:10

• Stroll through the Washington State Convention & Trade Center and admire the extensive art collection and special exhibitions.
   
• Order a sweet or savory crêpe at La Crêperie Voilà just outside the WSCTC under the arch on Pike St.
   
• Take in some fresh air between sessions at Freeway Park.
   
• Ease your tensions and get a quick massage at the Massage Bar at the base of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center escalators.
   
• Visit the Seattle Visitor Center for dining and entertainment information and reservations. Located on the ground floor of the Convention Center.
   

:30

• Visit one of the numerous coffee shops surrounding the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. Grab a cup of joe from the very first independent coffee stand in Seattle history, Monorail Espresso (520 Pike Street). Although wedged in a small space, it consistently delivers big flavor in each cup it serves. Down the street is Caffe Ladro (801 Pine Street), an organic, fair-trade company who brews some truly fantastic blends too. Other nearby coffee shops include Tully's, Starbucks, of course, and just a quick walk up Pike Street across the freeway you'll find unique Seattle coffee cafés Victrola and Bauhaus. Here in Seattle, coffee is not just a beverage, but a culture.
   
• Try a metronatural smoothie to boost your energy between meetings at Juice It Café. It's conveniently located on the ground floor of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center.
   
• Walk down 7th Avenue to Barnes and Noble in Pacific Place for a quick quiet moment with a book.
   
• Visit Twist in Pacific Place for some of the finest examples of American craft, or Facere Jewelry Arts in nearby City Centre to see work by over 55 top jewelry artists.
   
• Wander through the public spaces in the City Centre building to admire the extensive collection of glass by some of the region’s most accomplished artists.
   

1 hour

• Walk to Pacific Place, do some shopping and visit Sixth Avenue Wine Cellars for their daily wine tastings
   
• Walk to Westlake Center and purchase some Northwest souvenirs at the Made in Washington store
   
• Walk to the Pike Place Market, visit the original Starbucks, and taste some homemade cheese at Beechers.
   
• Walk to the Nordstrom flagship store and scope out some new shoes
   
• Check out the Seattle Public Library and to ogle the architecture and public art.
   
• Duck into The Tasting Room at the Pike Place Market to sample a delicious flight of local reds, whites and bubblies.
   

2 hours

• Stroll around the Seattle Art Museum to admire the extensive collections and the newly expanded building. Enjoy a refreshing beverage and a bite at TASTE restaurant.
   
• Experience metronatural at its best at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Recently named "Best Cultural Space" by Travel + Leisure magazine, the free nine-acre sculpture park features panoramic views and artworks by internationally-recognized artists, including Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois and Richard Serra.
   
• Take a short walk towards first hill and visit the free Frye Art Museum. Enjoy lunch in their charming café.
   
• Hop on a southbound bus in the underground bus tunnel under Westlake Center for a quick free ride to historic Pioneer Square. Admire the fantastic collection of Victorian architecture, browse through dozens of art galleries and visit the incomparable Elliott Bay Book Company.
   
• Pick up a free copy of The Artists’ Guide to Seattle at the Seattle Visitor Service and Concierge Center on the ground floor of the Washington State Trade & Convention Center and let some of Seattle's talent guide your sightseeing!
   
• Take a cab ride to have some quacktacular fun on Ride the Ducks of Seattle (90min). The surf n' turf vessels board across the street from the Space Needle.
   
• Paddle Seattle and explore some of the city's eclectic houseboat communities. Rent sea kayaks by the hour from the Northwest Outdoor Center, or rowboats from the Center for Wooden Boats, on Lake Union just north of Seattle's downtown district.
   
• Take the Seattle Monorail or a quick cab to the Space Needle and ride 520 feet up to see the awesome view of the city.
   
• Board the beautiful Argosy ship for a breathtaking Harbor Cruise (60min).
   
• Learn about the Seattle Mariners on the Safeco Field Tour (60min).
   
• Surrender to your sweet tooth and take a tour of Theo Chocolate Factory in Fremont. Tours are only $6 and samples are included.
   
• Ponder life and the complexities of local hops while sampling fresh brewed local beers at the Pike Brewery in the Pike Place Market or Pyramid Ale House across from Safeco Field. Ambitious sippers might want to make the 30 minute trip to Woodinville to visit Redhook Brewery.
   

Half day

• Learn how boats pass through salt and fresh water on the Argosy Locks Cruise.
   
• Take a quick cab to Pioneer Square to learn about Seattle's history through Bill Speidel's Underground Tour.
   
• Watch animals frolic at the Woodland Park Zoo.
   
• Stroll along Seattle's Waterfront, see some unusual sights at Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe and have a delicious seafood lunch at one of the many restaurants.
   
• Take the monorail to Seattle Center and visit the Experience Music Project and check out the alien replica Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (admission includes both museums). While you're there, check out the homes of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Opera, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, and Seattle Children's Theatre.
   
• Take a short cab or bus ride to south Seattle to The Museum of Flight, one of the largest air and space museums in the world. The Museum's collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft, as well as the Red Barn-the original manufacturing facility of The Boeing Company.
   
• Visit the Northwest African-American Museum to explore this rich cultural history in the Northwest.
   
