frommer's seattle 2004

[...]... International District Features the music, dancing, arts, and food of Seattle s Asian district Second weekend in July Bite of Seattle (& 425/283-5050; www.biteofseattle.com), Seattle Center Sample bites from Seattle restaurants, or take in a wine-tasting exhibit Third weekend in July Seafair (& 206/728-0123; www seafair.com) This is the biggest Seattle event of the year, with daily festivities—parades, hydroplane... coupons good for discounts at area attractions and on lodgings • www.seattletimes.com: A solid virtual version of Seattle s print stalwart, the Seattle Times, offers many of the paper’s stories online There’s also an entertainment section with information on movies, theater, and concerts around town • www.seattleweekly.com: Seattle Weekly is Seattle s main arts-andentertainment weekly and provides detailed... visit, Seattle offers year-round diversions and entertainment, and because it is still a seasonal destination, hotel rooms here are a real bargain during the rainy months between October and April 1 Visitor Information If you still have questions about Seattle after reading this book, contact Seattle s Convention and Visitors Bureau, 520 Pike St., Suite 1300, Seattle, WA 98101 (& 206/461-5800; www.see seattle. org),... difficult to get Seattleites indoors to theater or music performances But when the weather turns wet, Seattleites head for the theaters and performance halls in droves To make things perfectly clear, here’s an annual weather chart: Seattle s Average Temperature & Days of Rain Temp (°F) Temp (°C) Rain (days) Jan 46 8 19 Feb 50 10 16 Mar 53 12 17 Apr 58 14 14 May 65 18 10 SEATTLE CALENDAR OF EVENTS Seattleites... community festivals is held each year at Seattle Center Called Festál, this series celebrates the city’s cultural diversity In the past there have been Vietnamese, African, Japanese, Filipino, Brazilian, and Tibetan festivals For more information, contact Seattle Center (& 206/684-7200; www.seattlecenter.com) January Seattle International Boat Show (& 206/634-0911; www .seattle boatshow.com), Stadium Exhibition... Season (& 206/325-1000; www .seattle S E AT T L E C A L E N DA R O F E V E N T S yachtclub.org), Lake Union and Lake Washington A parade of boats and much fanfare take place as Seattle boaters bring out everything from kayaks to yachts First Saturday in May Seattle Maritime Festival (& 206/ 443-3830; www.portseattle.org) Tugboat races are the highlight of this annual Port of Seattle event Festivities... end of downtown Seattle, where, in March 2000, the Kingdome stadium came crashing down, imploded to make way for the new, state-of-theart Seahawks Stadium, which is home to Allen’s Seattle Seahawks NFL football team Together with the Seattle Mariners Safeco Field, the Seahawks Stadium has created a massive sports arena district at the south end of downtown Seattle Allen projects aside, Seattle has become... Bumbershoot, the Seattle Arts Festival (& 206/281-7788; www bumbershoot.org) Seattle s second most popular festival derives its peculiar name from a British term for an umbrella—an obvious reference to the rainy weather Lots of rock music and other events pack Seattle s youthful set into Seattle Center and other venues You’ll find plenty of arts and crafts on display, too Labor Day weekend Seattle Fringe... www.fairmont com /seattle) , is styled after Italian Renaissance palaces and is by far the most impressive of Seattle s handful of historic hotels The grand lobby is unrivaled See p 61 • Best for Business Travelers: If your company has sent you to Seattle to close a big deal, insist on the best Stay at the Grand Hyatt Seattle, 721 Pine St (& 800/2331234 or 206/774-1234; http:// grandseattle.hyatt.com),... amtrak.com) service runs from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seattle and from Portland and as far south as Eugene, Oregon, on the Cascades (a high-speed, European-style Talgo train) The train takes about 4 hours from Vancouver to Seattle and 31⁄ 2 to 4 hours from Portland to Seattle One-way fares from Vancouver to Seattle or from Portland to Seattle are usually between $25 and $30 Booking earlier will . Anne, Seattle Center, Capitol Hill, East Seattle & North Seattle 118 Seattle Center 121 Walking Tour: Pike Place Market 145 Walking Tour: Pioneer Square 149 Walking Tour: Fremont 153 Seattle. Around . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Driving a Bargain in Seattle . . . .52 Fast Facts: Seattle . . . . . . . . . . .53 Getting to Know Seattle 42 4 1 The Waterfront . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 2. Queen Anne & Seattle Center . . .68 7 Lake Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 8 Capitol Hill & East Seattle . . . . .73 Family-Friendly Hotels . . . . . . . .74 9 North Seattle (The