Off the beat and track in Seatlle?

Question

Planning on visiting Seattle. Want to find out what sites and places to eat are not the normally well known as say the space needle. Thanks

and on a shoestring budget!!!

Answer 1

Most of my favorite restaurants are somewhat off-the-beaten path and aren't in downtown Seattle. Here's a quick list of my favorites based on type of cuisine, and including which neighborhood they are in:

Seafood - Chinooks (Ballard/Interbay) or Seattle Crab Company (Northgate)
American - Green Lake Bar & Grill (Green Lake) or for burgers, Red Mill (Phinney Ridge)
Chinese - Mandarin Gate (Oak Tree area)
Thai - Sabai Sabai (Green Lake) or Thai Siam (Ballard)
Mexican - El Ranchon (Magnolia) or Beso Del Sol (Wallingford)
Indian - Taste of India (U District)
Italian - Lombardi's (Ballard) or Pasta Bella (Queen Anne)

Misc Faves:
5-Spot (Queen Anne) - Has a rotating menu, sometimes they're serving Cajun and sometimes Italian
Acorns - (Crown Hill) Amazing food made with or from acorn squash. Not as weird as it sounds...it's delicious.


As for free things to do:

Wonder around downtown...if you go on Sunday, parking at meters is free and/or parking at the Market is only $5.00. Walk around the Market (free), down 1st Avenue to Pioneer Square (free-great antique shops), and then down to the Waterfront (free), back towards the Market. You can take a ferry ride (as a passenger only), it costs about $7.00, as opposed to $25.00+ for an Argosy Cruise, and the view from the ferry is spectacular!
http://www.pikeplacemarket.org
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
http://www.pioneersquare.org

Seattle Parks...Seattle has awesome parks! Green Lake Park, Discovery Park, Gasworks Park, Alki Beach, Golden Gardens, Kerry Park...just to name a few. Here is the link to Seattle Parks website (they are all free, except the Japanese Gardens).
http://www.seattle.gov/parks

Explore the neighborhoods! Seattle is known for it's urban neighborhoods and many of the residents here consider their neighborhood as part of their identity! :) My favorites to stroll around in would be Fremont (hippie/ecclectic), Queen Anne (rich, trendy), Ballard (working class), Greenwood (diverse/lots of antiques), Capitol Hill (super-ecclectic).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_neighborhoods

Also, depending on how much time you have and what the weather is like, you might buy a citypass. They are $36.00, but will buy you admission to the Seattle Aquarium, Museum of Flight, Woodland Park Zoo, Pacific Science Center and an Argosy Cruise.
http://www.citypass.com/city/seattle.html?id=5fiCkTuq

GOOD LUCK & HAVE FUN!

Answer 2

Pike Place Market is very well known, but since you're on a shoestring budget, I think it's worth mentioning. You can get a lot of enjoyment out of the visit for free and eat at any number of little places in or near the market cheap. For a sit-down lunch, Copacabana has a great view of the bustle of the market and the water and is pretty inexpensive.

If the weather's favorable, visit the Chittenden Locks in Ballard. It's an amazing feat of engineering and watching the boats go through is a pleasant way to while away a sunny afternoon. And it's free. There's a visitor's center, botanical gardens and a fish ladder there as well.

Another nice weather suggestion is to take the ferry from downtown to Bainbridge Island. It's a nice view and as a foot passenger it'll be a heck of a lot cheaper than any of the tour-type cruises.

Answer 3

you have got to visit my favorite place to eat in West Seattle. It's called Luna Park Cafe. It's on Avalon Way under the West Seattle Bridge. Take the Avalon Way exit off of the bridge (headed west) and take a left at the light. The cafe is about 2 blocks south on the right. You'll love the atmosphere there and it is very affordable. Best peanut butter milkshakes! :)