Must go places in Seattle?

[fortuity]

hi guys,

i will be hitting Seattle in June for the first time. will stay for around 2 weeks. any great must-go shops/bars/places to recommend?

[smurf]

Seattle basically has 3 main drinking districts in the downtown area - Pioneer Square, Bell Town, and Pike/Pine on Capitol Hill. Ballard has some good live music venues and bars, but you'll need a car to get there. (15-20 min north)

Painting in broad strokes, here's how the 3 areas break out:

Pioneer Square is the youngest area - lots of bars and clubs, but mostly mainstream. It's also near the baseball and football stadiums, so you get tons of frat boys, sports fans and suburban adventurers. Although it doesn't reflect this much anymore, this is where the term "skid row" was coined.

Belltown has some cool bars, but I avoid it on the weekends. Lots of hipsters and wanna be hipsters. Some good clubs but also some of Seattle's worst. Although the scene is somewhat varied, you'll see more beautiful people dressed beautifully here than in any of the other areas.

Pike/Pine on Capitol Hill is the best choice, in my opinion. Best mix of people - younger, older, gay, straight, drug addicts, straight edge, hip hop, rock and roll. Most of the bars between Boren and Broadway are on Pike, while east of Broadway, most are on Pine. This neighborhood has a few live music venues, several gay/lesbian bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, restaraunts, record/clothing shops, etc.

When you get to town, pick up The Stranger to find our what's up.

http://www.thestranger.com/current/

Gotta get back to work, but tell me what you're into and I can recommend some more specific stuff.

[sugarboots]

hello - i was in seattle for 3 weeks in jan and had no trouble taking the bus to all of these places (although it was sort of a hassle)

www.sugarboots.com

[fortuity]

awesome! thanks for the info...

any good places to shop?

[fatal_femme]

goods on pike. nice crew. they might have opened their second shop already...not sure. what kinda stuff you looking for?

im just waiting for some asshole to try and school me because i am probably wrong. oh wait....no i'm not.

[fortuity]

doesn't have to be your supreme or bapes. im no label whore. more interested in funky, quirky clothing. none of the mass market stuff. on the look-out for great t-shirts too. any clue?

[fortuity]

oh yes.. and are there any good flea markets or places that sell vintage/old skool stuff?

[smurf]

If you're in town on May 8 or June 5, check out Rummage for some local art/fashion stuff. Affordable and original.

http://www.iheartrummage.com/

[fortuity]

hey guys...

im already in seattle and will stay till the 17th. are there any must-see gigs/events/exhibitions?

also, im never tired of any other shops you'd like to recommend!

thanks!