Seattle and Atlanta must sees?

Finally a thread I'll know something about.

Atlanta - the customer service is, well, a bit gruff, but the Atlanta Bass Gallery is worth the trip for the gear. There's a HUGE microbrewery scene that's popped up in the last few years - Red Hare, Second Self, Monday Night, Jekyll, Orpheus, and the big heavy hitter of the local scene, Sweetwater. Restaurants to check out would include Peter Cheng's Tasty China (it's a little spot in an unassuming strip mall northwest of Atlanta but Cheng is a legendary chef, the New Yorker ran a great profile on him a while back), Dreamland BBQ (I would fight a man to the death for these ribs), Williamson Bros BBQ, and The Vortex. Aquarium is World-Class, too.

Seattle - Fremont and Elysian brewing are terrific. Space Needle really is worth a trip as a tourist, as is the museum of pop culture. Chinatown is worth visiting for sure, as is Pike Place Market. There's a great natural history museum on the university campus, too.

 

In Seattle, you have to spend some time at Pike Place Market. You can spend an entire day there, easily.

 

i personally don't understand the attraction to millions of people who need to see and take a selfie in front of the first Starbucks, because to me, they all look very similar. (Fun fact: That location is NOT the original ... which was 1 block down the street for the first few months.) Although, the Pike Place area itself is a must see ... so you might as well pop on by while you're there. The Pike Place Brewery is directly underneath where the famous fishmongers toss your orders in the air before packaging them. You can make a half a day of that area alone, but i think the market itself starts to shut down at around 5pm > Home | Pike Place Market.

I'll think of some others while i finish my first few cups of coffee this morning, and be back with some more suggests.

 

OP, where in Seattle are they putting you up? And will you have transportation of your own??

 

There's sooo many good independent coffee shops in Seattle that are better. Even the smaller chains like Pete's & Tully's serve a much better cup

 

For Atlanta:

The microbrewery scene is huge here. $12 gets you six pours and a souvenir glass at any brewery. Sweetwater is the biggest, but I think their beers are mediocre at best. Orpheus is my personal favorite as they specialize in sour beers. Red Brick is good too.

I'd skip the Coke-Cola factory. It's not that impressive and is really just a tasting room. The Aquarium is world class but expensive. It's worth a visit if you enjoy that sort of thing.

As far as food goes, Atlanta has just about everything, and most of it is really good. Let us know what you're into and one of us can direct you to some good places.

And for a man of your esquisite tastes, I'd suggest you consider checking out the Claremont Lounge. You'd probably get a kick out of it.

 

'Seattle' area - Museum of Flight at Boeing Field (south of town, close to SeaTac), Boeing factory tour at Paine Field (near Everett), Seattle Pinball Museum (near Chinatown, if you're a fan of the silver ball), any number of a hundred micro breweries who are still very much independent

 

Atlanta - make the trip up to Buckhead. Fond memories. Something for everyone there!

 

I live adjacent to both the Lenox and Phipps mall. Cool area. Super congested!