Visiting Seattle- any "must sees"?

[toastermm]

Hey, in about a week I will be visiting seattle for a week (conference for work), and I will have some down time after 5pm.

Any must sees?

I plan on visiting Brewtopia's Naked City Taphouse of course!

Any others?

 

[Zen_Brew]

Well it really depends on what interests you.
Are you more inclined to look for some good food.
Do you want to catch some of the natural beauty of the area.
Did you want to experience the culture.
Tourist stuff like the Space needle and Pike Place Market.
Another nice choice for a pretty cool brew pub in the city is the Elysian. Always some good stuff on tap. Elysian Brewing Co. Capitol Hill

If you are here over the weekend of fathers day I might recommend the Fremont fair for an interesting cultural experience. There is a parade that celebrates the Pagan Summer Solstice that starts with nude bicyclists. Then becomes a big festival in Fremont with food and beer gardens. Fremont has a very bohemian feel to it.
Welcome to the Fremont Fair | fremontfair.org

The weather has been great the last couple weeks.Hope it holds for you.

 

[toastermm]

Well it really depends on what interests you.
Are you more inclined to look for some good food.

Meh- not really.

Do you want to catch some of the natural beauty of the area.

Yea that would neat.

Did you want to experience the culture.

I would like that.

Tourist stuff like the Space needle and Pike Place Market

I heard the space needle was overrated.

I'm also interested in brewpubs/breweries. I think I read somewhere that pyramid brewing co. was in Seattle. That would be cool.

Another nice choice for a pretty cool brew pub in the city is the Elysian. Always some good stuff on tap. Elysian Brewing Co. Capitol Hill

This sounds awesome. Thanks!!!

 

[Brew_Weasel]

You can pop down I-5 into Olympia and check out Fish Brewing Company- great beer and food. I lived in Oly for a couple years.

The Miller Brewery tour in Olympia (the old Schmidt brewery where they also brewed Olympia) is fun if you're never been on a macro brewery tour but I don't think they run in the evenings. The park next door is cool too, with salmon ladders and waterfalls.

Check out Full Throttle Bottles on Airport Way for a good selection of beer and wine. They claim over 600 beers are available at any given time.

 

[Gremlyn]

I visited the Pike Brewing Company, located at Pike Place. Decent beer and food IMO: The Pike Brewing Company

 

[Zen_Brew]

I'm not sure what your transportation situation will be like. The Pyramid brewery is in Seattle and is down on the Pike placemarket area. The market is a neat area with some interesting shops and of course the fish throwers that you often see on shows about Seattle.

The Pyramid should be reserved for a day when you walk the market area, then stop off at the Pyramid. The owner is very active in the microbrew community and has a sort of museum collection of beer memorabelia. That being said their beers are very standard fair for microbrews. They are designed to appeal to a broad swath of people who are in the area for the market. They don't make anything bad, but they also don't make anything that makes you go "wow"

The Elysian on the other hand has some absolutely wonderful things they do, from bold Porters and Stouts, to Jasmine IPA's, Wonderful Belgians, and often a Chimay if that is your thing. Go to the Pyramid for a nice experience, go to the Elysian for the real deal craft beers.

I have still not made it to Naked City, but have heard nothing but good things. Definitely worth a stop.They are at the top of my list of where to go, but I basically haven't gone out for a micro-brewed beer in a couple months.

Here is a yelp list of brewery type bars in the area.
Brewery Seattle | Yelp

Further north (about 20 miles) in Mulkiteo near the waterfront is a smaller place called the Diamond Knot. They make a double hopped industrial IPA. At about 8% ABV and enough hops to choke a horse, this one is serious if heavy IPA's are your thing.
Diamond Knot Brewery & Alehouse

There is a brewers festival about 10-15 miles northeast of the city in Kenmore if you will be here over fathers day weekend.
Washington Beer Commission - 2009 Washington Brewers Festival

The space needle is touristy of course, but is in a neat area with the experience music project if rock and roll interests you, and the Seattle center.

There are multiple small cruise ships that you can book for tours of the puget sound via the lake. They mostly leave from the waterfront area near the Pike market. They range from an hour up to a couple hours, and it's not a bad way to spend an hour or two and get a view of the the area from the water.

 

[macabra11]

Pyramid Brewing is not at the market, it is right across from Safeco field in the Settlers Park area (south of the market). It is usually very busy, but nonetheless a great place. Pike Brewing IS in the Pike Place Market, and is one of my fav breweries in Seattle. Awesome food and the beer is really outstanding.
I think the EMP museum is way overrated. I have been a guitarist and musician for years, and I was so excited to see the EMP. Half of the exhibit wasn't even music related... it had to do with old printing techniques???
Go see a Mariners game, tour Pike's market, do the space needle (everyone has to), their zoo is pretty good if you like animals. And go to the "Taproom" downtown... they have 180 beers on draft!

 

[Zen_Brew]

Macabra is quite correct. My brain was malfunctioning there. Good thing we have those Idahoians nearby to keep us in order.

 

[macabra11]

Macabra is quite correct. My brain was malfunctioning there. Good thing we have those Idahoians nearby to keep us in order.

DAMN RIGHT ZEN! NOW I ORDER YOU TO VISIT EVERY MICRO IN SEATTLE UNTIL YOU KNOW EACH ONE BY HEART!!!!!

 

[Gremlyn]

Oh yeah, Taproom was a pretty awesome place. Reminded me of the Yardhouse back home

 

[Zen_Brew]

Oh, another neat little brew pub in a neat town is the Issaquah Brewhouse about 20 miles east of Seattle. It was bought up several years ago by Rogue and has a couple originals from before that, and many Rogue brews on tap. If you are a Rogue fan at all it is worth the stop.

Rogue Ales

Scroll and the Issaquah location is near the bottom of the page.

 

[Pabst Blue Robot]

Hale's Ales in Fremont has some great food and decent beer as well.

The SciFi museum is pretty far out too.

 

[gplutt]

+1 on the Elysian. Thats kind of my "go to" place..Good stuff, close to home, and they usually have interesting guest taps.

I agree with the Market, too. Its packed with people, parking is a pain (I walk or take the bus), but you have to go do it. And while you are down there go to the Pike Brewery.

I haven't been to Naked City yet. I plan on being there for their lagerfest next weekend.

If you are looking to stock up on bottles, go to Bottleworks(who also own Brouwer's Cafe) or Pike Place Beer and Wine, or Full Throttle Bottles.

If you are looking for coffee head to Victrola Coffee and Vivace.

If I were you, and I was to look for stuff to see around Seattle, I'd head to the Museum of Flight. Boeing's original factory is there(the Red Barn), as well as a pretty big selection of airplanes and displays. The EMP is not only the "Experience Music Project", but it is also the Science Fiction Museum.