<p>EK and dmd, when I plug Seattle into weather.com, I get a 10 day forecast of weather going into the mid to upper 70’s each day. Is weather.com being paid off by the Chamber of Commerce to produce less than truthful forecasts? ;)</p>
<p>Greetings from the Center of the Universe :)! Skip the Nordy’s and downtown crowds and go somewhere more exciting 
I think you should pay Fremont neighborhood a visit - you will not regret it. </p>
<p>We take our visitors to the usual Seattle attractions first (Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Olympic Sculpture park, etc.) and then continue with the somewhat “offbeat” tour of the city which includes a walking tour of Fremont (**the ■■■■■ **always impresses and Lenin always shocks them!) and the **Ballard Locks <a href=“there%20might%20be%20some%20fishes%20traveling%20up%20the%20fish%20ladder”>/B</a>. Gas Works Park is not that far from Fremont, and it is a fabulous place to take pictures with the lake and fantastic view of the Seattle Downtown in the background! You can get to Fremont from downtown (Metro bus routes 5 and 28) or from UW (route 31 and may be 30). There is plenty of free 2-hr street parking if you decide to drive there. Ride the Ducks sounds like fun; I see them pass by Fremont all the time, and the folks on those amphibian vehicles look very happy! We’ll try them next time we have out of town guests.</p>
<p>Dress code in Seattle is very casual: jeans/shorts and a t-shirt, light jacket or a hoodie for warmth. If you have “covertible” pants which can be turned into shorts, those would work well, too (locally REI stores carry them). Even if you are going to wear your hiking clothes downtown, you will not feel “underdressed”!</p>
<p>BTW, Wild Ginger is a great place, and as far as I know, it is a local establishment and not a chain.</p>
<p>For better (not perfect, but better) weather forecasts check the Seattle Times weather page or KING5 news website.</p>
<p>dmd, I bet you’re right about the Ginger confusion! I’ve eaten at Wild Ginger maybe 6 times altogether. We did have to wait once (20-30 minutes?) despite a reservation but otherwise have been seated promptly. Never a problem with service. I love the Buddha rolls with pineapple sauce. I do think that for someone looking for more “pure” Thai dishes, for example, WG’s pan-Asian cuisine might be not quite as satisfying. Now that I think about it, I haven’t been to WG in a couple of years. Every time there’s a special occasion I opt for a (cheap!) neighborhood Thai place instead. Hmmm…</p>
<p>Some ideas for you:</p>
<ol>
<li>Crossing into Canada</li>
</ol>
<p>Don’t use Peace Arch, but follow sign to ‘truck crossing’. It’s right next door, absolutely and definitely cars can and do use it, but seldom the same long line ups of Peace Arch regular line. </p>
<p>Fortunately, the media hypes how the border has changed. The lines are longer, but its still is 1-2 questions crossing the border. </p>
<ol>
<li>Suspension Bridge</li>
</ol>
<p>Locals skip this one. It’s really touristy (we tend to avoid places that bring tour buses when we travel, if you know what I mean). If you want a real suspension bridge in a rain forest, go to Lynn Canyon and the one there is free and uncrowded and beautiful. Some great swimming below too.</p>
<p>On a similar note, skip Gastown, Joe Fortes and Chinatown. Just because its marketed in a brochure doesn’t mean its worth going to (maybe the opposite). </p>
<ol>
<li>Other Sights</li>
</ol>
<p>a. Grouse Mountain. If you are fit, climb the grind and enjoy the sites up top (but if not fit like me, pay for the tram!). Beautiful view of city as you go up, at the top is a fun lumber-jack show, wild bird show, great scenery, some nice outdoor dining with live music. We always bring friends there. </p>
<p>b. Rent bikes and cycle around the waterfront, from downtown, around Stanley Park, up False Creek, and all the way to Spanish Banks if you like. </p>
<p>c. Rent kayaks in false creek and see the city from a different vantage point.</p>
<p>d. Granville island. Great artist shops, fresh food, local handicrafts, restaurants aren’t too bad. Catch an improv comedy show in the evening at the Arts Club there.</p>
<p>e. Denman Street and English Bay.</p>
<p>Arrived home from Seattle, Vancouver and Mt. Rainier on the red eye yesterday morning. Still getting adapted to East coast time. Were in Seattle for your heat wave. Wow. Some of our highlights-Used your tip, WashDad, about driving north to Vancouver on Chuckanut. Great view! Went up the Space Needle in Seattle, went to Mariners game, browsed through Elliott Bay bookstore (thanks EK), saw EMP, which one of my younger boys said was his favorite time as the four of us (no dad, who cannot even carry a tune with a suitcase) crowded into one of the vocal booths and sang together for 10 minutes. Think Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons material-yes, I’m Frankie Valli. Took a day cruise to the San Juan Islands, visited Pike Place Market, Underground Tour, Museum of Flight, lots of touristy things. 
Went to Vancouver and dutifully tuned the radio to 1130 AM as suggested, and had minor waits crossing at the Peace Arch in both directions. Ate at the Pink Pearl (loved it-thanks, dmd), ate at Sala Thai as recommended by concierge at our hotel, went to Granville Island, Sun Yat Sen Classical Garden (fabulous) and the Vancouver Aquarium, where we saw the recently born baby beluga whale. It was cool and rainy while we were in Vancouver, so we did a lot of indoor activities. Contrast that weather with the simply fabulous weather we had while hiking at Mt. Rainier. The mountain was “out” all three days we were there and one of the rangers on a walk we took said that this was the best weather they’d had in a long time. Even when we went back to Seattle on the last day of our trip the mountain was still very visible. I hope you “west coasters” appreciate that view! Thanks again to all for your tips!</p>
<p>wow you really crammed a lot in there!
you must need a vacation.
;)</p>
<p>Gotta agree with emeraldkity4! You really made the most of your time there. Thanks for the update. It was fun to read.</p>
<p>We do need a vacation, ek4, LOL! Lots of exhausted people here, and my previous post only hit the highlights. I’m sure any member of my family looking over my shoulder would criticize my post-“Hey, you left out X, Y and Z!” ;)</p>
<p>Glad you had a good trip. You should see the PNW in the winter…even more “cool and rainy.”</p>