Fodor's Seattle 2001

by FODOR'S

• ISBN13: 9780679005858
• ISBN10: 0679005854
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-02-13
• Publisher: Fodor's

Summary

Fodor's Seattle 2001"Fodor's guides cover culture authoritatively and rarely miss a sight or museum."- National Geographic Traveler "The king of guidebooks."- Newsweek No matter what your budget or whether it's your first trip or fifteenth, Fodor's Gold Guides get you where you want to go. Insider info that's totally up to date.Every year our local experts give you the inside track, showing you all the things to see and do -- from must-see sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from shopping to outdoor fun. Hundreds of hotel and restaurant choices in all price ranges-- from budget-friendly B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to the hottest new restaurants, complete with thorough reviews showing what makes each place special. Smart Travel Tips A to Zsection helps you take care of the nitty gritty with essential local contacts and great advice -- from how to take your mountain bike with you to what to do in an emergency. Full-size, foldout mapkeeps you on course.

Table of Contents

On the Road with Fodor's	v
Don't Forget to Write	v
Smart Travel Tips A to Z	viii
Destination: Seattle	1	(10)
Emerald City on the Shore	2	(1)
New and Noteworthy	3	(1)
What's Where	4	(3)
Pleasures and Pastimes	7	(1)
Great Itineraries	8	(1)
Fodor's Choice	8	(2)
Festivals and Seasonal Events	10	(1)
Exploring	11	(27)
Pike Place Market, the Waterfront, and Seattle Center	14	(7)
Pioneer Square and the International District	21	(1)
Capitol Hill Area	22	(5)
University District	27	(1)
Close-Up: Time to Relax	28	(2)
Fremont and Environs	30	(2)
Seattle's Outskirts and Beyond	32	(6)
Dining	38	(24)
Downtown, the Waterfront, and Belltown	40	(11)
Capitol Hill and Madison Valley	51	(3)
Queen Anne Hill, Magnolia, and Lake Union	54	(2)
North of Lake Union and the Ship Canal	56	(1)
Close-Up: Northwest Cuisine	57	(2)
West Seattle	59	(1)
East of Lake Washington	60	(1)
North of Seattle	61	(1)
Lodging	62	(15)
Downtown	64	(9)
Capitol Hill	73	(1)
Lake Union and Fremont	73	(1)
University District	74	(1)
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport	74	(1)
Bellevue/Kirkland	75	(2)
Nightlife and the Arts	77	(14)
Nightlife	78	(8)
The Arts	86	(5)
Outdoor Activities and Sports	91	(11)
Beaches	92	(1)
Participant Sports	93	(7)
Spectator Sports	100	(2)
Shopping	102	(16)
Blitz Tours	103	(2)
Neighborhoods	105	(4)
Close-Up: Book Lovers' Paradise	109	(8)
Other Malls and Outlets	117	(1)
Side Trips from Seattle	118	(47)
Bainbridge Island	120	(1)
Whidbey Island, Fidalgo Island, Port Townsend, and La Conner	121	(11)
The San Juan Islands	132	(9)
Bellingham, Mt. Baker, and North Cascades National Park	141	(4)
Snoqualmie and Leavenworth	145	(5)
Olympic Peninsula	150	(5)
Mt. St. Helens	155	(3)
Mount Rainier National Park	158	(3)
Close-Up: Climbing Mt. Rainier	161	(4)
Portraits of Seattle	165	(8)
Seattle: A Short History	166	(5)
Books and Videos	171	(2)
Index	173

Excerpts

Destination: Seattle

Seattle's tall office towers seem to rise from the blue-gray waters of saltwater inlets and freshwater lakes like the battlements of an island fortress of commerce and industry. Soaring high above wooded urban hills, these towers are dwarfed by the jagged, snowcapped peaks of the Olympic Mountains, and by the tall, solitary volcanic peaks of Mount Rainier to the south and Mount Baker to the north. To the east rise the serrated alpine crests of the North Cascades.

Seattleites have favorite vantage points from which to appreciate their city's skyline: Queen Anne Hill, where the views encompass the Space Needle as well as Downtown; across the waters of Elliott Bay from Duwamish Head and Alki Beach in West Seattle; across Puget Sound from the Bainbridge Island ferry (though commuters often complain that the ferry moves too fast for them to fully take in the view). Unusual vistas include the view from Gasworks Park across Lake Union, or from Volunteer Park, high atop Capital Hill, where you can frame the Space Needle in the big (9-ft, 9-inch) hole of Isamu Noguchi's granite sculpture. Although Seattleites rarely enjoy the views from the top of the Space Needle, they have been known to show them off to visitors.

Seattle has much to offer. The city's restaurants have garnered a well-deserved national reputation; its comfortable hotels rank with the best anywhere. The city's theaters, opera, ballet, symphony, museums, and art galleries make Seattle the cultural capital of the Pacific Northwest.[] Above all, Seattle is a beautiful and unique city, and much of its special character is found in its neighborhoods.

Dining

The best Seattle restaurants build their menus around local produce and seafood, much of which is found in Pike Place Market. A quick scan of the stalls will tell you what to expect on restaurant plates in any given season: strawberries in June, Walla Walla sweets -- a mild softball-size onion -- in July, wild blackberries in August, and Washington's renowned apples in autumn. All year long you'll find Washington wines and beer at Seattle restaurants. The synthesis of locally produced ingredients and European and Asian cooking techniques are the basis for Pacific Northwest cuisine.

Nightlife

Seattle has a famous public market at Pike Place overlooking Elliott Bay, an excellent waterfront aquarium and a first-rate zoo (where, curiously, the best displays deal with tropical rain-forest habitats). Seattle also has a world-class opera company, a symphony orchestra, ballet, and theaters, as well as museums and art galleries. Seattle's new Benaroya concert hall is said to have some of the best acoustics in the world.

Visual arts also thrive, and it's no accident that Seattle and western Washington are known for the excellence of their glass art, since artists need a mild climate to produce first-rate glass art. Because the works are fashioned from red-hot or molten glass, a studio in a warmer climate might be too hot to work in for much of the year.

A mid-1990s restaurant boom in Seattle has resulted in a livelier nightlife that lasts late into the evening. Seattle achieved fleeting notoriety in the early 1990s as the birthplace of grunge rock. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden were among the bands to emerge from the local music scene. But jazz, blues, and R&B have been perennial favorites, and you'll find clubs that showcase everything from tinny garage bands to subtle stylists. Beyond music, you can catch a performance by a stand-up comedian, or a movie, or just have a drink while watching the lights flicker on the water. On any given night there are usually several worthwhile dance or theater offerings. Seattle's galleries support an active community of painters, sculptors, woodworkers, and glass artists. The annual Northwest Folklife Festival on Memorial Day weekend celebrates their creativity.

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Excerpted from Seattle by Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc. Staff
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.