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Seattle- July 4th

guitar59guitar59 Posts: 1,221
edited May 2011 in All Encompassing Trip
I need a little help from those of you in the know. We will be in Seattle for July 4th. We are Canadian and have heard that this day is a big deal for you Americans. We are looking for the best place to watch some kick ass american fireworks. I looked online..it said Lake Union. Lake Union looks big...so where do we go to see them. We are staying in Seattle Center, at the Quality Inn. Also...we have 4 kids (ages 6-12) and want to be geeky tourists for the day, what is best? Aquarium, space needle, EMP?
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  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,941
    edited May 2011
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    Post edited by mookeywrench on
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  • NarcisoNarciso Posts: 194
    Aren't the space needle fireworks on new years?
    Slipped on a curb in the road.
  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,941
    edited May 2011
    Narciso wrote:
    Aren't the space needle fireworks on new years?

    Oh shit you're right, you want to go to gasworks park...but they might not happen because of budget cuts.

    As you can see, I usualy stay away from downtown Seattle on the 4th.
    Post edited by mookeywrench on
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  • RKCNDYRKCNDY Posts: 31,013
    Mr. Black Diamond liked taking his kiddies on the Ride the Ducks tour

    Aquarium is nice
    Mt St Helens IMAX is cool
    Seafair will be going on...the wooden boat show will be going that weekend: http://www.seafair.com/caldetl.aspx?ID= ... d=7/4/2011
    check out the Seattle citysearch page for other events: http://seattle.citysearch.com/

    if the fireworks do happen, keep in mind it's not a huge all at once blow-out. The fireworks are syrchonized to a soundtrack. It's a 30-45 minute show, but the end is the huge blow-out.
    It's a big all day thing, people crowd in gasworks park at noon and wait all day (the show starts like at 10 or 11) for the show...gets packed. There are smaller shows in other cities...Bellevue, Everett, Lake Stevens, most of the fireworks are banned within the city, so if your kids want to shoot some off...you'll have to go to the reservation (Tulalip has a group of vendors called 'Boom City').

    I'm with mookey, I usually stay away from the big shows.
    The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

    - Christopher McCandless
  • guitar59guitar59 Posts: 1,221
    We would prefer to stay away from the crowds and watch from afar. Gasworks Park is at the opposite end of the lake from our hotel. We want to do other things and do not want to be stuck to a blanket in a park for a view of fireworks. Where can you watch from, but be away from the crowds? Kids will not be setting any off...they do not know that option exists, as fireworks in Canada are hard to obtain (its a spectator sport up here). Mr. Guitar saw the duck boats in 2009 when he visited for the PJ shows, he thought they looked cool. I was hoping to visit Pioneer Square, Easy Street Records and maybe the Space Needle. The kids love aquariums, but we have been to some great ones in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, so Seattle's will have to be spectacular to compare.
    What are the wooden boats? That is the part of Union Lake that is close to where we are staying.
  • RKCNDYRKCNDY Posts: 31,013
    guitar59 wrote:
    We would prefer to stay away from the crowds and watch from afar. Gasworks Park is at the opposite end of the lake from our hotel. We want to do other things and do not want to be stuck to a blanket in a park for a view of fireworks. Where can you watch from, but be away from the crowds? Kids will not be setting any off...they do not know that option exists, as fireworks in Canada are hard to obtain (its a spectator sport up here). Mr. Guitar saw the duck boats in 2009 when he visited for the PJ shows, he thought they looked cool. I was hoping to visit Pioneer Square, Easy Street Records and maybe the Space Needle. The kids love aquariums, but we have been to some great ones in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, so Seattle's will have to be spectacular to compare.
    What are the wooden boats? That is the part of Union Lake that is close to where we are staying.

    If you go to any park that is along Lake Union (for the most part) you should be able to see the fireworks since they are shot off from a barge in the middle of the lake. Ask your hotel staff where a good place to see it from is. Since I don't go down there any more I don't know which parks aren't crowded. ;)

    The wooden boats is a festival of sorts, thee will be people showing off their wooden boats, giving rides around Lake Union, kid area where they can build a boat to take home, food, music etc. Not sure how long you are staying, but the 9th is when a bunch of festivals happen, the pirates start roaming the streets for Seafair (a summer celebration of all things nautical) . Check out EMP as well.

    If you have any more questions, just ask! :D
    The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

    - Christopher McCandless
  • guitar59guitar59 Posts: 1,221
    Cool...pirates! Our youngest loves pirates. We are only there for a couple days. We arrive on the 3rd and leave the 5th. We are going to cram a lot in during that time frame. I will look up more about the Seafair and the boat festival. Mr. Guitar found out about a beer festival, too. The rest of the trip involves a drive down to Cape Disappointment to camp and then down the Oregan coast. We finish up in Portland at the EV show on the 14th, then back to Canada.
  • RKCNDYRKCNDY Posts: 31,013
    oh very cool! On the waterfront (walk down from Pike Place) there is a store called Pirates Plunder (all things pirates) and take the kiddies to: http://www.yeoldecuriosityshop.com/cata ... s-home.php lots of cool stuff...2 headed piglet, shrunken heads, a mummy etc...eat at Ivar's (seafood) or Frankfurter. I like The Crab Pot if you want to sit down. Anthony's is 'finer dining'.

    You'll have fun...I just hope the weather will play nice....still has not reached over 72 here yet! (I guess that's a record)
    The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

    - Christopher McCandless
  • senninsennin Posts: 2,146
    I like watching the Eliot Bay fireworks show from West Seattle (opposite side of the bay from Downtown). Less crowds, and more space. There are a couple of great viewpoints along California Ave. And while you're in West Seattle be sure to go to Easy Street....and Alki Beach. The beach is great for the kids!
  • guitar59guitar59 Posts: 1,221
    Mr. Guitar wants to go to Easy Street for breakfast. Thanks for the info on fireworks viewing. Is the view from the Space Needle better during the day or after dark? Or is it worth it at all?
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