Belltown

If you look at the gentrification of Seattle as a disease, as I do, Belltown is pretty much Patient Zero. The yups haven’t pushed the indigents out entirely, but that day is not far off. If you’re looking for “upscale” dining, this would be your best bet. I have no recommendations for you – restaurants come and go like the tides. Besides, we don’t eat out that much, and when we do, we tend to avoid the sort of place that has a dress code.

There are a few hold-outs from the old days, though. The Crocodile Café serves food during the day, but it’s really a live music club. I have, on various occasions, almost literally run into Mark Arm, Peter Buck, and Eddie Vedder here. Don’t go for the celebrity watching (such as it is), go for the music. Very near the Croc is Mama’s, a fine scarfing establishment. Lotsa greasy Mexican food here to soak up the beverages of a night on the town.

Fremont

Fremont used to be kinda fun, in a leftover hippie kind of way. The neighborhood has now been gutted to provide shiny new buildings for biotech companies and whatnot. I don’t know that I’d go out of my way for them, but the Troll and the Lenin statue are here. There’s also Sonic Boom, another good record shop.

Wallingford

People who live here are gonna say, “Why’s he including Wallingford?” And rightly so, as it’s mostly residential. There are two reasons: 1) most of the homes here are older, so you can get a feel for what Seattle might have looked like back in the day, and 2) Gas Works Parkis here, on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Union and provides a pretty spectacular view of downtown.

Sort of in Wallingford, sort of on Phinney Ridge, sort of in Green Lake (the neighborhood, not the actual body of water) is the Woodland Park Zoo. As zoos go, it’s pretty non-depressing; there’s been a real effort made to at least simulate the animals’ natural habitat, wherever possible, so it’s not just a bunch of bored critters pacing their cages.

Ballard

Ballard is the latest victim of gentrification. Once the home of Seattle’s vast Scandinavian population (more Norwegians per square inch than anywhere outside Oslo), it is currently being plowed under to make room for more poorly-built condos. You can still buy lefse and potatiskorv (and lutefisk, too, although why you’d want it is another question) here, just not as easily as you once could.

Ballard is home to Archie McPhee, which is worth poking your head into. You will doubtless find some bizarre piece of plastic junk that you previously didn’t know you needed to make your life complete. There are also some good restaurants here, and the Sunset Tavern, teetering on the edge of the dive/club chasm. Let us not forget the Tractor Tavern, the alt country (whatever that is) club.

The Ballard Locks are pretty impressive. Connecting Lake Washington to Puget Sound (which, if memory serves, is about ten feet higher than the lake), they get a lot of traffic, especially during the summer. Kids are always fascinated. (Note: I’m embarrassed to have to say this, but people taking pictures of the locks have been hassled by officials. Especially people with brown skin. If this might apply to you, keep it in mind.)

The International District

Other cities have their Chinatowns; we have the International District. Uwajimaya, a sort of pan-Asian grocery/mall, is definitely worth the trip. You can find all sorts of groovy edibles there, plus they’ve got a great food court. There is also a rapidly expanding, predominantly Vietnamese shopping district just to the east of the ID.

Capitol Hill

This is hipster central, home to more unfortunate hairstyles than I care to contemplate at the moment. Broadway, now in deep decline, used to be where it was at. Where it’s at has been moved over to the Pike/Pine corridor. Many clubs – Neumo’s, Chop Suey, The Comet, El Corazon – and restaurants, cafes, bars, boutiques, etc. The usual.

Capitol Hill is also home to Seattle’s gay community. Looking for a gay bar? Neighbours, R Place, The Men’s Room, Thumper’s, C.C. Attle’s, The Cuff, The Eagle (and, for the ladies, The Wild Rose) – they’re all here. (There’s also Changes over in Wallingford, now that I think of it.)

