ASIH 1997 Joint Meetings

Seattle offers a wide variety of family activities. Especially recommended is the Seattle Center, 74 acres of arts, entertainment, recreation, shopping, dining, exhibits, and cultural and educational experiences, including the Children's Museum, the Pacific Science Center and the Space Needle. Also recommended are the Seattle Aquarium, I-MAX theater and Pike Place Market, all located downtown within easy reach by Metro bus. The Woodland Park Zoo, one of the best zoological parks in the U.S., is a short drive from the meeting site. It is also accessible by bus. In addition, a member of the Local Committee is organizing a trip to go see a Seattle Mariners baseball game here at the Kingdome; there is room 60 people, but please reserve your tickets as soon as possible!

Seattle parks vary widely in size and scenery, but one thing they have in common is their popularity and frequent use. Perhaps the largest is Discovery Park set atop the bluffs of Magnolia, overlooking Puget Sound. Elliot Bay Park, along the downtown waterfront, allows you to see Seattle as the port city it is. Close to campus is the Washington Park Arboretum, accessible from Montlake Boulevard or by boat from the UW Waterfront Activities Center. In addition there are Madison, Magnuson, and Madrona parks, all of which have beaches on Lake Washington. Gasworks Park overlooks Lake Union and takes its name from the abandoned industrial site incorporated into the park. Inland parks near the U-District include Ravenna and Cowen parks, Greenlake (encircled by a three-mile jogging trail), and Woodland Park featuring sheltered picnic areas, rose gardens, lawn bowling areas, and the Woodland Park Zoo.

In downtown Seattle you may want to visit the Rainier Brewery, Pioneer Square with art galleries, pubs, jazz clubs, and Klondike Museum, the tourist shops and seafood restaurants of the Waterfront, the famous Pike Place Market (an outdoor, real working market, featuring fresh fish and locally grown fruits and vegetables), and the Seattle Art Museum. You can take a bus or a short monorail ride from Westlake Center to Seattle Center, a sprawling complex that includes Key Arena, the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, an outdoor amusement park, a stadium, and theaters for ballet, opera, and drama.

For an inexpensive and delightful Puget Sound cruise, catch a ferry from the downtown waterfront to semi-rural Bainbridge Island and explore the little town of Winslow and its meandering waterside park. Or, go to Seattle's Ballard district to watch the boatsïfrom trawlers to sailboatsï passing through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks between Puget Sound and Lake Union, while salmon run the nearby fish ladder. Drop into the visitors' center, and catch a weekend outdoor concert in the park. Worthwhile trips outside of town include the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field, one of the world's best aviation museums; Mukilteo Beach and Lighthouse about half an hour north of the city; the State Capital an hour south in Olympia; Snoqualmie Falls and Snoqualmie Pass ski area, half an hour due east of the city off Interstate 90; and the Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia wineries and Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville. Less than three hours away in the Cascades are Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helensïthe volcano that erupted in 1980ïwith beautiful campgrounds, visitors' centers, and hiking trails. To the west, the Olympic Peninsula offers high mountain peaks, a rain forest, and misty beaches. For a gorgeous cruise of the San Juan Islands drive 90 minutes north to the Anacortes Ferry Terminal and leave your car in the lot. With a passenger ticket, you can get on and off ferries at several lovely destinations, including the tiny town of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, site of the UW Friday Harbor Laboratories.

Seattle has great shopping. The University District offers a range of shopping services, starting with the "Ave." University Village, a mall-type spread on the northeast edge of campus, has some upscale shops as well as basic services.

Child Care

For child care facilities in Seattle, call "Quick Tips" at (206) 382-0222, then enter the code for consumer information on: How to Select (9128), Which Activities (9129), What Kids Need (9130), What Parents Need (9131). Information is updated quarterly.