By Kristin Jackson, The Seattle Times
PIKE PLACE MARKET
Seafood and fish for sale at the Pike Place Fish market in Seattle, Washington state (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
This historic, beloved downtown public market has been in business since 1907. It’s a year-round farmers market and a visual riot of vegetable, seafood, cheese and flower stalls along with handicrafts and tourist-friendly knickknacks. And, of course, the flying fish. Vendors at Pike Place Fish Market gleefully toss salmon to one another and crack jokes, always drawing a crowd at the fish stall by the market’s main entrance.
For less of a crowd, take the stairs to “Down Under,” a wood-floored maze of small shops beneath the main-level market. And mosey into the shops and stalls across the street from the main market, including what is touted as “the original” Starbucks (which actually moved here from down the street about five years after its 1971 opening, but retains its vintage look).
Info: The main entrance to Pike Place Market is at First Avenue and Pike Street. The market is open daily. pikeplacemarket.org
SPACE NEEDLE
This vertical icon of the city is so kitschy it’s become cool, and it gives a great view of the city from the top. Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, it’s 605 feet tall and looks like a spaceship on stilts, towering over Seattle Center (seattlecenter.com), a cultural complex where you could easily spend hours at the Pacific Science Center, Chihuly glass display, food court, theatres or simply watching kids frolic in a giant outdoor fountain.
Get there on the Seattle Center Monorail (another nicely kitschy World’s Fair legacy, seattlemonorail.com) from Westlake Center in the heart of downtown; it takes just a few minutes.
Info: The Space Needle is open daily, including evenings. Admission starts at $19 (adult) for the elevator ride to the observation deck, 520 feet up. Or get a meal with a view at Skycity Restaurant. spaceneedle.com or 1-206-905-2200.
OLYMPIC SCULPTURE PARK
World-class sculpture. A walk with wonderful views of the city, harbor and mountains. And it’s free. How could you not visit the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park?
The outdoor sculpture garden spreads over 9 acres of a seaside bluff north of downtown, transformed from an industrial backwater into the home of artwork such as Alexander Calder’s “Eagle,” six tons of red-painted steel that looks like an abstract soaring bird. Paths wander amid sculptures; for a longer, lovely walk, stroll along the 1.2-mile waterfront path in adjoining Myrtle Edwards Park.
Info: The sculpture garden is open year-round from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Free. seattleartmuseum.org/visit/osp or 1-206-654-3100.
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES
Ferries shuttle all around Puget Sound and they’re a key, and the prettiest, part of Washington’s transportation system. You can have a fun, quick and cheap sightseeing boat ride as a walk-on passenger (adult fare is $7.70 round trip) on the Seattle-Bainbridge Island ferry. If it’s clear, you’ll even see 14,410-foot Mount Rainier looming to the south on the 35-minute ride. “The Mountain,” as locals call it, really does exist, although it’s often shrouded in clouds.
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.
Info: wsdot.wa.gov/ferries or 1-888-808-7977. For Winslow shops, restaurants and more, see bainbridgedowntown.org.
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY
This museum doesn’t have the most enticing name (although it’s known locally as MOHAI, which at least is shorter). But don’t miss it. MOHAI reopened in late 2012, with new galleries and multimedia displays, in a new location 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. (Adult admission is $14.)
Outside in the waterfront park, at the south end of Lake Union, watch boats scud across the lake (or across the park’s model-boat pond) and float planes take off.
While there, boat-lovers shouldn’t miss the nearby Center for Wooden Boats, with displays, more than 100 historic boats, a wharf, rental boats and free vintage-boat rides on Sundays (first-come, first served). No admission charge.
Info: MOHAI, mohai.org or 1-206-324-1126. Center for Wooden Boats, cwb.org or 1-206-382-2628.
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