Seattle Official Visitors Guide 2008-2009 - (Page 13) GO BEYOND… TO BELLEVUE Discover This Gem Just East of Seattle here’s no shortage of main streets, culture and dining hot spots, and leafy waterside trails worth exploring just outside Seattle’s borders in its surrounding communities. One of these places just east of the city is Bellevue, which definitely merits a day trip. A short drive across Lake Washington, along the longest floating bridge in the world, Bellevue is a green wonderland between lakes Washington and Sammamish, offering a downtown neighborhood with plenty to keep you busy. Start with a trip to the Bellevue Arts Museum. Visitors to the curiously shaped aluminum and earth-toned building will find numerous rotating exhibitions, the majority of which celebrate Northwest design and crafts artists. Don’t miss a trip to the roof, where the elliptical Court of Light explores architect Steven Holl’s interest in the seasonal change of light. A short walk from the museum is The Bellevue Collection, where 250 restaurants, major stores and chic boutiques draw those who like to window T shop and people watch. You’ll notice how walkable downtown can be as you explore the area around Bellevue Square, where streets are peppered with boutiques and shoe shops, high-design home furnishings stores, art galleries and more. In November and December, Snowflake Lane, a favorite local holiday celebration, fills the streets with live toy soldiers, carolers and sparkling light displays. Toward the dinner hours, downtown starts to bustle as locals and visitors head out for the evening. The area offers more than 140 restaurants and cafes, happy hour hot spots, billiards and bowling lanes, and performing arts — including dance, opera and theater performances. Getting There: There are two main driving routes (over two different bridges) from Seattle: 1) I-90 east to I-405 north. 2) I-5 north to WA-520 east, then south on I-405. Sound Transit Express bus 550 takes passengers from downtown Seattle to Bellevue. Clockwise from top: Bellevue skyline; The Bellevue Collection; Bellevue Arts Museum. Credits: ©RJ Hall, ©The Bellevue Collection, ©Bellevue Arts Museum/Sayaka Ito WWW.VISITSEATTLE.ORG 13 http://WWW.VISITSEATTLE.ORG
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