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From Wikitravel

Seattle's Fremont district, which bills itself as "The Center of the Universe", is known for its quirky atmosphere (although the recent arrival of several major corporate tenants, including Adobe Systems, has somewhat undercut its bohemian image).

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"The Artists' Republic of Fremont" (another of neighborhood's self-proclaimed titles) has some of the most distinctive public art of any city in the U.S.

• Waiting for the Interurban is a statue of five people (and a dog) waiting for the trolley that has not existed since the 1930s. The statue is frequently clothed by local residents. There was a time when this work was considered offbeat, imagine that! N. 34th St. at Fremont Ave., at the north approach to the Fremont Bridge.
• The Fremont Rocket, a 53' Cold War rocket improved with neon space blasters and a smoke generator in the engine bay, towers over the corner of N. 35th St. and Evanston Ave.
• The Fremont Troll (under the Aurora Bridge, officially called the "George Washington Memorial Bridge" but no one will know what you're talking about if you call it that.) The Troll is a concrete statue eating a full size Volkswagen Bug. It even gets its own street name - just off of N. 36th St. on Troll Ave.

• The bronze statue of Lenin peers out over the street below, oblivious to the continuing controversy over its display. It was salvaged and brought over from Slovakia, and went up in 1995 at N. 36th St. and Evanston Ave.
• Can you find the shoes of the wicked witch .. clue: look near a big rock!

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• Glamorama, 3414 Fremont Ave N. Wild clothing and gifts.
• Dusty Strings [1], 3406 Fremont Ave. N. Lots of acoustic, and mostly stringed, musical instruments. Go on in and try out a hammer dulcimer.

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• Solstice Parade: If you happen to be in Seattle around the Summer Solstice, on the weekend closest to the solstice, Fremont has one of the city's best street fairs and (Saturday, around noon) a truly great parade, with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of elaborately costumed participants, with no signage (strongly discouraging commercial participation), and with only human-powered floats. The Fremont Art's Council just celebrated its 20th year of hosting this arts-only parade. A contingent of nude and painted bicyclists traditionally show up, and ride before the parade begins. Delilah's Billion Belly March contingent annually brings over 100 belly dancers and drummers to the parade.

• The neighborhood also hosts outdoor movies on Friday and Saturday evenings in the summer.
• There is a Sunday crafts market that is usually outdoors in the summer and in a covered parking lot in the winter.
• There is an excellent outdoor market on Sundays.

• Theo Chocolate factory tours, 3400 Phinney Ave N, ☎ +1 206 632-5100 (dkemmerling@theochocolate.com), [2]. Sa-Su 11AM, 1PM, 3PM, M-F 1PM, 3PM. Theo Chocolate is a local producer of organically- grown, fair-trade, and exquisitely delicious chocolate. During the two-hour factory tour you learn about making of chocolate and get to see their factory at work, all the while munching on free samples. Private factory tours are available, although at a $100 minimum charge.  edit

• Fremont Oktoberfest, ☎ +1 206 633-0422, [3]. An annual microbrew tasting event takes place the third week of September and features the Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving Contest, live music, three beer gardens, a dog day event, the Brew HA-HA 5K, a comedy show, and the Miss Buxom Contest. $20, $15 in advance. $20.  edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

• 35th Street Bistro, [4]. European Bistro serving fresh, seasonal cuisine, lovely hand-picked wines and a full bar.
• Asteroid Cafe, [5]. Italian institution moved from Wallingford. Great food and wine list.
• Beth's Cafe, 7311 Aurora Ave N, [6]. A Seattle institution. One of the last true 'greasy spoon' diners, it is open and serves breakfast 24-hours a day, 364 days a year (it is closed the day after Thanksgiving for cleaning.) Frequented by an eclectic mix of goths, punks, stoners, workers and yuppies, the appeal is as much people-watching as the food - go with friends when you have a couple of hours to spare. Their specialties are omelettes, available in 6 or 12 egg varieties, with bottomless plates of hash browns. Ask for crayons and paper and you can hang your artistic creations on the wall when done. Note that Beth's is very popular and long lines can form for tables around rushes, which tend to be in the early evenings and around midnight.
• Carmelita, 7314 Greenwood Ave N, [7]. Where one might go to celebrate a special event or impress a date: exquisite vegetarian fare with excellent service in an elegant yet unpretentious atmosphere. The popular chef is back after a few years away, with a menu that changes more often than the seasonal menu they had been following. It's enough of a top-notch eating experience that you can even take meat eaters there to have a wonderful meal.
• Gordito's Healthy Mexican Food, 213 N 85th St, +1 206 706-9352‎. Huge servings, a fast, but sometimes long line, way-cheap prices, amazingly tasty burritos that most folks can't finish in one sitting, lots of homemade salsas (on the salsa bar), and outdoor patio. If you ask most people in Seattle where the good Mexican food is, they'll say Gordito's or the Taco Bus that drives around town (but good luck finding it).
• Jai Thai, 3423 Fremont Ave N
• Red Mill Burgers, 2 locations Phinney Ridge 312 N 67th St and Interbay 1613 W Dravus St, [8]. Really tasty beef and veggie burgers.
• Rosita's Mexican Restaurant, 7210 Woodlawn Ave NE, ☎ +1 206 523-3031, [9]. Some of the best margaritas in town, as well as good Happy Hour eats. Nachos are great!  edit
• Taco del Mar in Lenin's shadow.

• Tawon Thai, 3410 Fremont Ave N, ☎ +1 206 633-4545 (info@tawonthai.com, fax: +1 206 632-3046), [10]. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-10:30PM. One of the best of the many Thai restaurants in the neighborhood. A favorite of software developers down the street. Offers a wide range of $10 lunch specials, and most of the dishes have a vegetarian option. $10-$15.  edit

[edit] Sushi

• Blue C [11], 3411 Fremont Avenue N. Good sushi on a conveyor belt. Hip place to have lunch.
• Chiso, 3520 Fremont Ave N. Extremely good but costly sushi.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Brouwer's Cafe, [12]. Belgian restaurant and bar most noted for their huge draught beer selection (menu printed daily). The food is reasonably good but the main reason to visit is the beer selection.
• Buckaroo Tavern, [13]. Several movies.
• Dad Watson's. McMenamins [14] food, beer and hospitality.
• Elysian Brewers, 2106 N 55th St, +1 206 547-5929‎[15], 3 locations across Seattle, brews can be found in local bars and sold in individual bars at local grocery stores including this one in Tangletown.
• George and Dragon, [16]. Great for soccer.
• Geneve Cafe and P.S.C., 4459 Fremont Ave N, +1 206 547-0570. Scaled down and relocated (from former location in Geneva). Graciously serving Bünderfleisch Panini and fine Swiss wine. Serves high end imported Attibassi traditional espresso. Very small and cozy. Free WiFi. Rumored that they will still accept Swiss Francs. Swisscom is obviously no longer necessary.
• Hale's Brewery and Pub, [17], 4301 Leary Way, +1 206 706-1544. Established in 1983 and is one of the pioneer microbreweries in the nation. The brewery operations are in open view of the comfortable pub. Available throughout the Northwest.
• Red Door, [18]. Good beer and cocktail selection as well as very good food. The mussels are great.
• Zoka [19], in what is variously known as the Meridian District or Tangletown, between Wallingford and Green Lake. Hip students, professionals, and soccer moms meet here. Great desserts and whole grain scones. Roasts their own coffee, supplying to cafes across the U.S. and at Zoka's two cafes in Japan. There is also one north of the U-Village shopping complex on Blakely.

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