The Pinball museum is cool and Seattle has many pinball bars. My recommendation is to leave the city and explore the mountains, go to Mt. Rainer. Seattle is so full of bums and bum camps that it will disgust anyone who visits. Seattle was once a beautiful city called the Emerald city but the progressives and socialists have turned it into a third world shit hole full of crime, open safe heroin shoot up sites, public urination, bum camps everywhere, high taxes. I live near it and avoid it like a plague.

www.nwpinballshow.com

June 8-10 and worth the trip if you are staying that long.

Check out this previous thread

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/seattle-vacation-advice-wanted

My thoughts...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/seattle-vacation-advice-wanted/page/2#post-2750964

Well since you are walking close by are Shorty's and the Jupiter pinball wise.The Space needle at Seattle center is cool if you haven't done that.Pike Place Market and The Seattle Pinball Museum would probably require Uber or something like that.Check out the Seattle Pinball Map or Skill Shot for ideas.

I heard Seattle Pinball Museum is getting JJP Pirates on Wednesday.

Check out also skill shot for pinball map and events (of which there are plenty)

http://www.skill-shot.com/

And hotel Andra is very close the 2nd avenue bars, e.g. Shorty's and Jupiter, full on pins

good thread to follow along. I'm Seattle bound too from Wisconsin. going to the Northwest show June 6th

I used to live in Seattle for many years.

Shorty's if you are in downtown.
Add-a-ball in Fremont, a few miles north of downtown. You should go to Fremont/Ballard even if you aren't staying in that area. A lot of fun and interesting food and bar options.... Quite a few have a pinball or two in them.
The Tin Hat between Ballard and Phinney Ridge. Cool bar. Haven't been there in many years, but last time I WAS there, they had 3 machines in really good shape: Monster Bash, TOTAN and Junk Yard. They used to have 1 night a week when the machines were free play all day, just to get you in the bar. I'd call.
Dorky's Arcade in downtown Tacoma. It's a 45 minute drive (or can ride the commuter rail). They have about 25 machines..... Almost all the best 90's solid states, plus a lot of classic arcades.

OMG - exaggerate much? Seattle is experiencing a homeless crisis more as a result of leading the nation in rate of growth and housing price increases. Nonetheless, it's still a beautiful city as well as a GREAT place for pinball!

To OP: my go-to pinball location is Shorty's, but there are many around town. As previously recommended, check out http://www.skill-shot.com/ for more info. Welcome and enjoy your visit!

Treat your wife and yourself to dinner at the Space Needle restaurant, make your booking so that you see the sun go down, spectacular views and a very nice meal albeit expensive, but you will remember it for all the right reasons.

Take a tour of the Seattle Underground for something different and if you change your mind about hiring a car, take a trip up to the Boeing factory. There is a large Mall/Outlets on the way where your wife could spend a few hours if Boeing doesn't grab her.

Another +1 for Shortys — you’re close and it’s my general go to if that area.

Nice choice on visiting San Juan island as well!

Seattle is a great place for pinball. Unfortunately, it’s not the city it once was.
If you like seafood, go to Pike place market.
The San Juan’s islands, a must visit, along with the peninsula. Beautiful places in the summer.

Just got back from Seattle, first time, ate at all the great restaraunts.
Canlis
Altura
The Corson Building
RockCreek Seafood & Spirits
Eden Hill

I enjoyed my time at the Seattle Pinball Museum. I highly recommend the City Pass, it was all worthwhile.

Seattle has a problem though, the crime and homeless is OUT OF CONTROL. My wife and I walked to dinner one night during the day and was uncomfortable so we decided to UBER back in the dark.

Seattle reminds me of a city that does not have its shit figured out yet about what it wants to be...

Uber/Lyft is still around 25-40% cheaper than taxi fares, plus you can order them pretty much anywhere from your phone. I would have no problem using either service in Seattle.

