Does anyone have recommendations for meals? We can have some meals at his apartment, but I’m looking for someplace nice for my birthday dinner (and preferably close to the water because I think we’ll either do a sailing outing that day (not us sailing- I found a company that takes you out on a sailboat) or go to Bainbridge. SixSeven looks great, but a bit expensive. I would rather be in the $20-$30 entree range than the $30-$40 range.
I’d also love some ideas for more casual meals. Neither of us are picky eaters. I’m not a fan of Greek food and I wouldn’t go out of my way to have sushi, but cooked fish is great.
Ivar’s Salmon House is on Lake Union and near the University of Washington. It has a few entrees in your price range. More expensive restaurants would be Ray’s Boathouse on Shilshole Bay, Salty’s at Alki, or Palisades.
We ate at Five Hooks Fish Grill in Queen Anne last week and liked it. Casual but decent seafood. You could Uber there. They don’t take reservations. Portage Bay Cafe has a location right near campus, it is a good breakfast or brunch spot (weekday is better than a weekend, weekends are crowded although they do take reservations).
Fun Mexican, on the water near the UW is Aqua Verde, very casual but tons of fun. It depends on what kind of water you are looking for (lake or sound). You will generally pay more for anything with an actual view of the water versus nearby the water and there really isn’t that much actually on Puget Sound itself. Tons nearby but they won’t have a view.
Rays, Salty’s and Palisades are all lovely but will be difficult to get to without a car and likely at the upper end of your range.
Anthony’s Bell Street Diner would be on the sound and in your price range but still nice. Cutters is at the market, related to Palisades and will have a view, likely to have mix of pricing.
Places I love in the general waterfront/market area after a ferry ride (not sure where you are looking at sailing from, if that is a lake or sound outing) that might be more in your price range might be Etta’s Seafood, Steelhead Diner, Matt’s in the Market, Cafe Campagne, The Pink Door, Alibi Room.
For a nice dinner try Toulouse Petite in Queen Anne on the backside of Seattle Center. Incredible food and nice atmosphere. A friend of ours used to manage it…it has never disappointed.
If you’re serious about the boyfriend flying a plane, you could take a plane to Eastsound airport on Orcas Island. Getting to town from there is easily walkable. Check for events or a farmer’s market to visit. I did it with little kids back in the day, but haven’t been there in years.
Oh and OP, if you are indeed a knitter, [url=<a href=“http://tricoter.com/%5DTricoter%5B/url”>http://tricoter.com/]Tricoter[/url] (on Capitol Hill) is not to be missed. It’s the most delicious yarn store I’ve ever been in.
"If you’re serious about the boyfriend flying a plane, you could take a plane to Eastsound airport on Orcas Island. Getting to town from there is easily walkable. Check for events or a farmer’s market to visit. I did it with little kids back in the day, but haven’t been there in years.
If you’re keeping a rented plane overnight the cost is very high - you’re probably better off with Kenmore Air."
If your boyfriend is a private pilot with not too many hours, I don’t recommend the hassle. The airspace around Seattle is very busy, and costs to rent a plane are expensive. Kenmore Air is pretty awesome, however, you may not want to spend the money, two round trip tickets could be costly.
If you are interested in going to Vancouver, Canada, the Amtrak train is a really nice way to go. Tickets not too expensive, it’s a lovely train ride up there, right by water, and they serve pretty good wine onboard. Though I’m not sure how complicated it would be for your boyfriend, generally a passport is all that we have ever needed. There’s a fast boat from downtown to Victoria, the Victoria Clipper.
For a nice dinner you might like Rock Creek in Fremont, a restaurant specializing in seafood in a neighborhood close to the U District. There’s no view but the food is excellent and there’s a younger vibe (not students, but young hip professional types). Ivar’s Salmon House is a Seattle classic and has a bit of a view but it tends to have lots of tourists, families, and older folks…
I would not recommend the San Juans, given your timeline. If you decide to do a big trip, I’d take the train to Vancouver BC and spend one night. As busdriver mentioned, it’s a comfortable and beautifully scenic ride, but it would take two days out of your fairly short visit. In any event, I’d pick Vancouver BC over Victoria, as the former is teeming with young people and is a more happening kind of place.
…Or you can take the water taxi from downtown to West Seattle and have a brunch at Salty’s with the awesome view of the downtown (right next to the taxi landing), then stroll around and take the water taxi back.
Victoria Clipper is sometimes referred to as the Vomit Comet. If the water is rough, then it might live up to its nickname.
I vote for hanging around the city. There is plenty to do in Seattle for a first-time visitor, and without a car or bikes, ferry rides would not be as fun as exploring the city.
I agree that, given the timeline, it makes sense to stay in Seattle. An earlier poster’s casual Mexican restaurant suggestion was the victim of auto-correct, I think. It’s Agua Verde, http://aguaverde.com . Right next to campus, a fun and popular spot.
I’ve lived in Seattle a long time but have never had brunch at Salty’s. At about $50 per person…well, I’m just too cheap for that!
Here’s a link to restaurants on Bainbridge Island. Be sure to check the specific location to ensure walkability from the ferry.
Agua Verde is great for a casual lunch, but it might be a bit too casual for a celebratory meal. It can also be mobbed with students and tourists so there is no place to sit (happened to us twice in the last couple of years). If I were to eat around that area, I would go with Ivar’s Salmon House instead (their prices now include tips, just an FYI).
You can’t take a train all the way to Anacortes, unless it has very recently changed. You take it to Mt. Vernon, then it is two bus rides to the ferry terminal.
IMO, the Salmon House fare is MUCH better than Salty’s. Salty’s seems to have begun to rely on it’s reputation rather than quality. It’s also more expensive than Ivar’s, which does salmon better than anyplace on the planet. Also, it’s full of tourists. But there are many more options if you aren’t looking for seafood. Capitol Hill is full of trendy places to eat run by people who know what they’re doing.
Agree, SSeamom. Salty’s great for a “day outing” kind of thing, plus, their buffet brunch has so much variety, one can always find a lot of good things to eat. Ivar’s also does brunches on Sundays. Another restaurant with a great view of the city across a body of water is Palisade, but that is the priciest option and the least accessible one.
Warning- the month of July is the start of residencies and your boyfriend is unlikely to have much time to spend with you. There is quite the learning curve that month, getting used to how things are done at a new place along with the new responsibilities and call schedule. Plan on doing things on your own a lot. He may even have in-house call so be prepared to look out for yourself some evenings- plus he’ll need to read and sleep on noncall days. First year of residency is the hardest year - more than being new to clinical rotations. Eventually you two will figure the best months for your future visits, there are some rotations that are less time consuming than others.
You can’t do it all on any visit (we hope to get there next month as well to see working son and have been there a few times by now). Places top on my to do list and that you could do alone include that museum at the south end of Lake Union, the Pike Place Market, the emp museum and other near there places.
Have your boyfriend ask other residents for dining options. I liked Ivars, but locals obviously have several other seafood choices mentioned. Have him ask about good things for you to do as well.
Definitely take the train from the airport as far as you can to his place and back to the airport. Cheap and worth it.
NO air conditioning in most living spaces- including new upscale apartments! Even most UW campus buildings there are not air conditioned. Need to check temps for the time you will be there as they have varied a lot recently.
@wis75, You brought up some excellent points, and I especially agree with this,
I know when we go to a new place we tend to cram everything in, but when we visited our son last month, our thoughts were that this was a first visit and we just wanted to see what we could in center city Seattle, without a car. After our son accepted his job offer I started asking people who said they had been to Seattle what we should see when we visited. I was surprised at how many different things that were suggested to me - there’s a lot to do!
