I needed something to bring on a big smile tonight and you
provided it! :-) I can think of about a zillion places
good for adding to TM weight gain.
Places I could suggest you visit depend upon the amount of
money you wish to spend and what you're interested it. The
Space Needle is always a favorite, food OK, but it's pricey.
You'll never find an equivalent view, though! Visiting the
Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square is great even for
native folks. The Spirit of Seattle dinner train is
fantastic, but it's even pricier than the Space Needle.
There are a lot of good restaurants along the waterfront in
downtown Seattle. If the weather is nice, a ferry trip is
well worth the few bucks it cost. Park the car and be a
walk-on roundtrip passenger. The view of Puget Sound in
fine weather can't be beat. Mike in Mukilteo can tell you
that that's a really cool place to visit. Time permitting,
the Olympic Peninsula is a must-see. The Hiram Chittenden
locks is fun too, especially if the sea lions are out in
force. Woodland Park Zoo is great. . .just be aware that
there's walking involved. A trip east on I-90 will bring
you to North Bend, gateway to Snoqualmie Pass, and the
outlet mall. And although I'm not a beer buff, there are
several excellent micro breweries in the area, as well as
some good wineries - Chateau St. Michelle and Columbia Crest
just northeast of Seattle. (I'll seek professional counsel
and get a list of the best breweries.) Of course, if you
drink coffee, you'll be in seventh heaven in Seattle - a
Starbuck's 'round every corner. If you can't find
Starbuck's, don't panic because there's some other coffee
vendor (equally good in my book) on just about any street
corner. If you tend toward Nordic ethnicity, a trip to
Ballard for a sampling of lutefisk can be made. (If you
don't know what lutefisk is, I'll tell you but be forewarned
that you might gag.) Seattle also has a thriving
international district where you can find excellent Asian
food. Some people might take exception to this comment, but
it's not the safest area of town and go with some degree of
caution. And last thing I can think of off the top of my
head is that you must take a trip across one of our floating
bridges on Lake Washington. It's too bad that Seattle
Seafair ends the weekend before the symposium - then you'd
also see the annual torchlight parade, the hydroplane races,
and the Blue Angels performing over Seattle. It's great
fun!
Given your timeframe, I'd say to head for downtown Seattle,
visit the waterfront, take a harbor cruise or a ferry ride,
and see the market. If you still have some time, take the
monorail from downtown to the Seattle Center (about a minute
and a half ride). If you're staying at the Double Tree Inn,
then leave your tour of downtown Seattle via I-90 or SR 520
across a floating bridge, and take I-405 south back to
Renton/Tukwila and the Double Tree. An easy loop to make.
I have more suggestions for folks who are going to visit
longer. A trip to Grand Coulee dam in Eastern Washington,
or a visit to the San Juan Islands are great trips. Hopping
on a train to visit Vancouver, B.C. is inexpensive and
pretty awesome too.
Well, have I helped at all? :-)
Let me know if you have questions.
Jane D.