[PRIME] Non-Gaming Things to do in Seattle before/during/after PAX

CodeMonkey76

So, what kinds of non-gaming related things will people be doing in Seattle during their PAX trip? I know my wife and I will be taking in the Mariners-Red Sox MLB baseball game on Monday afternoon.

SkorMT

bumpershoot is generally that weekend as well

Seattle Art Museum

Seattle Aquarium

Underground Tours

Pike PLace Market is always a fun view.. though crazy packed on weekends

Several "boat" tours down on the piers

LewieP's Mummy

Sign up to the Magical Mystery Tour when its announced - its great fun, you get to visit loads of places and spend time with people before PAX starts - its a good way to make new friends.

tsrblke

CodeMonkey76 wrote:

So, what kinds of non-gaming related things will people be doing in Seattle during their PAX trip? I know my wife and I will be taking in the Mariners-Red Sox MLB baseball game on Monday afternoon.

The wife and I went up early to visit friends last year. We of course did the tourist-y stuff like Pike's place, and the space needle (and the world's fair area in general.) Had a lot of fun.
Also the food in Seattle is pretty good, so if you enjoy eating there's tons of that.

Crogoth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_v._Food_(season_1)#Episodes

Jensunami

Depending on when you come into town and your transportation, a side trip to Woodinville to try some WA wines might be nice. I personally like Dusted Valley and Columbia Winery but there are a lot to choose from. Its about an half hour from downtown.

There are lots of good places to eat and you can take some food tours if you are into that sort of thing.

the EFMP museum has some sci-fi stuff. I dont think the Battlestar Galatica display is still there but I might be wrong

And Ill see you at the Sox game My husband and I are Sox fans

Dakinggamer87

I like to check out Pike Place Market and the Seattle Art Museum usually. I would like to check out the aquarium this year hopefully!!

CuvisTheConqueror

Non... gaming?

What is this devil tongue in which you speak?

adias.angel

Jensunami wrote: »

Depending on when you come into town and your transportation, a side trip to Woodinville to try some WA wines might be nice. I personally like Dusted Valley and Columbia Winery but there are a lot to choose from. Its about an half hour from downtown.

There are lots of good places to eat and you can take some food tours if you are into that sort of thing.

the EFMP museum has some sci-fi stuff. I dont think the Battlestar Galatica display is still there but I might be wrong

And Ill see you at the Sox game My husband and I are Sox fans

You got my interest when you wrote food tour. There seems to be a couple different companies that do it. Any recommendations?

tsrblke

adias.angel wrote: »

Jensunami wrote: »

Depending on when you come into town and your transportation, a side trip to Woodinville to try some WA wines might be nice. I personally like Dusted Valley and Columbia Winery but there are a lot to choose from. Its about an half hour from downtown.

There are lots of good places to eat and you can take some food tours if you are into that sort of thing.

the EFMP museum has some sci-fi stuff. I dont think the Battlestar Galatica display is still there but I might be wrong

And Ill see you at the Sox game My husband and I are Sox fans

You got my interest when you wrote food tour. There seems to be a couple different companies that do it. Any recommendations?

Huh, Food tours? How did I miss this. The wife and I are considering coming down a day early this year (Wed. instead of Thurs.) to take advantage of lower airfare price. I may have to look inot this.

MTSonic11

I loved the EMP, but I went more for the music side as Battlestar doesn't interest me. They had just opened the Nirvana exhibit last year and now there is an AC/DC one too. However, if you're into the Sci-Fi/movie/TV stuff, they are opening a new exhibit in June about classic Sci-Fi icons. It has stuff from Star Trek, Doctor Who, Star Wars, etc. If they do it right, it could be really cool. I spent all of Wednesday at the EMP and would go back again in a heartbeat.

The other spare day, we mainly walked around downtown and had a lot of time to eat through Pike Place. While it's touristy, I still couldn't miss it.

Something I wanted to, but simply ran out of time for, was go on the Theo Chocolate factory tour. They make high end, fair trade chocolate, but the tour is only $6 and they have samples during the tour. You have to book in advance though unless you're feeling lucky, if you're interested.

The Geek

There's a pretty quality laser tag place about 30 minutes south in Federal Way.

Jensunami

I havent tried any of the food tours here yet (I did one in DC and loved it). I personally would stay away from the Pikes Place one. That place is always a zoo and the groups I've seen are huddled around the stands having to listen to the guide through ear pieces. But if you aren't crowd phobic like me, go for it! Ive heard good things about the Savor Seattle Food tours and might try them in the next month or so for the Gourmet tour The first Starbucks is across the street from Pikes Place and there is a Piroshky stand next to it that has some tasty food.

Im sure there are some brewery tours to be had around here though I have yet to try any Im still pretty new to the area but I do know some good foodie places to eat downtown.

This will be my first PAX too...so woot!

