For clubs near Pioneer Square, I can recommend The Last Supper Club and my own favorite Trinity (three rooms, each with a different DJ).

In other words she should bring a rain coat and not her leather duster?
I thought the summer was the particularly rainy time.

As a Seattle Native My .02

Give yourself a full day for thr Makret & Seattle Waterfront. Depending on interests you could squeeze in the Seattle Aquarium.

Good advice on the Fish Ladder at the locks in the Spring. There are no Salmon running until late June

You will not be dissapointed in your Oyster selection at the Pike Place Market

Do not go to the Seattle Center (or the Space Needle) or plan on doing much walking around Downtown past 8:00pm, It's safe during the day, at night is a different story.

There are a lot of good restaurants Downtown, make sure you visit at least one owned by Tom Douglas if you can afford it.

The Ferry system is worth seeing, as are the San Juan Islands. Inquire about whale watching tours.

Expect Rain, sun, wind, usually all in the same day March through May, Temperatures may range from Low 40's to High 60's in theis time period too. Spring has pretty volatile weather in Seattle.

Underground Tour is pretty good if you like history, You can also schedule a tour of Safeco Field for the same day, if you even slightly like baseball you'll enjoy it.

Skip going up the Space Needle, find out how to get to Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill, it's a much better photo.

The Woodland Park Zoo is worth seeing.

Get a City Pass & Use it, it's a good value.

http://transit.metrokc.gov/ If you want to give the bus system a shot.

Capitol Hill / Broadway is very overrated unless you happen to like agressive pan-handlers, same goes for the U-District. The International District on the other hand is worth an excursion.

Japanese Garden in the Arboretum is nice

If you like planes, visit both the Boeing Museum of Flight at Boeing Field and the Future of Flight Exhibit in Everett, if you're not in to planes these are not for you.

The "First Starbucks" is nothing like what it was in the early days, it's just a Starbucks with the old logo now.

If you really need to get a game in while you're here Shrike30 and Myself have a regular Monday night game, PM one of us if interested.

Her husband would kill her.

I think this is probably overstating the case.
Of course, I admit I make a habit of "going places I shouldn't."


Seconded. You take the #2 up to the top of Queen Anne.

Possibly overstating a bit, however keep in mind that we also may be benefitting a bit from the "Home Turf" Quality too.

I've never had a problem there. And Snow Fox, from all accounts (albeit mostly hers! ), can take care of herself.

All the talk of bad neighborhoods reminds me of something odd -- Seattle had, by far, the most polite vagrants/panhandlers of any city I've ever been to. Mind, they also had some of the nicest dressed ones. The combination made it pretty much impossible for them to get any money out of me, but still, it was a bizarre observation.

lol, true but Seattle ain't the Bronx, but they won't let e bring a gun on the plane
seriously though, being able to handle myself doesn't mean I want to have to. My boss was in seattle on business a few months back and said tyhe needle itself was ok but the area to get there made him a little uncomfortable.

How good is the mass transit system? The monorail? for getting about? I'm interested in the osund of the japanese gardens which will be differnet from everything else. As forthe first starbucks it's more of a joke foir us since I really don't drink coffee but a friend of ours is a Lutheran, to whom the holy sacriment should be coffee. So a pic of the original starbucks will be something of a pilgrimage for my friend's sake.

The monorail is mostly for show more than anything else. The bus system is very good, and Steve's link should be very useful if you intend to bus it a lot.

I've noticed that as well, it makes me question just how desperate some of them really are. I saw one on the corner of 105th & Aurora who had a brand new pair of Nikes that retail in the $110-$150 range and a pretty high end cell phone too. It didn't match up very well with the Homeless - Need Help cardboard sign he was holding.

The Bronx (or for that matter LA, or Chicago or New Orleans) Seattle isn't but just because our bad areas aren't that bad doesn't mean anyone wants to end up in one unexpectedly. Downtown is pretty much safe during the day, but I'm going to stick by not recommending that tourists walk more than a block or so at night if it can be avoided (the parking situation can make it unavoidable)

The "Transit System" is something of a misnomer. If you are not in a hurry the Bus System is pretty good. The Monorail goes only from Westlake Mall to the Seattle Center. If you're staying Downtown and planning on visiting the Seattle Center it's fun to ride for the novelty. There is no Subway or Rail system. A lot of Hotels in downtown provide shuttle service to various downtown attractions as a complimentry service, check in to that. I'd still recommend renting a car if you're planning on doing anything outside the Downtown core. Be careful though Seattle is home to the highly annoying Passive-Aggressive driver and Washington State as kind of messed up merge laws too.

