Seattle trip in November

[CyOps]

We're planning a trip to Seattle the week of Thanksgiving. Planning on spending a day or two in downtown Seattle. The rest of the trip will be with our friends in Bremerton/Silverdale area.

Any recommendations on things to do, places to eat downtown Seattle? We have Pike Place, EMP and space needle on our list.

I'd like to head up to Hiram Chittenden locks one of the days also.

Our friends have lived in that area for several years but don't get out to do a lot of the tourist stuff.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jaretac]

We're planning a trip to Seattle the week of Thanksgiving. Planning on spending a day or two in downtown Seattle. The rest of the trip will be with our friends in Bremerton/Silverdale area.

Any recommendations on things to do, places to eat downtown Seattle? We have Pike Place, EMP and space needle on our list.

I'd like to head up to Hiram Chittenden locks one of the days also.

Our friends have lived in that area for several years but don't get out to do a lot of the tourist stuff.

Thanks in advance.

The aquarium and flea market were always popular stops when I was a kid. I always thought that taking the ferry was fun. Discounted rates if you walk on and sit comfortably in the cabin topside. I know I have cheep tastes.

 

[besserheimerphat]

There is a Puget Sound ISU Alumni Club facebook page that's fairly active - might want to try posting something there. I haven't lived out here long enough to explore Seattle yet, and I live about 90 minutes outside the metro anyway. There may be a gamewatch while you're out here. Even if there's not an official gamewatch, about a dozen ISU fans typically show up.

 

[kucyclone]

If you're going up to the Locks, try to grab lunch at Paseo in Ballard. I'd also recommend lunch at Salumi down in Pioneer Square, by the stadiums. Both of those places have odd times that they are closed, so check them out before you go. Machiavelli in Capital Hill has been my favorite dinner restaurant since coming here; I've been there four times in four months, and I don't even typically love Italian food.

I've heard that the Space Needle view is awesome, but the restaurant up there is poor. Kerry Park in Queen Anne is a phenomenal view of the city, if you don't want to pay $15 a head or whatever it is to get up in the Needle.

If you do want to do a bunch of the tourist stuff - Space Needle, EMP, Aquarium, etc. - look into the Seattle City Pass.

 

[DeereClone]

Do the needle, it is worth it.

Take a ferry ride in the bay, gives great views of the city.

Downtown/tourist area is really nice, tons of restaruants around to choose from.

Hike Mt. Rainier.

 

[Bu4ISU]

Make sure to check out the gum wall next to pike place! Also west seattle is pretty cool

 

[Warder60]

Wow, I haven't logged in or posted forever, but I live in the Kitsap area. And there is a ton to do out here - what do you like to do?
I hope you like beer because Kitsap has become quite the beer locale. I could recommend several places, and the brewery tasting rooms are always really nice local hangouts. I'd recommend getting to Der Blokken, a brewpub, if you want food and beer. If you can get up to Poulsbo, Sound Brewery is really nice, belgian style, and has won awards at GABF and others. Slippery Pig is a very unique brewery, with I guess you can say "farm style" beers and fun to visit. Vaholl is also in Poulsbo with a very Viking theme. Poulsbo also has a nice old norwegian quaint shops/waterfront type area. Hit Sluy's bakery while you're there.
If you want to go further south, Port Orchard has a waterfront area, and a new brewery there called Slaughter County is starting to get some of their own creations on tap. They have a pirate theme.

Also lots of good hiking towards the Olympics if that's your thing and you don't mind the drizzle. Port Townsend is out that way and has a nice small town waterfront and a brewery
But there are a lot more local breweries in the silverdale area, let me know if you want a list. (Not to mention Seattle)

It sounds like you got your hands around the City stuff to see. There's also a "seattle underground" tour which is pretty cool. You can find an oyster bar, we have amazing selection of oysters here if you like that kinda thing. Or get over to silverdale and buy some fresh at the grocery and shuck em yourself.

 

[SeattleClone]

#1 Elliot Bay Brewing http://www.elliottbaybrewing.com/ Go to the West Seattle one, Burien is near the airport.

