西雅圖遊

1. The Needle: The best time to visit is on a nice sunny day before sunset and stay till dark so that you get both a night view and sunset view. If your child wants to visit the needle, you might consider making a dinner reservation to get the free deck visit. Here is how the math works (assuming they don't require a minimum spending to get the free deck visit - you may need to double check when you call to reserve): The deck visit is $8-16, depending on age. If you order the cheapest items on the menu, i.e. appetizers and soups, you might actually come ahead. Restaurants at these places as you know are never cheap. But if you order, say, clam chowder at $9, you'd get the soup and free deck visit. Again, be sure to ask if they have a minimum spending requirement. Here is their lunch menu:
http://www.spaceneedle.com/restaurant/menus/lunch.asp

2. With 7-8 year old kid, consider visiting Ballard Locks, good place for kids and adults
http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/PublicMenu/Menu.cfm?sitename=lwsc&pagename=mainpage

3. Another good place for kids and adults alike is south Lake Union - Center for Wooden boats. It's a place with a nice city view and activities for kids. Kids also might like the float plane takeoff and landing right on the lake next to the center. On Sundays, they offer free sail boat rides on the lake (reservation is needed)
http://www.cwb.org/

4. Pike Place Market: Longest running public farmers market in US, celebrating centinial this year. Kids might like the colorful pigs and the fish tossing.

5. Olympic Sculpture Park: brand new this year. Great place for beautiful scenery and modern art in park setting on water front.

6. Boeing Factory in Everrett: watch airplanes to be assembled in the largest factory building in the world. Not for everyone, but kids might like and also educational for kids. Could also visit Boeing Museum south of Downtown Seattle.

7. Ride the ferry from downtown Seattle across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island and extend your trip further to Olympic National Park, time permitting (you need at least 2 days or more to fully enjoy Olympic NP)

8. Northwest is very different from San Francisco. For one thing, you don't see snow-capped mountains in summer (or any time) in SF.

9. There are many many more places to visit outside the city such as Mt Rainier (road is a mess this year), Mt Baker, Olympic National Park, N Cascade National Park, San Juan Islands, Mt St Helens, etc. 4 days are not enough to visit these places, as they each require at least 1 day and some longer.

這夠寫幾本書的！先給你個提綱吧，回頭有空再加詳細的：

時間：年中旅遊旺季，人太多；下半年不能太下－多倫多１０月中下有可能就開始下大雪了。也許你想看雪，不過雪地開車對左開右開都不好玩！（至少雪地裏我情願在滑雪板上不願在輪子上）理想的是九月份到十月初，在１０月的前兩周內正好到東邊趕上看加拿大國旗上那東西。不會讓大花蔥開車吧？ ；－）

不知道你好啥，是單程還是雙程的（走法會不一樣），也許可以這樣走：

西雅圖－》溫哥華－》加拿大落基山－》多倫多－》大瀑布－》渥太華－》蒙特利爾－》魁北克

蒙特利爾和魁北克我更喜歡魁北克。加油盡量在美國加。

西雅圖兩整天的話，喝完一兩杯咖啡後（星巴克是外地人喝的，要冒充本地人的話就去Espresso drive through或街上的咖啡擔子推車, 加一長串形容詞叫一杯不叫咖啡的咖啡)：

－愛看飛機的上波音北麵那個廠子參觀 （時間合適可以放在去溫哥華的路上）－有人喜歡有人覺得沒意思。

－太空針不一定上：不過如果在多倫多那塔和西雅圖的針之間選一的話，還是選太空針吧，挑個好天的太陽沒落前半小時到一小時間戴到天黑。在那吃飯可以免費上太空針。

－PIKE PLACE MARKET：說白了就是菜場啦！不過美國一百年以上東西不多，這市場去年剛慶了百年，就算它那兔子尾巴那麽長的曆史裏比較長的那個了。有MM隨行的話一定要帶去那給MM買束鮮花/幹花，沒MM隨行可以去那找豔遇，因為MM都喜歡去那兒。去第一個Starbucks喝杯咖啡。有吃有喝有熱鬧看的地方。停車在市場下麵往下坡走更靠水邊的那條Western街更好找。晚六點以後不開。

－奧林匹克 Sculpture PARK: 是個新景，離Pike Place Market和海灣水邊不遠，所以可以順路去了。

－Kerry Park: 西雅圖的標準相是從這拍的，看日夜景都很好，常能看到Mt Rainier & Needle， 下午比較好。不容易找。

－Hiram M. Chittenden Locks: 可以看大小船隻過閘入海, 看三文魚跳閘回遊。運河兩邊的花園也不錯。西雅圖人管它叫The Locks.

－Mt Rainier國家公園: 需要一整天，開車單程２ 個半 到３ 小時。雪山冰川（是個在睡覺的火山）

－來之前要看的電影：西雅圖不眠夜； Sleepless in Seattle裏有的船屋在Lake Union，要坐船才能看見。那湖也可以看水上飛機起降，來來往往的大小船隻。

－你的胃要還是和你的中國心一樣愛國的話，可以去中國城，在下城downtown南麵，Jackson交１０街及King那一帶，當地人叫International District。嗯，要不，把胃口留著去溫哥華吃吧。你家４哈姐姐肯定比我知道哪有好吃的。

－Olympic國家公園：我的最愛，不過你多半沒功夫去啦，光那至少兩天。

Enjoy your trip!