About Seattle

Area Attractions

Asian Pacific Americans have played a prominent role in Seattle history from the beginning of the city’s settlement. Below is a preliminary list of recommended Seattle attractions. We look forward to sharing more information related to special discounts to certain attractions for AAS 2024 attendees.

In the meantime, please enjoy this list of attractions and start planning your time in Seattle!

Food & Dining

Seattle’s better restaurants take great pride in sourcing their ingredients from local farms, forests and waters. Many emphasize the farm-to-table quality of their Pacific Northwest-inspired cuisine and their creative influences from the other side of the Pacific.  

Three of the “The 25 Best Restaurants in Seattle Right Now” (New York Times, October 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/article/best-seattle-restaurants.html), are appetizingly close to the Convention Center: the French bistro, Le Pichet; the French- and Vietnamese-influenced Stateside; and the Mediterranean-inspired Terra Plata. The remaining restaurants on this list require wheels and, in a few cases, more than your usual dining fare. But if you can get a table at the best of the lot, consider yourself very fortunate. Some of my favorites on this list are: Canlis, Joule, Local Tide, Paju, and The Walrus and the Carpenter.

Downtown also has plenty of other excellent eating places, including a branch of the well-known Taipei chain, Ding Tai Fung and Dough Zone, a locally developed rival chain also specializing in dumplings. I also recommend Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar, Rider, Wild Ginger, and Shaker and Spear, all notable for their seafood or Asian fusion cuisine. In addition, downtown is home to a lively music scene, which Seattle has always been to known to have. The following places feature a variety of music: The Crocodile, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, The Showbox or The Triple Door. Interestingly, some of the best music venues are elsewhere in

HIGHLIGHTS: Chinatown-International District (C-ID)

The historic Chinatown-International District is not far from the Convention Center—a long walk (30-plus minutes) or a short car ride away. Successive waves of Asian migrants dating back to the late nineteenth century have left their marks on this area, which today is a multicultural neighborhood teeming with diverse shops, bars and eateries.

Many of its restaurants stand out, as two recent reviews of its dining scene noted in compiling their lists of “sixteen amazing” or twenty-six “best” restaurants in the C-ID. Most of my favorites are on one or both of these lists, and many have the added advantage of not being overly pricey.

https://seattle.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-chinatown-international-district-seattle

https://www.theinfatuation.com/seattle/guides/the-international-district-guide

The C-ID is also a go-to place for Asian groceries. One store that has it all is our homegrown Asian supermarket, Uwajimaya, which, in this locale, also houses a Kinokuniya Bookstore and a food hall.

The C-ID is also extra special because it is the site of an outstanding museum.

HIGHLIGHTS: Pike Place Market

The iconic Pike Place Market is a must if you have never been. Part farmers market, part fish market (where, yes, vendors play catch with fish) and part arts and crafts bazaar, its multiple levels are crammed with stalls, big and small, and lots of terrific dining options, and not just for clam chowder and salmon. The Market also provides spectacular views of the Puget Sound.

https://www.pikeplacemarket.org/about-pike-place-market/

Asia-Pacific Arts & Culture

HIGHLIGHTS: Seattle Art Museum

The fabulous Seattle Art Museum (SAM) is close by as well. Although the Hokusai exhibition has moved on, the enchanting “Calder: In Motion” show has not, and can be viewed alongside several other excellent exhibits. Much of the Museum’s Asian art is at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, a stunning Art Deco building in lovely Volunteer Park, a car- or bus-ride away from downtown, and definitely deserving of an outing. And you can couple that with a visit to the adjoining Lake View Cemetery to view the grave of the legendary Bruce Lee, a pilgrimage many make from near and afar. There’s also the beautiful nine-acre Olympic Sculpture Park on the waterfront about a mile north of SAM. It’s a great place to enjoy monumental art and a bit of the Seattle landscape.

https://www.seattleartmuseum.org/

HIGHLIGHTS: Wing Luke Museum

Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (Vivian Chan)

As a National Park Service Affiliated Area and the first Smithsonian affiliate in the Pacific Northwest, the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (WLM) offers an authentic and unique perspective on the American story. Nationally recognized for their work in creating dynamic, community-driven exhibitions and programs, they put the community at the heart of each exhibition they create. The stories you see and hear within WLM’s walls are their authentic experiences and perspectives. From the struggles of early Asian pioneers to accomplished works by national Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists, their contributions give us a look at what it means to be uniquely American.

WLM’s 60,000 square foot facilities offer three floors to tell AANHPI communities’ stories, with contemporary galleries showcasing both temporary and permanent exhibitions as well as preserved historic spaces accessible only through our daily guided tours. 

