Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Taking a proverbial Seattle rite of passage and zipping up to the top of the
Space
Needle
.
Explore: Belltown & Seattle Center
Belltown's compact, walkable core is long on dining and entertainment options but rel-
atively short on daytime attractions. The exception is the Olympic Sculpture Park, a
grassy art garden that snares visitors strolling between Pike Place Market and the
Seattle Center.
Capitol Hillers might disagree, but Belltown's main nightlife zone (1st and 2nd Aves
between Blanchard and Battery Sts) is the best place in the city to string together a bar-
hopping evening out. A few of the grunge-era landmarks are still in business, but these
days distorted guitars compete with the chatter of the cocktail crowd. Whatever your
fashion affiliations, Belltown's after-dark scene is hip and noisy and rarely stands still.
Watch out for drunken hipsters and sidewalk vomit.
The Seattle Center, site of the highly successful 1962 World's Fair, is Belltown in re-
verse; sights and museums abound, but you'll struggle to find any memorable food.
The solution: spend most of your sightseeing time in the Seattle Center (EMP Museum,
Chihuly Garden & Glass and the Space Needle merit a day between them) and escape
to adjacent Belltown for lunch, drinks and dinner.
Entertainment-wise, the Seattle Center offers plenty of sit-down plays, concerts and
films. The McCaw Hall is home of the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet,
plus there's a cinema, a children's theater and a regional theater in the complex. It's
also a fun place to just hang out, especially in summer when alfresco events and street
performers take over.
Local Life
ยป
Serious Pie
It's all communal tables at Tom Douglas' riotously popular pizza res-
taurant, where you can discuss weird pizza toppings, microbrews and where Seattle's
culinary maestro might open up next.
