Athletic types visiting the Eastside (Bellevue, Kirkland, or Redmond) should check out the Bellevue Club, and upscale athletic club with a luxury boutique hotel attached. Great facilities and an additional $15 million addition to the athletic complex coming soon.

Shoppers will appreciate the Inn at the Market, in the heart of Pike Place Market with views of Puget Sound, a block or so from the original Starbuck’s. It’s another luxury boutique hotel that books up early (particularly May-September), so reserve in advance. While there, dine at petite Place Pigalle for upscale French cuisine, Etta’s for stylish contemporary fare, or Cutter’s for highly satisfying — albeit more mainstream — casual dining, each very easy walking distance from the Inn.

For fun and funky, meaning artistically eccentric, drive on over to Fremont, the Seattle community that bills itself as “the center of the universe.” Lots of arty shops. Then for a grown-up meal, stop at the 35th Street Bistro, home of a local gifted chef who takes cuisine seriously without making it inaccessible … or low-cal.