There is a misconception in place here. It is usually pretty damn easy for homeless people to get clothes and the like in 'first world' counties. All kinds of organizations, and even individuals are eager to give stuff like that, for all kinds of reasons, not all of them truly altruistic. Blankets, shoes, and even brand new t-shirts and jeans.

Cell phones are also pretty cheap and easy to pick up as a homeless person from a variety of sources. I understand that some might question the need for a homeless person to have a phone, but there are as many reasons for them to have one as you, maybe even more, since that is their only line of contact.

Incidentally, Nike recently (well, a couple of years ago) did a huge promotion in Seattle (involving sports stars from Australia as well as elsewhere), where they gave bucket-loads of shoes and clothes to the homeless community there.

It may sound odd, but is it possible to travel in Seattle by bike (as in bycycle)?

Actually Seattle is far more Bicycle friendly than most large cities, except for all the hills. If you're in pretty good shape and don't mind the occasional steep elevation gain and or rain shower getting around by bike isn't too bad. Still have to be aware of traffic, but there are bike lanes on some roads, bike trails, and a lot of shops and retail areas provide bike racks to chain up to when you get there.

While that's true, I've walked through the downtown areas of 30-some major US cities. When I'm traveling, I almost always use public transportation. I've never seen panhandlers dressed as nicely as they were in Seattle. It really was a night and day sort of difference. Maybe they just have a much better "safety net." I can't say that I'm familiar with Seattle's social services system.

Downtown Seattle is awfully hilly. (The Underground tour explains why.) Unless you're in shape for mountain biking, I wouldn't advise it.

This probably could use a little elaboration since we've both touched on it now. Seattle has some pretty substantial elevation changes in relatively short distances. Pioneer Square and the Waterfront are pretty close to Sea Level. Westlake Mall, which is just about 6 blocks east of the Aquarium is probably at about 150-200 feet. Queen Anne Hill and Capitol Hill top out just short of 500 feet and are less than 2 miles from the Center of Downtown. There are plenty of ways to go around the hills, but there are quite a few places you may want to go that are on top of the hills. If you're up for the workout biking in Seattle is an ok way to go, but it's not something you want to do on a whim, and plan your routes carefully.

Not to mention that it doesn't stop in Downtown. Most of the Seattle area is rolling hills, with very little flat land. You're almost always going to be going up or down a hill wherever you go. Right where I live, there's an elevation drop of about 50 feet a stone's throw away, going from the U-District to U-Village. Sudden changes like that are the norm around here.

...the hills are part of the reason they revieved and expanded the trolley buses. The steep grades were punishing the drive trains of the deisel ones.

Seattle actually used to have six Cable car railways (like San Francisco's) because the hills were so bad. Several of the lines were still in operation up until 1940. Another curious conveyance was known as The Counterbalance (Queen Anne Ave) which was a counterweight system installed in 1901 that assisted streetcars up and down the steep avenue (20% grade). You may still hear this reference used for the main avenue on the hill.

so is there casble/street cars running now, in 2008?

My boss wanred me about the hills. He said he never heard about them but it was "like freaking san fransisco"

Is the Japanese garden /University district and Queen anne hill reachable without renting a car?

1. There's two street cars running: the old one along the Seattle Waterfront, and the South Lake Union Trolley. The old one is more picturesque, but the new one has a better acronym.

2. It's a lot like San Francisco, only with less flat areas. If there's any naturally flat land in Seattle, they probably put it in a museum somewhere.

3. Both are easily reachable by bus. From where you'll be, Queen Anne will be just one bus away; the gardens will take a transfer or two. Steve's link is the best for finding your way around.

...unfortunately no cable cars but as Cain said there are the two streetcar lines. And again as I mentioned, a lot of "Trackless Trolley" buses, albeit they are all new ones. Also if you do ride Metro, I believe they still have the "free zone" downtown so you don't have to pay a fare. If you go beyond however it is an interesting exerience. Coming into the city you board through the front door and pay your fare as you enter. However heading out of the city centre you board through the rear doors and pay your fare when you get off and then have to exit through the front door. That is how they foil cheaters.

