Seattle
Seattle - 29 Miles Away:
Seattle is a quick and easy drive from the Luxurious Riverfront Log Home Estate. Leave the GPS at home and just go west on the interstate until it ends in downtown Seattle. It's that simple. The emerald city is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of North America with 620,778 residents. Seattle also is the largest city on the West Coast north of San Francisco and the Seattle metropolitan area has around 4 million inhabitants. The city is situated on a narrow isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington and is about 100 mile south of the Canada–United States border.
Space Needle & SkyCity Restaurant:
The Space Needle is an observation tower that was built in 1962 for the World's Fair. Once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, it is 605 feet high, 138 feet wide, and weighs 9,550 tons. It is built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. It also has 25 lightning rods. It has an observation deck at 520 feet and a gift shop with the rotating SkyCity restaurant at 500 feet. From the top of the Space Needle, one can see not only the downtown Seattle skyline but also the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay, and surrounding islands. Visitors can reach the top of the Space Needle by elevators that travel at 10 miles per hour and the trip takes 41 seconds.
Local Tip - Adult tickets to the observation deck start at $18 per person. SkyCity Restaurant guests receive free admission to the observation deck.
Pike Place Market:
Pike Place Market is a public market overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle. The Market opened August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the United States. It is a place of business for many small farmers, craftspeople, merchants, and unique shops such as antique dealers, comic book and collectible shops, small family-owned restaurants, fishmongers, fresh produce stands, and craft stalls. One of the Market's major attractions is Pike Place Fish Market, where employees throw three-foot salmon and other fish to each other rather than passing them by hand. The Pike Place Market sees 10 million visitors annually.
Washington State Ferries & Bainbridge Island:
Ferries shuttle all around Puget Sound and they’re the prettiest, part of Washington’s transportation system. You can have a fun, quick and cheap sightseeing boat ride as a walk-on passenger on the Seattle-Bainbridge Island ferry. Board the ferry at Pier 52 on the downtown Seattle waterfront, get off at Bainbridge and walk into the friendly little town of Winslow — its restaurants, cafes and shops are a 10-minute walk from the ferry landing on the main drag of Winslow Way. Back on the ferry, enjoy the spectacular urban skyline view as you approach downtown Seattle.
Downtown Waterfront & the Seattle Great Wheel:
The waterfront offers a broad sidewalk with shops, eateries (fish and chips is always a favorite) and wooden piers jutting out into the bay. The Seattle Great Wheel is a giant Ferris wheel at Pier 57 with an overall height of 175 feet. It is the tallest Ferris wheel on the west coast of the United States.
Olympic Sculpture Park:
The outdoor sculpture garden spreads over 9 acres of a seaside bluff north of downtown with wonderful views of the city, harbor and mountains. Paths wander amid various sculptures and for a longer walk, stroll along the 1.2-mile waterfront path in adjoining Myrtle Edwards Park. Admission is free.
Pioneer Square:
The original heart of Seattle is home to art galleries, cafés, sports bars, nightclubs, bookstores, and is often described as the center of Seattle's nightlife.
Seattle Monorail:
The elevated monorail line in Seattle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and runs a little under one mile along Fifth Avenue between Seattle Center in Lower Queen Anne and Westlake Center in Downtown. Seattle Center Monorail is a fully self-sufficient public transit system with a top speed of 45 mph. The monorail trains and their tracks were given historical landmark status.
Ballard (Chittenden) Locks:
The Ballard Locks let boats travel between Puget Sound and Seattle’s freshwater waterways. Folks gather to watch the boats go up and down through the locks including fishing boats, tugs, kayaks, and yachts. There is also a viewing area of a fish ladder that lets salmon swim up past the locks to their freshwater spawning ground. An ornamental garden also surrounds the locks. Admission is free.
Green Lake Park:
Green Lake Park is a community hot spot, which attracts people of all ages seeking exercise, relaxation, or people watching. A 2.8-mile path surrounds Green Lake and the park is also popular for most sports and recreational hobbies. In the summer, Green Lake is also popular for swimming and motor-less boating including sail boarding, pedal boats, rowboats, skiffs, and canoes.
Chinatown International District:
Seattle’s Chinatown, now also called the International District, is a cultural hub for Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino and other immigrants with Asian restaurants and shops.
Seaplanes:
MUSEUMS & AQUARIUMS
Chihuly Garden and Glass:
This museum is located at Seattle Center and showcases the studio glass of Dale Chihuly.
EMP Museum:
The museum is dedicated to contemporary popular culture with interactive activity stations, sound sculpture, and various educational resources and is home to iconic artifacts, and award-winning exhibitions featuring luminaries in the fields of music, literature, television, and film.
Museum of Flight:
The museum is the largest private air and space museum in the world and hosts K-12 educational programs. The museum attracts over 400,000 visitors every year.
Museum of History & Industry:
The museum offers new galleries and multimedia displays in Lake Union Park at the north edge of downtown. Its exhibits on life in Seattle and Puget Sound cover everything from the maritime past to cutting-edge culture.
Seattle Aquarium:
The aquarium is the region’s premier resource for hands-on marine experiences and conservation education with over 800,000 visitors each year.
Seattle Art Museum:
The museum is the perfect place for a rainy day if you’d like to see everything from European masters’ paintings, ancient Asian artwork, Native American carvings, and contemporary sculpture.
SPORTING, CONCERT, AND ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS
CenturyLink Field:
The stadium serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks football team and other events.
Key Arena:
The arena is used for entertainment purposes, such as concerts, ice shows, circuses, and sporting events.
Safeco Field:
The stadium serves as the home field for the Seattle Mariners baseball team and other events.