Magical Mystery Tour 2011

punzie

2011 Magical Mystery Tour or Seattle!

Who: You! And me. And other PAX peeps aka your future friends.
What: A tour of things in and around Seattle. Organized by myself and led by Master Helios.
Where: That's up to you. Go here to vote on where we will go.
When: The two days before PAX Prime: Wed 8/24 and Thurs 8/25. Traditionally runs from 9am to 5pm but you don't have to do the whole thing.
Why: See something of Seattle other than the convention center and your hotel. And do it with cool people!
How: We'll probably use public transit. It's the cheapest option. If you object, give an alternate suggestion.

You don't have to participate in the entire tour.
Show up late, leave early, skip things in the middle, whatever. The schedule will be posted here and you'll be able to follow along via twitter (@PAX_MMT) to see where we are so you can easily join in/drop out as you see fit.

Voting!
Here is the current list of places we may visit. Read them over, visit the websites, form an opinion. Then visit the voting site (http://mmt.vthornheart.railsplayground.net/) and vote for your favorite and least favorite. When you make an account, help me out by properly selecting which days you want to attend. This will affect how the schedule is made.
*Items with an asterisk are included in the Seattle CityPass. A CityPass will save you money on admission if you visit at least 3 of the included sites.

-Alki Beach

What: A beach on Puget Sound.
Price: Free!
Website: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=445

-Archie McPhee's

What: A toy shop for the weird and unusual.
Price: Free to enter
Website: http://www.archiemcpheeseattle.com/

-Ballard Locks

What: Locks between Puget Sound and the freshwater canals. Do like boats?
Price: Free!
Website: http://www.seattle.gov/TOUR/locks.htm

-Boeing factory tour

What: A tour of an airplane factory. See how planes are built.
Price: $18 (more at the door, children are cheaper)
Additional Notes: 25 miles north of Seattle. No one under 4ft tall. Handicapped people require advance notice.
Website: http://www.futureofflight.org/

-Duck Tour

What: Tour Seattle by land and water on a WWII amphibious landing craft! You haven't seen Seattle until you've seen it from a Duck! (90 minute tour)
Price: $28 or $25 with a group discount (10 or more people)
Additional Notes: Boats are NOT wheelchair accessible: must be able to walk up 8 steps (with handrails on both sides) onto boat.
Website: http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/

-EMP/Sci-Fi Museum*

What: Museum for music, pop culture, and science fiction. Current exhibits include Nirvana, Avatar, Battlestar Galactica, Jimi Hendrix: an Evolution of Sound, Sound and Vision: Artists Tell Their Stories, and Guitar Gallery.
Price: $18 ($15 online)
Website: http://www.empmuseum.org/index.asp
Additional Notes: included in City Pass.

-Fremont

What: The center of the universe. Visit the Fremont Troll, Statue of Lenin, the Rocket, universal signpost or just do some shopping.
Price: Free!
Website: http://www.fremontseattle.com/

-Game Works (afternoon fun?)

What: An arcade.
Price: Free to enter, pay to play.
Website: http://www.gameworks.com/?tId=1&sId=16

-Gas Works Park

What: public park on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant, located on the north shore of Lake Union.
Price: Free!
Website: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=293

-Greenlake

What: Park with tennis court, basketball court, bike/jogging paths, and a view of the lake.
Price: Free!
Website: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=307

-Ice Cream Cruise

What: 45 minute narrated tour of Lake Union.
Price: $11
Website: http://www.seattleferryservice.com/
Additional Notes: Ice cream, coffee, and soft drinks are $2-$4 each.

-Japanese Garden

What: 3 1/2 acre formal garden designed and constructed under the supervision of world-renowned Japanese garden designer Juki Iida. Tours available.
Price: $6.00
Website: http://www.cityofseattle.net/Parks/parkspaces/japanesegarden.htm

-Lakeview Cemetery

What: The resting place of Bruce and Brandon Lee's.
Price: Free!
Website: http://www.lakeviewcemeteryassociation.com/

-Monorail

What: The nation's first full-scale commercial monorail system, running from downtown Seattle to Seattle Center.
Price: $4
Website: http://www.seattlemonorail.com/

-Mount Rainier

What: Visit the scenic outdoors. would take a whole day, but the views and nature are amazing.
Price: $15 per vehicle or $5 per person.
Website: http://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm
Additional Notes: Would probably need some other form of transportation to get there.

