|
Getting to Know Seattle
It's not always raining in Seattle, as witnessed on a grand day from
Gas Works Park.
As the home of the Space
Needle, Pike Place Market, world-reknowned bands and a World Series-caliber
baseball team, Seattle boasts features that create an instantly recognizable
city.
But it also has less obvious treasures – local neighborhoods sprawling
with taverns, parks with as many recreational opportunities as the Olympics,
a seafood dock tucked away from the tourists – that make it much
more diverse than it appears from the outside. This adds to its allure
and also to its pleasure.
This orientation and get-to-know-you guide to Seattle sets up the city
for our more in-depth guides available through the links at left or
our virtual Party Bus. It's bar scene, people, layout, descriptive areas,
transportation and weather are highlighted in this section.
Oh, yes, the weather. Is it as wet as you think? Read on to find out.
The Party Scene
Historic Pioneer
Square has a "pay one price for pubclubbing" policy.
Seattle knows how to rock. In fact, several local bands have made it
big-time.
But the nightlife and bar action is made up of much more than live
music.
Seattlites are a lively bunch or people, though they go about their
partyness with a certain Pacific Northwest passiveness. They drink,
they party and they enjoy themselves, but they also stay under control.
The bars and pubs are more for mingling than all out madness.The clubs
have a down-home feel to them, so leave any pretentiousness on the plane.
The dress style is largely casual – jeans with club shirts and
shorts with collars in the comfortable summer months – but
fit the style to the bar.
People of different backgrounds mix in the bars and clubs. Hip-hoppers
rub shoulders with young professionals and others, but here it's no
problem. What's to worry about anyway? It's all about having a good
time.
Drink 'em if you got 'em is 2 a.m.
Arrival and Orientation
Landmarks, like
the Elephant near Belltown, are key to staying orientated.
If nothing else, keep this in mind: The stadiums are to the south and
the Space Needle is to the north. In the middle is downtown.
Sounds simple, but in between the main landmarks is a maze. An amazing
maze, in fact.
City road planners must have had one heck of a sense of humor because
they created some really oddly directional streets. Roads go at strange
angles and while it's entirely possible to see where you want
to go, it's not readily apparent how to get there. Traffic is often
terrible and the main artery, I-5, has both left and right exits. There
is no sign for the Space Needle; the few ones indicate "Seattle
Center." Even at that, signs quickly disappear once you drop into
town. leaving visitors cautiously approaching fast-paced intersections
looking to find the Needle in the haystack of buildings.
Local landmarks are the key to orientation – Pioneer Squae and
the stadiums are to the south, Pike Place in the middle, Seattle Center/Space
Needle is to the north. Other good local landmarks are the Elephant
Car Wash and Ducky's furniture at the entrance to the 5,
near the Needle and Belltown. Mercer Street is a main surface street,
and the primary downtown road is1st Ave.,
For accomodations, stay downtown or near the Space Needle (locally
called Seattle Center). From there, it's an easy walk to Belltown, Pike
Place and a quick bus or taxi ride to Capitol Hill, Freemont and Green
Lake, Gas Works and other parks.
The airport, SeaTac, is anywhere from 20-45 mintues from downtown,
depending on traffic. There is public transportation from SeaTac to
downtown for $12, plus shuttle buses, taxis and limos ready to whisk
travelers to the place of their choice.
Getting Around
For reaasons listed above, we highly recommend utilzing public transportation,
taxis and your feet for seeing Seattle. Rental cars are best utilized
for out-of-city jaunts, such as a trip to Mt. Ranier.
The city has a good bus system. Downtown buses run largely on
4th and 5th avenues; the stops have easy-to-understand destinations
and times. A one-day pass is $5 and there is a f free downtown zone.
Taxis are abundant and the drivers are reliable. It costs less
than $7 to go from Pioneer Square thru all of downtown to Belltown.
There's even a monorail that goes from the Space Needle to the
flagship Nordstrom's store. From there, it's a five-minute walk to Pike
Place.
Speaking of walking, if the weather is nice, it's a great way
to get about town. A leisurely afternoon can be spent walking from Belltown/Queen
Anne to Pioneer Square down 1st Ave. Make a pit stop for lunch or a
beer around Pike Place. It's a safe journey, even at night.
