I live in the Seattle area (about 30 miles south), but also tend to avoid a lot of the touristy things... I rarely go into downtown Seattle. WARNING: downtown Seattle is a difficult place to navigate in a car unless you really know your way around!!! Lots of one-way streets, expensive parking, etc. - avoid it at all costs!!!! On the other hand, it is really quite easy to navigate on foot (there are lots of hills!) AND the buses are free in the downtown area (if you're unsure your destination is in the "free zone" just ask your bus driver - they're very friendly!). I'm not exactly sure where the Westin is located downtown, but I'm sure you'll be within walking distance of most of what you want to do downtown.
The waterfront is a wonderful place to just wander along - start south and work your way north. The aquarium is located on the waterfront, lots of nice shops, etc. We would always go to Ivar's (a seafood, fish & chips kind of place which is very famous locally) located along the waterfront - more towards the south end. Ivar's has a take out window which is where we always got our food and then either just walked around and ate, or sat at the outdoor tables - they do have a sit-down restaurant which is more expensive of course, but still quite reasonable. Really good fish & chips and yummy salmon chowder!!! Another restaurant option for the waterfront is The Spaghetti Factory, which is located at the north end of the waterfront. It can get quite crowded, but it's good food, lots of it, and reasonable prices.
You will of course have to wander through Pike Place Market. This is wonderful! I still will occasionally come into downtown Seattle just to come here! It's lots of little shops and vendors - you'll find fish markets, vegetables, flowers, craft items, antiques - all kinds of stuff! You will also find lots of little food places. I don't know specific names - you can just kind of wander around and follow your nose; I've had all kinds of wonderful, different foods here: sticky buns (cinnamon rolls w/ carmel & pecans), hum bow (soft doughy bun filled w/ bbq pork), piroshki (a russian "pocket" sandwich w/ different fillings). It's a fun place to shop and nibble your way through!
Westlake Center is a very nice downtown shopping center. It has great stores (different!) and the top floor has a food court with some good selections. You can sit and eat on the top floor, and watch the monorail (if it's going yet - after it caught fire last year! oops!) But I've always had good food here - it's NOT typical "mall" food! Good choices and quite reasonable - it has something for everyone. Westlake Center is probably quite close to the Westin and is smack dab in the middle of retail heaven; there's some great shopping in downtown Seattle - it's fun just to wander around and window shop!
There are a couple of specific restaurants I can recommend which are located on Capitol Hill - just east of the downtown area. Mongolian Grill is really good food and different: you pay one price and it's all you can eat - you get your dish, load it with your choices (different meats, different veggies, different sauces - it's your own creation), take it to the "grill," and they cook it right there in front of you. And Broadway Grill is fabulous - good food (my favorite is the turkey meatloaf - yum!!!) and very reasonable; they also make the best darn drinks (my favorite is their Long Island Iced Tea - which is the best I've EVER had!).
The Seattle area has a plethora of Asian restaurants - ALL kinds - Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese. I absolutely love asian food and really enjoy that we have such a broad variety available to choose from. If you like Asian food - ask around and I'm sure you will be directed to some good places.
I will also recommend you avoid eating at the restaurant located in the top of the Space Needle (don't know its name!) - I've never heard anyone with anything good to say about this place: overpriced and yucky food! That's all I've ever heard it! It's more a tourist trap than anything else.
Anyway - that's my little bit of advice! I don't frequent downtown Seattle and I don't eat at a lot of restaurants in that area (obviously!). But - I did work there for 9 years (that was about 8 years ago, though!) so I have some familiarity with the area.... I hope it helps! You will find most people quite friendly, though - so don't hesitate to ask around when you get into town! Seattle has a lot of character and is quite down-to-earth - it's a big city with a small-town feel. You'll have fun - ENJOY!
(Burgers are literally about 10 inches across!)
Any suggestions for restaurants in the downtown area, that are included in the book? I have already found at least three things that we had planned to do. It will pay for itself many times over. I just wish we were a family of 4, so I could buy 2 books & get twice the savings, like we did when we took my niece with us to New Orleans. 
Greedy, I know. 
Hopefully, we'll be able to book with no problem. 
I'll keep you informed. Who knows, we may be there at the same time. 