-Museum of Flight

What: One of the largest air and space museums in the world.
Price: $16 (or $13 in a group of 10 or more).
Website: http://www.museumofflight.org/
Additional Notes: included in City Pass.

-Museum of History and Industry

What: Largest private heritage organization in the State of Washington, attracting more than 60,000 visitors annually from the Northwest and beyond, including thousands of school children. MOHAI collects, preserves and presents the rich history of the Pacific Northwest.
Price: $8
Website: http://www.seattlehistory.org/

-Olympic Sculpture Park

What: Outdoor sculpture Park on the Waterfront.
Price: Free!
Website: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/osp/

-Pacific Science Center*

What: Science! Current exhibits include Goose Bumps: The Science of Fear, Tutankhamun: The Golden King and The Great Pharaohs, Dinosaurs: A Journey Through Time, and Tropical Butterfly House,.
Price: $14
Website: http://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/Additional Notes: Included in City Pass.

-Pike Place Market

What: A Market. Wander around, do some shopping, watch the fish throwers.
Price: Free to visit.
Website: http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/frameset.asp?flash=true

-Pioneer Square/Historical District

What: Seattle's original downtown.
Price: Free to wander.
Website: http://www.seattle.gov/tour/pioneer.htm

-Public Library

What: a library. With some cool architecture.
Price: Free!
Website: http://www.spl.org/

-Qwest field

What: 90 minute tour of this football and soccer stadium.
Price: $7
Website: http://www.qwestfield.com/venue/publicTours.aspx

-Seattle Aquarium*

What: An aquarium. Look at aquatic life.
Price: $19
Website: http://www.seattleaquarium.org/

-Seattle Art Museum

What: Culture! Look at the art!
Price: $15
Website: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/

-Seattle Center

What: An area encompassing the EMP, Pacific Science Center, Monorail, and Space Needle. Also has parks and art.
Price: Free to visit.
Website: http://www.seattlecenter.com/

-Seattle Harbor Tour (Argosy Cruises)*

What: 1 hour narrated tour of the harbor.
Price: $22.50
Website: http://www.argosycruises.com/publiccruises/harbor.cfm
Additional Notes: Included in the City Pass

-Space Needle*

What: Icon of Seattle. Go up and get a great picture setting!
Price: $18
Website: http://www.spaceneedle.com/
Additional Notes: Included in the City Pass

-Underground Tour

What: Tour of Seattle's old city streets, not under the current ones.
Price: $16
Website: http://www.undergroundtour.com/

-University of Washington

What: A college. Tour the campus, or take in one of the museums and exhibits. Arts UW, Burke Museum, Henry Art Gallery, The Jacob Lawrence Gallery, Meany Hall for the Performing Arts, UW Botanic Gardens, UW Libraries Exhibits, Gallager Law Library, UW Fish Collection
Price: Free to wander, but some exhibits may have a fee.
Website: www.washington.edu

-Wing Luke Asian Art Museum

What: Nation’s only museum devoted to the Asian Pacific American experience,
Price: $12.95
Website: http://www.wingluke.org/

-Woodland Park Zoo*

What: A zoo. Makes faces at the animals.
Price: $17.50
Website: http://www.zoo.org/
Additional Notes: Included in City Pass.

Attendees: (30)
Preliminary attendees list. Check that your name is on there and please let me know if you plan to have anyone in tow with you so I can add +# next to your name.

MasterHelios
Punzie
VThornheart
Basicallygeek
peetsnack
Jenny_Spaghetti
Decius
drakmathus
solelron
ccbostick
DeliciousTacos
akjak
Enigmas
orbdep
Maetrix
Cuddly Aardvark
blaqueice
Menolly07 +1
sageheart
Cronus
reyesd
automaticjim
chaosisorder
QuickSnap
blAAAm
VGC
GamingGoddess
mavrick88
Emod
Cocowoushi

Solelron

Hey there.

