Planning a Trip to Seattle

In early June, I am going to take my granddaughter on a short trip to Seattle on the CS. I've never been there, so I want any help you can give me regarding where to stay, what to see, how to get around in the city, etc.

We want to see the Space Needle, the Childrens Museum, the Aquarium, and maybe take a ferry boat ride. Any other ideas? And what is the best way to get to each of these venues?

Since it will just be us two ladies, are there any parts of town we should try to avoid, or at least keep our guards up?

Thanks for any help you can give us.

Trainmans daughter said:

In early June, I am going to take my granddaughter on a short trip to Seattle on the CS. I've never been there, so I want any help you can give me regarding where to stay, what to see, how to get around in the city, etc.
We want to see the Space Needle, the Childrens Museum, the Aquarium, and maybe take a ferry boat ride. Any other ideas? And what is the best way to get to each of these venues?

Since it will just be us two ladies, are there any parts of town we should try to avoid, or at least keep our guards up?

Thanks for any help you can give us.

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I typically stay at either the Seattle Sheraton or Westin to earn AGR points from Starwood. I stay enough nights per year at Starwood hotels to be at their their SPG Gold level. It offers late 4:00 PM checkout, which is nice because the eastbound Empire Builder leaves at 4:40.

The Sheraton is in the heart of the retail and office district and great if shopping is high on your list. The Westin is close to the Space Needle. They have very attractive advance purchase room rates at www.spg.com

I will defer to others as to where not to go in downtown Seattle.

If you rented a car - check out the Cascades! ESPECIALLY in June, it will be gorgeous up at Mt. Rainier.

*sigh* I want to move back.

The waterfront in June is bustling with activity. There's plenty of shops to visit and restaurants. The aquarium is also on the waterfront. Settle Harbor Tours does tours of Elliot bay by boat. Pier 52 is where Washington State Ferries departs for Bainbridge Island and Bremerton if you'd like to take a ferry ride. Also downtown is the Seattle Art Museum and the fantastic new Seattle Library is quite a architectural attraction. You absolutely must spend several hours at the Pike Place Market. Just FYI, there's much more to the market than just the street level shops and seafood vendors. There's multiple levels with all kinds of interesting shops. At the Seattle Center there is the Space Needle and the EMP, Experience Music Project.

Getting around the downtown core is easy, Metro is free. If shopping is in your mind then the Westlake Center, Pacific Place Mall, Pine St. and 5th Ave should be in your plans to visit.

If you'd really like to see some of Seattle's more colorful side venture up to Capitol Hill and stroll down Broadway. Have fun.

We covered Seattle hotels and restaurants and getting around downtown pretty thoroughly here, here, here, and here.

As far as sketchy parts of downtown, in the daytime the whole place is pretty much okay. Seattle has a pretty low crime rate for a sizable city. You will see places with a lot of bums lounging around, for instance around the County Courthouse (and they will not all be lawyers, I mean actual vagrants), but they won't harm you; offend you, maybe, but not harm you. At night, Pioneer Square can feel ooky (except on weekends, when there will be revelers there), and in the evening the area around Pike Place Market clears of market and the vagrants and sometime-hooligans remain behind. I tend to avoid Pike Street from the Market up to Third Avenue (and Third a couple of blocks either side of Pike) at night, as bands of youths congregate there and there have been a few assaults on passersby lately. Bell Street from Western Avenue to 5th Avenue or so seems to be the hub of nighttime drug dealing downtown, and so I wouldn't walk its length, but I'm not afraid to cross it. As a rough rule of thumb, the niceness of downtown Avenues is proportional to their number; 6th is nicer than 5th, which is nicer than 4th, and so on. That is not to say there are not nice patches of 1st or 2nd, but if I am walking the length of downtown Seattle at night, I feel better doing it on 4th or 5th Avenue than on the lower-numbered ones. (I live at the north end of downtown, and I am walking all over downtown all the time.)

Thank you all for your help and ideas. Sorry about the redundancy of my questions. I didn't realise this subject had already been discussed.

Stay out of the Tacoma Hill (and all of Tacoma for that matter) and Seattle's Rainier Avenue and the rest is pretty much a nice city. There really is no reason for a tourist to be going anywhere near Rainier Avenue anyways so no need to worry. Even during the day its decent.

Do you have a hotel picked out yet? I have some suggestions if not. jmbgeg listed a couple good ones. The Westin and Sheraton are both very nice but I would recommend using priceline.

inspiration100 said:

Stay out of the Tacoma Hill (and all of Tacoma for that matter) and Seattle's Rainier Avenue and the rest is pretty much a nice city. There really is no reason for a tourist to be going anywhere near Rainier Avenue anyways so no need to worry. Even during the day its decent.
Do you have a hotel picked out yet? I have some suggestions if not. jmbgeg listed a couple good ones. The Westin and Sheraton are both very nice but I would recommend using priceline.

