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I don't live in Seattle but I have an office there and I'm there about every other month or so.
Several people have talked about Museum of Pop Culture, which is a good recommendation. I would also suggest the Museum of Flight or the Art Museum. I also love the aquarium. They have a really cool Pacific Octopus exhibit. This is the Octopus that kept eating the sharks. They couldn't figure out where the sharks kept disappearing so they set up cameras and saw the Octopus eating them. Chihuly Garden has some fascinating glass. There are some museums near the Pop Culture Museum that I have read about but not seen. I did see the King Tut exhibit there when it came through the US a few years ago. This is down near the World's Fair park/pacific science center.
I've been to the top of the Space Needle and while the views are good, I wouldn't do it again. Seattle is one of the more interesting architectural cities. A few years ago my wife and I did a walking tour of Seattle architecture that was actually quite fascinating. Seattle's main public library, for example, gets a definite response. People either love it or hate it. Haven't been inside but have just seen it many times from the outside and I love it. A tour of Seattle underground is likewise informative and different.
Seattle also has some really good food. I prefer NW oysters to oysters from the Gulf of Mexico. They have a brinier, more mineral flavor. Gulf oysters taste flat and muddy to me. Elliott's on the waterfront has good oysters. The Walrus and Carpenter is also a good oyster house, but it's up in Ballard. Le Bateau is a great steakhouse. Well worth the price of admission, which can be steep. Crush has cutting edge food and wine. Wine tours are worth it for wineries just east of Seattle, including Chateau St. Michelle, a well-known winery. Pike Place Market, which is a sight worth seeing by itself, has lots of restaurants ranging from cheap to quality dining. Cafe Campagne right next to the market is a great French Bistro. Beecher's cheese headquarters is likewise down in that area. Pike Street brewing company in the market has a wide selection of beers and NW pub food. Try the Kilt Lifter Ale if you haven't had it before. Lark is another place serving contemporary American food that is quite excellent.
If you like cocktails, you have to go to Cannon Bar. I've never seen a bar with so many different kinds of liquor. Last time I was there, their liquor list went more than 120 pages. They have a wide variety of cocktails and if you don't see one you like, just tell the bartender what you do like and they'll make up something on the spot. Never had a bad drink there.
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