My wife and I joined in last year. This year we are coming up wednesday at some point from portland and would love to hang out with people at the MMT again.

Our only thought is no 1.5-2 mile walk to food ..its pretty, but not everyone can handle the pace sometimes, especially when you don't know exactly where you are going and/or have a medical condition.

As far as locations, we are pretty flexible. suppose to be a nifty exhibit this year during Pax at the EMP again.

Hoping to be there soon enough wednesday to enjoy it all though..we'll see how work behaves.

akjak

I'm in this year!

I'll be arriving sometime Tuesday. I'd really like to hit the Underground Tour and the Sci-Fi Museum, other than those I'm open to whatever else.

JHawk

Hello, I thought I'd give some suggestions (by no means can/should you do all of these, merely suggestions with links )

-Space Needle
-EMP/Sci-Fi Museum
-Underground Tour/
-Aquarium
-Olympic Sculpture Park
-Pioneer Square/Historical District (can easily be in conjunction with the Underground Tour)
-Pike Place Market
-Seattle Art Museum
-Tillicum Village Cruise and Slamon Bake
-Ballard Locks
-Woodland Park Zoo
-Greenlake
-Downtown Waterfront
-Mount Rainier (would take a whole day, but the views and nature are amazing)

As a local I think these are some of the best places to see/go to if you're in Seattle. Of course there are others, it all depends on what you want to see and how much you want to spend, and if I forgot any I'll add them later. Downtown is extremely compact, houses many of the attractions, and best of all the busses are free there! If you want more info or help with guiding/organizing, let me know, I'd be happy to give a hand.

To all travellers, welcome to Seattle!

Jenny_Spaghetti

Hubby and I have specifically booked our trip to arrive late Wednesday morning so that we can participate in this. Yay! That said, depending on the quantity of walking I'll either be on my crutches or in my wheelchair. I understand that I can't be a big consideration in planning (though I'm TOTALLY important enough to warrant it. :P) but perhaps as you're planning, if you can just make a note of non-accessible places on the tour, then we can find other stuff to do during those times? Thanks much!

Liger

Whatever you do, find an excellent bar to end the trip with on Thursday night. Stay there til Midnight, and then I'll join the tour.

Menolly07

I am with Jenny_Spaghetti in the arriving on Wednesday to accommodate MMT. So you're gonna have me around more then you could want, Punz. ;-)

For me the only place I want to be sure to be able to spend time at is the SciFi museum, especially since another PAXite told me that Anne McCaffrey is mentioned. I'll stand under the Space Needle, but I won't go up. My hubby is acrophobic. And you KNOW I loves me some aquariums.

MasterHelios

Awright, Mystery Tour time again!

First off anyone who was on my first time running the tour last year, please a) forgive my woeful inexperience, and b) let me know how I can improve it for this year. I'll do what I can to take everyone's advice on being a better tour guide.

Second, I don't have a smart phone, so while the tour is going on it would be extremely helpful to have one or two more well-equipped people to be internet managers, like with twitter updates on where the group is, looking up bus times, finding places to eat on Yelp, etc.
EDIT: It looks like Punzie can handle this, so never mind!

We'll get some polls up and running in the coming months for locations to visit, so for now get your suggestions out there! I do have to let you know, though, that I'm still only 20 until February, so bars (at least as stops for the main group) are going to be a no-go.

Liger

I think the MMT has had under-agers before. Stick to pub/restaurants during the day and keep the full-on bars for after hours.

MasterHelios

Liger wrote: »

I think the MMT has had under-agers before. Stick to pub/restaurants during the day and keep the full-on bars for after hours.

Fair enough; it's just that I couldn't get in there myself.

Steel Fire

Liger wrote: »

Whatever you do, find an excellent bar to end the trip with on Thursday night. Stay there til Midnight, and then I'll join the tour.

Liger, this already exists, it's called the TWDT. :P You just have to meet up with the campers.

