Empire Builder Seattle Trip 2014- where are the hotels, rental cars, r

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We are ticketed for our cross country trip in the summer of 2014. Having never been to Seattle;, as soon as we step off the Empire Builder, its new territory for us to explore.

We are having trouble locating a rental car, nice hotels and restaurants so I have a few questions that I hope that members can help us with. There are no car rental counters at King Street Station, so what franchises are there and where can we find a car? We want to stay at a hotel in an area like Chicago's Streetervile/ Magnificent Mile or New York City's Fifth Ave/Rockefeller Center area. Where are the nicer hotels located? Finding good gourmet quality restaurants are also a concern. Also where can you get a good cup of Espresso in this town? What are the "must see" point of interests even those that a day trip would reach . Is it worth taking a separate side trip to Vancouver on the Cascades?

Any suggestions, and/or opinions are appreciated.
 
Don't stay in hotels near the station. The Pioneer Square area is historic, but the number of homeless makes it not the best area for staying in.

A full day trip to Mount Rainier is really nice, especially if you like nature oriented activities.
 
We are ticketed for our cross country trip in the summer of 2014. Having never been to Seattle;, as soon as we step off the Empire Builder, its new territory for us to explore.

We are having trouble locating a rental car, nice hotels and restaurants so I have a few questions that I hope that members can help us with. There are no car rental counters at King Street Station, so what franchises are there and where can we find a car? We want to stay at a hotel in an area like Chicago's Streetervile/ Magnificent Mile or New York City's Fifth Ave/Rockefeller Center area. Where are the nicer hotels located? Finding good gourmet quality restaurants are also a concern. Also where can you get a good cup of Espresso in this town? What are the "must see" point of interests even those that a day trip would reach . Is it worth taking a separate side trip to Vancouver on the Cascades?

Any suggestions, and/or opinions are appreciated.
One of our Members Charles Hamilton(C Hamilton) is a Long Time Resident of Seattle and was a Fantastic Tour Guide for the AU Group when we had our Gathering in Seattle 2 years ago! Please PM him, he is a really Nice Guy and has helped lots of us with Seattle tips, just dont tell him I recommended him, last time I was there he hid out and pretended that he had to work! :giggle: (Thats a Lie, I was only passing through on the way to Canada! ^_^ )
 
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For car rental, I have been happy with the downtown Seattle Alamo/National franchise in the Hilton at 6th and University. The open hours there are 7-6 weekdays 8-4 weekends - you can return the car at the airport for no extra fee.

But it is about a mile walk from King Street station - and uphill - don't know a shorter walk to rent-a-car.

As for hotels in city center - never done one in many stays - usually use one in Queen Anne or Ballard for 120-180/night. There is the Edgewater - expensive but actually out over the water on Elliot Bay -- never tried it but a friend did and liked.

If you want good food, avoid the waterfront tourist places -- some are ok -- get an ORCA at the Westlake station near Pike Place market - and ride the bus to Ballard where moshi-moshi has amazing good sushi and Senor Moose has really good mexican, and many others near there.

As for Espresso - sheesh - you'll get as many opinions are there are people - Seattle is Coffee Town USA -- like Vienna is in Europe,

<edit> - and right you are Jim, Charlie and other AU'ers know Seattle like the back of their hands.
 
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On our Amtrak California/Seattle trip we stayed at the Best Western Pioneer square. A very short cab ride from the Amtrak station and easy walking distance to Pike Street Market and other great sites. We loved it! So much, that I wrote my first ever review on Trip Advisor. It is not your typical Best Western, but a lovely boutique hotel with a lot of history and very affordable. Well maintained and great staff who arranged a van tour of Seattle for us, we were picked up at the hotel and returned there. Read the reviews on Trip Advisor, they tell how great it is.
 
