usa :: seattle :: general

[fobolous]

Heading up there in March.

Anybody help me out?

[todesengel]

For shopping:

Kuhlman, Blackbird and Polite Society for sure. Goods if you're into streetwear, Ian if they have a sale, Market Street if they have a sale ($70 Alifes), 5 Doors Down occasionally has nice shoes too, but it's small.

For eating:

What do you like? Hole in the wall but good, or nice and fancy? Seattle does pretty good Korean, Ethiopian and Chinese (to some extent) if you're into smaller, less nice places. Tons of good restaurants down by Pike Place if you want seafood too.

For touristing:

Uhh, the space needle and pike place. Not much more than that in this town....

[fndmybetterhalf]

Blackbird in Ballard, Ian in Capital Hill or Belltown, Vain for haircut?, Kuhlman in Belltown, Riveted in downtown (TONS of nice denim [sling and stones, edwin, nudie, etc]

[fndmybetterhalf]

theres a korean restaurant called Yet-Gol (Old Village) off Aurora Ave, or a pretty famous soon-doo-boo place called Hoe-Soo-Nee on Aurora Ave also. Im not sure which would be better for galbi... but im pretty sure Yet Gol would be a better choice for galbi and stuff.

[Aeros]

theres a korean restaurant called Yet-Gol (Old Village) off Aurora Ave.

Haha. That's my spot too.

For me the only stores worth visiting are GOODs and Blackbird. GOODs sells PAM and their in-house line and Blackbird carries Nom de Guerre. Other than that all of the stores in Seattle carry lines that are fairly easy to come by in most major cities.

[partytaco]

maybe the best collection of vintage clothing in the world....

http://www.hellerscafe.com/cat/03.htm

Hellers Cafe- Far West Clothing

(206) 322-7130

1654 E Olive Way, Seattle 98102

[todesengel]

theres a korean restaurant called Yet-Gol (Old Village) off Aurora Ave, or a pretty famous soon-doo-boo place called Hoe-Soo-Nee on Aurora Ave also. Im not sure which would be better for galbi... but im pretty sure Yet Gol would be a better choice for galbi and stuff.

Ho Soon Yi's Kalbi isn't the best, but their seafood is fucking amazing... not to be missed if you're a fan of Korean.

VVV Hidmo is the bomb, good choice.

[smurf]

Ian on the Hill is closed. I think they moved it to Fremont, but the downtown location is still there. If you go up to Ballard to check out Blackbird (good store) check out some of the other places nearby too. OKOK Gallery has good art, books and toys. Sonic Boom is a good record store with multiple locations. Re-soul is a kinda cool shoe store, but I've never bought anything there.

My favorite cheap eats in the city is at Maekawa. It's an izakaya down in the ID. Hidmo is the best Ethiopian (actually Eritrean) food in Seattle, but as one of the others said, there are ton on Ethiopian restaurants in Seattle. Lots of good Vietnamese too.

Check out the library if you're into architecture. If the weathers nice, you may want to check out the new sculpture garden on the north end of the waterfront. And if you want to see great view of Seattle from sea (and get close to where 40% of America's nuclear arsenal is based,) take the ferry to Bremerton.

For drinking and going out, here's a quick breakdown.

Lots of bars in Pioneer Square, Belltown and Pike/Pine on Capitol Hill. P Sq is mainly college kids, sports fans (the stadiums are just south) and yahoos from outside the city. Belltown is mainly chachis, "beautiful people" and suburbanites. The Hill is mainly indie rock, gay and hipster.

If you're a fan of classic cocktails, check out Zig Zag in the Market. Ben and Murray are two of the best bartenders in the country and they've got a great happy hour too.

[fobolous]

So where is Ian's located? I saw two locations on their website but am not sure which is still open. Thanks.

[todesengel]

The one on 2nd is open for sure, not sure about the Capitol Hill one.

[smurf]

A couple more tourist ideas: Check out the Seattle Public Library Main Branch on 4th for some cool architecture. If the weather's nice, head to the north end of the waterfront and check out the Olympic Sculpture Garden. Both are free. For really old school, you could visit Pioneer Sq and see the original skid row (Yesler St.)

If you end up in Ballard, check out Archie McPhee's after you go to Blackbird. Just plain crazy shit.

The Pike/Pine neighborhood is most fun at night. Many will recommend Belltown, but I don't like chachies. Seattle is also a great cocktail town. The Zig Zag down from the Pike Place Market is easily one of the ten best cocktail lounges in the country.

[tomenugen]

i will be up in Seattle w/out real transportation. where should I base my stay to get the most out of this order: site-seeing - eating - shopping

[englandmj7]

Near Union Square.

From here you can walk to the Space Needle, Pike's Place, tons of shopping, etc. etc. very easily.

