Nice Getaways Within Driving Distance of Calgary

[FurnaceFace]

Originally Posted by Ruttiger

Bump.

Ok - thanks for all the great ideas. At the end of the day we decided to spend a little money and we're booked into Seattle from June 3rd to 7th. Any tips? Must-see's? Things to avoid?

I have limited Seatle experience but the fish market downtown is a must visit.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

I have limited Seatle experience but the fish market downtown is a must visit.

Yeah I was there overnight a couple years back and visited Pike Place, so I wouldn't mind stopping in there again.

[Rifleman]

Go down to the wharf a walking distance away from fish market. The Seattle Aquarium is down there, but in all honesty, the Vancouver one was way better. There is this little shop of curiosities or something I can't quite remember the name of that had some corpses sitting in display cases, as well as an assortment of puffer fish, jumping beans, and other novelties you could buy. That was neat enough to kill off an hour or less.

There is also something called an Underground Tour which takes you into old Seattle, since the city as we know it is built on top of itself. It was pretty neat to hear the history of Seattle, and the struggles it went through to become the city it is today. The gravesites of Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix are also popular tourist spots. If you do decide to visit Bruce Lee's grave, PM me for the exact location, because Google Maps has it in the wrong spot. My cousin and I were there for about half an hour trying to find the damn place, and happened to luck into it.

Highlight of my last Seattle trip was the harbor cruise by the wharf. I got it when they were having their specials, so it was around $20 per person, and the boat takes you on a tour around the harbor. I was there two days, and I had a LOT of Fish & Chips. Only thing I missed I really wanted to do was going up to Space Needle but we just didn't have time.

[troutman]

Live Music in Seattle:

http://thecrocodile.com/index.html?page=history

The Crocodile opened its doors in late April, 1991, with little fanfare and not much attention. Seattle was a very different place at the time – the “Seattle Sound” was still in its infancy, the Washington State Liquor Control Board had some pretty strict rules in place, and you could still travel from one end of the city to the other in fifteen minutes. With traffic.

Located on the corner of Second and Blanchard, in the spot that formerly housed a Greek joint called Athens Café, the Crocodile was an unlikely place for the history that would soon follow. With residential apartments lining the block, and a bustling drug trade around the corner, the Crocodile stood out like an oasis in the neighborhood, welcoming all, and facilitating many a good time.

Virtually every band you have ever loved has played within the walls of Belltown’s much loved living room. Nirvana? Yep. Pearl Jam? Yes sir. Cheap Trick, R.E.M., Mudhoney, and Yoko Ono? Why, of course.

But, the Crocodile has always been about more than the stellar talent onstage, or the cheap beer on tap at the bar. The Crocodile has long been the heart and soul of Seattle – the spot where couples met for the very first time, and bands were formed over pitchers of Rainier in the Live Bait Lounge.

[Temporary_User]

I used to be a local, so I haven't done many of the "tourist" things to do. A few things I would suggest for a tourist though:

The Mariner's are at home against the Angels during your trip.

Unless you really want top seats just purchase the cheapest ticket possible (bleachers) and then watch the game while checking out the stadium. I normally spend my time in the beer garden (center field).

http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/

There is also a Pyramid alehouse across the street from the stadium, so if you're going to be going to a weekend game it should be packed before the game. They typically close off their parking lot and have it set up more like beer tents.

http://www.pyramidbrew.com/

There are a lot of good wineries and breweries in the area. I would recommended checking out Woodinville if you are into that. There is the Redhook brewery, and 2 wineries right across the street from one another.

The redhook tour is only $1 and you get to taste all their beers that they are brewing at the time & a souvenir glass.
I can't remember how much the st. Michelle tour is.
The other winery, I can't remember the name of, they don't offer tours, but for something like $5 you can go in and get a taste of 5 or so different wines that they have.

www.redhook.com
http://www.ste-michelle.com/

A few more things:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_Wall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremont_Troll
Depending on how far you would like to travel while there, a lot of tourists make a day trip out to Leavenworth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leavenworth,_Washington

[calgaryrocks]

definitely check out pike place markets and do the harbor cruise thing. check out the gum wall (its below pike place kinda). go to seattle center and walk around the outside area, either eat dinner in the space needle or go up the columbia center (columbia center is way cheaper - $5 and is higher)
go to kerry park (google it) for picturesque shots of downtown seattle.

[Rifleman]

There is a pretty good BBQ place beside the place where you go on the Underground Tour. You can view it on Google Maps:

107 1st Ave S, Seattle

(Right beside the India restaurant, called Longhorn Outpost BBQ) It's a combination of Cajun, sweet spices, etc. Not sure what to call it, but it's for if you want some good eatin's and don't want to go to a fancy restaurant. Two cute girls behind the counter there too. (If they are still there.)

[Jimmy Stang]

We went to the Experience Music Project, although we didn't leave enough time to do it justice. Still worth it though. The Science Fiction Museum is also in the same building and they had a big Muppets exhibit on when we were there.

If you're an architecture nerd, Frank Gehry designed it is pretty awesome. Don't take the monorail though - the thing seems to be perpetually broken and we ended up not using our return trip and walking instead because it simply wasn't working - no reason given. If you follow the roads underneath the monorail, the neighbourhood was nice and it wasn't all that far.