Chambered Nautilus Bed & Breakfast Inn

While everyone loves a trip to downtown Seattle, just a 10 minute drive or 20 minute express bus ride form the Inn, with the Pike Place Market, the waterfront, the Seattle Aquarium, great shopping and all the other fun stuff…to get a sense of the true Seattle one should experience the neighborhoods. We are located in and adjacent to some of Seattle's finest neighborhoods. Below you will find a taste of each one and a couple of ideas on what to enjoy when you visit each one. Near us you will find, Greenlake, Wallingford, Ravenna, Sandpoint, and View Ridge, and not too far away, Capitol Hill, Fremont, Ballard and of course there is our very own University District.

University District, Our Neighborhood

Home to the Chambered Nautilus Bed and Breakfast Inn and the University of Washington campus. Within a 10 minute walk of the Inn, you will find, shops, movie theaters, great restaurants, coffee shops, a park, the Burke-Gilman jogging and biking trail and the University of Washington campus! At one end of our street, the UW Campus is a great place for a stroll, known for its fabulous view of Mount Rainier, glorious cherry trees, and mixture of stately old buildings and amazing new architecture. The campus and the accompanying UW Medical Center, encompasses several blocks and we have maps here at the Inn to guide you to and around the campus. Consider a visit to the Burke Museum (anthropology oriented, and always a good special exhibit) and the Henry Art Gallery (specializing in Modern Art). Both are on campus, about a 15-20 minute walk from the Inn. The University Book Store is a must, not just textbooks here, but also a great independent book store, selling new titles and the best place to buy all your UW Husky paraphernalia. The book store is in the heart of the University District, right on University way or as we call it, " the Ave."

Great restaurants abound in our neighborhood!

In addition to the ethnic food found up on the "Ave" and those in the University Village, there are a few others near us that we must mention. For steak lovers, Jak's Grill is a 5 minute drive from the Inn. PAIR is a short walk/drive and a wonderful neighborhood place, with great wines and a "small plate" menu with lots of choices to share, and the Sand Point Grill is one of the best neighborhood places in town with a varied fresh daily menu and great cocktails! Restaurants come and go all the time so be sure and check with your Innkeepers for the best new choices and great stand bys. Catering to the college crowd, there are the funky coffee shops, interesting clothing and handicraft shops, and almost any type of ethnic and inexpensive food one can want! Cafe Solstice is our favorite coffee shop, featuring great coffee, great smells, baked goods and lots of students using the WiFi. As for the "hole in the wall" local eateries, Big Time Brewery and Pizza (they make their own beer), Shalimar (Indian), and Thai Thom where you can watch the cook make your food, are our favorites.

At the other end of our street is the other side of the U-District, is beautiful Ravenna Park, located on the edge of the Ravenna Neighborhood. It is complete with a playground for kids, a dog walking meadow, and hiking trails through the woods and beside Ravenna Creek. This is a great place for a pre dinner walk, to help the kids burn off some energy or take your furry companion for an early morning stroll.

Around the corner from the park and, just a 10 minute walk from the Inn, is the University Village shopping area. An upmarket place with good restaurants and yes, lots of great shopping, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, a huge grocery store the QFC, North Face for clothing, Barnes and Noble books and many local shops and more. We like Mrs.Cooks for kitchen gadgets - this will keep the shoppers in your group busy. Our favorite eateries, from so many to choose from in here are Piatti (Italian), Zao Noodle House (Asian), and the Ram Brew Pub (Casual), with a little bit of everything on the menu and, yes, they brew their own beer too.

Greenlake

Just a stone's throw away, at the end of Ravenna Blvd. is Greenlake, the lake and the neighborhood. Pick up a latte at the Starbucks (you have to go to at least one while you are here), have a seat and enjoy the best people watching in town or Take a Walk. Join the Seattleites walking themselves, their dogs, their kids, or rollerblading on the 2.9 mile inner loop around the lake. Or just go partway and have a great lunch at Dukes Chowder House, one of our favorites and a Seattle institution.

Just south of the Inn, on the way to downtown it is easy to detour through this great urban neighborhood, home to Seattle University, Volunteer Park, and the fabulous eateries and unique shops of Broadway, the Pike/Pine corridor and 12th and 15th Aves. A visit to Volunteer Park with the Asian Art Museum, Conservatory, and the famous water tower (climb the 106 steps for an amazing view) is always fun. Our top eateries here are the Coastal Kitchen (on 15th), Café Presse (on 12th Ave by Seattle U), Quinn's Pub on Pike, and for a great dessert at a Seattle tradition visit the Dilettante Mocha Café on Broadway. We do also enjoy a coffee from the Victrola folks (a local coffee roaster) on 15th.

