SLA in Seattle: explore the emerald city members of the Pacific Northwest Chapter share their favorite sights, sites, and eats. Wash them down with a cup of Seattle coffee

Information Outlook,  May, 2008  by Susan J. Barnes,  Deborah Buck,  Dan Trefethen,  Mary S. Whittaker

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

The Pacific Northwest Chapter is delighted that SLA 2008 will be in Seattle next month! We look forward to welcoming you all to our beautiful home, nicknamed the "Emerald City" after its lush evergreen trees.

You'll find that our downtown is pleasantly walkable, with the Convention Center and conference hotels in the heart of Seattle's sights and shopping. The Free Bus Ride Zone makes it easy to hop on a bus to get from one end of downtown to the other and points in between. You'll also find a great annual meeting program full of educational opportunities, networking events, and more.

By the way, it doesn't really rain all the time in Seattle. Our reputation as a rainy city is somewhat unfair--after all, New York City, Atlanta, and Houston average more rainfall annually--but we have to admit that Seattle experiences frequent rain showers and cloudy days. Our average rainfall in June is about an inch and a half. While last year that translated into 10 days when there was measurable precipitation, there were only five days when more than a tenth of an inch fell. The average daytime high temperature in June is 70 degrees, which means that the afternoons can be glorious but mornings and evenings can be chilly. So, plan to bring your sweaters and raincoats.

Indulge Yourself

Seattleites make up for rainy weather by enjoying everyday indulgences that give us a warm feeling. Here are a few of our favorite local treats.

Coffee and Espresso. With Starbucks having saturated most of America, where do you go for a special "Seattle" cup? Unfortunately, many of the best coffeehouses are in the Capitol Hill/Broadway area--a hike uphill from downtown--but there are a few places downtown that locals enjoy.

* Monorail Espresso, 520 Pike Street. The first coffee cart in Seattle, it was originally located under the Monorail station at 5th and Pine. Now it is a sidewalk stand built into the Banana Republic store a block away. It's less than three blocks from the Convention Center down the Pike Street corridor (toward retail shopping and the Pike Place Market). During weekdays, you'll see Seattle's famous corps of bike messengers get their shots here to power themselves up our hills.

* Dilettante Mocha Cafe, 400 Pine Street. You have to go inside Westlake Center on Pine Street between 4th and 5th avenues, but it's worth it. You can get a "two-fer" here, your fix for both chocolate and coffee. Signature drink: Dark ephemere mocha. Read more in the chocolate section.

* Uptown Espresso, 7th Avenue at Virginia Street. Four blocks north of the Sheraton is a true Seattle coffeehouse. Warm wood and comfort able furniture fill this funky space, where you can watch the new Seattle streetcar roll by. Signature drink: the "velvet foam" latte or cappuccino.

* Starbucks, 1912 Pike Place. They're all over Seattle, plus there is a Tully's Coffee right in the Convention Center. But if you must visit Starbucks in Seattle, why not make it the first store (opened 1971) in the Pike Place Market, where there are always some buskers making music outside.

* If you're in the Capitol Hill/Broadway neighborhood, try Espresso Vivace, 901 East Denny or the sidewalk bar at 321 Broadway East, or Caffe Vita, 1005 East Pike Street,

* When you visit Pioneer Square, check out Caffe Umbria, 320 Occidental Avenue South for real Italian-style coffee.

* And for tea, there are two favorites in the Pike Place Market: Market Spice, 85A Pike Place, to the left of the guys throwing fish at Pike Place Fish, and the Perennial Tea Room, 1910 Post Alley.

Chocolate. The artisan chocolate movement has caught fire in Seattle. Get your fix at:

* The Chocolate Box, 108 Pine Street. This retail store near the Market offers wares from four local chocolatiers. One-stop shopping heaven.

* Rose's Chocolate Treasures, 1906 Post Alley. This small store features one-of-a-kind flavor combinations with chocolate. It's one of our Market secrets.

* Dilettante Mocha Cafe, 400 Pine Street. Trailblazing Seattle chocolatier Dana Davenport obtained his first recipes from his great-uncle, who was imperial chocolate-maker to Emperor Franz Josef of the Holy Roman Empire. Now we can enjoy the chocolate that impressed the crowned heads of Europe. At the cafe inside Westlake Center, Pine Street between 4th and 5th avenues, you can enjoy the ambrosia of a mocha made with dark ephemere chocolate sauce, and take some truffles back to the hotel.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

* Neuhaus Chocolates, 410 University Street. Near the Fairmont Olympic or other hotels south of the Convention Center, pop into Rainier Square and enjoy Neuhaus. There's also a Dilettante Mocha Cafe here. Decisions, decisions!

* Chocolati Cafe, enter on 5th Avenue between Spring and Madison streets. This is a hometown favorite chocolate cafe. The Seattle Public Library picked Chocolati to run the coffee/ desserts stand inside the downtown library. So if you tour the new library, don't miss Chocolati.