Skimming Seattle

We flew into Seattle more as a stop-over place on our way to an event in Canada, but we weren't about to miss the opportunity to at least look around. My impressions of this northwestern city before this visit had consisted of a strange mixture of images seen on the popular TV show Frazier and the sounds of grunge rock that were so popular when I was in college. Of course, I've also had more than one cup o' coffee at a Starbucks. I think I expected the whole place to smell of Java!

Sooo, what do I think now?

Well, in truth, we didn't have time to give Seattle a very fair shake, but the real thing up close and personal was much different from the snapshot I had created in my imagination. With Boeing as the largest area employer, the city had a bit of an industrial feel to me. It was also much smaller than I expected. With that said, there's still an amazing amount to see.

Some area attractions include: the Pacific Science Museum, the Aquarium on the Seattle Waterfront, Pioneer Square, the Space Needle, Boeing (if you have an interest in engineering), and the Museum of Flight. The Puget Sound is beautiful.

Quick Tips:

I suggest you start where we did - at the beginning. Go to Pioneer Square where the city was first founded. The Underground Tour is a must. It was one of the most enjoyable historic walking tours I've ever taken, and that is high praise indeed.

While we did not have time to go up on the 605 foot-high Space Needle, everyone says this affords a worthwhile view. Built in the early 60s for a World Fair, the inspiration for the Space Needle came from a TV tower seen in Stuttgart, Germany!

We avoided the Experience Music Project near the Space Needle because a friend of ours had just visited this place. She said she didn't think the experience was worth the price for a family with kids. Take this review for what it's worth. I have another friend who did like the whole rock theme here.

My husband has been inside Boeing and found this fascinating. A delightful World War II veteran that I bumped into during the trip said that he went to the plant for a public tour and found the walking to be a bit hard for a man his age.

Best Way To Get Around:

We stayed at a hotel near the SeaTac airport, so we rented a car.

The Doubletree is a large hotel perfectly suited to host conventions. In fact I noticed when we checked-in, and again when we checked out, that various reception tables were set up for convention attendees near a hall leading to meeting rooms.

A sprawlingly large property, the hotel offers ammenities like a heated outdoor pool, restaurant, coffee cafe, and gift shop that would be appealing to a large group - not to mention the location. From our room's balcony, my son and I watched several planes take-off from the Seatac airport, yet I wasn't ever disturbed by plane noise. As we rode one of the glass elevators between floors, my husband who travels all the time commented that this was a "nicer than most" Doubletree, which should give you a good idea of the quality standard.

Our room was a good size with a couch and desk, but the couch didn't fold out, so our son just slept on the cushions. The decor was basic hotel though the bathroom seemed a tad bigger than a lot of others in chain rooms, which was nice. We enjoyed a room service breakfast. I didn't even have time to take a shower before this was delivered!

Service here was quick and courteous. The shuttle to the airport left every fifteen minutes. As always, the chocolate chip cookies you get upon arrival are a nice touch.

Bottom line? You'll forget this hotel once you've left it, but if you want to be near the airport, it's comfortable and reasonable. My husband who sometimes travels to Seattle for work plans to stay here again.

A 15-minute drive from either the airport or Seattle, Salty's is a fine dining restaurant without any stuffy pretension. The restaurant itself is decorated in casual white wood paneling. Simple water-colors of various fish are on the walls. Over-sized fishing rods hang from the ceiling. Yet, the view onto the wrap-around deck that allows you to watch as the sun dips into the Puget Sound adds a bit of romance to the ambiance.

While in Seattle, I wanted to see an old college friend who was driving from Olympia. We were driving from Seattle. Salty's was a perfect place to meet where we could talk about years gone by over a nice glass of wine and excellent seafood, while our children also enjoyed chicken fingers. (Not a place for young kids.)

Make sure you don't miss the clam chowder. This is a restaurant specialty, and it was creamy- smooth delightful. After a cup of this, my expectations were set pretty high. My giant prawns entree served with risotto and asparagus lived up to the challenge. From salmon with a bourbon glaze to my husband's light lobster pastry dish, we enjoyed every morsel we ordered.

Live music Thursday to Saturday nights.

Bottom line? The bill will certainly lighten your wallet, but this is excellent seafood.

How do you get there? Take Exit 147 (272nd St.) and go west towards the water. Drive down the hill---and it's a long hill. Salty's is right on the water.

It was a drizzly gray afternoon, so I looked with regret at the small outside tables as we decided to duck out of the rain and into Trattoria Mitchelli for lunch.

What was the decor like? Old movie posters cover the walls here. Think The Godfather and James Dean's Giant written in Italian. Vinyl tablecloths, the wooden booths, the waitstaff's neckerchiefs that made me think of airline stewardesses, the dark green and cream color scheme, the ancient pinball machine in the corner of the room with the bar, all gave the atmosphere a casual ambiance I enjoyed.

So how was the food? Our waitress suggested a bowl of cream-based spinach soup to get the chill out of our bones, so I started off with this. Artichoke hearts added a special flavor that was made me love each delicious spoonful. This was by far my favorite part of our meal. From a menu of Ciabatta sandwiches, I chose the Toscana, which contained prosciutto, mozzarella and red peppers. It was okay. The ham was a bit too chewy. We all agreed, however, that my son's very thin-crusted pizza was very yummy.

Bottom line? A bill for three people with tip was under $40. The service was quick and courteous. Overall, we were happy with our meal.

The tour begins with a rousing introduction to Seattle in an old nightclub in Pioneer Square. Apparently some of the founding fathers were a bit...uh... corrupt. Whatever their faults, they were also colorful.

While delving into some of the early politics, our inital guide talked about the main reason Seattle has an underground - if you guessed that the citizens desired an indoor mall to avoid getting wet, you'd be close to the right motive. Some of the underground has been (and is still) used for commerce. However, the real reason was a simple matter of wanting indoor plumbing that worked efficiently. My fifth grader son was doubled over in practical hysterics as we were told stories of how Thomas A. Crapper, the man who invented the early toilet, hadn't considered how the changing tides in Seattle might make things flush up at certain times of the day.

After the tour intro, our big group was split into three small groups, and we were escorted into separate sections of the tour's underground, so things never got too crowded. Our guide was Rick, and we enjoyed his entire presentation. While the underground itself isn't really a lot to see, his telling of the history brought the place to life for us.

While not for young kids, I would highly suggest this tour for the whole family. However, if you have a hard time navigating stairs, you might have to skip it. There aren't any elevators.

Bottom line? A perfect blend of history and entertainment.

I am a sucker for a small bookstore. I love to run my fingers along the paperback spines on the shelves. I love the smell of books in general. No, I'm not a librarian, but if I could, I would bottle that paper scent and sell it as a perfume!

In addition, I am a perpetual browser, a "title sleuth" of sorts, patiently sorting through novels until I find just the right one to buy and read. At the Seattle Mystery Bookshop, the name of the store immediately clues you into the genre you'll uncover. Cloak-and-dagger adventures are a-plenty, both new and used. All the big authors are on the shelves---Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Sarah Paretsky, James Lee Burke.... Most exciting? You'll also find a lot of the books are signed!

Bottom line? This store is small, but it packs a big wallop. If you're a mystery lover, get a cup of coffee to go and then sniff this place out. You'll want to spend some real time here.