Seattle OPPOs: Visit Recommendations?

"t0ast" (t0ast217) 03/21/2019 at 10:55 • Filed to: None

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Long story short, my husband just landed a job with a company that has their headquarters in Seattle. They agreed to fly him out a few days before his orientation there, so we’ll be making a short vacation out of it. We’ve got a 4 day weekend, lodgings in Bellevue and downtown Seattle, and a Turo’d WRX with an 800 mile allowance to work with, so... where would be some good places to check out? Unique food, fun/scenic drives, and any area good for walking/exploring ( neighborhoods, parks, trails, etc.) are of particular interest. We got a few leads from some friends and family who lived there previously, but could always do with some more recommendations.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 10:59

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Chuckanut drive, a little north is worth it. I usually drive from Fairhaven in Bellingham to La Conner via the Chuckanut and coast roads and then back the same way.

If you wanted to spend a day in the scenic North-West of the Pacific Northwest, you could do a lot worse.

La Conner is an hour and a half North of Seattle (66 miles by I-5)

Mid Engine > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 11:06

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It depends when you’re here, if it’s nice out don’t miss the exotic car show at Redmond Town Center on Saturday morning.  I’m sure you’ve been told to check out the Public Market and the Needle, fun to do once or twice. 

Drive an hour east and hike Wallace State park, has a 300' three phase waterfall and the scenery is fantastic. I am a bit biased as I own a home on the Wallace river, about 1/4 mile into the hike you’ll see a cottage. Let us know if you’re in the area, cold beer awaits!

someassemblyrequired > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 11:09

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Tiger Mountain is close to Bellevue, just shy of 3000ft, solid hiking, but will be semi-nuts on a weekend. There are tons of trails out Interstate 90.

In Seattle, check out around the Ballard locks, Edmonds is a cool area, and futher north Whidbey Island and Camano Island are not too far and have lots of cool parks to explore. Capitol Hill has a great restaurant scene. Downtown is not as nice as it once was, keep your wits about you.

As for restaurants/food, there’s lots of great cheap eats and microbreweries around.  That’s pretty much the food scene there, people aren’t really into high-end dining.

Museums, EMP, Museum of Flight, if you’re into cars, check out the Lemay Collection (not the Tacoma museum, but their back collection). Guy had 3000+ cars when he died, and a huge number of them are stored at a former military school.

Olympic peninsula is super cool, I like Port Townsend, which is easiest to access by taking the ferry. It was supposed to be the San Francisco of the North and it’s a cool little town.

Mt. Rainier is awesome but a full day. I also like the drive both up and down 97 on the east side of the mountains - south takes you down to the Columbia river and north you can cross back over at Stevens Pass. Again plan a full day for each of those, and the 800 mile restriction may be an issue.

facw > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 11:17

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I’m not a Seattleite, but clearly you should do:

  http://www.museumofflight.org/

and

https://www.futureofflight.org/boeing-tour-seattle

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 11:19

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Don't overschedule yourself. you'll find it difficult to get places during daylight hours 

t0ast > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/21/2019 at 11:26

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Thanks, I’ve heard good things about Chuckanut and definitely like the idea of finding a scenic bay area on the northern end of the state to check out.

Spaceball-Two > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 11:27

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The wineries in Woodinville are nice. I’d avoid the Market or the Space Needle, most of the typical touristy stuff. Crowds will be nuts. As far as food you can’t go wrong with our phenomenal seafood. Try Dukes or Chandlers for some awesome chowder and oysters. Le May car museum is a little trek South to Tacoma but super fun. 

t0ast > someassemblyrequired 03/21/2019 at 11:46

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Awesome, thanks for all the tips! Visiting one of the mountains / national parks is pretty high on the list, along with checking out some scenic spots along the water. I hadn’t looked quite far enough east to see 97 but that does look like an very appealing driving option that we also might be able to squeeze in (and even if we go over that allowance, it’s just a per mile charge that isn’t too awful ).

t0ast > Spaceball-Two 03/21/2019 at 11:51

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Yeah, I was probably going to skip the Space Needle and am on the fence about the Market.  Any idea if it gets any less crazy on weekdays or if there’s any “off” hours? Definitely appreciate the chowder/oyster recommendations since I plan to go HAM on some seafood while I’m there. Tacoma was already in consideration (since my mom spent a few years there) but didn’t know they had a car museum out there.

