A Sunday in Seattle

Congratulations! I'd like to hear what others suggest too.

Cab fare from SEA TAC into the city is approximately $40 plus each way. You should seriously consider renting a car, even if just for the day.

Do go to the space needle. There's a window typically between 1 and 3pm when Seattle's sky's clear up. That's the time to hustle yourself over to the needle and take in some great views.

Seattle's not very big, but every place has its own name and vibe. As more people contribute and you see all these different names, most of places are only going to be a 5 to 10 minute drive apart from each other - unless traffic is bad - so don't panic about a full agenda.

Fremont is a treat and you can see the statue of lenin. There's also a great burger place nearby.

Also nearby are working locks with a salmon ladder. Cheap fun and it's rare that you get to be so up close and personal with one of humanity's more intelligent inventions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_M._Chittenden_Locks

Pike's place is okay and you can visit the original starbucks.

I'll leave the rest for others.

I like Matt's in the Market. They have nice, regional food...although apparantly its closed on Sundays. Also famous for seafood's is Tom Douglas' chain of restaurants (Dalia Lounge, etc). I've only actually gone to Serious Pie, but he was on Iron Chef AMerica in a salmon battle. I've had a few nice meals at Flying Fish over in Belltown. ... There's an AWESOME chowder place called Pike Chowder. There's one in the marketplace and one in one of the malls downtown. They have a sampler for 10 bucks, the seared scallop chowder was right up there with the best chowder's I've had, including in the Northeast. I enjoy strolling the Pike Market and just walking around downtown. Its fun to check out....if you're a foodie (which is most of my post), check out Salumi...might be closed on Sunday's. Its Armando Batali's shop (Mario's Dad) and its quite an experience. Other than that, there's also the Nordstrom flagship, some ok shopping. I'd stay closer to the water though and just browse the market...its the touristy thing to do, but really....if you only have a day, do that...seattle center area/space needle...don't really dig it as there's not much to do unless its the Taste of Seattle or whatever......if you like Music, go to the EMP in Seattle Center. The REI store is pretty cool if you like outdoorsy stuff.

oh yeah, another fun thing i've done there (I'm from LA but visit frequently) is you can rent canoes at the University of Washington and canoe around lake washington.

I have been to Seattle a number of times (on business and to visit my aunt and uncle) and love the city. I wanted to second two recs: 1) Fremont -- Be aware, it is definitely a bit away from Pike Place, etc, but it is a really fun, very bohemian neighborhood. If you want to go out near the locks and treat yourself, Ray's Boathouse is right on the water. I took one of our senior management guys there - the food is very good, but not as adventurous as some of the best in Seattle, but the views are spectacular, particularly around sunset. 2) Salumi -- It is over near Pioneer Square (an area that I don't find as charming as Belltown/Pike Place, but YMMV) but the food is AMAZING if you like Italian meats. Just stellar stuff Now, on to my own recs: 1) Lark, which is over near the University and is out of the way from other stuff, has stellar cuisine with a regional flair. Somewhat pricey, but a very cool, laid-back atmosphere 2) If in/near Pike Place, you can definitely get good seafood at Etta's Seafood, but I agree with previous recs that Matt's in the Market is pretty stellar 3) Restaurant Zoe (near Belltown) is also a bit pricey for food, but has been consistently good the three times I've visited In terms of shopping, you can check out: 1) DeCaro, a Seattle custom shop over in Belltown. Not drop-dead amazing, but a fun place to check out. He has some decent accessories 2) Blackbird is fun 3) Butch Blum is overpriced but browsable I am sure natives will add a lot more.

I'm actually flying into Seattle on Thursday night, get in around 9pm. What's a good late-night dinner spot with a semi-scene? I'm thinking of going to Palace Kitchen, never been though. Around Bellevue is ok too....downtown is fine...so is Belltown.

As a Seattle native, I have to disagree with almost every single one of their suggestions. However, as this is all subjective you may very well enjoy all of their recommendations. I would never take a guest to do any of them but, that's just my preference. Maybe the Locks but only because they are right by my house. If you would care to be more specific in what you would like to see in your limited time I am sure myself and some of the other Seattle posters would be happy to help.

As a Bellevue resident, I have to say there is no such thing as good late-night dinner in Bellevue. You'd be hard pressed to find decent late-night dinner in Bellevue.

There are several neighborhoods I would suggest but those are really dependent on your interests and every Seattle resident is going to tell you that their neighborhood is the best. They are also all about 5 minutes of driving from one neighborhood to the next so that is not exactly convenient for someone that only has one day. The best way to make the most of your day is to go downtown. From there you can walk to Pioneer Square (Seattle Underground, Elliott Bay Books, historic, touristy, expensive galleries), Belltown (boutique shopping, fine dining, bars, interesting galleries), the waterfront (Olympic Sculpture Park [stunning], good views, touristy, a few good places to eat), Queen Anne (Experience Music Project, SciFi Museum, Space Needle, the Mecca, Pacific Science Center), or stay downtown (Seattle Art Museum, Barneys, Marios, Butch Blum, Nordstrom Flagship, Rem Koolhaas library [must see], incredible restaurants, go to the top of the tallest building in town, get a latte at the worlds highest Starbucks, get a latte at the worlds oldest Starbucks (Pike Place Market], lots of other stuff...). You can walk to all of these places from the center of town. There are buses that run from Sea-Tac to downtown several times an hour. If you want something else you need to go into the neighborhoods, which is really where Seattle is at. If you can't find anything of interest in the list above let me know and I'll give you a rundown of the neighborhoods if you can be any more specific about what you want to do.

edit: None of the options in bold type will be more than about 15 blocks from where the bus would drop you off, so, walking distance. You could take a taxi but that would be a waste of money. As others have said, it would be cheaper to rent a car and pay for parking. A car would also afford you the opportunity to see some of the things that make us all love Seattle, most of which are not in the vicinity of downtown.

Go to Top Pot Doughnuts. No real reason, other than I work there, and they make good doughnuts.

yeah, i think last time we went to the taphouse?