I think it's been the norm that the MMT kinda breaks up Thursday in time for folks to head for the Pre-PAX dinner and then the TWDT.

punzie

Addressing some things that I probably should have mentioned already and things that have been brought up:

Basically copy and pasted JHawk's list into the URL (thanks for that!). Added the public library, monorail, and Boeing Factory (I remember both being options in previous years) as well as the duck tour. I know there's been some controversy about duck tours and other "turbo tours" but I honestly think a 90 minute land/water tour could be appreciated. Just because it's on the potential list doesn't mean we'll do it. You'll get to vote on where you do and don't want to go later (probably July).

We'll most likely use public transit. It seems to be the easiest and cheapest. If anyone has a strong pull for another mode of transportation, speak up! Anyone with info on discount passes, it would be appreciated. I won't have time to do the research for a couple weeks.

If I have my way, we'll avoid long walks in favor of the bus (or other transport) whenever possible. I do understand some people have mobility issues and we want it to accommodate everyone we can. I assume the public buses are to be wheelchair accessible, but I would guess (and may be totally wrong) that it would be easier to get on/off a bus in crutches than a wheelchair is possible if you have that option.

I come equipped with a smartphone these days, so I can handle twitter updates, looking up bus times, etc. Helios, we will talk

I think we'll be avoiding 21+ venues on the tour proper. Again, we want to keep it accessible to all. There could be an optional afterhours sidequest though. Feel free to throw out suggestions for that as well.

It is true the tour usually ends in time for the pre-PAX dinner and barcrawl. I expect that to be the case again this year.

I'm also looking for suggestions for lunch stops. Ideal places are cheap/affordable, have many options (including things for our veggie friends), and don't require a long wait (we'd rather be sightseeing). I think last year's lunch stops were food courts at Westlake Center and somewhere in China Town.

Is that it? Did I miss anything so far?

punzie

Yes, yes I did miss things.

The CCST: Do we want to greet them? Is it happening this year?

The CityPass was useful to us in Boston and there is one for Seattle too. I'll add the locations on the pass to our list (Pacific Science Center, Museum of Flight, Harbor Cruise) as well as an afternoon at Game Works.

We did have one semi-age-restricted item on this year's Boston MMT: the Sam Adams brewery tour. Anyone could attend, but you had to be of age to sample the beers. (Root beer was provided for people underage.) Are there any brewery tours in Seattle? That was a big hit on the Boston tour.

MasterHelios

punzie wrote: »

We did have one semi-age-restricted item on this year's Boston MMT: the Sam Adams brewery tour. Anyone could attend, but you had to be of age to sample the beers. (Root beer was provided for people underage.) Are there any brewery tours in Seattle? That was a big hit on the Boston tour.

There aren't a whole lot of breweries in Seattle; the three I can think of are Redhook, Pike and Pyramid. They're all fairly small, and unless I'm mistaken they're not nearly as recognizable as Sam Adams unless you're from the area.

QuickSnap

MasterHelios wrote: »

punzie wrote: »

We did have one semi-age-restricted item on this year's Boston MMT: the Sam Adams brewery tour. Anyone could attend, but you had to be of age to sample the beers. (Root beer was provided for people underage.) Are there any brewery tours in Seattle? That was a big hit on the Boston tour.

There aren't a whole lot of breweries in Seattle; the three I can think of are Redhook, Pike and Pyramid. They're all fairly small, and unless I'm mistaken they're not nearly as recognizable as Sam Adams unless you're from the area.

Where the hell have you been bro? There are breweries all fuckin' over [strike]Seattle[/strike]The Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area (just not a lot in the downtown quarter ;-)). That said, if you're willing to do a bit of legwork (I.E. Travel) then Seattle is one big bar with dozens and dozens of kegs of beers to choose from. it all depends on what you want do go searching for (and there are some choice hole-in-the-wall bars with fantastic tap selections if you go off the beaten path a little bit).

blAAAm!!!

this will be my first time at PAX Prime and Seattle. I really excited for this. I will be arriving Wed. Evening

Solelron

WOOT all my fav girls are going to join! and Helios you didn't do a bad job at all!..its not like anyone got ran over or anything

Enigmas

Seattle native here who has decided to take Thursday off to enjoy some Magical Mystery Tour.
I was gonna post on the other thread asking for help to offer my services as a human Seattle Google. Maybe do some theme tours- nature (lots of great Seattle parks), history (ghost tours abound), culture (museum/brewery/distillery- people have different opinions about culture).

