Seattle Tourism for PAX Prime 2015
forbiddenvoid
Seattle, WARegistered User regular
Seattle, WARegistered User regular
in PAX West
Hi everyone,
My wife and I are heading back to Seattle for PAX Prime next year, but we want to spend a couple extra days in Seattle before the convention. Other than the Space Needle, what other attractions should we consider visiting while we're there?
My wife and I are heading back to Seattle for PAX Prime next year, but we want to spend a couple extra days in Seattle before the convention. Other than the Space Needle, what other attractions should we consider visiting while we're there?
PAX. PAX. PAX. Boom.
0
Posts
The Ballard Locks are kind of nice, especially if there's a good salmon run going.
There's a Pinball Museum on Maynard Ave in the International District, which is fun by itself if you like Japanese snacks- Uwajimaya is huge Japanese grocery store. There's also a Japanese bookstore attached (Kinokuniya) and one of the Pink Gorilla locales just around the corner... of course, if you're up for PAX they'll have the really good stuff packed up for the show.
That's all I've got off the top of my head, unless you wanna go south... I know the Tacoma area better than the Seattle one.
PAX. PAX. PAX. Boom.
Sheraton, Motif, Westin, Paramount, etc. If you look up the address of the WSCC you can see some of the hotels in the area. Your budget depends on how many days you are staying, if you plan on eating out every meal, etc. If you are staying thurs night-tuesday morning, im guessing airfare+1500. All depends on how you vacation, though
<+Ravenger> you are talking to me
<@heels> oh god, what am i doing
Another good place to check out would be the Public Market (a given) and while you're there check out Golden Age.
I also recommend checking out Blue-C Sushi on 7th(right by convention center)
Trade me pins, yo: https://www.pinnypals.com/pals/Lazorz
1) Kayaking in Lake Union. You can rent kayaks for a pretty reasonable hourly rate (we rented from Aqua Verde) and I'd go on a weekday; the lakes are far more busy on the weekends. Don't let them put you in a "beginner's" kayak (unless you're really hesitant and it's like your first time in a kayak). It's day and night less ergonomic than their normal ones. We went that Friday morning of PAX 2014, and it was great. Hardly anyone else on the water.
2) As an alternative to Pike Place Market, I'd suggest the Fremont Sunday Market. Almost made me wish I lived in the area, with the sheer amount of things I wanted to buy for my own home.
3) My first breakfast in Seattle was at Portage Bay Cafe. Really enjoyed the atmosphere and food (had the Miga w/maple pork sausage and mushrooms), though you probably want to make a reservation.
4) On the other side of the breakfast experience, there's Beth's Cafe. We went after driving back from Dave Matthews at The Gorge, so it was sometime in the early morning of Sunday, during PAX, and there were a bunch of cosplayers there (presumably from PAX). It's a grungy diner, where the walls are completely covered with (uncensored) drawings by patrons. Lot of geeks have obviously frequented the place.
5) Walking around Green Lake and people watching.
The most touristy thing I did in Seattle that you'll likely see on the first page of Google that I thought was a complete waste of time and money? The Seattle Great Wheel. Unless you're going to go at night and make out or something. We went during the middle of the day, and it was borderline miserable with how hot it was in the enclosed cars (and if your group doesn't fill the car, they'll try to put other people in with you; luckily we had four of us together). It's not nearly as big in person as you'd expect, either.
I actually ended up spending more time outside Seattle. Some of the highlights I really enjoyed:
1) San Juan Islands. The kayaking is great. Didn't have even remotely enough time to spend there (two days). When I go back, I'm not making that mistake again. Orcas Island was my favorite. The pot stickers from The Kitchen in Eastbrook sustained me (and were delicious) while hiking in Moran State Park. Bring cash to the islands. A number of businesses don't run cards (or have minimum purchase requirements). Mami's Cafe at the Orcas Island ferry was another memorable eaterie. She has some fairly negative anti-Obama stickers plastered everywhere (I'm about as apolitical as a person can get), but she was the sweetest thing, mothering me while waiting on the ferry. The Yelp reviews reflect people's objections to her political views, I'd guess. As long as you don't really care what someone else's political views are, I'd give it a shot.
2) Mount Rainier. Obviously.
3) The Gorge. I'm not actually much of a concert person. I'm one of those blasphemous people who thinks artists sound far better from a recording studio while wearing my headphones, but The Gorge is definitely one of the most picturesque concert venues I've ever been to. It's absolutely stunning, especially as the sun is setting. Though, for some reason, they didn't actually start the concert until dusk, which kind of defeated the whole picturesque part of the venue for the actual concert. Worth driving out for the scenery, even if there's nothing playing.
4) Lots of hikes, but my favorite was Mount Pilchuck. The road leading up the mountain to the trail head is not paved (and lack of signage made me wonder if my GPS was insane), and I probably shouldn't have taken a rental car on it, but it's not too rough a road, take it moderately, regardless of how crazy local drivers are taking it. Just run the rental through a car wash when you're done. Absolutely breathtaking view (I have to say, the numerous mountains in Washington make for some great vistas) at the top, from an old firewatch tower.
5) AFK Tavern. The food isn't fantastic or anything (it is plentiful, however), so I'd take some of the reviews talking up the food with a grain of salt, but there's something to be said about a restaurant that caters specifically to gamers/geeks. We went to the one in Everett, twice, and it was packed both times. Really great to see such a thing seeming to thrive. They keep a stock of games which you can play while waiting for your food/eating. Definitely a lot of interesting people watching to be had as well.
