Seattle in Two Days
And
a funny question
by
Robert Painter
 If you’re getting on or
off a cruise ship in Seattle it would be a huge mistake to just pass
directly from the airport to the cruise terminal without spending at least a
day or two in the Emerald City. There’s a whole heck of a lot to do and if
you have just a short time I’ll offer you some suggestions to help you get
the most from your trip.
 You might want to begin by
searching VisitSeattle.com. You
can find an online copy of the official Seattle Visitors Guide or you can
request a print copy. Doing a
bit of research before you arrive can pay off with great dividends.
If you know what you want to do before you arrive you won’t waste
time trying to figure out what to do and you won’t miss some great things
simply because you didn’t know about them.
But, that’s where I hope I can help you with some suggestions and
recommendations.
Your
choice of hotel will make a difference.
The Grand Hyatt is exceptionally well located for a short stay
because it is within walking distance of the Pike Place Market and the
monorail – as well as much of the terrific downtown shopping areas.
I could hardly believe the exercise room.
It surpassed many small commercial gyms and must be one of the top
hotel gyms in the country. The suites are beautiful and the rooms are
spacious as well. If you stay
in one of the suites at the upper level, you’ll have a very nice continental
breakfast and evening drinks after your long day of sightseeing.
Another
nearby choice, although a couple of blocks further from the action is the
Homewood Suites.
These extra spacious accommodations are very comfortable and in the morning
you can go down and have a nice hot breakfast included – you can even play
with the cute little machine that turns out perfect waffles every time.
 If you arrive mid-day or
later, you might want to catch the double decker bus tour around the city.
Or, maybe the Duck tour.
Either one will give you a great tour of the city and you’ll be in the open,
so don’t forget your camera.
The duck tour will even give you a little cruise for extra measure.
 Consider getting a Go
Seattle Card. It provides
admission to many museums, attractions, and even a harbor cruise.
You can buy a one or two day pass. Just remember that the pass is for
the calendar day not for 24 hours.
And usually it is good for most venues only until 5:30 pm, so you may
want to get it for your second day and map out your day pretty carefully to
squeeze in as much as possible.
Just don’t overdue it, like I usually do, and try to get in too much,
although you will have a cruise coming up to catch up on your rest.
 You may want to begin that
second day with a morning trip to the top of the Space Needle for a
panoramic view of the city. It’s not as crowded early and you can plan
visits to nearby attractions when you get back to the ground.
It’s easy to get to the Space Needle on the monorail that runs
directly there from the shopping area near your hotel. It’s the only stop,
so you can’t miss it. After the
Space Needle I’d go directly to the
Experience Music Project (EMP) next door. The Frank Gehry
architecture will grab your attention before you even get off the monorail
and the interior is equally impressive. If you want to relive Woodstock –
this is the place. Except maybe for the smoke!
If you’re any kind of Rock n’ Roll fan you simply cannot miss it.
And, it’s Nirvana for Jimi Hendrix followers.
 When you walk out the front
door of the EMP just continue across the street and hop on a Duck, although
you should probably stop there and make reservations before you zip up to
the top of the Needle – it’s a popular and fun tour.
A bit loud and boisterous so if you can’t handle that, wait and take
the Grayline’s red, open-topped, double decker tour bus around the city.
If you
have to wait for your Duck tour, go back across the street and right next
door to the EMP you’ll find the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame – a
great place to kill some time.
 You’ll pass by it on
either of the tours, but it’s only a short walk from the EMP to the Olympic
Sculpture Park. You’ll find
something here by Alexander Calder and you’ll also find some giant traffic
cones – art, as well as beauty, is in the eye of the beholder!
 As long as you’re walking
you might as well continue on down to the bayfront and the Pike Place
Market. Of course, if you have
a double decker bus ticket you can catch a ride at the Space Needle down to
the Pike Place Market area, but I prefer to walk, as long as I have time,
and see as much as I can on foot.