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Here is an example of a June prepaid rate at the Sheraton from the SPG site:

1 King

Traditional Non-smoking, Sweet Sleeper Bed, City View, High-speed Internet For A Fee, 32 Inch Lcd Tvs

Reserve & Relax - Advance Purchase Rate Is Fully Prepaid, Non Changeable, Non Refundable

Terms & Details

USD 149.00

+ charges & taxes

= USD 172.25

Reserve

I would guess you can beat that on Priceline.

Well yes and no... The odds of winning the Sheraton are WAY lower than winning the Westin through priceline. So if the Sheraton is prefered it'd be smarter to book it through SPG. The problem is that those two hotels have the same amentities so hotwire cant be used to distinguish the two. Seems like 60-70% win the Westin when bidding downtown 4*.

I think that the Sheraton is nicer, but the Westin sure is nice too. But I love that top floor workout and pool with the Sheraton.

BTW, that's not a bad rate for the Sheraton though.

inspiration100 said:

Well yes and no... The odds of winning the Sheraton are WAY lower than winning the Westin through priceline. So if the Sheraton is prefered it'd be smarter to book it through SPG. The problem is that those two hotels have the same amentities so hotwire cant be used to distinguish the two. Seems like 60-70% win the Westin when bidding downtown 4*
BTW, that's not a bad rate for the Sheraton though.

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I agree. It is a good rate.

One problem with Priceline and like services. You don't get points in the hotels or AGR programs, to the best of my knowledge.

yeah, most all hotels dont give you points for your stay or give you any of the perks from the program. The only hotel that honors this for priceline customers that I am aware of is Omni. They will give you the perks (free internet, free drinks to your room etc) if you are part of their program.

I don't know much about how to get around Seattle as my cousin drove us around when I was there last summer, but just wanted to say we sure enjoyed watching the boats go through the Ballard Locks. That was very pleasant and interesting. Don't know if that's easy to take a bus to or not but if it's a beautiful day it is a fine idea for an activity.

Aloha

When I spent a day in Seattle I enjoyed the "Duck Tour". This was about 10 years ago so it may not exist. A "Duck" is an Amphibious vehicle that drives on land and sails on water. If still Available it worth a few hours.

Cascadia said:

I don't know much about how to get around Seattle as my cousin drove us around when I was there last summer, but just wanted to say we sure enjoyed watching the boats go through the Ballard Locks. That was very pleasant and interesting. Don't know if that's easy to take a bus to or not but if it's a beautiful day it is a fine idea for an activity.

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The Ballard Locks are a popular spot to visit. Often in the summer I will ride my bike there and flop on the grassy slope of the cut and watch the boats go by. If you go, be sure to go look at the fish ladder on the south side. To get there from downtown, take Metro bus number 17; it'll take you right there. If you time your trip to the Locks right (10-ish in the morning, 4:50-ish in the afternoon), you can watch the Empire Builder cross the Salmon Bay Bridge to the west of the Locks. If you really want to watch trains, you can walk south up the hill from the south side of the Locks to this footbridge over the main line and watch the trains pass under you.

GG-1 said:

Aloha
When I spent a day in Seattle I enjoyed the "Duck Tour". This was about 10 years ago so it may not exist. A "Duck" is an Amphibious vehicle that drives on land and sails on water. If still Available it worth a few hours.

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The Ducks are still here. I've never taken a ride on our Ducks (I did ride the Wisconsin Dell Ducks once many years ago), but I see them all the time and the people seem to be enjoying themselves (and if the driver has handed out the duck calls, they are quacking up a storm and I yell "Quack" back at them). The Duck tour headquarters is on 5th Ave N just east of the Space Needle, so perhaps you could follow a trip to the Needle with a ride on the Ducks.

Aloha Cascadia

Mahalo or letting me know the ducks still float. We Have one here in Honolulu that I have yet to ride. Ours don't have the "Quackers"

inspiration100 said:

Stay out of the Tacoma Hill (and all of Tacoma for that matter) and Seattle's Rainier Avenue and the rest is pretty much a nice city. There really is no reason for a tourist to be going anywhere near Rainier Avenue anyways so no need to worry. Even during the day its decent.
Do you have a hotel picked out yet? I have some suggestions if not. jmbgeg listed a couple good ones. The Westin and Sheraton are both very nice but I would recommend using priceline.

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Having grown up in Tacoma, I would somewhat disagree with the idea of staying away from Tacoma. First, Pt. Defiance Park is a wonderful place to visit, with a very nice zoo. Also, downtown is getting to be a nice place to visit, with the glass museum and state history museum. And while in that area, if you are a train history buff, check out the old Union Station, which is now federal courts. The lobby is beautiful, and there are some displays downstairs of the days of yore. This was once a very busy station. You can also drive by Stadium High School, which you may have seen in movies like 10 Things I Hate About You. Tacoma's north end (especially Old Town) is beautiful. One thought is to make Tacoma part of a loop with the ferry to Bremerton or Bainbridge Island one way across the Sound, and the Narrows Bridges the other way (bridge toll is only charged eastbound).

