Trying to convince wife about Seattle?

Question

I am wanting to move to Seattle from Indiana and want to take my wife out there in the next few months. Where would be good polaces to take her to see how nice the Seattle area is? I thought about heading up to a pass or two and show her the moutains but am also wanting to show her the towns around there. Thanks

All of these are great answers, thanks everyone. Also one other question is about some of the outlying towns like Renton. I may have a job proposition in Renton and was curious if it is an expensive town. IF we move we have three kids and three dogs so we can't really afford a house on Mercer Island. At least not yet... :)

I think that I just want her to see as much as we can as far as the natural beauty of the area. I will definately do the Space Needle and a ferry. I want to be able to show her that there is tons to do with the kids both indoors and outside. She doesn't mind malls and luckily for me isn't a mallaholic. I think she would get a kick out of Pike Place and hopefully being able to see whales.

Again great answers, thank you all. I figure we will only have about 3 to 4 days so I know that we won't get a really good idea of the area in that small time frame. However I don't think we will be bored.

Luckily my profession is in banking and from what I have seen so far it looks like there are plenty of jobs in that field.

Myself I don't really mind the rain and cloudy weather. Of course we have a few more sunny days here.

Answer 1

So, you'll be coming in the winter months...the rainiest part of the year. Still an improvement over Indiana weather, I suppose (I'm originally from Michigan!)...

Besides the touristy stuff downtown that's already been mentioned, I'd suggest maybe taking her to Whidbey Island and going to Coupeville. It's one of my favorite spots. From there, you can also take a ferry to Port Townsend, which is nice.

With the kids especially, I'd recommend the Woodland Park Zoo. Our zoo is top notch and if you don't mind a little drizzle, it would be a fun experience for your family.

As for Renton, it's definitely more affordable than most areas. There are parts of Renton that are nice (Maple Valley Highway) and some that aren't as nice (near Walmart on Rainier Ave-ugh).

I don't know what it is that you do, but there are other affordable suburbs that might also be a possibility...Bothell & Lynnwood to the north or Federal Way & Des Moines to the south,

Best of luck...I hope you enjoy your time here!

Answer 2

If Ron were from really here, he wouldn't say Pikes Place Market. It's Pike Place Market.

Renton is a booming suburban city with reasonable (for Seattle) housing. If you ahve a job opportunity, ask your contact to show you their life. The beaches, supermarkets, farmer's markets.

I have lived in Seattle proper for 22 years. It is so different from Indiana.

A four bedroom 3 bath in Renton starts at $350,000. Talk to a Realtor and take tours to see if the style appeals to you.

The touristy things are not going to make a huge difference to where you live.

Stay downtown and just visit Renton,

Good Luck.

Answer 3

You've got some great answers about things to do.

As for living in Renton, make sure to visit and check it out first. I haven't been impressed with most of Renton, but then again, I'm more of a city gal than a suburbs gal. Though I do have a contact on the Renton police force who says that none of the City employees actually live in Renton... that might say something about it's desireability. You will find it more affordable than Seattle, though.

Answer 4

Oh there is SO MUCH to see and do! Definitely take a ferry to the San Juan Islands, it's absolutely GORGEOUS. Check out Pioneer Square, go to Pike Place Market, take a drive out to Snoqualmie Falls. Another good idea is to take her to Woodinville where the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery is. Take a tour and have dinner. Hope this helps. Seattle is a wonderful, interesting and fun city!

Renton isn't too bad, price wise, but you might look into a neighboring town such as Kent, where they are a bit more reasonable. Aim high! Mercer Island is awesome! :-)

Answer 5

I'm from there. Most people love going on the Underground Tour on 2nd and Pike. You get to learn all about the History of Seattle. My cousins who would come to visit still remember that best of all.

Pikes Place Market is a favorite with all the Fresh Fish and markets. You can watch them throw fish. In the 100th Episode of "Frasier," they tossed a Fish in front of Niles and Frasier.

You see the Sign for Pikes Place Market in "Sleepless in Seattle" from when Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner are walking downhill and Tom asks Rob if his butt looks okay.

Seattle Space Needle at the Pacific Science Center is one of the places people like to go.

You can hop the West Seattle Ferry. Right by the pier is Ivar's Seafood Restaurant. Great Clam Chowder. When Captain Ivar passed away, he didn't have any children so he divided the shares of his stock amongst all the employees.

There's the Seattle Art Museum if you like art.

My parents are Asian so they like goig to Uwajimaya (sp?). It's in the International District. Seattle is a Port of Entry because of the Sea-Tac Airport so there are a lot of ethnic cuisines.

