Seattle Center
The best place to begin a tour of Seattle is at its heart, the Seattle Center. Built for the 1962 World's Fair, it still offers something for everyone. The centerpiece of this 74-acre site is the Space Needle. Look for a flying saucer on stilts to locate it. Follow in my well-worn footsteps and take the scenic elevator ride up to the top observation deck. This commanding view will give you a lay of the land. Maps describe what you're seeing in each direction, and telescopes offer close-up views of Elliott Bay, skyscrapers, and views of distant islands. Painters are currently applying 4,050 gallons of weather-resistant paint to spruce up the Needle's white exterior.

The revolving Space Needle Restaurant makes a 360-degree turn once every hour. Although New Year's Eve 2012 has been booked since 1991, reservations are still available at other times for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Eat slowly and you can take in the full revolution 500 feet above ground level.

Returning to solid ground, you have a choice of activities. Just below the Space Needle is the Fun Forest amusement park. Or, you can go downstairs in the Seattle Center House to the Seattle Children's Museum. The Mountain Forest is the showpiece of this first-class children's museum. While only two stories high, this alpine peak inspires a sense of discovery as children don animal costumes and explore the lava cave. My kids and I tend to get lost in Cog City, with its wonderland of pulleys, pipes, mazes and levers. The Global Village offers insights into life in other cultures and giggles abound at Keys to Your Health, where "talking appliances" share home health information.

The Pacific Science Center is located under the white arches at the south end of Seattle Center. Stop by its outdoor Water Works, with a human-powered water wheel and a water arcade. You don't have to be a techno-junkie to enjoy virtual reality exhibits in the Tech Zone. Although I am not a sports jock, I love playing Virtual Hoops against video opponents.

The Pacific Science Center also robotic dinosaurs set in a lush, semitropical Mesozoic environment, an IMAX theater and traveling exhibits.

Seattle Center offers enough entertainment to keep you busy day and night, with several theaters (including Charlotte Martin Theatre, one of the top children's theater in the United States), the Opera House, Northwest Craft Center, Key Sport Arena and weekly events.

Downtown
From the Seattle Center, take the monorail into downtown Seattle. This quick sky-ride lets you avoid downtown's expensive parking lots or parking meters that eat quarters faster than a kid can eat jelly beans. Plus, the Monorail lets you off in the central downtown core at the Westlake Mall.

The top level of this mall is a food pavilion with mouth-watering cuisine from around the world. Smells of Indian, Mexican, and Thai spices blend to create an irresistible culinary perfume. Cruise through Westlake Mall's wide array of upscale shops or head for the lower floor and the Metro Bus Tunnel.

More than a transportation tube, this 1.2-mile tunnel is a destination in itself. Each station is rich with unique artwork. The Westlake station has a surreal mural, while the escalator ride at the Pioneer Square station is lined with a Native American tile design. I have spent many rainy afternoons in this tunnel examining poetry on stair rises, artwork made from leftover tunneling equipment, and whimsical tiles designed by elementary children.

A free bus zone bordered by Jackson Street on the south, Sixth Avenue on the east, Battery Street on the north, and the waterfront on the west lets you explore downtown seven days a week without paying a dime.

Freeway Park, at Sixth Avenue and Seneca, provides a respite from traffic noise. Here 27,000 gallons of recycled water crash over manmade concrete cliffs, literally drowning out the freeway noise. Noon music concerts are a weekly occurrence during the summer months.

If you are up for some intense video gaming, head north to GameWorks at Seventh Avenue and Pike Street. My family's first visit to this high-amp, 30,000-square-foot entertainment center was punctuated by wild exclaims and stimulation overload. One star attraction is a multi-player game called Vertical Reality. Strapped into computer-controlled seats, players are taken on a 24-foot vertical adventure. Make a wrong move, and the chair drops; make a good move, and the chair rises. Beyond the usual shoot-'em-up games, there are a number of kinesthetically enhanced systems that simulate skiing, snowboarding, car racing, horseback riding and bass fishing.

Around the corner, on Sixth Avenue, is Niketown, a two-story store full of shoes, caps and clothes emblazened with the trademark Nike swoosh. Next door, you see hype at its best at Planet Hollywood. Part museum, part nightclub, this restaurant is full of memorabilia from past movies. Sandwiches are good and the noise level is high.