Just across the freeway from your home in the University District is Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. The main drag here (and the # 44 bus goes right along it) is 45th Street. Stroll along, visit the shops, many are located in and around a remodeled school house at 45th and Wallingford Ave and see Seattleites out and about. Here we have to recommend a stop at the very popular Molly Moon's Ice Cream Parlor, you can find it by the line outside the door, a visit to Wide World Books and Travel a wonderful independent bookstore, and for eats, your innkeeper's favorite place in town for yummy casual food any time of the day, the Blue Star Café and Pub. This neighborhood also has our recommendation in Seattle for sushi and Japanese food, the Kisaku Sushi Restaurant - a great neighborhood place.

Located a bit further west of Wallingford and a little south is Fremont, or as they like to call themselves, the "Center of the Universe." Lots to do here, and home to lots of Public Art. Be sure to take along a Fremont neighborhood Walking Guide available in our living room and you can also check out fremont.com. Make sure to see The Fremont Troll - lurking beneath the Aurora Bridge since 1990 and is a cornerstone in Fremont's character, and the Statue of Lenin - Yes, Vladimir Illych Lenin. Visit Theo Chocolate, the only premium organic, Fair Trade, bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the US! Take a free tour! This is a chocoholic's dream! Stop by the Fremont Bridge to see the statues waiting for a bus--sometimes they are dressed up! Places to eat here are numerous! For a quick and very memorable sandwich we like the very famous Paseo's well known in Seattle for their Messy, spicy Cuban sandwiches and entrées. This is one of the Chambered Nautilus's top Staff Picks for Seattle eateries. Fremont is home to the unique and Norm's Eatery and Alehouse fits the bill. Described as a laid back, dog friendly (yes you can bring your furry friend to dinner here), Fremont joint it features great pub grub, (try the burgers) and trivia night on Thursdays. We also like a more refined meal sometimes at the 35th Street Bistro. For coffee in Fremont, we like the Lighthouse Roasters Fine Coffees, another local coffee roaster with an awesome fun environment in a yellow house in a small neighborhood. Fremont has no shortage of Bars and Taverns, many with live music. We picked as favorites The George and the Dragon Pub, Seattle's only authentic English Pub. They serve cocktails, fine ales, and even outside seating for dinner and drinks! You can watch soccer games, and play pool. The Red Door, a preppy "hip" place to go for younger, pop-your-collar-type, and a Fremont institution, it has been around almost as long as Fremont itself, but it doesn't look it. Live Music Bars we recommend are the Nectar Lounge, featuring a vast array of music shows and drinks and The High Dive a popular venue, it is easy to find the marquee outside has a larger woman diving off a board.

Just a little bit further west of the Inn is Ballard. This neighborhood is mix of the old, with an industrial area, great bars and a lot of live music mixing in with lots of new trendy restaurants, new condos and shops. You must see The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks where you can take a stroll through the botanical gardens and watch the boats travel through the waterway. Experience the famous salmon run as they journey upstream to spawn at the underwater Fish Ladder. Stop by Golden Gardens Park, one of Seattle's popular beaches right on the Puget Sound with a great view of the Olympic Mountains. Get your coffee in Ballard at the Café Verite & Cupcake Royale, a great coffeehouse known for their especially scrumptious cupcakes! While Ballard has lots of new restaurants (more than this innkeeper can keep track of) we still recommend 2 Seattle standards when hunger strikes. Ray's Boathouse offers the best seafood in town, best mountain and water view in town, and is located right on the water! Enjoy the casual atmosphere upstairs or partake in a fine dining experience on the lower level. Sit on the deck in the summer, when the sun goes down... no need to leave, they bring you blankets! Plus they have convenient valet parking. The Lockspot offers a laid-back atmosphere, and is located adjacent to the Locks. Local fishermen hang out here and it was made famous for its appearance in Discovery Channel's TV Show "Deadliest Catch". The Fish 'n Chips are a must!! Ballard too is known for its live music venues. The Sunset Tavern is extremely popular and the Tractor Tavern features a vast array of music shows and drinks. A little on the folk music side of things with square dancing on Monday nights! Egan's Ballard Jam House is a Jazz club tradition offering dinner and drinks!

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