Very excited to participate this year.

Liger

Steel Fire wrote: »

Liger wrote: »

Whatever you do, find an excellent bar to end the trip with on Thursday night. Stay there til Midnight, and then I'll join the tour.

Liger, this already exists, it's called the TWDT. :P You just have to meet up with the campers.

I think it's been the norm that the MMT kinda breaks up Thursday in time for folks to head for the Pre-PAX dinner and then the TWDT.

Fine then, meet somewhere Wednesday night and I'll catch up with you. :P I remember doing that for sure 2 years ago.

Liger

QuickSnap wrote: »

MasterHelios wrote: »

punzie wrote: »

We did have one semi-age-restricted item on this year's Boston MMT: the Sam Adams brewery tour. Anyone could attend, but you had to be of age to sample the beers. (Root beer was provided for people underage.) Are there any brewery tours in Seattle? That was a big hit on the Boston tour.

There aren't a whole lot of breweries in Seattle; the three I can think of are Redhook, Pike and Pyramid. They're all fairly small, and unless I'm mistaken they're not nearly as recognizable as Sam Adams unless you're from the area.

Where the hell have you been bro? There are breweries all fuckin' over [strike]Seattle[/strike]The Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area (just not a lot in the downtown quarter ;-)). That said, if you're willing to do a bit of legwork (I.E. Travel) then Seattle is one big bar with dozens and dozens of kegs of beers to choose from. it all depends on what you want do go searching for (and there are some choice hole-in-the-wall bars with fantastic tap selections if you go off the beaten path a little bit).

I have to back Quick up on this. Pike, Red Hook and Pyramid are three of the more recognizable breweries in town but there are so many in the area, you wouldn't be able to sample them all without skipping PAX. We could establish an entire tour just for the choice breweries and wineries.

JHawk

Gah, sorry forgot the Ducks tour. It has been popular with visitors, and I thought it gave a nice tour of the area. They're covered, so rain isn't an issue, however you'd have to check about mobility impairments.

Edit: And yeah the Library is a cool place to visit downtown as well.

ninjakins

I'm glad to see people already considering people with mobility needs. My husband uses a wheelchair, but we'll be in Seattle early for our first PAX, so a MMT sounds fun! For reference, he'll be bringing his chair that folds so that should help on buses/rentals. We're also not opposed to hoofing it most anywhere as long as there's not a lot of stairs.

basicallygeek

Good luck with the planning Punzie, I know you'll do great! I used the CityPass last year. If all but one or two of the places it's good for are on the MMT it's a good buy I think. I went on the cruise myself after Pax last year so it worked out even better. I'm arriving Tuesday afternoon as usual (I'll be the one drinking absinthe at Can-Can in the Market that evening...) so I'll be in town for the Tour. Not sure I'll go both days or just one, depends on what the final schedule is. I might want to be cultured and catch the art museum or something that doesn't usually make the cut. Anyway, can't wait to see you Punz.

Oh, and as for Helios last year, I didn't grumble. Being a little louder wouldn't hurt (we can help with that maybe) and I'm not sure the walking (which was a little too much I suppose) was your fault per se.

Drakmathus

ninjakins wrote: »

I'm glad to see people already considering people with mobility needs. My husband uses a wheelchair, but we'll be in Seattle early for our first PAX, so a MMT sounds fun! For reference, he'll be bringing his chair that folds so that should help on buses/rentals. We're also not opposed to hoofing it most anywhere as long as there's not a lot of stairs.

I think the underground tour is probably out for your husband. My aunt is in a wheel chair too (MS) and she said she wouldn't be able to go because it involves lots of narrow stairs into cramped underground tunnels, though she may be less mobile than your husband. I haven't been through it yet, but I'm going to go this year, even if I have to go alone.

