Travel Tips

If you love the theatre, and by love I mean a deep and abiding love for old and new alike, film and stage, then visiting Seattle might be a great idea for you and your vacation needs. Seattle has so much to offer the theatre buff that it is really frightening that one little town (well not so little really) that far west of New York could support the theatrical community that this city has.

Below I will provide a small sampling of the many theatres that abound in this great city. First of all there’s the 5th Avenue Theatre. With a tradition of vaudeville and silent films this theatre with an interior inspired by Beijing’s Forbidden City, the 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle’s Premier Showplace. One of the great things about this theatre is that throughout the year they hold behind the scenes spotlight nights where they tell a little bit about the magic of theatre or the story behind the stories they are performing. These spotlight nights are free of charge and very well received. I highly recommend attending one of these if you have the opportunity.

If you want dinner theatre with a little bit of everything in between, then maybe you should check out Teatre Zin Zanni. This is a three-hour event that is served with a five-course meal. This show seriously has a little bit of everything. From singers and dancers, to acrobats and comedians, this show is sure to dazzle the entire audience. While the show is top notch, the food cannot be described as anything other than gourmet. With a meal like this and great entertainment too, who could really ask for more from a night on the town. And you get all of this in one great place. This is an evening that will definitely be remembered long after your trip has ended.

The Iniman Theatre goes for a more intimate approach when dealing with the audience. By having smaller performance space with close seating, every member of the audience is allowed a much more up close and personal view of the stage and the drama being performed. Special opportunities are created to allow audience members and patrons to have a more personal behind the scenes look at the production, even allowing some to sit in on technical rehearsals or post-play discussions. This is a great way to build a bond between the actors and the audience, particularly if the audience is made up largely of patrons or members who come to the theatre on a regular basis.

The Paramount is a different and unique theater. One of the special things about this particular theater is the phenomenal architecture. This theater has a fully automated adjustable floor that allows easy conversion from theater auditorium seating to ballroom seating. This means that those planning events here have more options available for seating guests. On the first Saturday of every month the Seattle Theatre Group gives public tours of the theatre, which allows the public to get a behind the scenes look at how this great theatre operates these tours are free. Another really cool thing about this particular theatre is Silent Movie Mondays. On Monday nights you can see different silent movies playing throughout the year.

Theatre has played an important role in the lives of many and if you are one who really has a passion for good theatre, then Seattle really is your city. You won’t have the prices to deal with that you would have in certain other cities, but you will still be able to appreciate the best that local talent has to offer and more as some of these theatres have traveling shows that have played on or slightly off Broadway that will travel the country in order to increase interest in their shows in New York. Regardless of whether you are getting local talent or the big guns, you are most likely in for quite a night of fun.

Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the most famous of destinations for visitors of San Francisco, California and with good reason. There is so much to see and do in Fisherman’s Wharf that you could quite easily plan an entire trip to Frisco and only leave the Wharf as you are leaving the city.

The Wharf offers more than 2,500 hotel rooms, several restaurants, and an almost endless amount of shopping, history, culture, and attractions. Anyone would be hard pressed not to find something fun to do in Fisherman’s Wharf.

If you are interested in the sea faring culture and history of the Fisherman’s Wharf, take the Port Walk, which is a walking tour that you can take at your own pace while learning about the history of Fisherman’s Wharf through the various signs located along the tour. You can also tour the USS Pampanito, which was a WWII submarine, or the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, which is the last unaltered Liberty ship that is operational. Both of these can be found on Pier 45.

If you find yourself a little hungry, perhaps it’s time to check out the many restaurants that the Wharf has to offer or simply to stroll on over to Ghirardelli Square, okay, I confess, I could spend my entire vacation here. With its rich history of chocolate and chocolate making, no pun intended, this square is now home to some lovely little shops and for chocolates, clothing, souvenirs, and jewelry. Really, who could ask for more in a shopping center? Chocolate, jewelry, and clothes, the only thing missing is shoes.

Back to reality and the fact that many of us travel with family. Fisherman’s wharf has a lot to offer in the way of family entertainment. Check out Pier 39. Ever want to take a Magic Carpet Ride or star in your own musical video? What if I told you that you could actually do both? In addition to the Magic Carpet Ride there is the San Francisco Carousel, which children of all ages will love, Frequent Flyers (perfect if you have any aspiring acrobats among you), and Riptide Arcade (I recommend giving dad an allowance before going in here unless you want to spend most of your vacation rooted to the spot-or giving a time limit and leaving the guys while the girls go shopping). In fact, there are so many things to do at Pier 39 you could almost make a vacation here alone. Don’t leave though without checking out the sea lions.

I can’t really mention Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, and families without brining to attention the fact that the Aquarium of the Bay is a great place for family entertainment. The aquarium is a great way for you and your family to spend the day. Not only is this a fun excursion that your children will probably remember long after you’ve gone back to the real world of your day-to-day lives, but it is also an educational experience that is cleverly disguised as fun. Your children will learn about all kinds of marine life, while having a great time and never know what really hit them. This is one of those times when it is great to be a parent and you can pat yourself on the back for providing an educational experience that they are enjoying. Even better, they never have to know.

Last but not least, there really isn’t enough that I can say about the fantastic shopping and dining experiences that are available all along Fisherman’s Wharf. There are so many shopping areas at Fisherman’s Wharf that it is hard to keep them all separate in your mind but this is a girls dream vacation while still offering enough activities to satisfy the men in your life. If the history, the culture, and the fun aren’t enough to convince you, then perhaps the food should speak for itself. All you have to do is show up with your appetite; your nose will lead the way for everything else.