Visiting Seattle

You may have heard of the movie, Sleepless in Seattle. With so much to do and see in Seattle you’ll stay busy if you suffer from insomnia. Thank goodness that Seattle has a good transportation system. There is a free bus system downtown as well as trolleys, a monorail and the Seattle Waterfront Taxi. While in Seattle, remember that Avenues go from north to south and Streets are from east to west.  Use My Neighborhood, a mapping system to help you travel in Seattle’s neighborhoods.

The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau also has a map of downtown Seattle. Some places that you would want to visit in Seattle include:

• The Chinatown International District featuring an Asian museum, market and historical areas. The district is south of downtown, anchored by Yesler Way and Dearborn Streets. The Chinatown International District has Uwajimaya, one of the largest Asian markets in the United States. Chinatown Discovery Tours provides an extensive tour of Chinatown for both newcomers and natives.
• The University of Washington Arboretum, 230 acres with an internationally recognized plant collection.
• Pike Place Market, the oldest farmer’s market in the United States
• Science Fiction Museum Hall of Fame has artifacts from some names that you may recognize from the science fiction genre. A small sample of the science fiction geniuses that you’ll see represented include: Isaac Asimov, H.G. Wells, George Lucas, Gene Rodenberry, and Steven Spielberg. Imagine what you’ll find in Seattle.
• The Museum of Flight, Seattle’s contribution to preserving our flight history includes a museum dedicated to pilots like the Wright Brothers. You’ll have the chance to see more than 85 historic aircraft and your family will have fun with the interactive games at the museum. Get there early. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is open until 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month.
• The Underground Tour, offers visitor a view of old town Seattle underground. The tour will take you under Pioneer Square where you can see ruins of the life before the 1889 fire in Seattle. You’ll hear tales from the old days in Seattle, too.
• Argosy Cruises allow you to tour Seattle by water. Argosy Cruises range from 90 minutes to about 2 1/2 hours. Dinner, lunch and brunch cruises are also available. Some excursions have live music.
• Washington State Ferries are also fun to ride. If you are looking for great photographs of the Seattle, take a ferry and bring your camera or camcorder!

Photo Credit: Fddi1, Flickr Creative Common License