Pike Place Market. The Space Needle. Pioneer Square. Check, check and check. If you've hit these obvious Seattle destinations, you're not a newbie. But maybe you're not an insider either.
So, this Seattle checklist is for you. It skirts those three attractions and several other popular stops to make more room for Ballard, Capitol Hill, Fremont and the University District - four asset-rich Seattle neighbor-hoods my family and I explored on a visit last summer.
Our list starts with three stops in Ballard, in northwestern Seattle.
Golden Gardens Park includes a stretch of beach with classic views of Puget Sound and mountains, a little loop trail, a fishing pier and, at its northern end, an off-leash dog zone. While we were strolling on the sand, Guila Muir, a devoted, fiftysomething open-water swimmer, came splashing ashore in her blue goggles and orange bathing cap. The water, she said, was about 55 degrees. Then she dashed off to warm up. 8498 Seaview Place N.W.; (206) 684-4075, seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp ?ID=243
Ray's Boathouse & Caf脙漏, which dates to 1973, offers fresh seafood and a wide window onto the sound and the Olympic Mountains. Its location is advertised by a towering red neon sign. Describing one dish, our waitress cited where the fish was caught and the names of the fisherman and his wife. In the fancier Boathouse dining room downstairs (dinner only), main dishes run $21-$55. In the more casual caf脙漏 above (lunch and dinner), entr脙漏es run $11.95 (for a half-order of fish and chips) to $21.50. 6049 Seaview Ave. N.W.; (206) 789-3770, rays.com
Ballard Locks. OK, this is no secret, but it's worth a visit, and it's free. This concrete channel is how boats get from the sound (saltwater at sea level) to the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Lake Washington and Lake Union (fresh water, 20 to 22 feet above sea level), and it's always interesting to join the old salts and fresh tourists watching big and little vessels as the water levels change. On a busy day, a worker told me, 500 vessels pass through. Next to the channel is a fish ladder for salmon; you can also watch through an underwater viewing window, and there's a botanical garden handy - a nice mix for kids. By the way, officially, these are the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, but nobody calls them that. 3015 N.W. 54th St.; (206) 783-7059, seattle.gov/tour/locks.htm
South and east of Ballard lies Fremont, known for its bohemians and unpredictable statuary. This includes Vladimir Lenin at Evanston Avenue North and North 36th Street; the aluminum commuters "Waiting for the Interurban" at North 34th Street and Fremont Avenue North; and spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy on the Burke-Gilman Trail under the Aurora Bridge.
? By plane: Kenmore Air flies from Victoria's Inner Harbour to Lake Union near downtown Seattle. Estimated travel time: about one hour.
Horizon Air flies from Victoria International Airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport south of Seattle. Estimated flying time: 40 minutes.
Air Canada flies to Seattle by way of 91原创. Estimated travel time: two hours, 24 minutes.
? By boat: Clipper Navigation operates a passenger-only ferry from Belleville Street in downtown Victoria to Pier 69 in downtown Seattle. Estimated travel time: two hours, 45 minutes.
? By car: Seattle is about 300 kilometres from Victoria if you take B.C. Ferries from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen, followed by B.C. highways 17 and 99 and Interstate 5. Estimated travel time: about five hours.
Seattle is about 175 kilometres from Victoria if you take the MV Coho from the Inner Harbour to Port Angeles, Washington. From there, take U.S. 101 east and Washington highways 104, 3 and 305 to Bainbridge Island. From there, Washington State Ferries sails to downtown Seattle. Estimated travel time: about four hours.
A concrete troll, also under the Aurora Bridge, at North 36th Street and Troll Avenue North was a disappointment for me - a brilliant idea undercut by crude craftsmanship - but the rest of the family loved it.
The real heart of Fremont is its independent spirit, including businesses such as the five that follow:
If Willy Wonka were a Whole Foods supplier, Theo Chocolate would be his factory. Theo, opened in 2006, bills itself as the first organic, fair-trade, kosher, bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the U.S. For $6 a person, you get an hour-long factory tour, samples included, personal fragrances forbidden. Fair warning: You will be asked to don a hairnet. In fact, you get a free hairnet with the tour. Reservations are required, except for the daily 2: 30 p.m. walk-in tour. Even with as many as 10 tours offered daily, summer weekend tours are sometimes reserved weeks ahead. 3400 Phin-ney Ave. N.; (206) 632-5100, theochocolate.com
Jive Time Records, where, in a time and place preoccupied with digital everything, aisles of vinyl await. And cassettes. 3506 Fremont Ave. N.; (206) 632-5483, jivetimerecords.com
Still on Fremont Avenue, Homegrown is part of a three-location Seattle chain offering sandwiches and salads with emphasis on sustainable practices. Lunch $6-$11. 3416 Fremont Ave. N.; (206) 453-5232, eathomegrown.com
Dusty Strings Acoustic Music Shop is a den of folkies selling guitars, DVDs and tube amps. They also make harps and dulcimers and give music lessons and workshops. The bad news is you've missed the ukulele festival (it was in late June). 3406 Fremont Ave. N.; (206) 634-1662, dustystrings.com
Not far from Fremont, you'll find Green Lake to the north, Lake Union to the south and these possibilities (among others) in between.