Garet_Jax

It's funny hearing far away people talk about little old Woodinville. Seeing as I live pretty close, if anyone wants info, tips or just general ideas, let me know. Same with Seattle. There's tons of non-touristy things to do, so you can avoid the crowds.

adias.angel

Jensunami wrote: »

I havent tried any of the food tours here yet (I did one in DC and loved it). I personally would stay away from the Pikes Place one. That place is always a zoo and the groups I've seen are huddled around the stands having to listen to the guide through ear pieces. But if you aren't crowd phobic like me, go for it! Ive heard good things about the Savor Seattle Food tours and might try them in the next month or so for the Gourmet tour The first Starbucks is across the street from Pikes Place and there is a Piroshky stand next to it that has some tasty food.

Im sure there are some brewery tours to be had around here though I have yet to try any Im still pretty new to the area but I do know some good foodie places to eat downtown.

This will be my first PAX too...so woot!

I was looking at the Savor Seattle tours too. If you go let us know how you like it. It seems to have very good reviews online.

PixelStyles

Wife and I will probably hit up the Aquarium, Space Needle, Red Mill Burgers (supposed to be the best burger). I'm sure we'll find more.

lojer

Red Mill is pretty good. It has the drive-in feel, but I would recommend the Lunchbox Laboratory if you're looking for a good burger. It's a bit more expensive, but the customization options are amazing, and the quality is top notch.

HeyJoe

I've seen a lot of mention of the Seattle Aquarium and just want to say that as far as I am concerned it is extremely overrated and simply not a very good aquarium. If you have a chance, try the aquarium and zoo (2 for the price of 1) at Point Defiance in Tacoma. Its a far better experience imho. Around a 40 or so minute drive from downtown Seattle.

Jensunami

HeyJoe wrote: »

I've seen a lot of mention of the Seattle Aquarium and just want to say that as far as I am concerned it is extremely overrated and simply not a very good aquarium. If you have a chance, try the aquarium and zoo (2 for the price of 1) at Point Defiance in Tacoma. Its a far better experience imho. Around a 40 or so minute drive from downtown Seattle.

If you do head to Tacoma, there is a nice arcade place called Dorky's that has a bunch of old school video games and pinball that you can play for .25/.50. Its a little run down but you can have a beer and play Tron at the same time

PixelStyles

lojer wrote: »

Red Mill is pretty good. It has the drive-in feel, but I would recommend the Lunchbox Laboratory if you're looking for a good burger. It's a bit more expensive, but the customization options are amazing, and the quality is top notch.

Thanks, we will definitely try Lunchbox Factory just on name alone!

GeekyPrincess

International District! The kids (ok, me too) want to hit up Uwajimaya and Pink Gorilla, my husband is having some serious spicy ramen cravings so we have to stop at Fu Lin!

Saldek

lojer wrote: »

but I would recommend the Lunchbox Laboratory if you're looking for a good burger. It's a bit more expensive, but the customization options are amazing, and the quality is top notch.

A couple friends took me there last time I was in Seattle. That place is awesome!

BIGmog

For car enthusiasts, the largest privately owned car collection is in Tacoma and they are opening a brand new car museum in June.

When I went to PAX in 2007 I saw the auto collection and it's very extensive and quite impressive.

The Geek

If you wanna drive over to the east side toward Bellevue, there's a rad place called Sky High Sports which is a giant indoor trampoline park. It is fun as hell, but will also remind you how out of shape you are. But totally worth it.

PatrickKane

Jensunami wrote: »

HeyJoe wrote: »

I've seen a lot of mention of the Seattle Aquarium and just want to say that as far as I am concerned it is extremely overrated and simply not a very good aquarium. If you have a chance, try the aquarium and zoo (2 for the price of 1) at Point Defiance in Tacoma. Its a far better experience imho. Around a 40 or so minute drive from downtown Seattle.

If you do head to Tacoma, there is a nice arcade place called Dorky's that has a bunch of old school video games and pinball that you can play for .25/.50. Its a little run down but you can have a beer and play Tron at the same time

If their hours werent kind of all over the place I'd be there a lot more. Food aint half bad either

pood

Rent a car and take a day trip out to Mount Rainer, it's little over 2 hours away, but well worth the drive.

SkorMT

This isn't a bad deal if you want to hit several of the touristy spots:
http://www.citypass.com/seattle

did that with my parents visit.. saves a few dollars..

PixelStyles

Any good fancy restaurants near downtown? Wife and I will be celebrating our two year.

Zonugal

We have a fairly nice & large zoo.

The Geek wrote: »

There's a pretty quality laser tag place about 30 minutes south in Federal Way.

Ahaha, do you mean Laser Quest?

CodeMonkey76

PixelStyles wrote: »

Any good fancy restaurants near downtown? Wife and I will be celebrating our two year.

Right across the street from the convention center is the Cheesecake Factory. In the Sheraton Hotel is the Daily Grill. My wife and I enjoyed dining at both locations. About a block away is Il Fornaio, a small, but good Italian restuarant. There's also the Fox Sports Grill just down the road.

