Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We are staying in the Queen Anne District and hoping to do a day of city stuff and the rest more outdoorsy/hiking kinda things the remainder of the time. Maybe a dumb question, but how common are black bears and animals as such on the hiking trails? Worth picking up some bear mace when we arrive?
If you are staying on Queen Anne, then there are plenty of options near you (assuming the south side). Fremont Farmer's Market on Sundays, South Lake Union market on Saturdays. If you want specific restaurants my wife has visited all of the really good ones (new and old) and can provide specifics. Good Asian food and lots of really good desserts (my favorites! ).
Not that common at all. A cougar mauled a mountain biker recently, but that was the first time I had heard of a death from wildlife in a long ass time. I believe any bear injuries in Washington were from hunters thinking it was dead when it wasn't. And even then, probably counting all of those on one hand. There aren't many bears in the area and they aren't like Tahoe bears where they don't seem to care about people being around. Highly doubt you will come anywhere near one on your travels.
How can you tell with all those hippy hipsters running around? I guess you just assume if they are drinking an IPA they aren't homeless? I'm not sure that works out there in the NW. Nah, All you need is to NOT be the slowest person in your group. You are welcome. Glad I can be of help
Different smells really. Hipsters prefer essential oils and shit. The homeless people just smell like piss and Metalhead. If you haven't been to Portland, the homeless problem is out of control here since they legalized "urban camping". They have their own little villages now that even have rules up on boards at the entrance.
I’ll be there August 5th-10th, but I’m stuck in a convention so my fun will be limited to eating and drinking. I do love seafood though so I’m super stoked to actually get some good shit.
Oh, maybe a little early but some salmon boats should be coming back from Alaska from the summer season in August. Can be entertaining watching them returning through the locks.
Everyone has pretty well covered it. Queen Anne is a fantastic area and you'll have a lot of fun. Don't worry about the wildlife while hiking; I've been here 33 years and live in an area called Bear Creek, where there's literally a (tagged) dozen of them, and I've still yet to friggin see one. (They've sure ransacked my garbage and left some monster poops tho.) Depending on how long you're here, you might want to only spend the time on one of the Olympics/San Juans vs Rainier/St. Helens. If it came down to that, I'd pick the Olympics and San Juans. The big mountains are stunning, but I've been around the world twice and the Olympics and San Juans are the most beautiful places in it.
Oh, and I can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet - budget an afternoon or evening for Smarty Pants.