You can walk, run or ride the 4.5 kilometres around Green Lake whenever you like, but the Green Lake Boathouse is a spring and summer thing. Usually open April through mid-September (subject to weather), the boathouse stands at the lake's northeastern end, renting kayaks, canoes, paddle boats, rowboats and paddleboards for $17 to $20 an hour. Even if you're just taking a paddle-boat spin for half an hour, as we did, it's a chance to check out the grand old houses lining the lake and admire the daredevils using the floating high-dive platforms. (Yes, there are lifeguards.) There's also a caf脙漏 open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a Green Lake Park wading pool near Wallingford Avenue North and East Green Lake Drive North, open through Sept. 3 this year. 7351 E. Green Lake Drive N.; (206) 527-0171, greenlakeboatrentals.net
If you're travelling without children and like the idea of a genteel suite in a grand old building on a quiet street, consider the Chelsea Station Inn Bed & Breakfast. The two-storey brick B&B features four units, each about 900 square feet with a living room, dining room, kitchenette and bedroom. It stands near the entrance to Woodland Park Zoo, a short walk from Green Lake Park. Rates from $159, depending on the day and season. 4915 Linden Ave. N.; (206) 547-6077, chelseastationinn.com
For some people, it's just not a vacation until they've purchased that inflatable unicorn horn.
That's why Archie McPhee is on this itinerary. From catalogues and the Web, plenty of people know of this vendor of goofball gifts and toys. (Absinthe floss, anyone? Onion-scented breath mint? Albino bowler oil painting?) But since 1983, the McPhee empire has included a retail shop, which thrives (with free parking) in Seattle's Wallingford neighbourhood. 1300 N. 45th St.; (206) 297-0240, archiemcpheeseattle.com
Gas Works Park is a 7.6-hectare series of grassy (and formerly gassy) hills with a perfect perch overlooking Lake Union. The ruins of an old utility plant give the site a certain post-apocalyptic Planet of the Apes vibe, and the city says you can't swim, fish or launch watercraft here because of hazardous substances still lurking in the sediment.
But on Tuesday evenings in summer, you can watch the Duck Dodge sailing regatta (duckdodge.org), a Seattle tradition that goes back nearly 40 years. With or without the regatta, the skyline at dusk looks great. 2101 N. Northlake Way; (206) 684-4075, seattle.gov/tour/union.htm
Speaking of views after dark, the place to get that classic Space Needle shot is tiny Kerry Park on the southern slope of Queen Anne Hill.
It covers barely an acre, but that's enough to give you the panorama of Elliott Bay, downtown and the needle, which turns 50 this year. (It was built for the 1962 World's Fair.) 211 W. Highland Drive; (206) 684-4075, www.lat.ms/Qiq8Tz
Next up, four stops on Capitol Hill, a community known for its large gay population and rollicking night life. Then three stops in the University District, and one downtown.
Oddfellows Caf脙漏 & Bar took over an old Oddfellows Lodge in 2008, 100 years after the building went up. The restaurant is open from 8 a.m. until "late," which in this bar-rich neighbourhood means something. About 90 per cent of the interior, furniture and fixtures are said to have been salvaged, recycled or repurposed. The ceilings are high, some of the walls are brick and dinner main dishes go for $12 to $18. 1525 10th Ave.; (206) 325-0807, oddfellowscafe.com
Elliott Bay Book Co., a local institution with big inventory and frequent readings, endured on Main Street at Pioneer Square for more than 35 years. Then in 2010, the bookshop moved to new Capitol Hill headquarters with wood floors and exposed rafters. 1521 10th Ave.; (206) 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com
Cal Anderson Park is an urban reinvention story: The park was expanded and transformed in 2005 by covering an old reservoir. On the evening we showed up, the tennis court was packed with grown-up hipsters (and one brave kid) playing dodge ball. Other days they do bike polo, hula-hooping and "cardboard tube fights." 1635 11th Ave.; (206) 684-4075, lat.ms/O8YmVc
Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream is a chain with five locations and a seasonally evolving menu that recently included vegan coconut chunk, honey lavender and Earl Grey. The Capitol Hill Molly Moon's stands across the street from Cal Anderson Park, around the corner from the Oddfellows Caf脙漏 and Elliott Bay Book Co. 917 E. Pine St.; (206) 708-7947, mollymoonicecream.com/about
The Hotel Deca is a striking 16-storey slice of Streamline Mod-erne, built in 1931 near the University of Washington campus in the heart of the often-scruffy University District. Rooms for two from $159. 4507 Brooklyn Ave. N.E.; (206) 634-2000, hoteldeca.com
The street parking and 27-step climb to the front door will scare away some people, but once you've ascended, the Chambered Nautilus Bed & Breakfast Inn is a pleasant hillside property in the University District. The main house is a handsome blue-and-white Georgian Colonial, almost 100 years old, and the four suites are basically one-and two-bedroom apartments, with full kitchens, in a newer neighbouring building. Ten units in all. Rates from $149 in summer. 5005 22nd Ave. N.E.; (206) 522-2536, chamberednautilus.com
OK, admit it, you're going to Pike Place Market, even though you've already been a time or two. Don't feel guilty for being an obvious tourist. But do leave time for another stop about a mile west. Olympic Sculpture Park rises at the edge of Elliott Bay.
It's a cunning use of 3.6 formerly industrial hectares, with works by about a dozen artists, including a big, orange Eagle by Alexander Calder; a stainless steel tree (Split by Roxy Paine); and a series of rippling, rusty steel slabs from Richard Serra called Wake.
Its caf脙漏, Taste, is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends in summer. 2901 Western Ave.; (206) 654-3100, seattleartmuseum.org/visit/osp/
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