Pike Place Market
Walk west to First Avenue and Pike to Pike Place Market, a Seattle institution since 1907. The market is filled to overflowing with meat, fish and produce stalls, arts and crafts, small restaurants and shops. Wander through the stalls where smells of pungent herbs mingle with the scent of fresh-cut flowers and obligatory espresso stands. The fishmongers, notorious for throwing fish over the heads of unsuspecting tourists, are a must-see. Beer lovers can rest their tired feet and drink a cool one at the Pike Pub & Brewery.

On the Waterfront
Venture farther west, past the market, and you'll come to Seattle's waterfront. You could spend days exploring the Seattle Aquarium at Pier 59, taking ferry rides across Puget Sound, riding the Waterfront Streetcar, checking out Ye Old Curiosity Shoppe (a one-of-a-kind tourist trap, complete with skunken heads) and watching the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens at the Omni Theater.

Make time in your schedule for the two-hour Argosy Cruise of the Hiram Chittenden Locks. After living in Seattle for 20-plus years, this tour showed me an intriguing from-the-water view of my adopted home. The tour departs from Seattle's waterfront at Pier 57. Cruise across Lake Union and to the trip's highlight, the Locks' 20-foot "aqua elevator." After the ship is snuggled in a holding area beside sailboats, yachts, and sometimes kayaks, two elevator gates close. Water is drained out and the boats sink down, from land level to sea level, about 26 feet. Bells ring, the gates open, and the tour continues across Puget Sound and back to Elliott Bay.

Underground Seattle
Now that your lungs are full of fresh salt air, you can tour underground Seattle, in the downtown sector called Pioneer Square. After the great fire of 1889, Seattle literally built itself on top of its own ruins. The unrestored remains are marketed as the Underground Tour. While it sounds a bit hokey, I have been on the tour several times and enjoyed it every time. The tour goes through several underground passageways beneath businesses and streets. Laughter-laced tours are led by guides known for their wily sense of humor.

Mandatory Coffee Breaks
To fully enjoy the cadence of Seattle living, periodic espresso breaks are mandatory. We don't have more than 230 espresso listings just to fill up space in the phone directory. Seattlites are hardcore espresso addicts. Civic bonus points are given for simultaneously visiting a bookstore and espresso stand - something that can be easily done at the Elliot Bay Book Company.

The Great Outdoors
Seattle's attractions outweigh available time. A person could happily spend months exploring Seattle's downtown core and its outlining neighborhoods. But it would be a shame to miss the abundant opportunities for exploring Washington's many other attractions.

Washington has the largest number of vehicle/passenger ferries in the nation. For daily commuters, they are an extension of the road system; for visitors, Seattle's waterfront ferries provide a direct route to great hiking, fishing and sightseeing on the Olympic Peninsula. During summer months, you can expect long ferry lines. Check out departure times in advance, arrive early and always make contingent plans in case you miss your ferry.

North of Seattle in Anacortes, you can take a ferry through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the San Juan Islands. The most popular destinations are Lopez Island, Orcas Island and San Juan Island. Visitors and residents alike bask in the blend of quiet nature, spectacular views and a magical tranquillity that inspires the soul. With eagles soaring overhead and whales playing off the coast, the Strait is a hard place to leave. Figuratively and literally. Summer ferry traffic is notoriously bad - it's not unusual to spend hours waiting in ferry lines.

If you want to see the power of Mother Nature, take Interstate 5 south out of Seattle. Drive approximately 150 miles to one of my favorite destinations, Mount Saint Helens. A trip can be a quick stop at one of the numerous visitors centers or a long, winding drive around the mountain. Most of the centers display historical information and show videos of the actual eruption. Several short hikes lead visitors past delicate wildflowers and new trees growing amid miles of blown-down forest.

Venture over the Cascades into eastern Washington to see a completely different climate and terrain. Instead of lush trees, water views and cool evenings, you'll encounter arid desert, farmlands and warm nights. Yakima Valley, one of the nation's richest agricultural areas, has farm tours and wine tours. Head south, to Toppenish, and you can take a narrated tour of the town's 48 historical murals and tour the American Hop Museum.

My kids and I like to play a game called "Adventure." We drive to one location, then flip a coin. Heads, we go right. Tails, we go left. No matter which direction we go, we always find plenty to see and do. Come explore the Seattle area and see if you agree.

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