04
ok, so i just departed the great northwest after several years, and here's my advice.

1. do NOT pick up a copy of the seattle weekly. the stranger may be snarky and juvenile, but it has everything you need to know within its pages.

2. the underground tour is really very cool, especially as guided tours for tourists go. plus, it's only 8 dollars. link

3. i'll second the suggestion about pike place market. the fish vendors are fun to watch, and the waterfront is very nice to hang out by (i forget the name of the park by the market, but you can't really miss it).

4. if you want to hang out with the scenester kids or go rockstar spotting afterhours, the cha-cha (and the ajoining burrito joint) are the place to go. it's at 506 east pine (a quick walk from the market. tip: when orienting yourself to seattle geography, use the market as a main referent, and use the space needle to orient yourself if you're already lost).

5. the downtown core has free bus service. it's not a huge area, but it is useful/convenient. get a bus schedule and take advantage of this.

6. dick's on broadway. you must get a burger here. it's a rule. 115 broadway east.

7. listen to sir mix-a-lot's 'posse on broadway' before hitting broadway, or while on broadway. it's enlightening, really.

8. the seattle center is really to be avoided. if you must, ride to the top of the space needle (it's a nice view, kind of pricey, certainly don't eat at the resteraunt at the top) or go to the EMP (i think it's stupid, but you know if you're the sort to enjoy that kind of thing. the architecture is definitely worth checking out, though, and if you want to see the inside of the building without paying $20, see if there are any good/cheap shows in the evenings).

9. if you're really bored, there's a planetarium thing with lazer shows at night so you can drop acid and listen to/watch 'lazer tool'. i don't suggest it.

10. in the u-district, everything revolves around 'the ave'. just ask, people will point you in the right direction. definitely worth an afternoon stroll. also, if you know how to sail you can walk to the lake by the university (just follow the downward incline in the U district, you'll hit the water soon enough) and liberate/borrow someone's boat from the docks. on a nice day, it can be beautiful. just don't break the boat.

11. roq la rou is a nice young/edgy (without the pretension) art gallery with a low-brow/juxtapoz-y kind of vibe and wonderful curators. go. 2316 2nd ave, walkable from the market. link

12. if you want to catch a movie, go to the cinerama. the screen is really big/weird. you kind of have to see it to understand, and i think you should. link

13. vancouver is beautiful and close-by, but if you do things right seattle should entertain you for a week.

14. the old western state asylum (site of pioneering electoshock therapy on francis farmer) is a burnt out shell and said to be haunted. definitely a weird, weird experiece, especially at night/in the boiler room. if you're interested, i'll post detailed directions, it's about a half hour south of seattle.

15. olympia (1 hour south) is small and cute and punk, but prolly not much to visit aside from the summer festivals. i'm just homesick... however, if you do visit, you must drink the water (i.e. from the artesian well that looks like a pipe sticking out a parking lot). it's amazing...

16. i'm surely missing lots of things. ask questions, i might have answers.
 
 
onorthocrasi
04:17 / 05.05.04
i work in the EMP and i certainly dont suggest visiting it. No offence to anyone but ive always felt it was a museum for people who want their music experiences to be portion sized, safe, and segragated from the actual musicians and "scene" itself. But if you do come in the restaraunt its pretty good (if you are meat eater) and while a little pricey the portions
are large and the quality is good. If you go two blocks north
of the EMP on 5th st. and take a left on Roy st. there is Bamboo Garden one block down on the right. Bamboo Garden is a really good vegan chinese restaraunt. The price is right especially during the day when they have combo meals. I suggest the faux almond chicken dish (which is also in combo
B i believe).

I also suggest the Underground tour, i went there with an aunt of mine a couple of years ago i was suprised at how fun
it was. It is very informative and the tour guides are charismatic and funny.

The Stranger is far superior to the Seattle Weekly almost every show in town is in there.

If you do get a car (which you certainly do not need for the
city the public transportation is certainly passable) do try
to visit Mt. Ranier. It is truly one of the most majestic places i've ever visited.

Thanks for letting me rant about stomping grounds. If you have any questions Grey Area feel free to msg me or post back.
 
 
Grey Area
08:52 / 05.05.04
Wow...thanks everyone. That's more than enough to fill a week. But if anyone has anything to add it'll be welcomed with a beaming smile and loads of gratitude. Thanks for the advice about The Stranger. That'll be one of the first things I grab then. The underground tour sounds like a must-see too (one that isn't included in my &%$*ing guidebook of course). Cinerama sounds good too...except that they'll be showing Shrek 2 when I get there.

Any advice on good hikes that aren't too taxing and can be completed in half a day or so? I know I'm not in good enough shape to go strutting up Mt. Ranier, but I'm not looking for a prarie stroll either. My guidebook lists tons of trails, but time being short I'd appreciate a recommendation from someone who's been there.
 
 
Studygirltash
14:53 / 05.05.04
Hmmm, are you just going to wander around or are you planning on seeing people in the area? Just a thought but they might have some good ideas too
 
 
Grey Area
14:56 / 05.05.04
Well I would hope that I meet people...I hear Seattle is full of them. Are there actually any Barbeloids in Seattle who'd be up for a Barbemeet?
 
 
pony
19:51 / 05.05.04
in terms of hikes, mt. rainier (ruh-NEAR) isn't really that taxing. i say that if you have access to a car, your three best bets are:

1. mt. rainier.

2. mt. st. helens (dude, it's an active volcano!)

3. the olympic peninsula. you (and your car) can take a ferry from seattle to the peninsula, don't drive around the sound, it's stupid. the peninsula is BEAUTIFUL. temperate rainforest, glaciers, fjord-type things, volcanos, extremely large trees. i've never been anywhere with such a prehistoric vibe.

anyway, look into all three, pick which ever one seems to coolest. you can't really go wrong with any of them, although the peninsula has the advantage of not dealing with many fellow tourists.
 
 
pony
19:57 / 05.05.04
also: the rhododendron botanical species garden in federal way (10-ish miles south of seattle) is really cool if you like plants. 22-acres, most kinds of rhodies in the world. link
 
  
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