First Trip To Seattle: Tourist Ideas Needed

HughFreakingDillon · March 2022

hey all. My wife and I are flying Winnipeg to Vancouver then driving to Seattle for the Jerry Cantrell show at the Moore. We are staying at the Moore. We'll be in Seattle for 5 days. Looking for ideas of things to do/see while there. No suggestion is too obvious. Just let 'er fly.

Thanks in advance!

Loujoe · March 2022

Have fun. We went once to see pj. Did easy street (bring a sharpie if you see MM or anyone); Pikes brewery (got some food a beer); fish market; went to 10c headquarters (rang the buzzer, they were nice and found a nice way to tell me to go away!) Sure they are used to an occasional oddball stalking the joint. get coffee; we werent there long enough.

steveddievedder · March 2022

Can you still visit London Bridge Studios where they recorded Ten? I went there a few years ago and it was brilliant, although (at the time at least) a very basic / no frills tour of the studio. Coolest part was seeing the guest book from back then with doodles and signatures from Andrew Wood, Layne Stayley etc. Very cool. MoPOP and Easy Street for sure. Space Needle, Pike Place, and a tour of the Seahawks stadium were all great too. Enjoy!

joe159 · March 2022

I have an aunt that lives out there and when I went out for the 2018 home shows we spent an afternoon at Snogualmie Falls. I think it may be a state park or something but it was beautiful. I may be wrong but I’m thinking it was less than an hour drive.

JeBurkhardt · March 2022

steveddievedder said:

Can you still visit London Bridge Studios where they recorded Ten? I went there a few years ago and it was brilliant, although (at the time at least) a very basic / no frills tour of the studio. Coolest part was seeing the guest book from back then with doodles and signatures from Andrew Wood, Layne Stayley etc. Very cool. MoPOP and Easy Street for sure. Space Needle, Pike Place, and a tour of the Seahawks stadium were all great too. Enjoy!

We were stationed on Whidbey Island in the 90’s. I wish MoPOP had been there when we were.

LastStopOnTheWestCoastLine · March 2022

MoPop is the only "touristy" thing I recommend.

Discovery Park is nice - lovely trails and sunset views. Also the location for the Hunger Strike video. Give yourself at least half a day and go all the way to the lighthouse if you go there.

Carkeek Park is another urban park / beach which has a Chris Cornell connection - he grew up in North Seattle and used to go there a lot.

Off Ramp Cafe (where PJ played their first show) is now called El Corazon - see if you can catch a show there.

Linda's Tavern is a nice old-timey bar. Kinda morbid history because it's supposed to be the last place Cobain was seen. But the bar itself is really good.

Ray's Boathouse and Cafe has excellent food, particularly if you like seafood. It's also where Chris Cornell used to work before SG took off.

steveddievedder · March 2022

LastStopOnTheWestCoastLine said:

Carkeek Park is another urban park / beach which has a Chris Cornell connection - he grew up in North Seattle and used to go there a lot.

Woah I did not know that about Carkeek Park, I go there all the time when I visit as friends live just up the hill, very cool, great area.

I'm also a fan of Gasworks Park late evening as the sun sets over the city, take some food and enjoy the views. Has a tentative PJ connection as it was supposed to be the location for Drop In The Park until it was cancelled and moved to Magnusson Park.

tempo_n_groove · March 2022

Yes, Gasworks park! Such a cool place and view.

I'm a big fan of the Ballard Locks. Watch the ships come in and out. See the salmon ladder down below.

This may sound cheesy but I did enjoy it, they have these Argosy boat tours that take you around the sound and tell a history of the area. Very informative.

Edit: MoPop museum to see the PJ exhibit. That is a must see.

Loujoe · March 2022

i wanna go now!

oftenreading · March 2022

I was in Seattle for the Earthlings show last month and had a great time, as usual.

I agree with all of the recommendations for MoPOP. Between the fixed exhibits and the special exhibits there is something for pretty much everyone, and of course especially if you are interested in the Seattle music scene. The PJ exhibit is a little tricky to find, up on the third floor tucked in a corner, but very well worth it. The Nirvana/general 90s music scene exhibit is separate and also good.

I like the Olympic sculpture park as a beautiful, peaceful break from the busyness of sightseeing, and it's very convenient, about a 15 minute walk from the Space Needle/MoPOP area. It's part of the Seattle Art Museum but it's free.

