Seattle
 Seattle, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, enjoys a mild climate and beautiful natural setting, with Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains to the east, and Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains to the west. There are three National Parks within a two hour drive. Outdoor recreational opportunities -- skiing, hiking, boating, biking, and more -- are everywhere.
Urban delights abound as well. The city is filled with bookstores, cafés, and pubs, along with all the cultural amenities one would expect in a large city. Seattle boasts an extensive system of parks and bike paths, hosts major film and music festivals, and provides any number of entertaining diversions to accompany the area's natural wonders. Looking for a best of both worlds place? You've found it.
Please follow the links below for more information (and recommendations from faculty, students, and staff): |
Museums & Cultural Organizations:
Experience Music Project | Frye Art Museum | Henry Art Gallery
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park | Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center | Museum of History and Industry | Pacific Northwest Ballet | Richard Hugo House | Seattle Art Museum | Seattle Asian Art Museum
Seattle International Film Festival | Seattle Pro Musica
Seattle Opera
"By an amazing feat of architecture, there are no bad seats
in the house: opera glasses are only necessary as a fashion accessory,
even in the grad student budget section! Great opera, great people
watching, and not at all stuffy. Go casually attired or take the
opportunity to gussy up, but definitely go. Bravi!" -- Jennifer Gogarten
Seattle Repertory Theater | Seattle Symphony | Wing Luke Asian Museum
Weeklies & Area Information:
The Stranger | Seattle Weekly | Seattle City Search
Burke-Gilman Trail
"I commute by bike on this trail most days, as do many other people in the department. Designed by Olmsted (the same guy who did Central Park in New York), the trail is something like 25 miles long. A walk from the UW to Fremont is nice, with a stop at Gas Works Park. You can also bike all the way around the north end of Lake Washington" -- Bill Noble
Discovery Park
"500 acres of forest, meadows, trails, and a gorgeous view of the sound and the Olympics...a fantastic place to leave the city without leaving the city" -- Brian Giebel
"On a good day, it takes only 15 minutes for me to escape from work at
the University and get to the Ballard Locks. After watching the passing
boats and the salmon on the fish ladder, it is an easy walk to Discovery
Park, which Seattle has wisely let go to seed. Within this enormous
nearly-wild park, West Point juts far out into Puget Sound, so you can
enjoy dramatic views of the Olympics while exploring great stretches of
open beaches with shorebirds, sea ducks, seals, and an occasional eagle." -- Breck Byers
Fremont Troll
"Under the Aurora bridge lives one of Seattle's
funkiest hideouts- the Fremont Troll. The actual
VW bug being palmed by the gianormous one-eyed
ghoul just adds to the overall scene. By day it's fun to
stare at, and by night there's always some mischief
going on nearby..." -- Eric Smith
Intramural Activities Building (IMA)
"This newly expanded facility is open for all kinds of recreational activities. It is free for students and very inexpensive for faculty and staff. You can join club sports (at various levels of expertise and intensity), learn new skills from swimming and kayaking to martial arts and tennis. Use the incredible new fitness center to clear your head after a long day at the computer or PCR machine! It is about a 5 minute walk along the Burke Gilman trail from Genome Sciences. Check the web site for a full tour and list of sports skills classes, club sports and facilities." -- Carol Sibley
Magnuson Park
"Frisbee, frisbee, frisbee, frisbee, walking your dog, lake shore. Did I mention the Ultimate frisbee?" -- Dave Tran
Pike Place Market
Washington Park Arboretum
"Lots of places for a walk or a jog. Highlights, in my opinion, are the Japanese garden (for which a small admission fee is charged) and the multitude of magnolia trees that bloom in the spring." -- Bill Noble
Experience Music Project | Pacific Science Center
Seattle Center
(Space Needle, Children's Museum, Experience Music Project, Pacific Science Center, IMAX Theater, Opera House, festivals, exhibits)
Woodland Park Rose Garden
"Located just outside the gates of the zoo (and hence free!), this is a pretty awesome rose garden." -- Bill Noble
Woodland Park Zoo
National Parks & Monuments:
Mt. Rainier National Park | North Cascades National Park
Olympic National Park | Mt. St. Helens
(above: Second Beach, Olympic National park)
In City :
Burke-Gilman Trail
"I commute by bike on this trail most days, as do many other people in the department. Designed by Olmsted (the same guy who did Central Park in New York), the trail is something like 25 miles long. A walk from the UW to Fremont is nice, with a stop at Gas Works Park. You can also bike all the way around the north end of Lake Washington" -- Bill Noble
"Aqua Verde Paddle Club, located right outside the K-wing, offers kayak rentals for $15/hr. You can paddle out to Lake Union or through the Montlake Cut to the Arboretum and Lake Washington." -- Bill Noble
Skiing / Snowboarding :
Crystal Mountain | Mt. Baker | Stevens Pass
Snoqualmie Pass
"There aren't many places where you can wake up on a Saturday and decide, "Hey, this seems like a good day to go skiing," and be on the slopes an hour and a half later. But you can do that in Seattle. Snoqualmie Pass is the closest ski area to Seattle, straight down I-90. While it's not Whistler or Tahoe, it's got some pretty good runs." -- Bill Noble
Whistler / Blackcomb
"Whistler BC is 4 hours away and has very excellent skiing, hiking, & accomodations" -- Mark Enstrom
Other Outdoor:
"No matter what, there is always sunshine two hours away. The Washington high desert provides stunning vistas of the Columbia River Gorge, fishing, rock climbing, hiking, sand-dune boarding(!), rock-hounding, etc. Rare is a place like this where humid forests, snow covered peaks, and parched desert lie one hour from each other. Yet here it is." -- Nathan Clark
Othello Sandhill Crane Festival: "Each year thousands of cranes flock to Othello for a few weeks. If
one can't make to the festival itself, no one told the birds that the
party was over, so they hang around a few more weeks--literally
thousands of them. It's a thrill to see and hear them (sounds like
purring cats)." -- Colleen Hogan-Taylor
"Many salmon/steelhead fishing opportunities exist in and around Seattle, including fly fishing for large fall-run chum salmon." -- Clem Furlong
National Forests :
Wenatchee National
Forest | Mt.
Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest | Olympic National
Forest
Other Outdoor Recreation Sites :
State Parks | Tide Tables | Ferry Schedule
Great Outdoor
Recreation Pages: Washington | Mountain Pass
Conditions
Seattledining.com | Seattle.com | SeattleCitySearch
Breweries:
"Though better known for being home to coffee connoisseurs, Seattle boasts an amazing number of small breweries featuring an unbelievable variety of excellent beers. Whether you fancy a pint flavored with spruce, a draught with a touch of apricot, or a pitcher of a classic lager, the many breweries are sure to deliver." -- Steve Voght
Big Time | Elysian | Hale's | McMenamins | Pike Pub & Brewery
Pyramid | Red Hook
Metro (bus) | Sound Transit (commuter rail, future light rail)
Washington State Ferry System
(RIP monorail....) |