If you want to visit a Native American Reservation, observe the culture, and eat some smoked salmon, that's fun.

There's the Supermall in the Kent/Auburn Area. Though that's about an hour's drive away. It's a huge mall like any other mall.

If you really want to drive out of Seattle, you can either hop the ferry or drive up and down Interstate 5 to look at some state parks.

You can visit Starbucks. I happen to like all the cozy cafes where you can sit and read a book. There are a lot of quaint shops around.

If you want to cross the border up North in Canada, you can go to Butchart Gardens. It's a Rock Quarry that was converted into a humungous garden.

Answer 6

Doing some research on your question I found quite a bit about Seattle and surrounding suburbs. For attractions you might take her to check out http://www.rawseattle.com Many of Seattle's finest sights and some that locals frequent are featured. You asked about malls and surrounding towns like Renton. You can often discover how expensive a town is by looking at it's malls and the stores within. For this i'd refer you to http://www.wamalls.com Good luck in your research and potential move.

Answer 7

When you come to check out Seattle - be sure to visit Magnolia and walk along the BLUFF and take in the view. Drive on to Discovery Park and hike along the Trails if the Sun is shining.
A House in Magnolia would be a great investment. I have never
cared for Renton or Federal Way.
If you exit half way across the Magnolia Bridge, go to end of Exit Ramp and turn left. You can visit Maggy Bluffs - a great inexpensive restaurant on the backside of the Pallisades - right on Elliott Bay Marina - none of the other participants know about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

Western Washington has WAY more cool stuff than you could possibly get to in a week.

Take her on one of the ferries out of downtown just for the ride(its like 5 bucks to walk on); hit Westlake Center and the surrounding area(shopping). Head to the piers below Pike street market, hang out and watch Puget Sound at Sunset.
Pick up some firewood, go to Golden Gardens park and have a fire on the beach (bring a jacket).

If you want to look at houses or just the area, I'd head toward Issaquah, which has really taken off. There's a neat shopping area, and a backroad up to Cougar mountain thats just gorgeous. From Issaquah you can head south, then follow the Cedar river towards Maple Valley, or fill up the tank in Enumclaw and hit highway 410. If its not too late into winter, follow highway 410 East. You will see Jaw-dropping views of Mount Rainier. It takes you right past it. Lots of little ma & pop places to stop & eat.

There's also the Monroe/Goldbar area northeast of Seattle, which has the Skykomish river, stunning scenery, and a great little bakery in Sultan.

For out of town stuff you'll never be bored on the peninsula. Take the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and head to Port Townsend for cute shops and exploring the bunkers at Fort Warden, or Sequim for a look at Olympic Game Farm -my absolute favorite thing to do, where you will likely get buffalo spit on your car.
Head west on 101 from Sequim and you'll get to Port Angeles, where you really should have the seafood.

On from there is the Elwha River Valley, and Olympic National Park and the rainforest, just stay on the highway past Lake Crescent
OR Head towards Neah Bay. You can camp at Salt Creek recreation Area where there's tidepools(bring your sandals) on one end of a long sandy beach. You might see Whales, Sea otters, and raccoons, especially if you leave food out.
Though this is a long way from Seattle.

*pant pant* Really, what do you want to see?

Answer 9

Deception Pass is beautiful & although you won't be coming for a few months, SafeCo Field is a neat palce to see & they do give tours in the offseason. There is an incredible music scene there, also theatre & opera. It really just depends on what she's into. Maybe just taking her to the mall would be fun for her? you know her best so research her likes & make some interesting plans... Just be sure to remember the rain & maybe rent Sleepless in Seattle :-)

Answer 10

Im in the general area but a bit south. Uh ,about the mountains,they're great but you wont be ale to see them in the clouds during this season. About our weather.....you have to conside rthat we have about 9mo of mostly grey/rainy skies here which can affect peoples moods quite a bit. SAD(seasonal affective disorder) is a common occurence here, causing depression and weight gain due to lack of light. There are ways to combat this, but not always easy,esp for moms who need to get out with the kids . People used to getting out in the sunshine-even in winter, get discouraed and begin taying inside more and more. One has to develop a habit of getting out even in the rain with kids, every day. Its not easy for everyone to make that transition, esp trying to keep kids clean and dry. One has to get water friendly clothing and foot gear-not like for an Indiana winter and not like just for a mild winter. It's unique. We like it that way, but just a word to the wise to read up and prepare so as not to be shocked.