Tourism

The weekend of the Seattle Night & Day is right in the heart of Seattle's glorious summer, and several local events will be taking place.

Seafair, a citywide tradition for years, encompasses many activities over the course of about a month. Visit their website for details.

Bite of Seattle takes place at the Seattle Center July 21-23. Sample dishes from many Seattle area restaurants in the shadow of the space Needle. Seven-hour and 16-hour teams: beware the mobs that collect at Bite closing (9pm), slowing down anyone in the vicinity of Seattle Center.

Seattle Times' online calendar for July 22

Terry's picks for fun stuff to do any time during Seattle's summer: roller skate around Green Lake (rentals available), shop for a picnic and visit the tiny original Starbucks at Pike Place Market, rent a rowboat at the University of Washington's Waterfront Activities Center (206-543-9433), stroll Broadway or Fremont at dusk, catch the wildflowers at Paradise on Mt. Rainier, drink tea the way it's supposed to be at the Teahouse Kuan Yin in Wallingford.

You could also tour the Seattle Art Museum after gazing at the Hammering Man just outside, take a boat cruise that goes through the Locks and around Lake Washington past Bill Gates' house, dance Friday night at lots of cool clubs, or learn about aviation history at both Boeing's Museum of Flight and the King County International Airport (the latter is tiny & obscure but free; displays tell the history of Boeing and you can watch planes take off close).

Terry's favorite cheap and obscure restaurants:

All Seattle restaurants are now non-smoking.

• Mesob, Ethiopian, 1325 E Jefferson (at 14th St.), 206-860-0403. Eat communally off big platters, picking up the exquisitely seasoned food with injera, a spongey and slightly tart flat bread. One entree per two people is plenty, unless you're Eric Bone or you've just finished the 16 hr Night & Day.

• Taqueria Express, 219 Broadway E, upstairs in the building called The Alley, 206-329-8675. I think they're open 7 days for dinner because I always just go there and I've never seen them closed. I always order the vegetarian burrito: it's big, it's got lots of guacamole, and you get unlimited tortilla chips and salsa. This is located on Broadway, a really great urban place to go walking day or night.

• Musashi's, sushi & teriyaki, 1400 N 45th St. (at Interlake Ave. N in Wallingford), 206-633-0212. Closed Sunday and Monday; Saturday is dinner only. Dinner hours 5-9. My favorite restaurant in Seattle since 1987, tiny and family run. My favorites are the chicken teriyaki dinner and the sushi nigiri combo.