Seattle Things to do

Fun things to do (and eat) in Seattle

If you can't find a place for a good coffee or somewhere to eat in Seattle, you must be walking around with your eyes closed.

While this city is the home of Starbucks, instead you'll many more options for a good cup of daily grind. Independent coffee shops can be found on street corners, often roasting their own beans for the most delicious aromas known to human kind (if you're a coffee lover that is). Be on the look out for places like Diva Espresso and Hotwire and Uptown Espresso, which could quite possibly change your life with their talents.

Things to eat (priorities first)

Seattle blitzes the field as far as seafood goes, so hopefully you've come here looking for some salmon tips. Nothing beats a market- fresh, seafood picnic out under the open skies, but in Seattle, the weather is more than likely going to be against you, so plan ahead.

Pike Place Market can get you the freshest seafood, and Dungeness crab can also be freshly cooked for you, just in case you have no where to cook it on the run. Grab some fresh bread, a take- away salad, a bottle of white and you've got a healthy and lovely meal. There are plenty of places to eat alfresco, head up to one of Seattle's many green parks, or down to Puget Sound (above and left) for a view of the water. There are a lot of areas to sit and enjoy a meal on the Sound and along Lake Washington, here you can get a view, have some great seafood and stare that the people who pass you by.

There are some great restaurants if you aren't so good at cooking your own seafood. Alki Avenue SW has plenty to choose from, though some really good ones are Sunfish Seafood, Pegasus Pizza, Dukes Alki and the Alki Bakery.

Alki Beach has the most amazing views of the harbor and the Olympic Mountains. In case it looks kind of familiar, Alki Beach is the beach made famous when Tom Hanks flew a kite with his son in the movie Sleepless in Seattle.

Things to do

Exercise it all off if you've over- indulged (weather permitting). The Burke- Gilman Trail (right) is hugely popular, for joggers mostly, though Seattleites are also big fans of bike riding. There are tonnes of trails to choose from if you're into biking or even if you just want a short run or walk in and about the neighborhoods.

The Sammamish River Trail continues where the Burke-Gilman trail finishes off, and for those who have energy to burn, you can ride back over on the I-90 Bridge. The I-90 Bridge has its own bordered lanes for cyclists, so it's less dangerous than you think. Beware of the wind though, it can get a bit crazy up there.

Greenlake is better for joggers than cyclists, though it is a nice 2.8 mile ride. The area is full of other pedestrians, skaters, playing children and dogs so the riding conditions aren't best if you're into serious cycling. Good fun, though.

And if all of this outdoors stuff makes you tired thinking about it (or if Seattle's famous bad weather forces you indoors), rest assured, there are less strenuous activities for you also. According to recent surveys, Seattle is the most highly educated and literate city in the USA and tops the poll for its people being technologically savvy. If you want the latest games and information technology, you might as well start here. You'll always find a great bookshop, game shop, or coffee shop to linger in ( the Elliott Bay Book Shop is a favorite Seattle haunt for locals who also love a coffee).

There is also the Seattle Aquarium with whale watching tours of the San Juan Islands, the Washington Park Zoo with its ponies and piranhas, and the ritzy Ballard area which has plenty of things to amuse, even on a bad day.