PlanetEye

One of the mainstays of Seattle's summer Seafair celebration is the US Navy's Blue Angels' air show. For a week, the residents of Seattle are treated to not just the two formal shows, but the practice flights over the city and Lake Washington. Not surprisingly some people love it while some others hate it, but we all hear and see it for about a week.

This year, there will be an official practice show on Friday, August 1st at 1:30 and two full shows (Saturday, August 2nd and Sunday, August 3rd, same time).  Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster ($25) which include the Chevrolet Cup hydroplane races, live music, refreshments and fireworks at Genesee Park.

For people who are most interested in the Navy aircraft and not attending the festivities, the secret is to visit Boeing's Museum of Flight Thursday through Sunday to watch the Angels' close up.  In fact, the museum has a whole "Flight Week" with planned events including a "Meet a Blue Angel" event for children on Friday morning.  In addition, you can watch them take off and land right outside the museum fence, which some believe is a nice precursor to the official show.

Now that it's finally nice and sunny outside, it's time to start thinking about how to spend as much time out of doors as possible. You could eat lunch at a restaurant with a patio or tour the city's very eclectic architecture. Also, you can listen to music.

Every summer, City Hall hosts a series of lunchtime concerts that are located on their front porch (aka the Civic Plaza) called Seattle Presents.  The bands are from a wide array of genres - including some "hip" local bands - so there is always something for everyone. The shows are the first and third Thursday of the month from July to August, with a few special shows thrown in.  

The City festoons Civic Plaza with folding chairs and invites a couple of vendors to sell lunches so you can eat whilst you listen.  However, it does fill up fast with the local business crowd settling in, so if you must have a chair, make sure to get there early, say around 11:30 a.m. Perhaps after checking out two of the most interesting buildings in the city: the Arctic Club (located across the street at 4th and Cherry) and/or the Seattle Central Library (three blocks down on 4th and Madison).

This year's Seattle Presents starts Thursday, July 3rd with Jamaican Reggae Band, Clinton Fearon & Boogie Brown Band.  

Seattle may not have the same reputation as San Francisco regarding their annual Pride festivities, but since Seattle has the second largest GLBT population (per capita) in the US, the pressure to have an incredible, all-out bash is high.

After a couple of years of disagreement over where the Pride parade belongs in Seattle, the community has come together and finally agreed to support the downtown parade. With everyone's backing, the 2008 Weekend looks to be a lot of fun for attendees.  Events begin as early as Friday morning (this morning!) through Sunday's after parade parties.  Look to The Stranger for the comprehensive and continuously updated listing throughout the weekend.

The main event, the parade, begins Sunday at 11 a.m. and will be Grand Marshalled by Governor Christine Gregoire.  The route goes right through the middle of the downtown core on Fourth Street from Union to Denny (near the Seattle Center). As with any parade, you'll have to get there early to get a great spot.  Best bets are around Westlake Center or further down the route near Lenora.

Please note that although metro buses will run during the parade, there will be extensive rerouting.

Like many major cities around the country, finding a place to park in Seattle is either an expensive or time-consuming prospect.  Take your pick, park at the hotel for $25+ per day or circle the streets hunting around for a cheaper option. To make matters worse, driving in Seattle can be difficult for even the most experienced local, what with all the narrow one way streets we have, let alone for a newly arrived traveler.

Unlike other major cities, however, Seattle does not have a train system. Sure there's the historical monorail that will take you from downtown to Seattle Center, but that's not really a viable option for getting around to places other than Seattle Center and/or the Queen Anne neighborhood.

This leaves the bus system, which is actually pretty robust and easy to use, IF you do some pre-planning.  First thing to note is that maps located at bus stops are tiny and hard to read.  Here is where the pre-planning comes in.  King County Metro has a trip planner on their Web site (access it from your hotel's business center!).  If you don't know the exact location of something, you can enter in attractions, such as the Space Needle or Pike Place Market and it will plan out a couple of routes for you, based on whether you want the fastest route or least walking.  It is very handy and makes getting around this city a breeze.  If you're nervous about missing your stop, when you board the bus, simply tell the driver your stop and ask him to alert you when you get there.  Most will happily announce over the intercom when you arrive. 

The other bonus to riding the bus is that it is much cheaper than renting a car and/or parking a car.  In addition, the downtown core - which includes Pioneer Square, downtown, the Convention Center, and about half of Belltown -  is the "free ride area."  If you are riding anywhere within that area, the ride is free.  Otherwise, the fare will be $1.75.