When I was at PAPA in 2017 I used Lyft exclusively to get from downtown to Carnegie and all around the suburbs from my Airbnb to the PAPA facility. If I had to pay full taxi fare it would have been cheaper to rent a car.

If you find yourself on the north side, Marysville has a new Another Castle Arcade and it is awesome. Pinball paradise. All new pins and a lot of them.

Highlights

TNA
IMDN
Houdini
AFMr
MMr
DI

Full list of pins can be found on the pinmap link below.

https://pinside.com/pinball/map/where-to-play/11354-another-castle-video-games-marysville-wa

Enjoy your stay!

The homeless situation is bad - I think everyone agrees on that and we are trying to figure it out. It’s a direct effect of growing so quickly over the last 5 - 7 years.. housing prices are out of control as well. But crime? I wouldnt say that’s out of control - you might feel uncomfortable if you’re not used to seeing homeless but I don’t think there’s evidence of any more crime here than any other similarly sized city.

We rented a car because we did Boeing Everett tour (AMAZING) and wanted the freedom of driving around. If not, use Uber, not taxis in Seattle. Taxis have their place, I use them in NYC, but Seattle seemed an Uber town.

Ensure if you have a rental car you visit Kerry Park for the views.

Do yourself a favor and install Uber and Lyft on your phone - it will change the way you travel especially in some cities like Seattle. In San Fran a car was 2min away when I used Uber during my last trips and this really gives you some pause for thought as my fares there were less than daily parking rate.

+2.
I used Lyft a few weeks ago twice in Seattle. Plus, Lyft give you Delta SkyMiles.
I've used Uber for over a year but now with the Delta miles, I'm using Lyft more these days.

Also, experienced this problem with Uber recently....

Screenshot_20180509-001335 (resized).png

A strong recommendation for the Seattle underground tour ... informative and fun.

We miss you Lusty Lady

While visiting the needle is as cliche as it gets for Seattle - even being a native I still enjoy eating in the rotating restrurant up top once in a while. It’s kinda awesome to see the city that way and you should get in at least a revolution and a half or so while you eat. Sunday brunch is like 1/2 the cost of dinner and a better deal as well, esp. right now since you’re eating during daylight either way.

Can't speak highly enough of the Seattle Pinball Museum (SPM). We visited there in mid 2015, so I assume it may have changed in the interim (some pics & thoughts on SPM here -> http://www.ausretrogamer.com/flippin-fun-at-the-seattle-pinball-museum/ ).

The other one was Shorty's - loved the pinball tables they use in their booths and of course, their machines to play out back.

Can't wait to visit Seattle again.

I would suggest the Jupiter Bar over Shorties if you had to choose one. But they are only a block apart Tripple Knock in Tacoma is better still if you can get yourself some transportation. It's worth your while to make it to Tacoma anyway for the NWPAS. Also to get down to the pinball museum catch the link light rail. The International station is only 3 blocks away.

While Jupiter has a large selection of games, every time I've gone there, they're blasting music which makes it hard to hear them. One of the biggest downsides of playing games on route for me.

Maybe eat before visiting china town where the Seattle Pinball Museum is located. This was on the same street lol

6A012838-4A8F-443D-9BAC-D8106833C98D (resized).jpeg

I used to work at the Space Needle. We had the families of the Blue Angels up for brunch one morning during Seafair. A pilot buzzed the tower so close we could see his face in the cockpit. Unbelievable. Shook the place so hard I thought the windows were going to fall out.

The view is pretty awesome, even if you only visit the observation deck and dine elsewhere.

Aaron
FAST Pinball

Aren't you from St Louis? The city with the highest murder rate in the US?

https://bismarcktribune.com/news/national/the-cities-with-the-highest-murder-rates-in-the-us/collection_5a789407-4d43-5403-ad56-7c47880bda8e.html

Seattle isn't even on the list. We do have a very visible homeless population and if you're downtown you'll get hit up for change a lot. That's very different from violent crime though, of which Seattle has very, very little for a city of its size.