#1A Pyramid Brewing Pyramid Alehouse Restaurant, 1st Avenue South, Seattle, WA - Google Maps Across the street from Safeco field

#2 Ravioli Station https://plus.google.com/102519016380977364426/about?gl=us&hl=en As the reviews say, mediocre service, but the food is great. Hard to find though.

#3 Welcome to Red Mill Burgers! Phinney Ridge is the one I (and the homeless people begging for money) always went to.

 

[danrog]

hey, been out in seattle for a little while now. Make no mistake about it, your trip will include rain, most likely the entire time you are here. Yes, that kind of sucks, but it isn't Iowa rain. You won't need an umbrella, just a good rain jacket. I'd recomend getting out of downtown, for the most part. Seattle has a lot of cool neighborhoods worth checking out that aren't touristy like downtown (eg: Hark Rock or Fox Sports Grill).

Things to do: Ballard Locks are cool and worth it. Doubt too many salmon will be running that time of year, but the fish ladder is still neat to look at. Ballard Ave has a lot of cool bars and good food as well. One of the hipper neighborhoods. Sunday market is great for local produce/food.

You may be taking a ferry to Bremerton, which should be neat. The Washington State Ferry system is very cool.
You could do Space Needle, but to be honest, the food isn't worth it and the observation deck is expensive and you probably won't be able to see either of the mountain ranges - Cascasde (including Rainier) or Olympics. If you are short on time, I'd probably not recommend taking the time to go to Rainier, due to the weather noted prior. EMP is neat, I just went for the first time, just a bit expensive at around $20 a person.

Pike Place is the signature tourist place, go there and check it out, its worth it. Don't be afraid to go deeper in the market (lower levels) and don't miss the gum wall! Go East from that area and you'll hit Capitol Hill, the young/hip area of town. Lots of bars and trendy restaurants.

I'd recommend checking out Kerry Park and Gasworks Park. Both have incredible views. While at Gasworks, definitely try out a sandwich shop near there called 'Paseo'. Was voted #2 sandwich in America. I live near there and trust me, its great. The neighborhood near there is called Fremont and is kind an eclectic artists neighborhood (turned fratty brahs at night). The nieghborhood has items included a huge troll beneath the 99 bridge, statue of lenin and also hosts a pretty neat Sunday Market.

Try as many beers as you can, there are local breweries everywhere. My favorites include Fremont Brewing, Hillards, Two Beers and Elysian. This is hops country, so I recommend some IPAs.

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[danrog]

Ha, didn't know so many Seattle Cyclones existed!

 

[NobodyBeatsCy]

Pike Brewing Co.

The Pike Brewing Company: Home

The Space Needle Golden Anniversary 2012 Vintage IPA is wonderful and they have good food. I love their Reuben

im an aviation geek, so I loved the museum of flight at Boeing Field as well as the actual Boeing factory tour in Everett

The Museum of Flight Aviation History, Airplane and Spacecraft Collections, Aerospace Library, Education and Research Center | The Museum of Flight

Boeing: Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour

enjoy

 

[simply1]

check out the donut stand in pike market too, yum.

 

[no2cyclones]

Not trying to hijack the thread at all, but I'll be out that way in January for a clinical for Physical Therapy school. I'll be in Aberdeen for the whole month, with some free time on the weekends. From maps, I've gathered that I'll be about halfway between Seattle and Portland. I've been to Seattle a couple of times and continue to love it out there.

That being said, is there anything that I should know about the area that I'll be in for my clinical? And what are your thoughts on Portland? I've been there once, but not for a couple of years; plus, that was a very guided tour of the town. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Capitol Hill is fun and Ballard near the locks has some good bars.

