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So, I'm going on an Alaskan cruise in June, leaving from Seattle. We are flying in late the night before, and we don't have to get to the port until like 1 or 2 PM (which will feel like 4 or 5 pm for us). We were thinking we would get a hotel for the night to rest up and then try and do something in the morning. So, if you're probably ever going to be there only once in your life, and have like 3 hours or so to spend, what would you do there?

We'll probably have to take a cab wherever we go, and we're gonna have to tow around some luggage too. We thought about the space needle thingy, but don't you just ride an elevator to the top, look around and say wow, and then go back down and that's it? That'll be like 15 minutes. What else is there to do? Any super awesome breafasty/lunchy type places to eat that will have something you can't get anywhere else?

There is a science fiction museum within walking distance of the space needle.

Ten years ago I could have made suggestions. The city has become an armpit in recent years. :(

I suppose there's the obligatory visit to Pikes Place Market and the original Starbucks if that interests you. The Space Needle is expensive but could be fun.

Stay away from Second and Third avenues downtown, unless you need to shop at Target or renew your gang contacts.

Oh, hmm.. the hotel we were gonna stay at was on 3rd st it was a crowne plaza or something like that. $200 for 1 dumb night.. we looked at downtown hotels near the needle and they were like $400. I'd be fine renting a uhaul van and napping in that, but my girlfriend said no :(

But, we're just gonna sleep for a bit, and then we figured we'd take a taxi downtown to the needle and then take another one over to the port around noon. So we'll be 2 tourists wandering around wheeling our luggage around behind us.

 Necros wrote:
So we'll be 2 tourists wandering around wheeling our luggage around behind us.

As long as you're not doing that at night or in the evening hours, you should be okay.

The Terracotta Warriors exhibit will be going on during that time. I recommend that.

The Hendrix museum is in Seattle. He's kind of a big deal.

We found a waffle restaurant that's a couple blocks from the hotel. The sweet grill I think it's called, so we're planning to have breakfast there, then find a cab to take us to the space needle and then we'll wander around there and see what we can see. Luckily the hotel said even if it's past checkout they will hang onto our bags for us, so we won't have to drag them around downtown now, so that's nice

It worked out good, or original flights were going to land just in time to catch a cab to the port, but we got bumped and gotta go a day early. If they bump us again I'll probably be the next guy being dragged off a plane on youtube. So anyway now we're getting it around midnight the night before, didn't think we were going to get to see anything.

 Breotan wrote:
Ten years ago I could have made suggestions. The city has become an armpit in recent years. :(

I suppose there's the obligatory visit to Pikes Place Market and the original Starbucks if that interests you. The Space Needle is expensive but could be fun.

Stay away from Second and Third avenues downtown, unless you need to shop at Target or renew your gang contacts.

Please, I feel much safer walking in downtown Seattle than Downtown LA, which I dont feel bad in either

But the Pike Market is nice, there are many museums, the Woodland Park zoo isnt too far either

That's not a lot of time to do any justice to Seattle, so I'll just emphasize and echo previous posters on what my 2-3 hours of visiting would demand...a visit to Pikes Place Market for fresh coffee and right-off-the-boat seafood to start the day...nom, nom.

Experience Music Project and Science museum. Both were awesome when I was stationed near there. Space needle food is not great for the price you pay, but the trip up is interesting.

I recommend heading the 1.5 hours-ish to Mount Rainier. Its breathtaking if you have the time.

On the subject of food at the Space Needle, it wasn't bad the last time I was there. Expensive, yes, but the quality was decent. This seems to be in flux a lot though.