A newcomer's guide to summer in Seattle

So you're new in town.

You might have noticed that Pugetopolis isn't, well, exactly like the rest of the world.

We rarely honk our horns in anger. You'll more often get a perky wave from another driver than a one-finger salute.

We do tend to have two coffee houses at every corner. We dig clams. We wear Gore-Tex to the symphony. And we have mountains, water and forests that don't in the least resemble Indiana.

So if you're still figuring this place out, here's a calendar of things to do, weekend by weekend from now into September, that will help convert you to a Northwesterner in one quick summer. Just add sunshine.

Oh. Sunshine? That's the bright light in the sky that you might see sometime after, oh, July 4. (Welcome to the Great Northwest.)

May 19-20: Start your cultural education at Seattle's University District Street Fair, one of our longest-running annual extravaganzas of hippie art; sidewalk buskers; and troupes of bearded, baggy-pantsed jugglers who can toss a classful of second-graders in the air along with the usual bowling pins and flaming swords (and nobody gets hurt). http://streetfair.udistrictchamber.org

 

May 26-27: It's Memorial Day weekend, time for another venerable local institution: Seattle Center's Northwest Folklife Festival (since 1972). You'll find 25 stages with performing groups from around the globe. One of the best parts of the tradition: It's free. ($10 donation if you can spare it.) www.nwfolklife.org

 

KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Paint the town at the University District Street Fair.

June 2-3: Beat the summer rush to the San Juan Islands. Park at Anacortes and walk on a state ferry (www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries) for a no-stress trip to Friday Harbor. Go early and you'll have time for a sea-kayak tour of the wildlife-rich waters of Haro Strait. (No experience necessary.) Watching an orca rocket under your boat is like nothing else in the world. www.sea-quest-kayak.com, or Google "kayak San Juans" for other outfitters.

June 9-10: Say what? You haven't been up the Space Needle? Go now, before all the tourists flock in. New this summer on the 520-foot-high observation deck: spiffy, high-tech interactive kiosks, called SkyQ, which help zoom in on the view and interpret what you see. www.spaceneedle.com/odeck

June 16-17: It's Father's Day weekend. Take Dad to Fremont Fair, in the only Seattle neighborhood with a statue of Lenin (that's the Russian, not the Beatle). Saturday's Solstice Parade will open his eyes. We're a Blue State, and this is kind of a blue parade. (Beware of nude bicyclists.) www.fremontfair.com

June 23-24: Never been awakened by bacon frying over a campfire? Go camping, before the August crush. Head for a Northwest classic, like Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island. New to the idea? Try yurt camping, with no need for your own tent (and they even have light and heat). See www.parks.wa.gov/yurtsandcabins. Reservations at 888-226-7688.

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES

The Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union gives free boat rides.

June 30-July 1: Time to pay homage to the mountain — the big one you can't miss on a clear day: Rainier. Paradise (yes, we have one) has a bunch of construction this year, so aim for the other top spot for a mountain high: Sunrise Visitor Center, on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park. Take a picnic and spend an unforgettable day. www.nps.gov/mora

July 7-8: Loll at the beach, without going far. At lovely Alki Beach, birthplace of Seattle, you can wade; play in the sand; lunch on Spud Fish 'n' Chips; feed leftover fries to the seagulls; and meet a bizarre crew that's a Seattle institution, the Seafair Pirates, who make their annual "landing" here July 7. Hold on to your wenches, if you happen to have any. www.seafairpirates.com

July 14-15: Biking is big here. And we like our brew pubs, too. Combine the two in a perfect day's outing. Ride the Burke-Gilman Trail and Sammamish River Trail to lunch at Woodinville's Redhook Ale brew pub. Enjoy a $1 tour of the brewery while you're there (hourly, noon-5 p.m. weekends; www.redhook.com).

July 21-22: Spend the weekend indulging in the bounty of Seattle Art Museum, which has filled the art-lover's toy chest to overflowing in 2007. There's both the new Olympic Sculpture Park (at Western Avenue and Broad Street, edging the waterfront) and the newly renovated and greatly expanded museum itself (First Avenue at Union Street). www.seattleartmuseum.org

July 28-29: Just can't get enough culture? Head for downtown Bellevue, headquarters for one of the region's most prestigious art festivals, which has overflowed into a massive celebration of arts and crafts all over town. www.bellevuearts.org/fair

Aug. 4-5: And now for something completely different: Thunderboats! From the shores of Lake Washington, watch high-tech, waterborne dragsters careen at more than 200 mph in the Seafair hydroplane race, a 57-year tradition. And up in the sky: the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. www.seafair.com

Aug. 11-12: Time to get out of town and cool off. A drive over the North Cascades Highway offers some of our state's more spectacular alpine scenery. www.cascadeloop.com

Aug 18-19: On Friday the 17th, Pike Place Market celebrates its 100th anniversary. Whether you make the big party or not, find time to poke, prod and look beyond the flying fish to enjoy the character of this Seattle treasure. www.pikeplacemarket.org

Aug. 25-26: The Olympic Peninsula awaits. Take a drive up to Hurricane Ridge for eyepopping views, or visit the Hoh Rain Forest for a peaceful walk in a place that is uniquely Northwest. www.nps.gov/olym

Sept. 1-2: The end-of-summer celebration with an umbrella as its mascot, Bumbershoot is another Seattle festival everyone will talk about (especially if you're not there). www.bumbershoot.org

Sept. 8-9: By now you'll have noticed that boats are a big part of this place. This weekend's Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival is talked about as the "Woodstock of wooden boats" (www.woodenboat.org/festival). If you can't make that, Seattle's own Center for Wooden Boats will give you a free ride on a classic boat any Sunday on Lake Union. www.cwb.org.

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