Oddly enough I don't think anyone mentioned A Sound Garden, either! You can probably tell I am into the grunge scene. >_____>
Another couple fun places to go is the EMP Museum, which is a wonderful museum dedicated to not just music but a lot of Seattle based musicians. There's also a science-fiction part of the museum and the theater there puts on laser shows now and then. I got to see a Pink Floyd laser show of 'The Wall' once... was great. The other place is Woodland Park Zoo if you're feeling like seeing animals.
Other than that, I don't know, the previous posts have you covered in a lot. Perhaps stick around for Bumbershoot as well? It either runs during PAX or the weekend after/before. Great music festival.
Seattle Native chipping in here with a couple of clarifications. These are great suggestions!
If you're looking for Karkeek Carkeek Park, it's easily accessible by the D-Line (I think it's the last stop on the line). A great place to go have a short urban hike in the woods and visit the beach. There's a large grocery store at the bus stop and you can grab some noshies to take to the terrific barbeque and kids' play area overlooking Puget Sound. There's also an overpass where you can walk over the train tracks and watch the trains go underneath you. The views are stunning and you can even pick berries along the paths!
Regarding the Sound Garden (Not "A" Sound Garden. I'm a grammar freak
Bumbershoot is a massive outdoor music festival held on Labor Day Weekend every year. It's at the Seattle Center and is a medium-ish walk from the Con. Get ready for crushing crowds, hefty entrance fees, lotsa loud music, mosh pits, street food, and lots and lots of weed. IMO everyone should go at least once.
If you're planning a day trip all the way down there, consider going a little further and visiting Mt. St. Helens - the volcano that erupted in 1982 1980 (local fail!). It's beautiful like Rainier, but also really really interesting. The Visitor Center and hike to the crater are not to be missed.
Thanks for your corrections on a few things I suggested!
Great suggestion on Mt. St. Helens. That was a crazy eruption I'm told and an interesting place to visit. Also what about the park at the port? I forget the name of it... I wanna say it's monument park? It has a bunch of statues of really bizarre/interesting stuff. Just don't take pictures there!
Oh also, Mt. St. Helens blew up in 1980. I only know because my father was a first responder (police officer in the area at the time).
If you're hiking near Mt. St. Helens you have to hike the Ape Caves. It's one of the most unique hiking experiences in the United States.
Pink Gorilla isn't a great visit before PAX. They pack up all their stock to bring to their booth. So the store is pretty picked over. The International District is still a good visit though.
Bill Speidel's Underground Tour is a fun 75 minutes and a relatively short distance from the Convention Center. You can find it in Pioneer Square.
I second a trip to the EMP, a bunch of great exhibits running right now and should still be around when PAX arrives. Star Wars and the Indie Games Revolution are two worth checking out. Plus you can ride the monorail there, an added bonus!
Think about checking out the Emily Carr museum in Victoria. It doesn't get much more NW than that.
If you are inclined to take a free bus from downtown to any of the casinos, keep very tight control of your belongings. Purse, wallet, whatever. May have been a random event for my trip, but the folks who use the bus tend to scrum/zerg the bus when boarding, leaving ample opportunities for pickpocketing. I felt the hand in my back left pocket, and left a person I never managed to see with a wrenched finger. The missus was not so lucky - her wallet was stolen out of her zipped up purse.
I am not saying do not go. I am not saying casinos or those that go to them are evil. I am saying wait a bit for the zerg rush to end before boarding or disembarking said bus, and keep a firm grip on your wallets even then.
nice app tho it can drain your battery with its notifications
Unfortunately, it's all indoor, but it's way cheaper than the Space Needle, considerably higher up, and right in the middle of downtown, so you can pretty much see the entire city, and quite a bit more on a clear day. Probably my favorite place in the city.
Sky View definitely has the better view. I feel like Space Needle has more charm though. Also the Columbia Tower has really jacked the rate...it used to be much cheaper. It's still seven bucks less than the Space Needle, but it's closed the gap enough now that I could maybe justify doing the Space Needle for greater tourist value. Especially if you're already at the Seattle Center doing anything else (EMP, etc).
Ooooh, I just secured tickets for Tuesday, September 1st, at 1PM. Thanks for the heads up!
For those of you with extra time/money to burn there's also a Weird Al concert in Bend Oregon going on. I'm gonna be going to that as my big PAX weekend finisher. http://weirdal.com/tour/
Virtual Laser Tag (beer available) in Tukwila virtualsports.net/home/
Indoor Skydiving in Tukwila https://seattle.iflyworld.com/
8 Bit Arcade bar in Downtown Renton https://facebook.com/pages/8-bit-Arcade-Bar/434005613350903
SyKart 40mph indoor go-carts in Tukwila sykart.com/wordpress1/
Acme Bowl in Tukwila acmebowl.com/
Family Fun Center in Tukwila (gocarts, two outdoor mini golf courses, arcade, etc) fun-center.com/
Also, if you know who Justin McElroy is (editor of Polygon), 2 of his podcasts(Sawbones and My Brother, My Brother, and Me) are doing live recordings Saturday of PAX.
We saw MBMBAM in Chicago and they were great. Grab tickets quick for Seattle as they are down to balcony only seating.