Seattle

Seattle has two cruise terminals:

Smith Cove Cruise Terminal / Pier 91, 2001 W. Garfield Street, is Seattle's new Pier 91 terminal at the north end of the waterfront. It is just 10 minutes from the retail core and Space Needle, and serves Carnival, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. Take a cab into town.

Bell Street Pier / Pier 66, 2225 Alaskan Way, anchors an 11-acre multi-use complex on Seattle's downtown waterfront. Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, offering weekly USA sailings, use this vibrant property, which is within walking distance of town.

Pick-up services operate to and from both cruise terminals. Airport taxis cost $25 - $40 for an approximate 20 - 30 minute journey.

Seattle hotels.

Take a printable map with you.

Space Needle: Seattle Center, 400 Broad St.; 206.905.2100. A 41-second elevator trip reaches the observation deck 520 feet up the Space Needle, created for the 1962 World's Fair. Dine at SkyCity, its revolving restaurant, which turns 360° as you eat.

Pike Place Market: between First Ave. and Western, from Pike to Virginia streets. Born in 1907, this granddaddy of farmers' markets is now a major tourist attraction, with 200 businesses open year-round, 190 craftspeople and 120 farmer booths, plus performers and musicians. Around every corner are bucketfuls of flowers, flying fish, fresh pastries and fruit, handmade cheeses, local honey, wine, restaurants, import goods, antiques, collectibles and surprises.

Ferries: Ferry travel is as much a state of mind as transport to Puget Sound's historic and scenic places. Views of the Olympic and Cascade mountains, Seattle's cityscape and green shorelines invite you on deck for the salt breeze. State ferries carry people and vehicles from Seattle and nearby points to Vashon Island, the Kitsap Peninsula, the San Juan Islands and Canada. For private ferries, consult the Sightseeing & Tours (page 35) and Visitors Services/Travel & Transportation (page 120) listings in this guide.

Seattle Aquarium: Pier 59, 206.386.4300. Meet Alki, the Aquarium's sea otter pup, and walk beneath the water in a glass dome as bluntnose sixgill sharks and other Elliott Bay creatures pass around you. Touch a sea anemone, learn salmon life at the world's first aquarium-based salmon ladder, admire brightly coloured coral-reef fish and wave to the giant Pacific octopus.

Seattle Waterfront: Piers 52 to 70 on usan Way, ci.seattle.wa.us/tour/water.htm. This bustling area combines attractions, restaurants and shops with departure points for ferries, cruise ships, the Victoria Clipper and Argosy boat tours. Feed seagulls at Ivar Haglund's statue outside Ivar's Acres of Clams, walk past Waterfront Park's pier fountains, admire views or buy souvenirs.

Woodland Park Zoo: South Gate, 750 N. 50th St, 206.684.4800. More than 1,000 animals from 300 species—including elephants, gorillas, piranhas and penguins—live in naturalistic exhibits. Visit at scheduled feedings and speak to their carers.

Seattle Public Library: 1000 Fourth Ave., 206.386.4636. World-renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas designed the award-winning glass-and-steel structure of the new Central Library. Its slightly off-kilter, translucent form lets people passing on the street look inside.

Tillicum Village: Blake Island, 206.933.8600. A short narrated cruise visits an island village, where salmon is served in the authentic Native American way. A traditional-dance and story stage show entertains while teaching about the Northwest's first people.

Explore Seattle at your own speed on Hop-On / Hop-Off Double Decker buses: leave at any stop, look around, then rejoin whenever ready. Buses leave every 30 minutes from seven centrally-located stops.

See Seattle by land and water aboard a WWII amphibious landing craft. This 90-minute adventure has you "quacking up" through Emerald City streets, seeing the major sights on land before reaching funky Fremont and splashing into Lake Union.

Some of the world's best food recipes began here.

Official U.S. currency is the United States dollar (symbol: $); ATM's are widely available.

Visa, MasterCard and other major credit cards are widely used and accepted, even for purchases of just a few dollars; at times, they may be the only way to complete a transaction.

Most states levy sales tax between 2.9% and nearly 10% of the retail price, with 4-6% typical. It is almost never included in posted prices, except for gasoline and, in most states, alcoholic beverages consumed on-premises; it is calculated and added at payment.

Tipping is widespread and expected in America. While Americans often debate correct levels and exactly who merits a tip, generally accepted standard rates are:

• Full-service restaurants: 15-20%. This is often the wait(ress)'s only income; tips can be left in cash or added to the credit card slip.
• Taxi drivers, hairdressers and other personal services: 10-15%.
• For bartenders, leave $1 on an inexpensive drink or 15% of the total.
• Bellhops: $1-2 per bag, with a $3-5 minimum regardless.
• Hotel doorman: $1 per bag if assisting, plus $1 for calling a cab.
• Tour guides: Allow $5-10 per person for half day tours or less, and $10-20 per person for longer tours, depending on guided-tour length, size and overall quality.
• Private car & limousine drivers should receive 15-20%.
• Hotel housekeeping: for long stays, $1-2 each day; for very short stays, a $5 minimum (optional)
• Delivered food, including pizza: $2-5, possibly more for a very large order.

Seattle has plenty of open WiFi zones…Microsoft, Starbucks…what else would you expect…

For emergencies, dial 911.

In major metropolitan areas such as New York and Los Angeles, drugstores and supermarkets are routinely open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Department stores, shopping centers and most other large retailers usually trade from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, with shorter Sunday hours—generally 11 a.m. or noon to 5 or 6 p.m. Holidays tend to remain open except important ones such as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when stores are generally closed.