...at least that was the way I remembered how it worked.

ok I remember hearing about theSouth Lake Union Trolly. but it had slipped from my mind.
kind of a shame someone with no sense of humor was involved in re-naming it.

Having anything resembling a personality removed is a pre-requisite for working for any department of either the City of Seattle, King County, or the State of Washington. A few slip by but they have to keep a low profile

If i'm asking locals for directions to it, what name do they use, the official ,new, one, the old 'trolly name, or the acronym?

"Where can I find the SLUT?" usually works really well.

I am so hoping that you are serious, or my husband and I could be having some very long talks with the local police for potentially soliciting.
"really officer, there was a man and a woman with eastern accents asking where they could find sluts."

Does any of the locales knows clubs where metal and hardcore-shows take place?

Mostly small venues, neither style is popular enough around here to have a dedicated club, though some clubs may have a night dedicated to a particualr style. The club scene in Seattle is not particularly good, between local laws & insurance costs opening a dance club is expensive and difficult.

Brew-Pubs, Bars and Restaurants in Seattle however do quite well and have a wide variety of styles represented.

With regards to what the locals call the streetcar, I just call it the streetcar. If pressed as to which I mean, I will say "The south lake union one."

For some fun insight on Seattle & it's inhabitants http://www.seattleweekly.com/columns/284118
A lot of this is largely tongue in cheek.

I do want to say 'thank you' for your help guys. I copied over many of these entries and then let my husband read through them. He was surprised the indian village on the island is still going strong. He said it was like indian dinner theatre in a theme park.

Any of you know about "Ride the Ducks?" These are amphibious trucks that give tours in some cities. I know there's one in Seattle. The one in Philadelphia is really good, we drag visitors onto it and they enjoy it, after going through the streets of philly it drives into the Delaware river. Any word on how good or not the one in Seattle is?

You WILL go to Dick's and get a burger!

You prolly don't want to go to the Space Needle, it's pretty boring.

Fremont is pretty cool. It's the center of the universe, you know.

It's been a long while, but the hardcore scene used to meet at the Ballard Firehouse. They still might have concerts there.

I've never ridden the Duck before, but I understand it's pretty good. It meets at Seattle Center, near the EMP, so it may be worth checking out while you're there.

And Dick's is seconded.

For a "round the city, see lots of things" tour, the Ducks are pretty cool, especially since they're not restricted to land. As long as you don't mind people with quacking noisemakers, loud music, and all that stuff that usually comes with mobile tours

They always look like a good time, but my interactions with them have been from the perspective of being another driver on the road, trying not to get run into the ditch by some crazy guy rolling around in a modified assault transport.

Actually, for a Shadowrun player, rolling around Seattle in one of those is probably pretty entertaining

It is legal for you to have the airlines ship your sidearm as luggage. I'm not sure, however, if you have a permit to carry that will be valid in Washington. The number of states we've got reciprocity with are pretty low.

We know the ducks. Like SF said whenever we have family or friends visit we take them onto the ducks as a fun way to see Philadelphia. We all have those quackers and my husband's brother's wife just 'loves us to death' for giving their children the spares we picked up. She has said that She will have her revenge when Rei, my daughter, gets a little older.

???

Ducks look like a good time, never ridden them either but they seem to be pretty full even this time of year. Dick's burgers are nothing special, Dick's itself is cool because it represents one of the last surviving fast food mini-chains of the pre-interstate highway era. Also noteworthy is Gorditios for Burritos roughly the size of a firelog.

I usually advertise 'em to people as "a burrito the size of your head." They've got a picture of an infant next to one of their grande burritos. The burrito is larger.

...back when I first moved to Seattle I remembered a place called the Outrageous Taco (or Burrito) where the large was about as big as you describe. It was in the north U-District area I think a block off of University Way.

Could this be the same place only the name has changed?

Doubt it, Gorditos has been an instiution on 85th Street North, just west of Greenwood Avenue for a long time now, 10-15 years at least.

I fixed it. I am refering to my sister in law but wanted it to be clear I meant on my husband's side, not one of the wives on my side of the family.

...thanks. Would have missed it anyway as I moved to Olympia in '82 then to Portland in '89. Just sounded a lot like the old Outrageous.

Damn! I was just starting to picture you in a whole new light.