I'd also like to check out the Gas Works park, I've never been so I don't know that everyone would be interested in it or if there is anything to do there besides look at rusty pipes. The Sci-Fi museum was totally sweet.

Is there a boat tour of the Sound? I don't know how far out the duck tour goes. Though, looking at google maps a tour of the entire sound may be an all-day/two-day thing and could end up incredibly boring.

Maetrix

I was interested in the Boeing tour and saw this:

The tour may require a one-third-mile walk, 21 steep stairs and an elevator ride.
The tour can be done by wheelchair-bound and physically-challenged visitors with advance notice. Please advise us when making reservations.

I found that particularly accommodating when thinking about if my wife (Jenny_S) can make it. Not sure if she's as into planes as I am; so will have to wait for her input.

Has anyone any experience with some of the other items on the list like GameWorks?

MasterHelios

Gameworks is really cool, but it's also literally across the street from the convention center, so it wouldn't be hard to go spend some time there any other time over the weekend; unless it gets a lot of votes I think that should be toward the bottom of the priorities to see on the tour.

Maetrix

So, the spaghetti monster and I noticed there were 3 different harbour/water tours (Tillicum, Duck, Argosy) and while we want to do one of them, we don't know which one is the best.

Otherwise we both vote for the following:
-Underground
-Aquarium
-Pike Place

And have mixed feelings about
-Pioneer Square
-Zoo
-Downtown Waterfront
-Monorail
-Pacific Science Centre


Alas, she's not as into planes as I am so got vetoed on the Boeing & Museum of Flight.

Anyone else have any thoughts, wishes, input?

-Mætrix-

Solelron

Couple other suggestions that are a bit of the area but neat for people who haven't seen them

-The Troll
-Archie McPhees

(both of these are a bit north, but after seeing them last year they are neat for people who haven't seen them before)

I'm always good with pikes. I don't know if the underground would be as neat 2 years in a row, but its good for the MMT and I don't mind waiting in the square if people did it..making faces into the glass windows LOL

Zoos and Aquariums could be cool. more aquarium then zoo as I have a good zoo here in Portland.

monorail would just be part of going to Seattle Center...ride from Westlake, all see if we can turn the Space Needle into the Tower of Terror (hrm...ponders if they'd let him at the braking systems) LOL

basicallygeek

The EMP/ Scifi museum is a must, and the monorail is a nifty way to get there. Yeah, I said nifty, what of it?! The Aquarium was really fun last year, not sure why lol. The zoo, not so much, for me anyhow. Pike's is great but doesn't really require being on the MMT to see. Archie McPhees would probably be fun.

Risia

Maetrix wrote: »

Otherwise we both vote for the following:
-Underground

And have mixed feelings about:
-Pioneer Square

Well, the Underground Tour is located INSIDE Pioneer Square. So seeing the Underground pretty much means you'll see PS as well. I highly recommend the Tour, I'm a Seattle local and have been on it several times with different visitors and love it each time!

JHawk

Yeah, like I said earlier the Underground Tour can be done in conjuction with Pioneer Square. If there are people with disabilities someone can stay above ground and give them a more detailed tour of the area as well.

In regard to the cruises, they're all actually quite different. The Ducks tour focuses mainly on seeing the city and Lake Union (a body of water in the center of Seattle). Tillicum (which is a destination of Argosy Cruises) takes you into Puget Sound to Blake Island where you have a northwest salmon dinner and can walk around the island itself for a bit (the rest of the island is all forest, so you can see some nature). Argosy also has several other tours available: Argosy Cruises.

punzie

I'm actually going to delete the Tillicum Cruise from the list (at some point when I'm on a computer again instead of my phone) because it's quite pricey at $80 per person. The Argosy Cruise I meant is the hour-long trip around the harbour included in the City Pass. I'll fix the link to go to that specific page when I get to a computer too.

peetsnack

The Fremont Troll is kinda neat to go see. There is also a statue of Lenin nearby. If there is a third awesome thing in downtown Fremont, then I think it would make a great stop.

