I hope you've got a good pair of walking shoes and a lot of stamina (a double latte helps), because Seattle is a walking town. The city's two biggest attractions -- the waterfront and Pike Place Market -- are the sorts of places where you'll spend hours on your feet. When your feet are beat, you can relax on a tour boat and enjoy the views of the city from the waters of Puget Sound, or you can take a 2-minute rest on the monorail, which links downtown with Seattle Center, home of the Space Needle. If your energy level sags, don't worry; there's always an espresso bar nearby.
By the way, that monorail ride takes you right through the middle of Paul Allen's Experience Music Project, the Frank Gehry-designed rock-music museum also located in Seattle Center. Paul Allen, who made his millions as one of the cofounders of Microsoft, has spent many years changing the face of Seattle. He has renovated Union Station and developed the area adjacent to Qwest Field, which was built for the Seattle Seahawks football team, whose owner is . . . you guessed it: Paul Allen. The stadium is adjacent to the Seattle Mariners' Safeco Field, which is one of the few ballparks in the country with a retractable roof. Paul Allen is currently working on a large-scale development project at the south end of Lake Union.
Despite Seattle's many downtown diversions, however, the city's natural surroundings are still its primary attraction. You can easily cover all of Seattle's museums and major sights in 2 or 3 days. Once you've seen what's to see indoors, you can begin exploring the city's outdoor life.
If you plan to spend all your time in downtown Seattle, a car is a liability. However, when it comes time to explore beyond downtown, say, to the University District, Fremont, or Ballard, a car can be handy (although there are also good bus connections to these neighborhoods). If you want to head farther afield -- to Mount Rainier or the Olympic Peninsula, for example -- then a car is a must.
Saving Money on Sightseeing -- If you're a see-it-all, do-it-all kind of person, you'll definitely want to buy a CityPass (tel. 888/330-5008 or 208/787-4306; www.citypass.com), which gets you into the Pacific Science Center, Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo, and the Museum of Flight, and also lets you take a boat tour of the harbor with Argosy Cruises, all at a savings of 50% if you visit all five attractions and do the harbor tour. The passes, good for 9 days from the date of first use, cost $40 for adults and $24 for children 3 to 12. Purchase your CityPass at any of the participating attractions.
The Go Seattle Card (tel. 800/887-9103 or 617/671-1001; www.goseattlecard.com) is another interesting option for the see-it-all, do-it-all travelers who are able to plan out a daily tour route in advance. It takes careful planning to get your money's worth out of this card, but it can be done. The way this card works is that you pay $55 ($39 for children ages 3-12) for a card that will get you into as many participating attractions as you can visit in 1 day. There's a discount for 2-, 3-, 5-, and 7-day cards, and your best bet would probably be the 3-day card.
