Visting Seattle WA, need suggestions

[Erin Campbell]

Hello to all my fellow ladies,

I will be visiting Seattle in a couple of weeks for a business trip, but I have never been to Seattle before. I understand the area is mostly cd friendly, but if anyone has been there or lives there, can you offer me some suggestions of what to see and do? I'm hoping to go out in the evenings for a little fun, shopping, maybe a drink or two, but I want to be sure I'm heading to the right places, since I don't have a LOT of experience going out dressed. I've tried to do some searches for places to go, but I don't seem to be able to find a lot of info yet. Thanks for all of your help!

Erin

[sissystephanie]

Erin,

I moved to the Atlanta, Georgia from Seattle, but it was 25 years ago. So I don't know what there is there now. Except for a place called Emerald Fantasy!

This a Transformation Studio located, I believe, just south of Seattle. I think their website is EmeraldFantasy.com. If not, you can google it and get the proper URL. Seattle is a very friendly city, and you should not have any trouble whereever you go. Good luck and have fun. BTW, be sure to go to the PIke Place Market to watch them throw salmon around, and thenif you like salmon. go to Ivar's Salmon House. Some of the best, and freshest, wild salmon in the world!! BTW, I have gone there, with my dear late wife, totally enfemme. No problemo!

Sissy/Stephanie

Lady on the outside, but man underneath!

[trannie T]

I was up there a year ago and went to a get together of Emerald City. They are a very friendly group, we had a good meal and had a good time.

[o2bcindy]

hi erin i currently live in seattle. one of the best places to go for fun and a drink would be a bar called neighbors its in capital hill. and as far as good samon ivars is expesive go to saltys or there is antonys home port and i think thats down by fishermans warf were the crab boats from worlds deadlyist catch. for the most part everyone is reseptive to use but you know we have jerks everywere. the most excepting places are also up in capital hill. but not knowing were you are going to stay its hard to tell ya. i will keep watching this thread and if i think of anything youll hear from me or if you have any questions dont be afraid to ask anything, ok erin have a great time here and take care
cindy:)

[mikecd999]

We were in Seattle this last fall on vacation and I wore a skirt or dress the entire 5 days without any problems. We were at the Monico Hotel downtown and walked almost everywhere. Don't miss Pikes Place, a really neat place.

Mike

[valenstein]

hi erin i currently live in seattle. one of the best places to go for fun and a drink would be a bar called neighbors its in capital hill.

Hi Erin,

Born and lived there for 25 years and I get back there now and then. I second Neighbors, great bar with a mix of straight, gay and trans, very accepting. Seattle is generally very friendly to TG people, but Capitol Hill and more specifically Broadway is totally friendly. There are a handful of clothing stores up there that won't even blink if you come in dressed. You could also try The Rebar, just down the hill. It's not specifically a GLBT bar, but I know a lot of CD's are comfy hanging out there.

Down on First (maybe Second?) and Pine? there's a Nordstrom Rack. Nice clothes at discount prices, the shoe prices are especially good and they even fit my big feet;)

If you want more risque clothing, Broadway has a couple shops, but The Experience on Alaskan Way is good for club wear, rock star wear..if it's still open, it was last time I was there.

Lastly, there's also a Drag Bingo night around the area -

http://www.dragbingo.com/What%20is%20Drag%20Bingo.htm

[Erin Campbell]

Thank you for all of the information ladies! So far, it has been a pretty big help. I'm not 100% sure where I'll be staying just yet, but I will have a car so I can get anywhere I need to go regardless of my stay. I'm glad to hear that Seattle is friendly.

Is the Emerald Fantasy still active? I've contacted them for some information, but I have not heard anything back yet. I don't want to sign up and provide all of my cc information if they have stopped doing their services. Thanks again, I'm really looking forward to going now!

Erin

[valenstein]

If it's not too big of a step, there's a stand-alone MAC store in the University area. I've yet to go in, but I know they do makeovers and have a reputation for being CD/TG friendly.

[Rachel E]

I live in Spokane which is on the eastern part of the state. You said that you will have a car. A map of seattle and a GPS will be a great help. Remember parking is a bitch in the more conjested areas, so you may want to consider using a taxi for shorter distant travel. Enjoy the Great Northwest and i will Welcome you to the state of Washington.
Richie, Spokane Wa:):)

[tamarav]

I am 90 miles North of Seattle but get down there fairly often. I go to Neighbors and a number of other clubs in the area. I also work as a wig stylist and makeup artist, who knows what you may need?