Enigmas

peetsnack wrote: »

The Fremont Troll is kinda neat to go see. There is also a statue of Lenin nearby. If there is a third awesome thing in downtown Fremont, then I think it would make a great stop.

Well there's Gas Works Park. It's a great place to bring some lunch on a sunny day.

MasterHelios

peetsnack wrote: »

The Fremont Troll is kinda neat to go see. There is also a statue of Lenin nearby. If there is a third awesome thing in downtown Fremont, then I think it would make a great stop.

There's a ton of cool things to see in Fremont; you've got the Troll, the rocket, the Lenin statue, "Waiting for the Interurban," the universal signpost, tons of hole-in-the-wall record stores and bookstores, and probably a bunch of other things I'm forgetting. It's a very art-centric community; they call it the "center of the universe." That combined with Gasworks Park would be a great place to visit, even if it is a little far from downtown.

QuickSnap

MasterHelios wrote: »

peetsnack wrote: »

The Fremont Troll is kinda neat to go see. There is also a statue of Lenin nearby. If there is a third awesome thing in downtown Fremont, then I think it would make a great stop.

There's a ton of cool things to see in Fremont; you've got the Troll, the rocket, the Lenin statue, "Waiting for the Interurban," the universal signpost, tons of hole-in-the-wall record stores and bookstores, and probably a bunch of other things I'm forgetting. It's a very art-centric community; they call it the "center of the universe." That combined with Gasworks Park would be a great place to visit, even if it is a little far from downtown.

There's also tons of fantastic bars/breweries and restaurants sprinkled around Fremont as well. Maritime, Hales, Fremont Brewing Co, Dad Watsons, Pacific Inn Pub, Brouwers Cafe; Hell, Fremont Ave is littered with a dozen+ different restaurants so lunch wouldn't be in short supply.

MetaverseNomad

Have fun everyone! Let me know if you need any help coordinating this. I might see you all around!

PikaPuff

not sure when i'm coming down, so dunno if i'll be in the mmt this year. but it's great fun

orbdep

punzie wrote: »

I'm actually going to delete the Tillicum Cruise from the list (at some point when I'm on a computer again instead of my phone) because it's quite pricey at $80 per person. The Argosy Cruise I meant is the hour-long trip around the harbour included in the City Pass. I'll fix the link to go to that specific page when I get to a computer too.

So, the argosy cruise is a lot of fun, my wife and I did that last year and got to see one of the boats from Deadliest Catch

I'll be joining you guys mid morning Wednesday if I can catch up, as that's when my flight arrives, and for thursday as well.

Things i've loved so far
- The aquarium, there is an aquatic petting zoo, tanks and tanks of jellyfish, and more otters than you can shake a stick at. it's absolutely fantastic.
- the food is really great everywhere, but there is a small pho resteraunt downtown that is literally the best i have ever had, I look forward to it every year.
- I think a little time at gameworks is awesome, it's a fun experience, and not worth doing while PAX is in session (also during the weekend of PAX it often gets rented out completely for private parties)

Things that have previously ben somewhat lacking
- The zoo, I love you guys, I love your city, but the animals at your zoo hate people, and most of them were hiding when we went last year. it wasn't a complete loss, after all we did get to see some snow leapords go all fight club on each other, but definitely not a highlight of the trip.

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. I'm traveling alone this year, as my wife bought me tickets to PAX and the trip for my birthday, while she stays home with our beautiful baby girl, so I'm really looking forward to meeting some of you guys to hang out with a bit at pax. That in itself is the best part of the tour, finding great folks to chill with and grab meals with around PAX

punzie

I edited the potential destinations list a bit. Added some stuff from Nomad's list last year and thing's you've suggested, rearranged them alphabetically, etc. I'll come back and add details (descriptions, prices, accessibility) later. I also have some good ideas I'm rolling around in my brain. Hopefully one or 2 of them will work out!
I'll talk to VT and try to get a voting site set up for July.

VThornheart

Oops! I'm a dummy, I was going to set up the voting site this past weekend and totally forgot! (Damn you League of Legends, why did I find you *now* of all the times in my life? ( ) I'll try to get it up this weekend!