on location: west ❖
city center
SeattlE
Tourist-friendly experiences abound
in the heart of this Northwest metropolis
By Randy Mink
The Space Needle and snow-dusted Mount Rainier bookend this view of Seattle.
S
urrounded by water and mountains, Seattle enjoys
a setting that few other major cities can boast. On
in six-passenger enclosed gondolas that rise 200 feet above
clear days you can make out the Olympic Moun-
Pier 57. At the north end of the downtown waterfront, Olympic
tains to the west, the Cascades to the south and east. Take in
the forested hillsides that envelop Seattle and you know why
it’s nicknamed the “Emerald City.”
For group planners developing Pacific Northwest itineraries,
Howard Frisk
starfish. The new Seattle Great Wheel offers 15-minute rides
Sculpture Park is one of the best free attractions in Seattle.
Argosy Cruises offers one-hour harbor excursions that
provide an ideal orientation to Seattle. Besides panoramic
views of the downtown skyline, passengers get closeup looks
Seattle is a staple. Conveniently, many of the main sights are
at gantry cranes loading and unloading container ships. Snow-
in, or right outside of, downtown.
capped mountains loom in the distance, providing great back-
The central waterfront on Alaskan Way, a pierside prome-
drops for the freighters, ferry boats and pleasure boats
nade within walking distance of downtown shops and hotels, is
crisscrossing Elliott Bay. Argosy’s “Tillicum Village Tour” to
awash in seafood restaurants and gift shops. Feast on the
Blake Island, across Puget Sound, features a salmon bake and
fresh catch and views of Elliott Bay from the outdoor patio of
Northwest Coast Indian show.
Fisherman’s or enjoy a bowl of clam chowder at Ivar’s Acres of
From the bay you’ll see the famous Space Needle, the sky-
Clams. Other dining choices include Elliott’s Oyster House, An-
line’s exclamation point. Like the harbor cruise, vistas from
thony’s and The Crab Pot. Or just grab some greasy fish and
atop the 605-foot landmark put Seattle into perspective. A
chips from one of the sidewalk vendors.
retro-futuristic remnant of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the
Seattle Aquarium, built atop Pier 59, is one of the water-
iconic structure instantly identifies Washington State’s largest
front’s star tourist attractions. Playful otters provide entertain-
city. Just as the Eiffel Tower says Paris, the Space Needle pin-
ment, and colorful schools of fish intrigue visitors at the
points Seattle. On a sunny day you can make out 14,410-foot
Underwater Dome and 40-foot-wide viewing window. Touch
Mount Rainier, known to locals as simply “the Mountain.”
pools invite guests to make friends with anemones and
66 June 2013
For those who don’t mind venturing into the open air, the
LeisureGroupTravel.com
on location: west ❖
Obtain Washington State visitor guides and itineraries and contact
group-friendly suppliers directly at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info
A short but steep hike from the waterfront, Pike Place Market, is, above all, a food bazaar. Seattleites appreciate ethnic
cuisine and prize the Pacific Northwest bounty of fruits and
vegetables, seafood, and artisan cheeses and baked goods.
Curiosity-seekers congregate at Pike Place Fish Market to wait
for “flying fish.” Well, the fish may not have wings, but when
someone orders a whole king salmon, a fishmonger in coveralls and rubber boots removes it from the
mound of ice and tosses it to the counter
attendant, calling out the order in a timehonored ritual.
Seattle’s Monorail runs through EMP Museum,
a pop music shrine noted for its wild design.
Other must stops at the market include
Space Needle offers an outdoor platform
Daily Dozen Doughnuts, known for oily,
with telescopes. Indoors, touch-screen
piping-hot mini-donuts covered in pow-
kiosks focus on aspects of Seattle today,
dered sugar; MarketSpice, famed for its
with short video presentations by local cit-
signature cinnamon-orange-clove tea;
izens discussing such topics as coffee
Piroshky Piroshky, a tiny bakery that turns
shops, microbreweries and the current
out Russian pastries filled with meat,
music scene. Just below the observation
cheese and sweets; and Chukar Cherries
deck, SkyCity revolving restaurant makes
(dried-cherry confections). And make a pil-
a full revolution every 47 minutes.
grimage to the first store in the SeattleHoward Frisk
The Space Needle is the focal point of
Seattle Center, a 74-acre urban park with
museums, theaters, festival venues and
family-style amusements on the site of the
1962 fairgrounds. The Pacific Science
Vestiges of Seattle history intrigue
visitors to downtown’s Pioneer Square.
based Starbucks chain, which opened at
the market in 1971.
Also downtown is the Seattle Art Museum. Highlights include the Northwest
Coast Indian and African collections, con-
Center, with hands-on learning stations, laser light shows, a
temporary works by Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, and
planetarium, butterfly house and two IMAX theaters, occupies
European masterpieces.
the former U.S. Science Pavilion. Chihuly Garden and Glass,
Pioneer Square Historic District, on the southern fringe of
which opened last year at the base of the Space Needle, show-
downtown and a block from the waterfront, is the best place to
cases the most comprehensive collection of Washington native
commune with Seattle’s past. Stately stone commercial build-
Dale Chihuly’s fanciful, color-saturated glass art.
ings, many with cast-iron pillars and Richardsonian Ro-
At Seattle Center’s EMP Museum, a cool attraction noted
manesque arches, arose in the early 1890s, soon after this
for its wild architecture, visitors take a trip through the history
former downtown area burned to the ground. Today these ar-
of American pop music, viewing exhibits on rock stars like Jimi
chitectural treasures—with their lofty, beamed ceilings, ex-
Hendrix and Paul Revere & The Raiders. Would-be musicians
posed brick walls and creaky wooden floors—house art
can experiment with guitars, keyboards or drums in private
galleries, antique shops, bookstores and cozy eateries.
booths, and even record their own CD in a sound studio. In the
Pioneer Square’s early days come alive on Bill Speidel’s
same Frank Gehry-designed building—with its rumpled,
Underground Tour, an irreverent walking tour that starts with
brightly colored aluminum roof—visitors can explore the future
a 20-minute history lesson and then heads below street level.
and other universes in the science fiction galleries. (EMP
Through subterranean passageways littered with old pipes,
stands for Experience Music Project.)
Pike Place Market, one of America’s oldest farmers markets, lies just minutes from downtown’s Pine Street retail core.
Dating from 1907, the historic expanse of stalls, kiosks and
loose masonry and other debris, tour members see abandoned
storefronts on sidewalks that were entombed when the city elevated streets a full story to fix a chronic sewage problem.
With so much going on in Seattle’s city center—from mu-
shops invites visitors to browse, eat, take pictures, listen to
seums and markets to gardens and waterfront diversions—
street musicians and just soak in the festive atmosphere.
one could easily design a three- or four-day tour that never
Called the “soul of Seattle,” it’s a true urban gathering place.
sets foot anywhere else in the metro area. LGT
68 June 2013
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