Spaceball-Two > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 11:55

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Le May is right next to the Tacoma dome and quick exit off I5 which is nice. The Market can be hit or miss during the week. Figure everyone there is probably a tourist that just got off a cruise ship.

Dogsatemypants > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 12:07

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Go to the sto ne house in redmond for dinner. Visit snoqualmie falls, it’s a nice drive, a good hike, and the lodge has overpriced but good food with an amazing view.

t0ast > Mid Engine 03/21/2019 at 12:09

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Visiting next week, actually. Unfortunately I think that might be one week too early for that car show, which is somewhat unfortunate because I was looking for more excuses to visit Redmond beyond some quick stops at Microsoft, Nintendo, and/ or Valve. Hiking will be somewhat dependent on weather, but we’ll definitely keep that in mind as well. That area looks gorgeous, and if nothing else, we’ll likely be visiting again later.

feather-throttle-not-hair > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 13:00

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The market is WAAAY less crazy on weekdays, though it’ll still probably be crowded.

feather-throttle-not-hair > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 13:05

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I’ve seen signs around town for exotics at RTC already. Are you sure it hasn’t started already?

t0ast > feather-throttle-not-hair 03/21/2019 at 13:13

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I’m seeing April 6 listed as their opening day for the year.

https://www.exoticsat.com/special-events/2019/4/6/our-11th-season-opener

feather-throttle-not-hair > feather-throttle-not-hair 03/21/2019 at 13:38

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Replying to myself: Nope i’m wrong. Says right there on their website starting in April.

RPM esq. > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 14:15

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If you want to sample Seattle itself, I’d recommend an afternoon or evening spent walking around and eating/drinking in one of Seattle’s more distinctive neighborhoods—Fremont, Ballard, or Green Lake for pleasant neighborhoods with lots of coffee shops and restaurants, or Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square, or Belltown if a more urban restaurant/bar scene is your style. There are nice things in the suburbs too, of course, but they tend to feel like any other nice suburb anywhere in the country, albeit often with good views.

I’ll leave the good hikes outside the city to others, but wanted to mention that even within the city and immediate suburbs, there are lots of nice walks/hikes: a few good ones are Discovery Park (huge park on a former military base with great views, woods, grassland, beaches, etc.), Olympic Sculpture Park (an outdoor sculpture museum north of downtown Seattle), Schmitz Preserve (preserved old growth forest in the middle of a residential neighborhood in West Seattle), Carkeek Park (wooded hiking trails in North Seattle with spectacular views), St. Edward State Park (hiking trails through the forest and along lake beaches on the northeast edge of Lake Washington).

Eat seafood while you’re here. It’s unequivocally the best in the country in terms of freshness and diversity , and among the best in the world.

whatisthatsound > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 14:24

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If you're going to come up this way, I live right here and I'll bring the Morgan out so it can break.

t0ast > RPM esq. 03/21/2019 at 15:34

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That’s the exact sort of stuff I was hoping to hear about, so thanks! We’ll definitely be taking a look at those areas to see what we can fit in, and y ou can bet we’ll be eating more than our fair share of seafood . Time spent in California and Japan have made us painfully aware of how much better coastal regions have it in that regard than our deeply land-locked Midwestern home, so I’m eager to see all what this area has to offer up.

just-a-scratch > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 22:27

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 If you want to see fancy cars in the area, head over to Derby for lunch, or visit the LeMay museum. 

just-a-scratch > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 22:31

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As far as Seattle touristy stuff, skip the Space Needle. Go to Pike Place Market. Take a ferr y ride if the weather is nice.

My favorite park, the Hiram Chi ttenden Locks 'the Locks' should be nice in April.

just-a-scratch > t0ast 03/21/2019 at 22:35

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 For seafood, check out The Walrus and Carpenter or Shiro's.

t0ast > whatisthatsound 04/01/2019 at 02:27

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I think we might have caught a glimpse of you going through Deception Pass on Friday around 5pm. We’ve been kinda improvising most of our activities to work around some of my husband’s friends’ schedules so coordinating a drive wouldn’t have worked out too well, but I’ll definitely have to take you up on that offer next time around.

whatisthatsound > t0ast 04/01/2019 at 10:56

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Yep that was me! I was heading home from work.