Let me know when you are coming to the area and I will try to get together with you for drinks or such.

Your sis,

Tami

[valenstein]

Remember parking is a bitch in the more conjested areas, so you may want to consider using a taxi for shorter distant travel.

Definitely second the parking situation. The best part of Broadway is maybe 8 or 9 blocks long, so unless you're in painful heels, it's easy to walk. 3 or 4 of the best areas to be in are fairly easy walks.

Also, new laws (if applicable). No talking on the cell phone if you're driving unless it's a hands-free and smoking near a front door of a business may get you anything from a nasty look to a fine.

The monorail goes from Westlake Center (up a few blocks from the Pike Place Market) to The Seattle Center (Space Needle and all that). It's kinda corny, but you get to see a bit of the city from above and it's cheap. I suppose you might get a few more raised eyebrows in the touristy spots if you are dressed.

My opinion only:

Best Hamburger - Dick's Drive In (on Broadway)
Best Burrito - Tacos Guaymas (On Broadway)
Best Fish Burrito - Taco Del Mar (Broadway and others)
Coffee - Torrefazione, but not many places serve it. Cafe Vita is nice.
Vegan - Really good Thai restaurants in Seattle
Other Food: Lots of great quickie foods at The Market
Shopping (cheap) Most places on Broadway, many second hand shops around there
Shopping (average) Westlake Center
Shopping (expensive) Phillips Place or Macy's.
Especially friendly Bar/Club - Neighbors

Ooooh! Grab a copy of The Stranger. It's a free local paper around newsstands and by the door at many places. It'll tell you everything you want to know, all the GLBT happenings are in there.

[Gina S]

I've visited Seattle on a few different occasions. I can recommend the Capital Hill/Broadway area as being very CD/TG friendly. There is a restaurant on Broadway called Julia's that has a Drag show one or two nights during the week. The show is called Le Faux, it was still running when I visited in late June.

Julia's on Broadway
300 Broadway E.
Seattle, WA 98122
206-860-1818

Neighbors Night Club was a great place for dancing or just to people watch. The entrance to the club is from the rear of the building through an alley way, seemed a little strange. There was a small cover charge, but well worth it, great mix of people. There website: http://www.neighboursnightclub.com/

I also would recommend getting in touch with the Emerald City Social Club (http://www.theemeraldcity.org/), it's a local CD/TG support group. They have social night get togethers every week at one of the local restaurants. I've met many of them personally and can not speak highly enough of them, great group of ladies always willing to help.

[Erin Campbell]

Thank you so much Tami, Val, and Gina. Again, I appreciate the help more than you know. I will definitely check out those spots you have listed and am getting more and more excited about my trip. I used to live in Chicago for many years, so I know all about parking situations and cell phone laws :)

Tami - I will be in town on Wednesday, August 20th and I will be leaving first thing on Saturday morning, which is August 23rd. From the sounds of things, I'm going to wish I could stay a little bit longer.

I appreciate all of the feedback, you ladies make things very easy!

Erin

[Niya W]

I am 90 miles North of Seattle but get down there fairly often. I go to Neighbors and a number of other clubs in the area. I also work as a wig stylist and makeup artist, who knows what you may need?

Let me know when you are coming to the area and I will try to get together with you for drinks or such.

Your sis,

Tami

I was just going to sugest Nieghbors. Had fun there

[MarieTS]

Erin: I'm currently a Seattle resident. All that has been written in the previous posts is pretty accurate. One interesting point to note is that Westfield Shopping center just south of Seattle (known by most folks as SouthCenter) just completed a huge expansion making it one of the bigest malls on the west coast. And it's very close to the to the Emerald City Social Club. Kill 2 birds with one stone! Welcome & Enjoy!!! :hugs:

[linnea]

Erin: I'm currently a Seattle resident. All that has been written in the previous posts is pretty accurate. One interesting point to note is that Westfield Shopping center just south of Seattle (known by most folks as SouthCenter) just completed a huge expansion making it one of the bigest malls on the west coast. And it's very close to the to the Emerald City Social Club. Kill 2 birds with one stone! Welcome & Enjoy!!! :hugs:

I used to live in the Seattle area, though I that time I wasn't going out en femme much. Nonetheless, I have now experienced some of the good things that other girls have suggested (next time I visit, I'm going to Neighbors!). Last week, I shopped at South Center. It is very big now; it wasn't small before. Anyway, I just had to stop at a couple of places, en femme, before I continued my drive south. No problems in Sears, Macys, a couple of little shops.

