Hey everyone... visiting from London I Wna have some fun before I leave. Any suggestions?

Hello. I'm a native. I live about 70 miles north of Tacoma, near Everett. I used to live in Tacoma, and for two years after my wife died I dated a lady who lived in the University Place suburb of Tacoma.

All the nice girls from good families are travelling to be with family for the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow. Friday will be the biggest holiday shopping day of the year. Tacoma Mall will be jammed.

As for the weekend, the Pacific Northwest is a beautiful place where people go hiking in summer, skiing in winter, and boating all year round. But outdoor activities are being discouraged this week by the windy, rainy weather.

Tacoma's night life is on and around Pacific Avenue downtown --Indochine is a nice eatery-- --the Sheraton Hotel has a nice bar-- --there's an art museum, but it's nothing to compare with the museums in London. There's a zoo, at Point Defiance, out in Ruston. There's also some nightlife on the waterfront over toward Ruston. But Tacoma is a relatively sleepy town. Seattle is a much more cosmopolitan and lively city than Tacoma.

It is difficult to give more specific advice unless I know what you're after, what sort of place you like to hang out in, what activities you like to do. Heck, I don't even know what religion you are. For all I know, if I suggest a bar, you might be offended!

The weekend nightlife centers in Seattle are the Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square, Fremont, and Ballard neighborhoods. The most avant garde of the four, also where runaways and drifters congregate, is Capitol Hill. Just take a walk up Pike Street during the weekend from about I-5 to Broadway, turn north and walk up Broadway to East Roy Street and you'll see what I mean (Seattle is an interesting city to walk around in, practically anywhere). The hotels downtown have the best bars but you are less likely to meet locals there.

The Pike Place Market is a traditional tourist destination with a lively vibe.

The Space Needle has a spectacular view, but the view from the 75th (I think) floor observatory of Columbia Tower is better. There's a $9 admission charge. There is also a Starbucks on the 40th floor with a pretty nice view and it's free.

If you go to the Space Needle, just east of it is the MoPoP, Museum of Popular Culture, formerly known as the Experience Music Project, with a permanent Jimi Hendrix collection.

There's an Imax theater just west of the Needle.

The traditionally black area of Seattle is the southeastern quarter of the city along Rainier Avenue. 38 years ago when I was driving taxi I would not pick up fares there. About 15 years ago a light rail transport system was installed and that whole giant ghetto became transformed, boutiquified, and now it's trendy. Park yourself on a bar stool in Daniel's Broiler on Lake Washington Boulevard and you may meet some interesting company.

I hope this helps.

Anderson Rabin and Wakeman (the re-formed Yes minus Alan White and of course their late bassist Chris Squire) are playing the Moore Theater in Seattle one week from tonight.