Beyond the walls, WLM tells the story of Seattle’s Chinatown-International District(C-ID), and activates and stewards multiple sites throughout the area. While economically challenged, the C-ID is a historically and culturally vibrant area, and often sees themselves as a neighborhood concierge and an economic anchor for the nearby small businesses. From restaurants to statues that you might not otherwise notice, there are layers of history and significance that are waiting to be uncovered. Wing Luke Museum offers guided neighborhood tours and events that will encourage you to discover stories and tastes both on and off the beaten path.

For more information, please visit www.wingluke.org. For more information on the current exhibits on display please visit: https://www.wingluke.org/exhibits

Seattle Favorites

Seattle Symphony

The Seattle Symphony would like to welcome the AAS2024 Conference Attendees to Seattle.  The Seattle Symphony is one of the finest Symphony Orchestras in the nation and recently celebrated its 120th Anniversary and Benaroya Hall home the Seattle Symphony turned 25 years old.

Sibelius Violin Concerto
While you’re in Seattle, the Symphony will be performing Sibelius Violin Concerto with the amazing violinist Ning Feng. This will be his debut performance with the Symphony, and we hope that you and your attendees would consider joining us as part of your stay in our city. Benaroya is and easy flat walk from most hotels and the Convention Center downtown. To help you with the cost, simply click the link or the Promo Code: CELLO24. Select the concert you wish to attend and enter the Promo Code to receive 15% off tickets and Pay No Handling Fees, and additional 15% savings.

(Guitar Recital) Benjamin Verdery – Saturday 3/16, 7:30 PM, $35-45

  • Hailed for his innovative and eclectic musical career, Benjamin Verdery tours regularly throughout the US, Canada, Europe and Asia, performing at venues and festivals including 92Y Kaufmann Auditorium, Verona Guitar Festival, Guitar Festival of Belgrade, and more. Ben has released more than 17 albums, and many of Ben’s compositions have been performed, recorded and published (Doberman‐Yppan, Alfred Music) over the years. Ben is the Guitar Professor at the Yale School of Music and Artistic Director of 92Y’s Art of the Guitar Series. “An American original, an American master” – Sound Board Magazine

Additional Seattle Performances

Opera

  • Seattle Opera at McCaw Hall
  • Rootabaga Country
    • Curious to learn more about the mother they never knew, two siblings travel with their father along the Zigzag Railroad to Rootabaga Country. In the process, they learn that families come in all shapes and sizes and that the best way forward is together. Based on Rootabaga Stories by Carl Sandburg.
    • Friday 3/15: 7 PM. Saturday 3/16: 2 PM & 7 PM
      • Tickets- $20

Ballet & Dance

  • Pacific Northwest Ballet:
    • One Thousand Pieces
      Four years after its originally scheduled PNB premiere, Alejandro Cerrudo’s complete One Thousand Pieces will finally take to the McCaw Hall stage to enthrall audiences. This large-scale ensemble work is inspired by the artist Marc Chagall, and features music from Philip Glass. Paired with the revelry and joy of Matthew Neenan’s made-for-PNB Bacchus, this double bill promises to be unforgettable. Running Time: 2 hours and 19 minutes, including two 20-minute intermissions. Excerpt: One Thousand Pieces
    • Friday 3/15 7:30 PM, Saturday 3/16 2 pm & 7:30 pm
  • Alvin Ailey American Dance
    • LinkFriday 3/15 7:30 PM, Saturday 3/16 2 PM & 7:30 PM, $60
    • Paramount Theatre (911 Pine Street, Seattle)

Theater

  • Seattle Rep Theater – Sanctuary City (March 1 – 31, 2024)
    Winter, 2001, Newark, NJ. Two DREAMers—pre-DACA—meet up on the fire escape, which happens most nights. Both undocumented teens, they grapple with life’s challenges, from family to their futures. When one becomes naturalized, she promises to marry the other so he can receive his papers and truly start his life. As time passes and their relationship shifts, both must confront what they are willing to sacrifice to live freely and belong. This searing and captivating new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning Martyna Majok asks what we’re willing to risk for those we love.

Visitor Information

Visitors Information Center

Thank you to the Local Arrangements Committee for sharing the descriptions posted above.
Anand A. Yang, University of Washington (UW), Chair; Members: Davinder Bhowmik, UW; Paul Carrington, UW; Vivian Chan, Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience; Madeleine Dong, UW; Ping Foong, Seattle Art Museum; Hazel Hahn, Seattle University; Ian Oates, UW