Have a great time!

[JuliaCD]

Hi Erin!

I'm a Seattle resident and member of The Emerald City Social Club. We have a get-together almost every Thursday evening for drinks/food/socializing and usually several of the girls head off to Neighbours or somewhere after so you might be able to join with some like minded souls on the evening of the 21st. I'm on the e-mail list, so feel free to contact me that week and I'll know what the plan is for that Thursday. (juliagrrl-at-comcast.net) We have strict policies protecting our member's privacy, so you would need to attend as the guest of a member...but the get-togethers are fun and informal, so I know you'd be welcome!

I'm out of town Aug 17-19, but I could let you know what's up on Wednesday.

Hope you have fun during your visit!

~Julia

[SusanLaine]

If you're in the market for a corset I can recommend a great corset shop just at the North end of Seattle...

The Fitting Room

[Erin Campbell]

So it looks like Neighbors is a fun place to go, everyone I have chatted with seems to recommend it highly. I will definitely have to check it out, although I'm pretty shy and am not sure I want to go into a club by myself but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I also will look into the social club to see what is going on Thursday nights right? I will be in town for a Thursday night, so that might be the best way to meet some people and have a great time with other girls.

Erin

[Erin Campbell]

Just curious if anyone knows if the Emerald Fantasy makeover is still in service in Seattle. I tried to contact them over a week ago with a couple of questions, but I have not received anything back. I'll try to send my information again, but has anyone been there recently or did they stop service?

[MarieTS]

Some time ago the owner was considering selling the business--not sure if she actually did. Her reputation is great. Keep trying, hopefully you'll hear back soon.

[Erin Campbell]

Thanks Marie. I will be sure to keep trying, although perhaps it is no longer in service. In any event, do you know and crossdresser friendly wig shops in the Seattle area? At the very least, I can shop for a slighty new look while I am out there.

Erin

[Erin Campbell]

One more question, then I PROMISE I won't ask anymore. I've been looking at the Emerald City social club, but it looks like it is pretty exclusive to members. Since I will only be in town for 3 days, I obviously do not want to be a member, but do they have a contact for visitors?

Erin

[Cristi]

D'oh!!!! This post was started three days AFTER I left on my vacation to Seattle!

I flew out with my SO last Monday, then just returned yesterday (the 12th). I didn't get go out fully dressed while there, but did dare to wear a bra the entire time even though most days I was just wearing a t-shirt over it so it wasn't very hidden. The day we hiked Rainier I also had on tights for extra warmth after hearing that there was still snow on the trails, but when we got there it was 85 degrees out. I was HOT that day and couldn't WAIT to strip the tights and bra off at the end of that day!

We did the whole tourist thing. The first part of the week hitting Olympic park, St. Helens and Ranier, then the last 3 days back in the city (in a hotel on 5th and Pike). We did the Pike market, Pioneer square (the underground tour) and lots of other tourist stuff like the monorail and SciFi museum.

I googled a few things while there looking for a good gay/trans bar, but didn't come up with much on my own so didn't catch any night life :sad: If I had checked this site I would have been at the Neighbors every night.

Oh well, I hope you have fun on your trip.

[o2bcindy]

pack lots of skirts hun it has been so hot here it been wounderfull. its supposed tobe 90s this weekend and nice into next week. there is nothing more beautiful then seattle in the summer. if you have any more questions just let me now if i can be any help
cindy

[Erin Campbell]

Thanks for the weather update! I'm excited to wear a couple of skirts then. I also bought a new swimsuit for the trip, since I think my hotel has an outdoor pool which I may take a quick dip in if it is going to be warm.

Erin

[ravens_roost2004]

I will be there the 15th this weekend hon. Would love to go with u enfem.

[Erin Campbell]

Sorry hon, I won't be in town yet on the 15. I'll be visiting on Wednesday and staying through Friday night, leaving early on Saturday morning.

[cdswarna]

I came to seattle yesterday. I am stay in a hotel at bellevue. Is there some one around here ??