The Neighborhoods
Artsy Freemont
is becoming a hip hangout. Just ask Lenin.
Seattle is very much defined by its distinctive neighborhoods. This
section provides an oview of each – its best establishments are
detailed in our PubClubbing
and/or Dining and Restaurant
guides.
• Belltown. Within view of the Space Needle, which
is locally known as Seattle Center. Belltown is a young, upscale
community comprised of boutique shops and galleries, coffee houses,
fine restaurants and casual hangouts, nice bars and a couple of pubs.
It borders an area locals call Queen Anne; visitors will hardly
notice the difference.
• Capitol Hill. East of downtown, it is nirvana for Nirvana
fans and gays. It also has some popular restaurant/cafes and coffee
houses along commercial-heavy Broadway.
• Freemont. An artist community that is fast becoming
a happening spot for the young, single bar, restaurant and coffee crowd.
It's funky personality will not budge, though – a statue of Lenin
and one of "The Troll" under the Aurora Bridge make it unique
among communities in the entire U.S. A little farther north is Green
Lake, an outstanding recreational area cradled by some good lunchtime
restaurants.
• Pike Place Market/Downtown. Home of the city's most
popular tourist destination, Pike Place Marketplace is the famous spot
where crusty seamen toss fish like salads. In the heart of downtown,
there's a plethora of restaurants and coffee shops, enough shopping
to max out any credit cars, a few pubs for rest or a meal and a touristy
waterfront. Not really any nightlife, but a good place to spend an afternoon.
• Pioneer Square. The orignal Seattle settlement,
Pioneer Square is a collection of brick buildings lined with bars, clubs,
restaurants, coffee houses and shops. It's only 3-4 blocks long and
the places and patrons are more rustic than in, say, Belltown, but pay
cover at one bar and it works for nearly every other place in the area.
• The "U" District. Home of the University of
Washington. With a couple of exceptions, not really a good spot for
dining or nightlife. It's best for a daytime drive. Or for the best
sports bar. And, of course, the city's best coffee hangout.
The People
 Variety
is a fact of live here. Seattle's population is a mix of business executives,
young professionals, laid-back locals, college students and, yes, grunge-loving
teenagers. By far, what you will find are friendly people, eager to
share a secret, take a toast or even serve as a wingman in a bar.
There are also a lot of tourists. Primarily they hang in and around
the Pike Place Market in the day Pioneer Square at night.
One final note about the people: There are some very attractive girls
and guys in this town, but it isn't exactly the French Riveria. The
frequent rainy weather makes staying inside and hanging out in coffee
shops preferable to active outdoor activities. No, thin is not really
in here for many. So, if you want to go sleepless in Seattle with a
local, the figures of choice are likely to be more hour than hourglass.
Of course, it's inner beauty in people that matters the most and in
Seattle, that is more abundant than salmon.
The Weather
Locals like to point out that Atlanta gets more average rainfall than
Seattle. True, but in Atlanta it comes down in buckets. In Seattle,
it's more of a constant drizzle (34.46 inches a year, in fact, according
to the Chamber of Commerce).
Here's another interesting fact: Seattle leads the nation in per-capita
sunglasses sales. Before you jump to conclusions, it's the same reason
that Los Angeles leads in sales of umbrellas. The sun it out so infrequently,
when it does shine, people have trouble locating their shades and run
to the store to buy another pair.
In June, July and August, however, those sunglasses are within easy
reach. Rain is rare and that's when the people emerge from their caves
to enjoy the great weather. When the sun is out, Seattle is an absolutely
beautiful city.
Time Zone
Seattle is GMT -8.
When to Go
Seattle shines brightest in the summer.
That's when people come out and enjoy the brilliant sunshine. Some
poke their head into he Taste of Seattle in July, but that pales in
comparision to SeaFair, a seaside festival each August featuring
power boat races an air show and the city's biggest beer garden On Labor
Day weekend, music lovers line up for dozens of local bands at a festival
known as Bumbershoot. Admission is just $15 it's packed with
20s and 30s singles and single couples.
The other months, the temperature is rarely frigid, so if you can put
up with the near-constant drizzle, it's defiitely bearable. The average
temperature is 51.7 degrees – 41 in the winter and a mild 63 in
summer
 Next
stop on the Party Bus: PubClubbing
|