Things to do while in Seattle

April 21, 2005 10:38 AM

I'm taking a trip to Seattle this weekend and wanted to know what geeky things I could do while up there. I have about a day & half of free time to explore the city. suggestions?

I read on someone's blog about a shoe store where they have you walk/run on a treadmill and analyze your strides and foot motion to determine the best type of shoe for you - I'd like to do this if anyone knows the place I'm talking about. Anything else fun, must-do/see, or geeky suggestions are appreciated.

posted by zyfly to Travel & Transportation around Seattle, WA (20 answers total)

Best answer: Sound Sports is the place I buy running shoes, and they do this, although you run outside on the sidewalk while they watch, as opposed to on a treadmill. I would bet most shoe stores dedicated to running do this too, so I don't know that they're that special. But they are nice and will take as much time with you as you need to get you the right shoe for your foot and running style.

This place seems to be the one you're referring to, though I have not been there and can't vouch for it.
posted by pitchblende at 10:54 AM on April 21, 2005

Look a few threads down. I'm sure someone will know about the shoe store.
posted by fionab at 10:54 AM on April 21, 2005

Response by poster: LOL - Someone beat me to almost the same question earlier this morning - However my questions still remains for Geeky Technical specific things to do in Seattle. I'm thinking the Music Experience place would be neat - and if anyone can identify the shoe store I mentioned that would be excellent.
posted by zyfly at 10:55 AM on April 21, 2005

If you want geekery, the Science Fiction Museum is in part of the Experience Music Project building.
posted by matildaben at 11:03 AM on April 21, 2005

If you like architecture, Rem Koolhaas' Seattle Public Library might be worth a visit. It's on my list.
posted by carter at 11:22 AM on April 21, 2005

If you want freaky as well as geeky, check out:

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
posted by chrisgrau at 12:04 PM on April 21, 2005

Best answer: Somewhat more geeky: The Museum of Flight
Really geeky: Boeing Surplus
posted by xil at 12:10 PM on April 21, 2005

Best answer: I asked some friends for suggestions, and they said:

* UW Technical Bookstore
* Boeing Surplus store (things Boeing doesn't need anymore! Not exactly a tourist spot, but a good place to find random things to build interesting stuff with)
* Sci-Fi Museum
* Museum of Flight
* Re-PC (this is a used computer store, but in the back corner is a computer museum with some neat old geeky stuff)
* Microsoft museum

I'll add that the Space Needle is geeky in a few ways (the structure, the statistics the guides tell you as you are going up the elevator, etc.), plus there is the great view. But it's overpriced.

Oh, there is the Museum of History and Industry up near the UW, too.
posted by litlnemo at 12:11 PM on April 21, 2005 [1 favorite]

Darn it, xil, your post wasn't there when I previewed. :)
posted by litlnemo at 12:12 PM on April 21, 2005

Gameworks is a nice spot for gaming, and I'm sure you'll see some DDR fiends as well.

There's this restaurant, starts with a K, which also has fun adult-centric group games. You could get together with the other Seattle visitor or maybe they have a way to put small groups together into one appropriately sized group. Pity I can't remember the name :(
posted by lorrer at 12:20 PM on April 21, 2005

Adobe's headquarters is right by the water in Fremont which is a prototypical Seattle sightseeing destination. Also, nearby Ballard is the home of Archie McPhee which is about as kitschy/geeky a store as one could wish for. Excellent coffeehouses in both locales.
posted by fatllama at 1:03 PM on April 21, 2005

Adobe's corporate HQ is actually in San Jose, California. The Seattle office is just a big office building -- frankly, there's nothing very interesting about it, especially from the outside (other than, perhaps, the bike path / garden along the canal).
posted by xil at 2:26 PM on April 21, 2005

Mcphee!!
posted by Megafly at 2:31 PM on April 21, 2005

The Boeing plant tour up in Everett would probably be pretty geeky, although if you don't have wheels you'll have to take a tour bus and that'll cost you like $40-$45. (Admission to the tour is only $5 if you get there yourself.)
posted by kindall at 4:25 PM on April 21, 2005

There is also a shoe store in Park Slope, Brooklyn that has the same set-up. Making Sure the Shoe Fits from todays NYT.
posted by mlis at 4:58 PM on April 21, 2005

Best answer: You could try and check out Microsoft. Used to live by there and there were chickens and rabbits on the "campus" (~5 years ago). Also Gates' house is on many of the boat tours of Lake Washington (which are fun and geeky in the history-geek sense).
posted by lorrer at 6:38 PM on April 21, 2005

Best answer: If you don't have them where you live, check out the new high-tech public toilets.
posted by gluechunk at 8:47 PM on April 21, 2005

btw, "the city's five self-cleaning toilets are at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square, Victor Steinbrueck Park near Pike Place Market, Hing Hay Park in the International District, in the 1800 block of Broadway on Capitol Hill and at Pier 58 on the waterfront." (PI article: "Seattle's shiny space-age potties are highly popular")
posted by gluechunk at 8:49 PM on April 21, 2005 [1 favorite]

If you're at all into history-geeky as well as tech-geeky, I'd heartily recommend the Underground Tour. It's marketed as a "tourist-y" thing, but I've found it fascinating every time I've gone (four so far, and while the basics don't change, no two guides have ever come up with quite the same collection of tidbits).

As for the fancy-shmancy toilets...they scare me. I've seen quite a few people come in...but haven't seen anyone come out!
posted by djwudi at 9:13 PM on April 21, 2005

You might try taking a free short cruise around Lake Union at the Center for Wooden Boats.
posted by samw at 9:18 PM on April 21, 2005