Besides, once you get to the Market you’re going to be tempted by all
kinds of fabulous food stalls – best to walk off the calories before you
even consume them. Seafood,
naturally, is a big attraction here.
But, so are the bakeries with great pastries, sour dough bread,
wondrous sandwiches, heavenly deserts and plenty of farm fresh fruit.
 Walk the length of the
market and you’ll see everything from finely handcrafted gift items to
interesting art works to an impressive array of produce and fish.
Hang around a bit where the crowds are gathered at the main entrance
to the market and you may see some large 3 and 4 feet long fish being tossed
around. It’s part of the show
when someone buys one of these beauties to toss it from the ice-filled
display to the scale guy who weighs it to the next guy who wraps it up for
the customer. Set your camera
on the movie icon and catch it all!
I’d have
lunch or a late afternoon snack at the market and then head on south.
You can walk from here to Pioneer Square (remember, you can still
catch the double-decker – your ticket is an on and off ticket for the whole
day) and see this early historical area.
Your Go Seattle card includes a 90 minute Underground Tour.
I didn’t have time for this one, but I did hear that it’s a fun tour.
You can also explore nearby Chinatown from here – that’s on my list
for the next trip, as well.
 If you’ve seen Seattle from
a tour bus or a Duck or from the top of the Space Needle, you still haven’t
seen it from the harbor. Your
Go Seattle pass even includes an Argosy Harbor Cruise.
You’ll see some fantastic views of the city and get a chance to learn
much about the harbor and the city on this terrific hour long tour of the
harbor. As you pass cruise
ships, tugs and freighters you’ll learn how they all work together to make
this deep water port a great starting point for that wonderful Alaskan
cruise waiting for you in another day or so.
 Of course, to get another
entirely different perspective of Seattle and its surrounding islands a
flight seeing tour is in order.
Taking off in a beautifully restored deHavilland seaplane from the
“Sleepless in Seattle” Lake Union waterfront, this twenty minute ride will
provide you with terrific views of downtown Seattle, the cruise ports, the
fabulous waterfront estates,
the Space Needle and the best possible views of nearby Mt. Rainier and the
Olympic and Cascade peaks. Kenmore has a great safety record and has been
flying, servicing and restoring planes since the forties.
 This is a lot to do in two
days, but maybe you can stretch it out another day now that you have an idea
of how much there is to see and do in Seattle.
Believe me, I’ve really only touched the surface here.
I didn’t have space to write about the Tillicum Village Salmon Bake
Cruise and Show or the outstanding bike trails and bike rentals available or
all the museums or the stunning Library or the Boeing aircraft tours or the
dozens more attractions, parks, horse racing venues, and on and on that are
waiting for you here in Seattle.
 My last evening meal in
Seattle was at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse adjoining the lobby of the Grand
Hyatt. If you can imagine a
steak prepared perfectly to your specifications and a wait staff finely
attuned to the diner’s needs and a sommelier willing to spend time offering
just the information needed, without imposing or pressuring, to make the
right selection then I don’t need to tell you any more about that
experience.
Funny
travel question – overheard in a Seattle hotel lobby:
Is there a Starbucks nearby?
Why is that so strange?
In case you didn’t know it Seattle is the birthplace and home of Starbucks.
There are over 500 of them in Seattle and that number doesn’t include
Seattle’s Best Coffee, also owned by Starbucks.
So, the better question might be – Is there anyplace in Seattle where
there is NOT a nearby Starbucks?
When
You Go:
www.VisitSeattle.com:
Lots of Seattle info here.
www.GoSeattleCard.com:
If you’re going to actively see Seattle, this card can save you some
bucks.
www.GrandSeattle.Hyatt.com
 www.homewoodsuites1.hilton.com
www.Kenmoreair.com: Look here to
check schedules and prices for seaplane rides.
www.PikePlaceMarket.com: Read
this and you won’t want to miss experiencing it.
Story
and by Robert Painter.
Rpainter2006@comcast.net.
Photo – Media Credentials photo
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