Regarding hotels, check out this thread: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/45299-seattle-hotel-thoughts/

For things to do, try starting here: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/54077-seattle-wa/

Restaurants are sort of unlimited. Tell us what cuisine you like and the budget you have in mind, and the locals will be happy to chime in.

I've never actually rented a car since I live here, but many of my friends have. I believe all of the major car rental agencies will reimburse you for the short cab ride from King Street Station to their locations at the other end of downtown. So pick the best deal, and go for it!

Feel free to ask if you have more questions.
 
Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle is about as close to being the Magnificent Mile as Seattle gets. Hotels there include the Monaco and the Fairmont Olympic. A little further away, you'll find the Sorrento and the Edgewater.

Perhaps the best-known restauranteur in Seattle is Tom Douglas. All of his restaurants are excellent. If you want seafood, it's hard to go wrong with Elliott's, Chandler's, Anthony's, or Ray's -- among many others.

For espresso, well, close your eyes and point. I once counted 20 places to get espresso within a two-block radius of where I was living at the time. I'm one of the six people in Seattle that doesn't drink coffee (I know the other five, we have a support group :) ) but the locals don't care for Starbucks, preferring instead places like Tully's, Caffe Ladro and Cafe Vita -- again, among many others.

More ways to find restaurants:

 
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A rental car really isn't that important in Seattle. There's many transit agencies that runs buses everywhere. You should have no probalem getting around Greater Seattle unless you want to go really far away. There's guided tours to Mount Rainier, you can take one of those.

Here's a great map of transit connections in the area: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=213041250395756644804.0004d3ee2ab690ff1ee15. You can ride transit south to Centralia, east to North Bend, north to Bellingham, and west all around Olympia National Park. A lot of those little rides only cost $1 and they have really small 30' Phantom buses.

Seattle is really a transit fan haven, there you can ride high-floors, low-floors, artics, trackless trolleys, light rail, streetcars, hybrids, suburban buses, commuter rail, ferries, etc. Pretty much anything you can think of. That's why I've never used a rental car anywhere near Seattle. Enjoy your trip.
 
I used to stop in at Maximilien at the pike place market for espresso and a croissant before work, pre-Starbucks. It's still there, although I haven't been for 30 years. I'll bet you can still get an espresso there.
 
The OP asked about "nicer" hotels.
Well, IDK, I stayed at the Quality Inn Renton a few years back. Wasn't too bad, clean and pretty comfortable, I also got a complimentary breakfast. I know, it's no Intercontinental, Royal York, or Ritz-Carlton, but it was fine for a night's rest. I just rode 101 or 106 straight to Downtown.
 
One thing you have to make sure to not miss is a ferry ride to one of the islands. I actually stayed out on Bainbridge Island so I could take the ferry several times during my stay. The cost of the ferry is $7.70, but they only collect that one way, the other way is included.

As far as hotels in Seattle, I highly recommend the Edgewater, you are actually out over the waters edge and as long as you get a water side room, you have a fantastic view. If you are there during cruise season, the cruise ships leave within 100 feet of your room, it is amazing to watch.

Edited to add - I stayed at the Eagle Harbor Inn on Bainbridge. http://www.theeagleharborinn.com/
 
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Thanks to all the train travelers that supplied some terrific places and things to do on our Seattle vacation.

We do like staying at the nicer hotels and have done quite well over the years using Priceline and Hotwire. We've been able to find some really nice 4 star hotels in New Orleans French Quarter, in Chicago's Streeterville/ Magnificent Mile area and in other cities. As you get closer to the lodging date and based upon their current revenue stream, some of the larger quality hotels will release rooms at 50% of their normal rate. We've purchased $250 /night rooms in 4 star hotels for $125.00. Hotel's operate like Amtraks bucket system that takes into account; anticipated sales based on history, date/season, actual reservations on-hand, monthly revenue, and if conventions or special events are going on.

As for the things to do, it looks like we are going to have a busy week. We do plan on going to the San Juan Islands and to Mt Rainer if time permits.
 
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