Seattle in a couple weeks

[MadImmortalMan]

Since Cal is doing it...

I'll be in Seattle the second week of September. Wife's business trip and I'm coming along. Staying downtown and no car. At least not planning to have one. Obviously, she'll be working and I get lots of time by myself. Suggestions?

[crazy canuck]

Your mission should you choose to accept it - track down Camper

[Caliga]

OMG YOU DONT PLAN STUFF OUT FAR ENOUGH IN ADVANCE

[Caliga]

No but seriously, Princesca and I are doing something similar in October, except it's my business trip and I'm going to Orange County.  Should be fun and it'll only cost me one day of PTO.

[Admiral Yi]

Pikes Peak Market and the Space Needle.  Rent a car for a day and make a trip up to Vancouver.  Or maybe take a ferry.  Eat a shitload of salmon.  I went to an Indian powwow that was marginally cool.  Find the most hipster bar you can and hang out there for a night, researching the subculture.

[The Brain]

Hail to the chief.

[Tonitrus]

Good timing...early September is often the best time of year in Seattle for weather.

No car limits a lot of the cool, outdoorsy stuff that are an easy, day-trip away, but...

- Try this place out and tell me what you think...

http://lunchboxlaboratory.com/

- It's meant for cars, but you can walk onto the Ferry over to Bainbridge Island/Winslow, and walk around a bit. I am sure they have shuttles to the Indian casino, but then you're from Nevada, so not much appeal there.  Maybe Bremerton too, but I dunno how accessible the mothballed ships are anymore (hell, last time I visited those, they still had the USS Missouri)

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

- See if you can take the wife here for dinner one night...

http://www.argosycruises.com/tillicum-village/

- The above too pricey?  Ivar's Seafood is a local institution, and they have a cool Native American-themed restaurant as well...

http://www.ivars.com/locations/salmon-house

...which is also close to Fremont, one of the more colorful areas of town (home to the Fremont Troll, and a statue of Lenin should be around there somewhere.

- Pike Place Market, of course.  The waterfront and Aquarium can be pretty cool too, check out Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.

- Space Needle!  Experience Music project, and all the other Seattle Center stuff.  Take the monorail to get there, for the full Elvis, "It happened at the World's Fair" experience.

- Seattle Art Museum might have something going on...

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/

- I am guessing she might be going out to Bellevue/Redmond for her business stuff?  You could probably kill a day hanging around downtown Bellevue.  Get some donuts here (also available in the city)...

http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/

Another Seattle food institution...

http://www.ddir.com/

Will the wife have a car?  If so, I can expand the recommendations to include short drives to really cool food locations for dinners and such.

[Tonitrus]

Also, looks like the Mariners will have a couple games going (vs. the Astros) that week.  Safeco Field and stadium area is pretty cool if the weather is nice.  Even if the M's suck this year. 

[Admiral Yi]

Pikes Peak Market

Good one Yi.

I was going to recommend a Mariner's game as well, but with Ichiro gone to the Evil Empire, I figured they've lost their funky Nipponese vibe.

[Tonitrus]

If you did want to cram in a Victoria, BC day trip...

http://www.clippervacations.com/schedules-fares/

And the quicker alternative....

http://www.kenmoreair.com/

...though that one will set you back about $300

For both, day trip looks pretty fleeting (especially with Customs).  Maybe if an overnight is doable.

[Tonitrus]

If you do opt for the "rent a car and do a day trip to some of the cool natural wonders" option, these are all hittable inside one day (from personal experience), though best for very nice weather, of course.

- Get on an early ferry, and head west over through Bainbridge Island and over to the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park to Port Angeles and Hurricane Ridge.  If you don't dawdle, you can even do a quick jaunt over to the Hoh Rainforest, hike out to the falls...


...and make it back to Seattle in one day.  Make a quick stop on the way in Poulsbo for donuts at Sluy's Bakery (the maple bars are amazing).

- Drive up past Bellingham and head up the Mount Baker Highway to Artist's Point.  The views of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan are simply awesome.

- Down to Mount Rainier up to Paradise is always a winner.

[Ed Anger]

Too much nature there.   

[MadImmortalMan]

Gracias. I do have friends there and a cousin who may want to drive someplace. One of my good buddies just moved there for his wife's job and probably still has free time. I assume he's still unemployed, it's only been a couple weeks since he left. I'm not against renting a car for a little bit, but I'd want to do that on the weekend when she's not going to be working. We'll be there both weekends (before and after) so maybe.

[Tonitrus]

An entire weekend?

Then consider this...

http://www.cascadeloop.com/

Skip the Whidbey Island portion and focus/aim for staying overnight near Lake Chelan, or in Leavenworth.

Just make sure the North Cascades Highway, which is an awesome scenic drive, is not closed by a rockslide first (I believe this happened just recently).

[Tonitrus]

Or Portland is only about 3 hours down the road.  Hit up Fahdizzle (and stop at a Burgerville...and Waffle Window...and Voodoo Donuts), and drive up a bit along the Columbia Gorge for some multiple waterfall action (though I dunno how impressive they'll be in Sept).