Skip the Pinball Museum. The games aren't in good condition and it's more expensive if you're an even okay player than just paying per game. Jupiter and Shorty's are a block away from each other downtown. Add A Ball, Ice Box, Bad Jimmy's Brewing, and 4 B's all have between 10 and 30 games in Fremont and are within walking distance of each other. Ballard has Full Tilt Ice Cream and Olaf's. Greenwood has Coindexters and Houndstooth. Georgetown has Flip Flip Ding Ding. I can personally vouch for the maintenance of all the tables at any of the listed locations.

http://www.skill-shot.com has an updated list of every location, game and tournament in the city. Our competitive scene is fierce. Add A Ball Wednesday is the largest weekly event in the city, and perhaps the world. You'll likely play against 5 or more IFPA top 500 players if you attend.

Our beer is fantastic. Especially if you like IPAs.

Let me know if you have any questions! Enjoy your stay!

+1 for Jupiter Bar

Right. The new view deck just opened. The food was never the best value, in my opinion. I would always prefer to dine elsewhere and hit the view deck.

Come say hi at our FAST Pinball booth if you do come to the NW Pinball Show!

Aaron
FAST Pinball

Since we are venturing farther out of town now lol I figured I'd throw a bone to my favorite venue.8 Bit Arcade in downtown Renton.Easy parking,a variety of good eats within a few blocks.And best of all around 30 very well maintained pins.

Uber works fine in Seattle, but if you plan on visiting any nearby cities / ourskirts of Seattle having a car makes sense. I'd highly recommend hiking in the mountains if that's something you'd like (check our WTA.org for hikes, one of my favorites especially if it's a clear day is granite mountain) and Woodinville has about 120 or so wineries (some pretty good ones, stay away from the big ones like Chateau St Michelle and check out e.g. Fidelitas, Mark Ryan, Page or JM Cellars). If you do go to Woodinville for wine tasting highly recommend Tandem restaurant - the crab cakes are out of this world

This is 100% accurate. It's the only thing I don't like about the place. My suggestion is to go Friday when they open at 2. For whatever reason they go from "it's kind of loud in here" to "holy hell my ears are bleeding" around 4:30. No chance for conversation or hearing the games after that. Luckily you don't need hearing to enjoy the awesome sandwiches.

Actually, there are a lot of great places to eat in the Int'l District. I would suggest Tai Tung . They claim to be Seattle's oldest Chinese restaurant and Bruce Lee's favorite. Food is good and the server lady (I think she's the owner?) is hilarious and really makes the experience. It's right around the corner from the museum.

Yep another great suggestion. They have a TNA on the floor. Same owners as the Tripple Knock. Again, will need an additional piece of transportation. Renton is pretty close to the airport if that helps?

You actually described exactly how I like my IPAs! But really, you'll find every style of beer here. We won't disappoint on that front.

It's been a while since I was at SPM, so maybe it's gotten better, but the repair issues were obviously a problem the last time I was there. Not minor things like a playfield light being out. Things like the visor on Pinbot not opening. I honestly hope it's improved, as it's very much a tourist attraction and it might be someone's only exposure to pinball in years or ever. I don't feel like my opinion is in the minority among serious players that actually live in Seattle though. There are just too many good places to play with full time techs. Plus at $20 per person per day, you could buy between 30 and 40+ games at literally any other location in the city, plus matches and replays, so I don't think it's a good value. Many locations here are 50 cents a play and nearly all of them don't go over 75 cents.

Seattle is a good craft beer town, but be prepared for half or more of the draft selections typically being IPA's. VERY popular here. Unfortunately, I much prefer lagers or ales.

Yep - hate that. I used to regularly drop into Jupiter at lunchtime back when they opened at noon and the music level would usually be more reasonable, but now I rarely go there anymore since they open later and things are in full audio blast mode by then.