Seattle Adventures

check out the aquarium area down on the wharf. there were some pretty cool displays, plus an underwater view of the local habitat, IIRC.

It's probably better now than when I first saw it, which was around 1988.

then there's the space needle (not as interesting from my point of view, but it's still a good touristy spot)

UW itself is a fun place to check out. great zoology dept. and some interesting stuff happening in the fisheries dept.

It might be very interesting to get a look at the DI! Then you can take a detailed look at all the actual science projects that they are working on. That should take @ 5 minutes, so you'll be free to lay around in the rain the rest of the day.

Science related? Sci-fi museum is worth seeing. Whale watching is worth doing too. There is a museum of natural history on UW campus as well.

You can drop me a line if you need any specific guidance. I might even tell you about the time I went to Discovery Institute's Christmas party.

All right Jordan - spill your guts! Christmas Party at the DI? It sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit, and I am sure I am not the only one that would like to hear what went on.

If you go down to the wharf area, I recommend going by public transport. When there, do take a ferry boat ride over to Bremerton and staying on the ferry, right back. Another choice is a conducted harbor cruise.

Check out some of the odd and interesting bookstores in town. Last time I was there (job interview) I had a blast (sadly I can't remember the names).

I've only been there once, but the big market downtown (just uphill from the aquarium, called Pike Street?-it's huge; can't miss it) This has everything from flowers to art, maps to fish("packed to ship home!"), fruit to imports, even the Rainbow Rubber condom shop. Great fun to roam around, lots of fruit, seafood, coffee, etc to graze on) I came away wishing I had more time to explore.

A short bus ride will take you downtown where you can visit the Pike Place Market, Seattle Aquarium, Seattle Library (an interesting piece of architecture), and Woodland Park Zoo. There is also the Space Needle, which is right next to the Pacific Science Center, Seattle Music Project and the SciFi Museum. Lots of great little bistros and cafes as well. I highly recommend the Pike Place fish market; very entertaining group of fish mongers!

I really like Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. Weird and unique stuff to look at and buy.

Watch the rain.

(grin)

Borrow a bicycle, there are a number of fairly good dedicated trails. Maps available. Ferry to Bremerton, you do have to get off the ferry, but you can get right back on, security issue. Elliot Bay Bookstore in Pioneer Square is a great place to spend a few hours, also lots of art galleries in that area. Rob

If you like seeing live bands in local clubs check out http://www.threeimaginarygirls.com/calendar.asp

I went to Seattle about 10 yrs ago for a job interview at N. Seattle Comm. Coll, and the Chair gave me alot of info about the city (but no job). He also loaned me a bike over the weekend, and I rode around alot seeing the sights.

Assuming it hasn't changed since then....

There's a very quirky neighborhood called Fremont that you really should see. There's a rocket attached to a building there, a troll underneath a bridge (no, really - it's worth seeing, and not nearly as obnoxious as some of the trolls here at PT), and.... lots of microbreweries. Coffee shops, too, if you're into that.

You can also take a ferry ride to some of the islands - even if you don't get off, it's beautiful.

Downtown, I also recommend the Pike Place market. There are also some great music shops (Lark in the Morning has every type of musical instrument you've ever heard of, plus some). For the nautically minded, there is the Center for Wooden Boats. You can also go to the Canal (I think that's what it was) and see salmon swimming upstream through viewports in the side.

Man, I really liked that city....

I think pictures of professor Steve Steve at the DI would be great. In the spirit of gentlemen off the playing field, I bet they would welcome a visit. If not, even a picture outside the DI headquarters would be neat or some paparazzi shots. If all else fails there's always the bamboo gardens.

Definitely the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. From watching the slide show at the website I think Professor Steve Steve could create a whole post on the evolution of something from one of the displays or how one of the displays relates to intelligent design.

Delta Pi Gamma (Scientia et Fermentum)

Go to the Discovery Institute and ask for a tour.

of their laboratories.

You can also go to the Canal (I think that's what it was) and see salmon swimming upstream through viewports in the side.

[Go to the Discovery Institute and ask for a tour of their laboratories.]

DI: Huh? Laboratories? Wutchoo talking about, man?

I'll second pike street. When I was at a conference at the Hutch two years ago I visited there, and it seemed to me like a northwestern take on a mideastern bazar (not that I've been to the latter). I had a car, but I can't imagine there not being public transport from the university to there. Also for the good Rev. Dr., this is now the ideal time to visit the northwest. The rainy season's pretty well petered out but there's still a few weeks before fire season is in high gear.

Bite the bullet and rent a car. Head to Mt St. Helens. Much too neat to be missed.

Big Time Brewery on The Ave, then walk up to 52nd and eat pizza at Atlantic Street Pizza! Then stop by the medical school and have a chat with Keith R. Benson, the head of the Medical History and Ethics program. He teaches a class on the history of darwinism that dramatically affected my life at the undergraduate level.

Nate

Watch the rain. (grin)

If you don't have a car and don't want to mess with too many busses then I recommend one trip to the water doing Pike Street market, then walking down the hill to the aquarium on same trip. If you time it right, you could catch the ferry to bremerton and watch the reflection of the sunset in the city-Spectacular. The "new" art museum on 2nd is a close walk to pike place too. You could do Art museum,-pike place- aquarium -Ferry in one easy and relaxed day with only one bus/taxi ride downtown.DOn't do the space needle unless you are a glutton for ytourist-shlock but the Jimi museum is really good. You could ride the ferris wheel there too. (All at the seattle center). The Science center is there too by the space needle and sometimes that has some good stuff.