• Take a trip 9 miles east to Bellevue to visit Bellevue Arts Museum, the Pacific Northwest's center for exploring art, craft and design. If your time allows, shop one of the Northwest's best shopping destinations across the street at The Bellevue Collection. Or visit Bellevue City Hall to see two fine examples of public art that were recognized in the 2007 Public Art Year in Review.
   
• Bellevue also boasts one of the world’s finest collections of dolls at the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art, featuring over 1200 dolls on permanent display.
   
  
• Visit the Seattle Aquarium and see the Window on Washington Waters exhibit.
   
• Take a 35 minute ferry ride to Bainbridge Island. Stroll along the shops and dine in one of the many eateries. Plan a return to Seattle during sunset to see a breathtaking view of the city skyline.
   
• Enjoy dim sum in the International District and browse through the many foods and gifts in Uwajimaya. Use the CVB's Asian American Heritage Guide as a helpful resource. Visit the newly relocated and expanded Wing Luke Asian Museum. A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Wing Luke Asian Museum is the premier pan-Asian Pacific American museum in the country.
   
• Take a trip to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma and see the endangered red wolves.
   
• Learn about the history of Pike Place Market while you sample some delicious treats from local food producers on the Savor Seattle Food Tour.
   
• Ride a shuttle to the Seattle Premium Outlets and find some great deals. Or try your luck on some slot machines at the Tulalip Casino next door. Shuttle service to Seattle Premium Outlets departs from over 15 downtown hotels. Shuttle runs Friday through Sunday. Reservations are required. (425) 981-7000
   

all day

• Take a drive to Northwest Trek and see North American wildlife in their natural settings via a guided tram tour and footpaths.
   
• Visit the Tacoma Museum District. Thirty five miles south of Seattle, three major museums form an impressive triangle in the heart of downtown Tacoma: the Tacoma Art Museum, the Museum of Glass, and the Washington State History Museum. Linking them is the spectacular Chihuly Bridge of Glass and historic Union Station, also filled with Chihuly art. This is an apt place to begin your exploration of Seattle and the Northwest as the nation's hotbed of glass art.
   
• Ride the Argosy boat over to Blake Island to visit Tillicum Village. The Tillicum Village tour includes a boat cruise, salmon buffet dinner, and a Northwest Coast Native American dance performance.
   
• Just 18 miles northeast of Seattle, you'll find many great wineries in Woodinville. Spend a day tasting and learning about the winemaking process. Plan your trip at www.woodinvillewinecountry.com.
   
• Follow the aviation trail to the north. Twenty miles north of Seattle, the 73,000-square-foot Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour is one of Western Washington's major attractions. It features the only public tour of a commercial jet assembly plant in North America. Nearby, you'll also find The Flying Heritage Collection, a collection of rare World War II-era military aircraft owned by Microsoft co-creator and philanthropist Paul G. Allen. One of the world's largest collections of vintage aircraft to be restored to flying condition, it and features planes from the five major combatants of World War II - the United States, Britain, Japan, Germany and Russia.
   
• Take a scenic trip to Mt. St. Helens. May 18 marks the anniversary of this volcano's fiery eruption in 1980. Today a visitor and interpretive center explains dramatic geologic and human stories and their legacies. Flightseeing tours are also available.
   
• Create your own adventure in one of Washington's national parks. Seattle lies within a couple of hours of three spectacular national parks. Mt. Rainier is just a two hour drive south of Seattle and features the highest peak in the Northwest at an elevation of 14,411 feet. Gray Line Sightseeing offers a guided day tour to the visitor center located at Paradise. Olympic National Park, on the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle, features the only temperate rain forests in the lower 48 states; the park also features 8,000foot mountains and wild ocean beaches. North Cascades National Park, north of Seattle, boasts a necklace of turquoise glacierfed lakes with a backdrop of jagged mountains and a scenic highway (Cascade Loop) which runs from beach to mountains to desert.
   
• See Seattle from a new angle - 1,000 feet up. Daily scenic flights by seaplane from Lake Union carry you past the Space Needle, the downtown waterfront, Green Lake and more, via Kenmore Air.
   

Overnight

• Visit Canada's most English city, Victoria. Travel by the Victoria Clipper catamaran or seaplane or car ferry through the San Juan Islands. Overnight packages are available through Victoria Clipper and Gray Line of Seattle.
   
• Discover Vancouver, B.C. This dynamic metropolis on Canada's West Coast boasts worldclass shopping, dining and culture. Get there by car (2 1/2 hours) or by rail via the Mt. Baker International (3 1/2 hours). Note: passports are required to visit Canada as of June 2009.
   
• Tour Washington's Wine Country. The Yakima and Columbia Valleys, three hours east of Seattle, offer a growing number of internationally acclaimed wines from vineyards, which offer tours and tastings. Investigate online prior to the conference or contact the Seattle Visitor Center (ground floor of the Convention Center) for hints on which wineries are open to the public during the conference.
   
• More than a hundred feet higher than Niagara, Snoqualmie Falls beckons visitors from Seattle, just 25 miles down the highway. The Salish Lodge is perched near the top of the falls, offering fine dining and four star lodging. Hiking, canoeing and horseback riding are nearby.