In Seattle Wed night through Sun morning (Bellevue, Starbuck: rent, hotel)

[elthespian]

Hi.

I'll be in Seattle Wednesday night through Sunday morning. I'm considering moving to the area, and was thinking about sights to see during my visit. I can probably afford to pay up to $2K/mo in rent comfortably, but would like to live significantly cheaper (but still safely).

Help me add to or remove from the list?

The to-do list so far:
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1. Visit International District
2. Check out Space Needle
3. Underground Tour Moderator cut: website removed
4. Assuming Thursday goes well, maybe check out different neighborhoods where I might be interested in living
4a. Lake Union area? (on a boat?)
4b. Capitol Hill?
4c. Someplace where I wont need to own a car to get to the Denny Triangle area everyday (zipcar, public transport would probably work for me)?
4d. International District?
5. Enjoy nightlife (any specific locations?)
6. Pike St. Market

The schedule:
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Wed Night: Busy
Thu Day: Busy
Thu Evening: 5
Friday Day: 2,Lunch with friend,1,6
Friday Evening: 5
Sat Day: 3,4d,4a,4b
Sat Evening: 5

About me:
Early 30s, male, single, no kids, frugal, teetotaller, engineer, into recreational sports, board games, etc., will be looking to meet nice people of a variety of backgrounds. Will be traveling by public transportation this week.

[NWbyNW]

1. Visit International District : If you like international foods and Asian cuisine, check it out. It is not a touristy area by any means, but you will certainly get enveloped in the culture of the area. Check out the Uwajimaya (Asian grocery store, food court, and bookstore with many unique products and sights) and area around it. Also near the historic King Street Station and Pioneer Square. Many good museums and many free ones there too. A Pioneer museum, police museum and fire department museum might peak your interests.

2. Check out Space Needle : Definitely. Food at the top is expensive, but walking around the Space Needle and Seattle Center is fun enough as it is. The Science Center is fun if you just want to waste some time, or see an IMAX 3D movie.

3. Underground Tour Moderator cut : Some people like it, some don't. It's just building underground, which can be seen anyways if you walk around Pioneer Square. Some businesses and malls are underneath the sidewalks, which is real interesting, and something a lot don't realize still. Worth just exploring. It's up to you and your wallet.

4. Assuming Thursday goes well, maybe check out different neighborhoods where I might be interested in living
4a. Lake Union area? (on a boat?) : Ride "The Duck." Truck on the road that also goes in the water and tours around Lake Union! Completely unique to Seattle.

4b. Capitol Hill? : Meh.... kinda trashy if you ask me. Some nice stately homes in places, but the main places people shop and walk around is ratty trashy and seems unsafe. Check out Volunteer Park for some cool views of Seattle and Bellevue from the top of the waterpower and maybe the SAM museum if you got time and are interested in Asian history.
4d. International District? : Personally, I wouldn't live there.

5. Enjoy nightlife (any specific locations?) : I wouldn't be good at this advice, so I will let other answer.

6. Pike St. Market : Yes, do it. Unique, flying fish, fresh local goods, lots of quirky shops. Win, win.

[Seacove]

Just a side point: Ducks are not completely unique to Seattle. San Francisco and other cities have them:San Francisco duck tours | Ride The Ducks San Francisco

[elthespian]

Thanks for the awesome suggestions and tips. The Duck sounds neat. I'm into Asian cuisine, so I was definitely planning to check out the ID. And, I had read about Uwajimaya -- will check it out.

If things progress positively, I'll look through the threads some more, and I might follow up for guidance that I haven't found yet about the 'availability' of Zipcars, some specific questions about renting a boat to live on (maintenance, winters, Internet access, hidden costs, parking), and maybe some other specific questions as I come across them.

Thanks again for the info.

[Blindtom]

I would add a ferry ride to your list.

[elthespian]

Will try to do that too. Any suggestions as to which ferry?

Thanks.

[Seacove]

Seattle-Bainbridge is a good and here is the ferry schedule to see others:WSDOT - Ferries

[elthespian]

Sweet. I like that the ORCA card would work on the ferries. I'll look for things to do on Bainbridge, or at any of the other ferry destinations.

Thanks!

[benleis]

Originally Posted by NWbyNW

1. Visit International District : If you like international foods and Asian cuisine, check it out. It is not a touristy area by any means, but you will certainly get enveloped in the culture of the area. Check out the Uwajimaya (Asian grocery store, food court, and bookstore with many unique products and sights) and area around it. Also near the historic King Street Station and Pioneer Square. Many good museums and many free ones there too. A Pioneer museum, police museum and fire department museum might peak your interests.

2. Check out Space Needle : Definitely. Food at the top is expensive, but walking around the Space Needle and Seattle Center is fun enough as it is. The Science Center is fun if you just want to waste some time, or see an IMAX 3D movie.

3. Underground Tour Moderator cut : Some people like it, some don't. It's just building underground, which can be seen anyways if you walk around Pioneer Square. Some businesses and malls are underneath the sidewalks, which is real interesting, and something a lot don't realize still. Worth just exploring. It's up to you and your wallet.

4. Assuming Thursday goes well, maybe check out different neighborhoods where I might be interested in living
4a. Lake Union area? (on a boat?) : Ride "The Duck." Truck on the road that also goes in the water and tours around Lake Union! Completely unique to Seattle.

4b. Capitol Hill? : Meh.... kinda trashy if you ask me. Some nice stately homes in places, but the main places people shop and walk around is ratty trashy and seems unsafe. Check out Volunteer Park for some cool views of Seattle and Bellevue from the top of the waterpower and maybe the SAM museum if you got time and are interested in Asian history.
4d. International District? : Personally, I wouldn't live there.

5. Enjoy nightlife (any specific locations?) : I wouldn't be good at this advice, so I will let other answer.

6. Pike St. Market : Yes, do it. Unique, flying fish, fresh local goods, lots of quirky shops. Win, win.

Capitol hill (Pike/Pine Corridor in particular) has one of the best restaurant clusters in town. I'd go there for dinner and stroll around a little before myself. I'd also recommend stopping by the new Elliot Bay bookstore if you do go.

Ben

[elthespian]

Thanks for all the awesome tips. I had a really great time in Seattle. I did a ridiculous amount of walking around downtown and Lake Union. I rode the duck as suggested -- Capt. Phlip Dover is hilarious. I ended up doing the Underground tour, which gave me some pretty interesting info about the city's history. Fire? Uff da. (Did I say it right?) Pike Market was neat -- Long line at Starbucks, so I didn't go in to use the facilities as I had planned. A seaplane flew in right over our Duck, while we were on Lake Union. Great scenery.

I was by myself, and the reason I was there, Thursday, went really well, so I decided not to spend $20 to see the view from the space needle. I have a good feeling that I'll have future opportunities to check it out w/ friends. Nice view from Aurora bridge. I didn't have time to do a ferry ride, as I got to spend more time w/ a friend than I was initially planning.

I went down to the ID, and ate at the Uwajimaya deli. Lotsa food. Luckily I walked most of the way back to my hotel. No refills on soda. I also had gumbo at the Steelhead Diner where they have Jones cola (made from sugar), and checked out the gum wall.

I really enjoyed the experience. Great people. I was amazed by the way cars stopped _before_ the crosswalk. Solar powered trash compactors. Pleasant drizzles. I can't wait to go back.

It was everything I imagined it would be. Expensive compared to where I currently live. I'd need to find ways to not spend money. Thanks again! Thank you, Seattle!

Man, I really wanna live cheaply on a boat on Lake Union, if possible and not too high-maintenance.