Wild Ginger restaurant, also right downtown, is highly recommended.

HughFreakingDillon · March 2022

thank you so much folks for all the recommendations!

PJ_Soul · March 2022

I like historical stuff. If you do too, try the Underground Tour (there is one for adults in the evening too), and I thought the Gold Rush museum was really good for a small museum that is (or was) donation-only entry. Both of these are downtown Seattle around Pioneer Square. And yeah, like everyone said, you can't skip MoPOP, it's really cool.

For food, there is a really good BBQ place called Hole in the Wall (and it is!). For lunch only, since they just sell until they run out, which usually happens before 2pm.

tempo_n_groove · March 2022

Go see the Stalin statue and have a taco there.

HughFreakingDillon · March 2022

tempo_n_groove said:

Go see the Stalin statue and have a taco there.

lenin

HughFreakingDillon · March 2022

PJ_Soul said:

I like historical stuff. If you do too, try the Underground Tour (there is one for adults in the evening too), and I thought the Gold Rush museum was really good for a small museum that is (or was) donation-only entry. Both of these are downtown Seattle around Pioneer Square. And yeah, like everyone said, you can't skip MoPOP, it's really cool.
For food, there is a really good BBQ place called Hole in the Wall (and it is!). For lunch only, since they just sell until they run out, which usually happens before 2pm.

thanks!

tempo_n_groove · March 2022

HughFreakingDillon said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Go see the Stalin statue and have a taco there.

lenin

Same thing to me, lol.

LastStopOnTheWestCoastLine · March 2022

The Lenin statue is a Stone's throw away from Studio Litho.

https://www.google.com/search?q=studo+litho

https://twitter.com/corbinreiff/status/1263501573965021187?lang=en

HughFreakingDillon · March 2022

LastStopOnTheWestCoastLine said:

The Lenin statue is a Stone's throw away from Studio Litho.

https://www.google.com/search?q=studo+litho
https://twitter.com/corbinreiff/status/1263501573965021187?lang=en

and where one of my favourite bands (The Watchmen) recorded Silent Radar.

tempo_n_groove · March 2022

LastStopOnTheWestCoastLine said:

The Lenin statue is a Stone's throw away from Studio Litho.

https://www.google.com/search?q=studo+litho
https://twitter.com/corbinreiff/status/1263501573965021187?lang=en

What's crazy is I was eating tacos from a street car around that time right there. I missed them...

HughFreakingDillon · April 2022

we leave in 4 days and I haven't planned a damn thing. parents getting covid then dad having a heart attack threw the trip into question, but now that my sister stepped up, it's back on. hope I can find the time to visit all these places in 3 full days plus two partials.

easy street records
pikes brewery
fish market
london bridge studios
mopop
space needle
seahawks stadium
snogualmie falls
discovery park
off ramp cafe/el corazon
linda's tavern
ray's boathouse cafe
gasworks park at sunset
ballard locks
olympic sculpture park
wild ginger restaurant
hole in the wall
underground tour
studio litho
experience music museum
jimi hendrix grave
j & m card room
central saloon
A Sound Garden

yeah, that looks more like the itinerary for a 2 week stay. lol

JeBurkhardt · April 2022

HughFreakingDillon said:

we leave in 4 days and I haven't planned a damn thing. parents getting covid then dad having a heart attack threw the trip into question, but now that my sister stepped up, it's back on. hope I can find the time to visit all these places in 3 full days plus two partials.

easy street records
pikes brewery
fish market
london bridge studios
mopop
space needle
seahawks stadium
snogualmie falls
discovery park
off ramp cafe/el corazon
linda's tavern
ray's boathouse cafe
gasworks park at sunset
ballard locks
olympic sculpture park
wild ginger restaurant
hole in the wall
underground tour
studio litho
experience music museum
jimi hendrix grave
j & m card room
central saloon
A Sound Garden

yeah, that looks more like the itinerary for a 2 week stay. lol

There are boat tours of the Pugent Sound that are pretty cool. We were stationed on Whidbey Island for a few years and the view while taking the ferries to get to places was beautiful.