 

[jdvoss4cy]

Wow, I haven't logged in or posted forever, but I live in the Kitsap area. And there is a ton to do out here - what do you like to do?
I hope you like beer because Kitsap has become quite the beer locale. I could recommend several places, and the brewery tasting rooms are always really nice local hangouts. I'd recommend getting to Der Blokken, a brewpub, if you want food and beer. If you can get up to Poulsbo, Sound Brewery is really nice, belgian style, and has won awards at GABF and others. Slippery Pig is a very unique brewery, with I guess you can say "farm style" beers and fun to visit. Vaholl is also in Poulsbo with a very Viking theme. Poulsbo also has a nice old norwegian quaint shops/waterfront type area. Hit Sluy's bakery while you're there.
If you want to go further south, Port Orchard has a waterfront area, and a new brewery there called Slaughter County is starting to get some of their own creations on tap. They have a pirate theme.

Also lots of good hiking towards the Olympics if that's your thing and you don't mind the drizzle. Port Townsend is out that way and has a nice small town waterfront and a brewery
But there are a lot more local breweries in the silverdale area, let me know if you want a list. (Not to mention Seattle)

It sounds like you got your hands around the City stuff to see. There's also a "seattle underground" tour which is pretty cool. You can find an oyster bar, we have amazing selection of oysters here if you like that kinda thing. Or get over to silverdale and buy some fresh at the grocery and shuck em yourself.

If you are a beer enthusiast, I would recommend Silver City or Hop Jacks in Silverdale, both have good beer selections and great food. I went to these places frequently when I lived in Bremerton this pas spring/summer. I liked Der Blokken a lot too.

 

[Warder60]

Oh, was also going to mention that there's a free (donation) Naval Undersea Museum just north of Silverdale. It's actually quite nice if you have any interest in submarine, torpedo, or diving history. There's also an aircraft carrier museum (Puget Sound Navy Museum) - I went when I first moved here 3 years ago and it was small, maybe more geared for kids. There's also a vietnam era destroyer the USS Turner Joy right there you can tour (these are both pay).

As mentioned Silver City is really good at the mall in Silverdale. They're a brew pub, just moved their brewing ops to Bremerton where now has a tasting room which usually does some kinda cask night or pizza night around thurs or fri.
Hop Jacks doesn't brew and probably won't have any Kitsap beers, but they'll have Seattle and Portland area stuff. I frequented there for march madness. They're near the mall too.
There's also Hale's Ales at the mall, they brew over in Seattle. I like their beers the best out of the silverdale options but my friends disagree.

There's a new brewery opening in Silverdale I believe this weekend called Rainy Daze - if you want to check out something brand new. They'll only have a tasting room however.

I keep mentioning these tasting room breweries -- they're quite fun to go to with friends, order a pint and hang out. Most of them have a flight or sampler option to get a taste of everything if you desire. They'll only have peanuts or similar however.
Ones you can get a full meal plus a flight of their brews are Silver City, Hale's Ales, Der Blokken, and Slaughter County. But Sound Brewery probably has the best beer on the peninsula overall, may depend on your preferences though.

Oh if casinos are your thing - there's a brand new one just north of Poulsbo called Point Casino that has been hosting MMA type events. There's a larger more established one just before Bainbridge called Clearwater.

Anyway I won't ramble anymore unless you have any specific questions.

 

[SyracuseCyclone]

Can't go into specifics since I wasn't there for a very long time but I'll contribute a couple thoughts to this thread...

Seattle is a great place...but Vancouver is better (amazing city.) So I'd recommend a 3 hr train ride up the coast to Vancouver if your plans allow for that.

The subway is good if you are flying in you probably don't need to rent a car the subway/light rail will take you right from SeaTac into downtown.

 

[Broodwich]

Klondike Gold Rush Museum. SUPER COOL, under publicized and FREE!

 

[Cybyassociation]

I loved the EMP (Experience the Music Project). So much musical history/heritage out there.

 

[jaretac]

Do the needle, it is worth it.

Take a ferry ride in the bay, gives great views of the city.

Downtown/tourist area is really nice, tons of restaruants around to choose from.

Hike Mt. Rainier.

This time of year don't you mean ski Mt. Rainier? Passes all have snow on them, there won't be much hiking.

With that in mind, if you have the money, you can get flown into the mountains by chopper and dropped off at a peak to ski down. Not sure if there is quite enough snow yet for that, but by Thanksgiving there might be, especially if the passes get snow like we got rain last night.