[soundune]

Ian's just opened up a new store in Freemont. Havn't checked it yet but drove by it the other evening. Looks much larger than the previous ones

[ktothe]

Yeah the location on the hill is definitely closed. I think Area 51 is annexing it.

This is so much good info though guys, Ive been here for 5 months and I still dont know about half of the places listed. How could I have missed Hellers? I live a few blocks away from Olive...

[naturaljax]

Other than Hellers, University Ave in the U-District is known for it's various vintage shops: Buffalo Exchange, Red Light, and also there is an American Apparel there, along with countless Teriyaki, Korean and Thai places to eat.

But, Red Light and Buffalo Exchange (I think?) have locations on Capitol Hill if that's closer to where you're located.

Don't know how into that "vintage" look you are, but...

Also Broadway has some crazy shops that are worth looking at, if not purchasing anything.

[smurf]

Tomenugen...

What's sort of hotel/price range are you thinking about?

Staying in the downtown core probably makes sense for you. Bus service is free downtown from 7 to 7 I think, so that will help you travel to points between Pioneer Sq and Belltown. It's a pretty easy walk from downtown up Pike or Pine to Capitol Hill. Bus service is quite good otherwise, so you can get to just about any other place in 30 minutes or less for less than a couple of bucks.

[todesengel]

Not sure why this hasn't been mentioned yet but anyone who lives in/is going to Seattle is required to go to Salumi for the best sandwiches in town.

[Aeros]

Word. Salumi is absolutely incredible. Their cured meats are second to none and even Anthony Bourdain calls it his favorite eatery in the entire Pacific Northwest.

[englandmj7]

I just clicked on a link to Blackbird's website (never heard of them before now) and goddamn do they have great products. I am in Seattle twice a year and have never even stopped by there.............looks amazing

[tomenugen]

Tomenugen...

What's sort of hotel/price range are you thinking about?

Staying in the downtown core probably makes sense for you. Bus service is free downtown from 7 to 7 I think, so that will help you travel to points between Pioneer Sq and Belltown. It's a pretty easy walk from downtown up Pike or Pine to Capitol Hill. Bus service is quite good otherwise, so you can get to just about any other place in 30 minutes or less for less than a couple of bucks.

Sorry smurf, I totally forgot about this post. I figure a three star hotel? All I'm looking for is a nice place to sleep. Beyond that I can care less since I don't plan to spend much time there. Thanks for the heads up on the free bus service.

Are there any places that you or anyone deem a "must" go? For example, when I have friends visit LA, Pink's Hotdogs and Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles are always a must. So far, Salumi and Pike's Marketplace are on the list.

[braid]

I just clicked on a link to Blackbird's website (never heard of them before now) and goddamn do they have great products. I am in Seattle twice a year and have never even stopped by there.............looks amazing

oh yea, blackbird is really great, until i log into my bank account at home that is.

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

food:

cheap- http://www.thehoneyhole.com/

not quite so cheap- http://www.lepichetseattle.com/page1.html

both are delicious.

[ktothe]

The Honey Hole also has those big beers. I think they are called slammers. Its basically 2 beers for the price of one.

[ilovespaz]

if you have a car, go to bellevue and eat at a bbq joint called dixies bbq-- try their man sauce .. you'll die.

wingdome on tuesdays and get 30 something cent wings and cheap miller draft

elysian on cap. hill makes really good dark beers

if you are there on a friday night and want to prefunk, boka on first avenue and madison has friday night happy hour until 12am (3 dollas guinnes, stella, mac & jacks) best place on earth for a friday night

[ilovespaz]

oh and if you go to Von's on pike, sometimes they stock this beer called the 'jolly roger' its brewed somewhere in ballard, and its 12.9 something percent alcohol ..

[stfuken]

So I just paid a visit to Blackbird for the first time today. That place is awesome and the sales people are really nice/knowledgable! Almost picked up some new cures but the fit didn't really live up to my expectations. Went with a pair of cheap mondays and a Quentin & Claude tee instead.

[sell veg]

oh and if you go to Von's on pike, sometimes they stock this beer called the 'jolly roger' its brewed somewhere in ballard, and its 12.9 something percent alcohol ..

pretty sure that maritime brewery makes jolly roger. they are my favorite brewery in the world. its right off of leary in ballard. they have a little bar/restaurant that you should check out if you're into micros. i like ballard. blackbird and sonic boom are two reasons to check it out, although it's gotten pretty damn yuppy in recent years.

[tomenugen]

any other novelty must-see, must-eat type places? specifically in the downtown area?

[seemeugly]

If you decide to to to Salumi, get there early as the line gets brutal very quickly.

Blackbird is my favorite place for clothes so far in Seattle; I want to check out Kuhlman's, too. Everything else looks dead missable.

Downtown Seattle is kind of a wash, actually. I don't think there is really very much cool shit down there.

For seeing some local flavor within walking distance of Downtown, Cap Hill and the ID are your best bets.