Poncier · April 2022

HughFreakingDillon said:

we leave in 4 days and I haven't planned a damn thing. parents getting covid then dad having a heart attack threw the trip into question, but now that my sister stepped up, it's back on. hope I can find the time to visit all these places in 3 full days plus two partials.

easy street records
pikes brewery
fish market
london bridge studios
mopop
space needle
seahawks stadium
snogualmie falls
discovery park
off ramp cafe/el corazon
linda's tavern
ray's boathouse cafe
gasworks park at sunset
ballard locks
olympic sculpture park
wild ginger restaurant
hole in the wall
underground tour
studio litho
experience music museum
jimi hendrix grave
j & m card room
central saloon
A Sound Garden

yeah, that looks more like the itinerary for a 2 week stay. lol

Sorry to hear about your folks. Best wishes for your dad to have a full and speedy recovery.
Just do as many things as you can, maybe prioritize the list and hit areas where you can check off multiple items in a single visit.
Either way, have some well deserved fun and enjoy yourself.

HughFreakingDillon · April 2022

Wife now has a cold....tested negative for covid twice. this trip is fucking doomed. lol.

HughFreakingDillon · April 2022

Poncier said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

we leave in 4 days and I haven't planned a damn thing. parents getting covid then dad having a heart attack threw the trip into question, but now that my sister stepped up, it's back on. hope I can find the time to visit all these places in 3 full days plus two partials.

easy street records
pikes brewery
fish market
london bridge studios
mopop
space needle
seahawks stadium
snogualmie falls
discovery park
off ramp cafe/el corazon
linda's tavern
ray's boathouse cafe
gasworks park at sunset
ballard locks
olympic sculpture park
wild ginger restaurant
hole in the wall
underground tour
studio litho
experience music museum
jimi hendrix grave
j & m card room
central saloon
A Sound Garden

yeah, that looks more like the itinerary for a 2 week stay. lol

Sorry to hear about your folks. Best wishes for your dad to have a full and speedy recovery.
Just do as many things as you can, maybe prioritize the list and hit areas where you can check off multiple items in a single visit.
Either way, have some well deserved fun and enjoy yourself.

all is well with the folks right now, thanks!

I've whittled the list down quite a bit, and dotted the important things on google maps; most things we want to see are in close proximity. would love to go on a boat tour to see some marine life if possible.

PJ_Soul · April 2022

I discovered that Hole in the Wall is temporarily closed because of COVID fallout or something. Boooo! No excellent BBQ for you.

HughFreakingDillon · April 2022

PJ_Soul said:

I discovered that Hole in the Wall is temporarily closed because of COVID fallout or something. Boooo! No excellent BBQ for you.

yeah, when planning my destinations on google maps I saw that too. I was quite disappointed. it looked and sounded SO good.

HughFreakingDillon · May 2022

arrived yesterday. so far:

copacabana for a late lunch
walked all around pike place
today we went to Biscuit Bitch for breakfast (it's literally next door to our hotel)
skyview observatory after that
took the ferry to Bainbridge Island
lunch/happy hour at The Plate and The Pint
now just chillin in the hotel room (8pm seattle time) wondering if we have the energy to go back out.

holy shit this place is a difficult place to walk for a fat guy, especially one who is used to the prairies. lol. I don't recall ever walking at such an angle before.

F Me In The Brain · May 2022

Great city to run. Hills are ass kicking

Sushi Kashiba, at the sushi bar, omakase, for one of the better meals you'll find. We pigged out and it was amazing.

Also, there is a poke place downstairs at the market which reminds one of poke in Hawaii, it is so good.

tempo_n_groove · May 2022

See if you can go to Bremerton. It's where the old ships get put out of service and sold to Gillette, lol.

oftenreading · May 2022

HughFreakingDillon said:

arrived yesterday. so far:

copacabana for a late lunch
walked all around pike place
today we went to Biscuit Bitch for breakfast (it's literally next door to our hotel)
skyview observatory after that
took the ferry to Bainbridge Island
lunch/happy hour at The Plate and The Pint
now just chillin in the hotel room (8pm seattle time) wondering if we have the energy to go back out.

holy shit this place is a difficult place to walk for a fat guy, especially one who is used to the prairies. lol. I don't recall ever walking at such an angle before.

Just think of it as practice for your next trip to San Francisco

You've done lots of fun stuff so far - I'm jealous.

First Trip To Seattle: Tourist Ideas Needed

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