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Seattle with kids

BY EILEEN OGINTZ | Tribune Media Services

May 18, 2008

Got the rain jackets? So what if it rains a lot in Seattle. As long as you've got good rain gear, you won't care, especially when there's so much to do and see.

Where else can you take the kids to see guys throwing raw fish, introduce them to ferries (yes, parents commute to work via ferry) take a turn on a sailboat, learn all about rock music, science fiction and the creatures who inhabit the sea in this part of the world? (The first-rate Seattle Aquarium, seattleaquarium.org, was renovated just a year ago.) Let's not forget the chance to view the world from 605 feet aboveground atop The Space Needle (spaceneedle.com) or ride a monorail at Seattle Center. Did I mention the terrific food - and Washington State wines? Plenty of local restaurants are kid-friendly too. Locals suggest Cutters Bayhouse, cuttersbayhouse.com, which offers great views, seafood and a good kids' menu and Ivar's Acres of Clams, ivars.net, a landmark since 1938, which highlights an outdoor fish bar.

Of course, we can't forget coffee. Your frappuccino-loving kids may be surprised to learn that Starbucks started right here in 1971 with just one coffee store. That store is still open at Pike Place Market.

This is one city that has as much to offer kids (and teens) as parents, whether you're foodies - and these days a lot of kids are - baseball lovers, music aficionados, sailors, fishermen or museum goers. The Seattle Art Museum's (seattleart museum.org) free, 9-acre Olympic Sculpture Garden not only displays major artworks but also the scenery of the mountains and Puget Sound. For additional options, visit visitseattle.org and experiencewashington .com. To take advantage of many top Seattle attractions, buy a Seattle City Pass (citypass .com) and check out great hotel deals at seattlesupersaver.com.

Once you're settled in, take the kids to Pike Place Market (pike placemarket.org) one of the oldest continuously operated farmer's markets in the United States. Pike Place presides over a 9-acre historic district in the heart of downtown Seattle, and the kids will never look at grocery shopping the same way again. Watch guys throw fish back and forth at the Pike Place Fish Market, listen to street musicians, sample cherries, peaches, apples, vegetables and hazelnuts - and meet the farmers who grew them. There are some 150 vendors selling everything from fruit to flowers at The Market, which is also a good bet for souvenirs, whether you are on the hunt for food (smoked salmon or cherry jam anyone?), vintage clothes or jewelry.

Seattle is also home to the terrific Woodland Park Zoo, zoo.org. Don't miss the new Window on Washington Waters exhibit. (Did you know sea otters eat more than a quarter of their body weight each day?) Learn all about salmon - and listen to the call of orca whales.

It's fun just to walk along the waterfront, too - packed with ferryboats, cruise ships, tour boats and every variety of pleasure boat. Seattle Center (seattlecenter.com) is also a must-see for families. The 74-acre urban park - a legacy of the 1962 World's Fair - is home to the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, Experience Music Project, Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Seattle Children's Theatre and Seattle Children's Museum.

I bet you're ready for a coffee break after all that sightseeing. Now, where did you leave that umbrella?