Check out sites like UrbanSpoon or Yelp for other recommendations.

Zonugal

It isn't particularly glamorous but I'm a big fan of Bruno's Mexican-Italian Restaurant on 1417 3rd Ave.

Its five blocks away from the convention center, has good food for a cheap price and you can buy 4 beers for $8 (which I find to be a delightful deal).

tsrblke

PixelStyles wrote: »

Any good fancy restaurants near downtown? Wife and I will be celebrating our two year.

Did you check out the great foodening thread? Tons or Tons of resturants in there. We just restarted discussing them again this year. (I put in a vote to add the Wine bar down the road.)

Masquerade78

GeekyPrincess wrote: »

International District! The kids (ok, me too) want to hit up Uwajimaya and Pink Gorilla, my husband is having some serious spicy ramen cravings so we have to stop at Fu Lin!

If you want a Space Needle view without dealing with the Bumbershoot crowd, I would recommend a visit to the Smith Tower Observation Deck - not too far away from PAX, near the International District. It's half the price, great view.

If you are walking from PAX, you could stop by the Downtown Library. It's pretty amazing, architecturally.

On the other side of Smith Tower is the International District. Amazing dim sum. Yum.

The_Power

pood wrote: »

Rent a car and take a day trip out to Mount Rainer, it's little over 2 hours away, but well worth the drive.

Looks great, but do you know if can you go in without reserving a tour? Those go up to $95.

Jensunami

PixelStyles wrote: »

Any good fancy restaurants near downtown? Wife and I will be celebrating our two year.

Try the Capital Grille. Awesome steaks... pricey though. Metropolitan Grill is good as well. And you can't go wrong with Etta's (Its a Tom Douglas place...very tasty for seafood). Purple Cafe & Wine Bar is also good. Id make reservations at all these places.

Melcene

The_Power wrote: »

pood wrote: »

Rent a car and take a day trip out to Mount Rainer, it's little over 2 hours away, but well worth the drive.

Looks great, but do you know if can you go in without reserving a tour? Those go up to $95.

You can absolutely go without being on a tour. You drive up to Paradise, park, and just go hike up the mountain until you feel like it's time to turn around.

courtneyj

For everyone looking for food tours there's a new company that's a little expensive but maybe you could get a good group deal http://whitemoustache.com/seattlefoodtour

whitemoustache

courtneyj wrote: »

For everyone looking for food tours there's a new company that's a little expensive but maybe you could get a good group deal http://whitemoustache.com/seattlefoodtour

Thanks courtneyj! Yes, we'd love to take you around Seattle.

Savor Seattle (http://savorseattle.com) and Seattle Food Tours (http://seattlefoodtours.com) are true kingpins in the Seattle food tour business and have amazing reviews. They focus mainly on Pike Place Market and Belltown. Their various walking tours range from $50-75 per person.

We happen to be the only eating tour on wheels in Seattle and have been in business since 2009. We're similar to a food tour except we skip the script, the earpieces, the crowds, the sample trays, and the hike. Instead, we share a luxurious ride, cover a wide area of Seattle, and eat an incredible quantity of amazing food. Every tour is unique and custom-built around you. Our rates start at $200 for two people for two hours - all inclusive. Add $100 for each additional hour and/or eater.

Our site is http://whitemoustache.com. Call (206) 552-0950. Or find us on TripAdvisor and Yelp.

Quintious

Labor Day weekend is a damn fine time to spend up here. During the day, there's an almost unlimited amount of touristy things to do (EMP, ferries, whale watching, Pike Place, etc.), at night, we've got a myriad of different neighborhoods with different pub scenes (Cap Hill for the hipsters, Belltown for the bros and college crowd, Fremont for the "we're just a little bit weird" assemblage, Bellevue and Ballard for the more upscale vibe, etc.).

I'd recommend anybody coming here for the first time check out the Underground Tour in Pioneer Square, make a pilgrimage to the Fremont Troll, be sure to take a ferry to Bainbridge Island for French toast at Cafe Nola one day, maybe take a Safeco Field tour or catch a game, try some of our FANTASTIC restaurants (seriously, we're one of the biggest food scenes in the nation), hike in one of our almost unlimited parks, etc. Absolutely come predominately for PAX, but if you can, stay an extra few days to check this place out, because Seattle's a really awesome town.

Edit: Oh, and our zoo (one of the best anywhere) has baby leopards. BABY. LEOPARDS.

zephusdragon

I was going to say the EMP/Sci-Fi Museum is loads of fun. Heck just taking the monorail to get to the Seattle Center is good cheap dorky fun. Downtown Seattle is a very busy place, all kinds of people coming and going. Some people just like to head to the shopping district and people watch, lots of um..... "interesting" people out there.

SiLlYxAzN

If you like Asian food and stuff, you should go to Chinatown. You should also go to Pike St Market