I would also agree with Malrothien that if you should visit the mountains, preferably Mt. Rainier. I would recommend stopping at Longmire (great nature trail here) and Paradise in the park. Also, some very nice shops around the towns of Elbe and Ashford, just outside the park.

If you have the time, I personally recommend taking the cruise to Tillicum Village from the Seattle waterfront. I haven't been there for many years, but I REALLY want to go back. Nice water tour, great food, and great show. Also, you'll learn a little about Northwest Coast Native American culture.

In addition to the cruise to Tillicum Village, Argosy Cruises offers several other boat cruises as well. I took one the last time I was in Seattle for any length of time and I'm going on another one when I'm in Seattle in late June. Well worth the time!

I checked out all the previous links that D T Nelson referred to and was unable to find any mention of Homewood Suites on Western Ave. (Not the one on Pike St.). It is close to the Space Needle area, a block from the beach, has good reviews and looks nice on their website - of course. But I'm wondering if any of you have an opinion of this facility. It is a Hilton Hotel and I am a HHonors member which earns me AGR points. I went ahead and made reservations, but now I'm thinking I should have asked about it here. I don't want to end up in a dump or in a bad area. Have any of you stayed there or heard anything about it? Thanks!

Trainmans daughter said:

I checked out all the previous links that D T Nelson referred to and was unable to find any mention of Homewood Suites on Western Ave. (Not the one on Pike St.). It is close to the Space Needle area, a block from the beach, has good reviews and looks nice on their website - of course. But I'm wondering if any of you have an opinion of this facility. It is a Hilton Hotel and I am a HHonors member which earns me AGR points. I went ahead and made reservations, but now I'm thinking I should have asked about it here. I don't want to end up in a dump or in a bad area. Have any of you stayed there or heard anything about it? Thanks!

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That is not in a bad area. It says it is "downtown" but it is really at the southwestern corner of "lower Queen Anne," the lower slope of Queen Anne Hill, which is north of downtown. The area is pretty much all small office and apartment buildings. I have never been in this hotel, but have been past it on foot many times, and it looks fine.

It IS a block from the shore, as you say, but there are train tracks between it and the water, so if you want to go over and dip your toes in salt water, you would have to walk about five blocks south to Broad Street, cross the tracks, and then walk north again. That is not a bad walk, I just wanted to prepare you for it. If you get a room on the west side of the building, you should have a view of the water from your room.

It is down almost at water level, so walking to the Space Needle or downtown or the lower Queen Anne neighborhood, you are going to be walking uphill quite a bit. But on the bright side, it will be all downhill coming home.

It is on the route of Metro buses 19, 24, and 33, all of which stop at the 4th & Jackson bus stop (on 4th Avenue just south of Jackson St), just east of King Street Station. So, if you are traveling light and can wrangle your luggage by yourself, you can get there from the train station for $2 or $2.25 a person (depending on the time of day).

A small note-- at the aquarium stay around for the octopus feedings. It's AMAZING!

You might want to check this video out too.

What a fun video. That girl sure was enthusiastic! I think I had a dress like that back then, and I dated a guy who had a blue cardigan sweater like the "Hardy Boy" in the video was wearing. Thanks for posting the link.

What's also funny about the video is that the tourists were generally not aware they were filming. When the couple pushes to the front of the crowd to see the band, the woman on the left gives them a dirty look at 4:20.

You may also enjoy the MST3K commentary version.

Well, we're off and running - almost! We board our train in the middle of the night tonight. We have a roomette, so we will just climb out of bed at home, drive 10 minutes to the station, and when the train arrives, climb into our bunks and finish our night's sleep. My granddaughter is looking forward to the Pacific Parlour Car and the theater downstairs. I'm looking forward to the wine and cheese tasting. What a treat!

Thanks for all the great suggestions you gave me. We will be staying in the Homewood Suites on the 5th floor facing west. I've made reservations to Ride The Ducks on Wednesday (even paid extra for the "quackers"). We are planning a ferry trip to Bainbridge Island, a visit to the Aquarium, Pike's market, and of course Seattle Center.

Again, thanks to everyone who helped us with the planning of this trip!

Trainmans daughter said:

Well, we're off and running - almost! We board our train in the middle of the night tonight. We have a roomette, so we will just climb out of bed at home, drive 10 minutes to the station, and when the train arrives, climb into our bunks and finish our night's sleep. My granddaughter is looking forward to the Pacific Parlour Car and the theater downstairs. I'm looking forward to the wine and cheese tasting. What a treat!
Thanks for all the great suggestions you gave me. We will be staying in the Homewood Suites on the 5th floor facing west. I've made reservations to Ride The Ducks on Wednesday (even paid extra for the "quackers"). We are planning a ferry trip to Bainbridge Island, a visit to the Aquarium, Pike's market, and of course Seattle Center.

Again, thanks to everyone who helped us with the planning of this trip!

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Hey! Have a great time!!! Enjoy the PPC!!