If Pike/Pine gets too hectic for you, head over to 15th Ave., where it’s a little quieter. There’s a pretty good Thai restaurant there, the name of which escapes me at the moment. It’s right next door to the Hopvine, a decent (if small) pub which I think has open mic nights. A little further down the road is Volunteer Park. Climb the water tower and get an amazing view of downtown. Check out the Seattle Asian Art Museum. They’re working on the Conservatory this summer, but I think part of it is still open to the public.

The U District

U stands for University, as in the University of Washington. (Which often gets shortened to U Dub.) The campus itself is quite nice; a lot of the architecture dates back to the 1870s. If you come in the spring, be sure to check out the cherry blossoms.

The heart of the U district, for better or worse, is University Avenue, aka The Ave. Rising rents have pushed out a lot of businesses, to the point where many shopfronts now sit empty. The Ave tends to attract runaway teens, druggies, and indigents of varying amounts of sanity. It can be a little dicey at night, if you’re on the wrong block at the wrong time. Just be aware of your surroundings and you should be fine. Actually, that’s good advice no matter where you are.

That said, the University Bookstore is worth a look, as is Bulldog News just down the block. And, given the proximity of the university and all those starving students, there are a lot of inexpensive restaurants, some of which are definitely worthwhile. Cellophane Square is a good record shop. (Hey, I am who I am. Record shops are important to me.)

Not exactly in the U District – just across the Montlake Cut – is the Washington Park Arboretum. 230 acres of trees, shrubs, etc., as laid out by the Olmsted brothers. Great for picnics, and if you come while the Rhodies are in bloom (usually March through maybe May) it’s pretty spectacular.

Day Trips

If you’re going to be here for awhile and have access to a car, you should try to get out of town for a day or so to get an idea of what the rest of the area is like. Take a ferry over to Bainbridge Island; not that there’s really much there – some shops downtown, a sorta half-assed winery – but in this case the journey is the destination. It’s a nice ferry ride, in other words, and driving around the island can be fun.

Also worth a trip out of town are the wineries over in Woodinville, on the East Side of Lake Washington. Otherwise, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to go to the East Side.

Mt. Rainier is about an hour and a half to two hours away. I’m sad to say that I haven’t made the trip yet myself, but it sure looks like it would be nice. Note: at an altitude of 14,410 feet, this is not one of those “mountains” like you'll find back east. It kills experienced climbers every year. You will not be able to get to the summit, but there are a number of day hikes that are accessible at Sunrise and Paradise.

Odds and Sods

The people here, while not exactly outgoing, are quite friendly. If you need directions, don’t be shy about asking – most locals will not only tell you the way, they may very well say “follow me”. Some will even make sure you have carfare home.

I’m not advocating that anyone make a steady diet out of this sort of thing, but if you dig the idea of locally owned and operated fast food, we have a few options:

Dick’s: burgers. Try the Deluxe. Cheap & good.
Kidd Valley: burgers. More substantial than Dick’s.
Ivar’s: seafood. Famous for chowder (and goofy advertising), but if it swims and can be fried, Ivar’s probably has it on the menu.
Ezell’s: chicken. Actually, chicken of the gods. Oprah thinks so, too.
Spud’s: fish & chips. Best in town. Haters can suck it.

Pedestrians have the right of way here. Every corner has an implied crosswalk, and drivers are legally bound to stop and allow pedestrians to cross. In theory, anyway. In practice… it happens, but if you’re crossing the street, don’t count on it.

If you come during the winter, there is the possibility of snow. We usually only see it during January and February, but it can happen as early as November. It is rare that we see more as much as a foot; it’s usually only and inch or two. Be advised, though, that transportation will shut down – mostly due to the numerous steep hills, but also due to the fact that nobody here knows how to drive in snow. As soon as the first few flakes hit the road, the drivers start heading for the ditches.

If you come during the summer and you will be driving, be prepared to be stopped at the various drawbridges around town. It’s a nuisance, but you learn to live with it. Relax and smell the lutefisk.