But if you aren't being too touristy, Walk University Ave, visit the Burke museum, the bookstore and go to Ballard for your nightcap. The lockes are pretty cool and you might get some summer run steelhead going through the fish ladder. Visit the Burke Museum anyway. It is pretty good and you'll be right there anyway. The Zoo is not far across I-5 on 50th. Fabulous zoo. Great aquarium too. Not the same town as when I lived there. And by all means, if the weather is nice, walk the arboretum.

If you are in Johnson Hall tread lightly. I left a lot of energy in there. Some of it was left just to scare evolutionists! It gets more intense as you go up the stairs and peaks at the 3rd floor.

My Alma Mater! Have fun up there.

P.S. The blue moon has gone to the dogs- Avoid it, it isn't safe.

The troll under the bridge is pretty darn cool. It's under the northern most part of the aurora bridge over the ballard area canal between the lockes and lake union.

Does Seattle have any historical monuments worth seeing?!

Does Seattle have any historical monuments worth seeing?!

sure, but i understand they're all underground.

unlike Florida, none of our insects are large enough to drive cars.

Seattle has gorgeous weather in the Summer. Lot's of good suggestions already and you certainly can't go wrong visiting Pike Place and strolling around downtown Seattle. For some offbeat site seeing, you can always visit Bruce Lee's grave site at the Lakeview Cemetery in Capitol Hill or Jimi Hendrix's grave site in Renton. From Lakeview Cemetery, it's a hop, skip, and a jump to the Washington Park Arboretum or the Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park for more traditional intellectual fare. If you get a car and a chance, head up north to Anacortes and take a ferry tour through the San Juan Islands.

"If you are in Johnson Hall tread lightly. I left a lot of energy in there. Some of it was left just to scare evolutionists! It gets more intense as you go up the stairs and peaks at the 3rd floor."

Johnson was just remodeled this winter and is quite nice, if a little drab on the inside. It's home to the geology dept. and so has some fabulous rocks. Right inside the north entracne is a slab of metamorphosed banded iron that's about 1 x 2m which I consider worth seeing if you're walking past.

Definatly visit the Burke as it's right on campus. There is also the Museum of History & Industry nearby.
http://www.seattlehistory.org/

If you go to that foresty area seen in the center of your dorm's view there is a nice little nature walk through some wetlands.

I also reccomend the waterfront activites center if it's a nice day. You can rent a canoe and paddle around the wetlands for a couple hours. Expect to see lots of ducks, herons and turtles.
http://depts.washington.edu/ima/IMA_wac.php

St. Helens is nice but it's about an 8 or 9 hour drive round trip.

I'm going to third (I think) the Burke Museum--it's right on campus and it's got excellent Northwest Coast and Pacific Rim cultural artifacts AND excellent natural science exhibits.

I'm also going to third or fourth the Experience Music Project/Sci Fi Museum (aka "Jimi" aka "Paul Allen"). Right now there's a superb exhibit of Paul Allen's personal collection of pre-Impressionist and Impressionist paintings (Cezanne, Monet, Degas, Van Gogh) hung alongside and in juxtaposition with more modern paintings and photos--Picasso, Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, and so forth). Thought-provoking, but worth it for the Renoir and Monet paintings alone.

There's also an intriguing exhibit of Mya Lin's (designer of the VN Memorial) landscape works at the Henry Gallery, which is also RIGHT ON THE CAMPUS.

And I live in Fremont, so I'll second all of those recommendations (the troll is under the north footings of the Aurora Bridge, which carries Hwy 99 over the Ship Canal).

The salmon ladder at "the Canal" is actually at the Hiram Chittenden Government Locks in Ballard. Good seafood in that area and out at the Shilshole Marina.

Fremont, Ballard, the Zoo, and the Marina are all west of the U-District, near or on the cross-town arterials of 45th or 50th Streets.

If you get desperate for home cooking, figure out a way to get ahold of steviepinhead:
drawndreams AT comcast.net

Totally OT, but I just got back from attending my son's college graduation in the Bay Area.

If you're there already, or going to be visiting there this summer, and you give a hoot about Impressionist paintings, [plug] DO NOT MISS the "Monet in Normandy" exhibit at the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park.

When else in your lifetime are you going to be able to stand a foot away from FIFTY-PLUS jawdroppingly-awesome glowing Monets? For like, $12.50 or something ridiculous like that?

[/plug]

You guys have to check out Jet City Improv. Friday at 10:30 PM at the Historic University Theatre.

http://www.jetcityimprov.com/

when I'm in the U district I never get out of the Big TIme Brewery...

Many good suggestions so far. If you make it to Ballard, stop by Archee McPhee. Lot of wacky, goofy stuff, and fun to browse through.

When I come to Seattle (24 hours every day, 7 days a week) I like to do all the things listed above.

I don't know where you're from, but our International District (south of the U District) is a good place to get a taste of east Asian life. DO NOT go to Uwajimaya - too expensive. If you like dim sum, you just need to ask anyone you see down there what is their favorite. It's all good.

Not much more I can add, except to say don't bother with the downtown Seattle Art Museum, it's closed for a year or so. The Henry Gallery on campus should more than make up for it, especially with the Maya Lin exhibit.

The thing I remember most vividly about Seattle (I was there back in 1990 doing some political organizing) was that in the University District, all the "USA Today" machines had "The World Tomorrow" painted underneath.

:)