( CNN ) -- Seattle 's character and history are closely linked to its waterside location , so it makes sense to start your sightseeing at the Waterfront . Experience the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame . Pioneers first settled in Elliott Bay in the 1850s and these days the Waterfront area is buzzing with restaurants , bars and tourists . Kids will love the Seattle Aquarium ( Pier 59 , 1483 Alaskan Way ) , while adults will want to head straight to Pike Place Market ( Pike Street ) . More than just an outstanding farmers market , Pike Place is in many ways the beating heart of Seattle . Browse the farm-fresh produce and traditional crafts , and banter with the infamous salmon-tossing fishmongers , whose tourist-pleasing antics mix market trading with street theatre . After stocking up on snacks and souvenirs , venture further into the historic Pioneer Square neighborhood and check out the totem poles in Occidental Park . There 's another totem pole in Pioneer Square Park , carved by the Tlingit natives in 1938 , as well as a bust of Chief Sealth of the Duwamish tribe , after whom Seattle is named . Nearby , the Seattle Central Library ( 1000 Fourth Avenue ) is an astonishing glass and steel construction by Rem Koolhaas . Only slightly less imposing is the pink granite structure that is Seattle Art Museum ( 1300 First Avenue ) and the 48-foot `` Hammering Man '' that guards its entrance . The museum is known for its collections of Native American and African art , while Asian art is showcased at the Seattle Museum of Asian Art ( 1400 East Prospect Street , Volunteer Park ) in Capitol Hill . The Olympic Sculpture Park ( 2901 Western Avenue ) is a nine-acre waterfront offshoot of the Seattle Art Museum , with free admission . The city 's skyline is dominated by the incongruous , spindly Space Needle , part of the Seattle Center , built for the 1962 World 's Fair . To get there , take the monorail , another World 's Fair remnant , from the Westlake Center ( Pine Street at 4th Avenue ) . Ride a glass elevator to the 160-meter-high observation deck for an incredible view of the city and its surroundings . While you 're at the Seattle Center , take a look at the Experience Music Project/ Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame . The colorfully bizarre building by Frank Gehry looks like a three-dimensional cubist collage of smashed electric guitars , and is Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen 's eccentric gift to the city . Originally a museum dedicated to Seattle native Jimi Hendrix , the Experience Music Project now has all kinds of rock memorabilia and loads of interactive exhibitions . Tickets include admission to the Science Fiction Museum , which has enough sci-fi movie props to satisfy the most obsessive trekkie . Finally , make time to stroll around the Capitol Hill and Fremont neighborhoods for a taste of the non-conformist `` alternative Seattle '' that brought the world Grunge and made plaid shirts fashionable . Where to stay | What to see | Where to be seen | Where to eat | Where to shop . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . Do you agree with our Seattle picks ? Send us your comments and suggestions in the `` Sound Off '' box below and we 'll print the best .
The fish-throwing traders at Pike Place Market are always a crowd-pleaser . Ride the monorail to the Seattle Center , home to the towering Space Needle . Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 4 of 11 No. 5 New York City Getty Images / iStockphoto The Experience Music Project has a dazzling array of interactive exhibitions .