One Day Wander

Description:

Old-world style and modern service - that's the Sorrento, the longest-operating boutique hotel in Seattle. Each of the 76 guest rooms are unique in decor, but all feature beds with Egyptian cotton linens, Italian marble bathrooms, high-speed Internet, DirectTV with movie channels, and CD sound systems.

Amenities? Glad you asked. If the shiatsu massage isn't enough to get those airplane kinks out of your neck, perhaps the pilates classes Sorrento's offers will do the trick. Afterward, treat your skin to a full treatment at Bellezza on the lower lobby level.

The Sorrento is more than pet-friendly; not only are pets allowed, but doggie day care and grooming services are available.

Description:

Nine acres of fresh produce, seafood, coffee, donuts, crafts, unique restaurants and friendly vendors, all set against a backdrop of the Puget Sound - that's Pike Place Market, widely recognized as one of the oldest and best farmer's markets in the country. If you only have one day in Seattle, head downtown to get a real taste of the city in every sense. From fresh cheese curds at Beecher's to chowder at Pike Place Chowder, from necklaces and bags to hand-stitched leather journals and hats, from accordions to pianos to hula-hooping guitarists - there's something for your eyes, ears, and nose everywhere you look at the market.

Our Local Expert Says:

This museum is internationally recognized for its excellent collection of Asian, African and Native American art, and for its fine collection of modern art produced by Pacific Northwest artists. The permanent collection includes 21,000 pieces, and while it doesn't have huge collections of European art, it does have plentiful local art and wonderful visiting exhibits. The museum is centrally located downtown near the waterfront and Pike Place Market.

Description:

Seattle Art Museum has recently expanded and the new building houses a much more extensive and impressive collection of modern art in addition to world class collections of Native American, European, African and Asian art. The permanent collection is housed in a bright airy corridor, and spans several floors. Modern pieces playfully juxtapose traditional European works; an Andy Warhol shares space with a John Singleton Copeland and touring exhibits occupy the original structure. Brancusi and Botticelli anchor the second floor. If you've been disappointed by the original Seattle Art Museum, don't let your first exposure prevent you from experiencing the new Seattle Art Museum, the collection is outstanding and the arrangement of the art is in itself a creative endeavor.

Description:

Built for the 1962 World's Fair, this 605-foot towering structure may also rate as one of the nation's most recognized structures...and one of its most overrated tourist traps. The $22 adult day-and-night ticket is about as steep as the Needle itself, and one's wait in line will often exceed the time spent at the top. The views are free and just as impressive atop the Columbia Tower nearby on Fifth Avenue.

Description:

On First Hill not far from downtown Seattle, this museum is primarily an exhibit space for the extensive personal art collection of Charles and Emma Frye, Seattle pioneers who began collecting art in the 1890s. The collection focuses on late-19th-century and early-20th-century representational art by European and American painters, with works by Andrew Wyeth, Thomas Hart Benton, Edward Hopper, Albert Bierstadt, and Pablo Picasso, as well as a large collection of engravings by Winslow Homer. In addition to galleries filled with works from the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions are held throughout the year.

Description:

Licorous, whose original name means, "tempting the appetite" and "relishing good food," is an ultimate spot that serves great, affordable food and cocktails. The chefs prepare a variety of dishes that are available for order late into the night. Their cocktail menu is diverse and you might even get to enjoy an original mix as the bartender often experiments with new concoctions. Licorous is uniquely decorated in orange and salmon colors that creates an atmosphere of escape from the outer world.

Description:

This little hole-in-the-wall is a prime example of finding elegance and exquisite food in unexpected places. Owned by Chef Jonathan Sundstrom, Lark is not where you come to eat - it's where you come to experience food. Rather than ordering an entree, the menu consists of small plates, so you can sample several succulent dishes, all of which are seasonal and prepared using local ingredients. Ingredients that are transformed into dishes like seared foie gras with rhubarb and spring onions, rabbit salad with asparagus, incredible cheese plates and desserts like pineapple tarte tartin with rum caramel.

Our Local Expert Says:

The most sublime bar in Seattle, hidden from the general public just off Madison on Boren, this lounge has high ceilings lit by chandeliers and flanked by a long green vinyl bench where the local hipsters sip on martinis and cocktails made with fresh squeezed juice. The walls are covered by works by local artists and the bartenders are always happy to snap a polaroid of you and your friends.

Description:

Described by the owners as a 'five-year performance art installation with a full bar', you just know that the place is going to be nothing short of unique. This eclectic loungey hangout is a Mecca for the creative arty crowd in Seattle. You are free to write, draw, act or interact with other patrons, whatever your creative heart desires! The velvet curtains, dark corners and large chandeliers - all add to your sense of impending drama. After you get used to the slightly weird atmosphere, indulge in the great variety of alcohol and nightly specials of drinks and appetizers that this place offers.