See Mt. Rainier on the flight there (like on the airplane). I forgot which side...but best view on the airplane.
* Seattle center. It's got a lot of stuff there: MoPop (museum of pop culture)- it just looks really cool. That's also where you'll find the Space Needle, Chihuly museum of Glass, science center, childrens museum, monorail, key arena, some pavilions/theaters...sometimes they have events there, but it depends. I guess this is more touristy: http://www.seattlecenter.com/events/default.asp
* Pike place is kinda fun - touristy, and kinda like quincy market. First Starbucks and Seattle clam chowder restaurant there -long lines. Also new waterfront walkway and aquarium.
* Boeing plant tour is really cool too - but it might be a bit far, as well as the museum of flight. And I think Boeing doesnt do tours anymore?
* Cool buildings in Seattle: Apple spheres building. Seattle library. All Apple employee parking lots are free on weekends and open to public.
* Seattle Art Museum - not good to visit with kids- but maybe theyll have fun at the outdoor art museum! - it's called the olympic sculpture garden.
* Apparently Kerry Park is where all the postcards are taken: http://www.google.com/images?q=seattle+kerry+park&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=ywL3TM7xFYOB8gaYtO2nCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCEQsAQwAA&biw=1440&bih=750 Classic picture of Seattle downtown with space needle and Mt Rainier on clear day.
* It's fun to take the underground tour: takes you through what Seattle was like when it was...well, underneath what it is now. http://www.undergroundtour.com/
Hm....I've never been here, but I saw this place featured on travel channel regarding best donut shops: http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/ looked interesting.
Best fast food clam chowder in my opinion: Iver's. Also famous one called Pike place chowder near Pike place.
While in Seattle, eat salmon if you can!
May be fun to see the Ballard locks: during right season can see salmon swimming upstream. Also where they fill water in channels to move boats out to Puget Sound.
Near University of WA you used to be able to rent canoes on Lake Washington. You can also canoe on Green Lake and at Log Boom Park.
You can take the Ferries for fun. There can be long lines for cars. Easy to walk on.
It's kinda hard to park in seattle (except Apple parking on weekends). But in the city, there is plenty of public transportation.
There's also a troll under some kind of bridge...i can't remember the bridge's name. it's just a sculpture.
Good hikes:
National parks: Mt. Rainier, Olympic Mountain ntnl pk, Cascades,
Mt. Baker, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Pilchuck
Closer-ish hikes: Snoqualmie falls, Mt Si, Lake Serene, Rattlesnake Lake, Surprise Lake, Poopoo point, tiger mtn, Bridal veil falls, Blanca Lake, wallace falls, Rachel Lake/Rampart lakes, Mount Baring, Franklin Falls.
I think popular Chinese food is dintaifung, dough zone. And a lot of good Japanese. Sorry parents like to cook, so we don't usually go out to eat when we visit Seattle, so dont have restaurant recs.
