Please critique my Seattle itinerary -- late August
#1
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Please critique my Seattle itinerary -- late August
Hello! Take a look at the following and let me know your thoughts. I'm pretty flexible, since I'm travelling alone. I will probably do a PL or Hotwire hotel...am considering the Seattle Center neighborhood so I can walk to the 10K race start I am registered for. (Am guessing public transportation doesn't run before 7 am on Saturdays...) BUT would despparately love a suggestion for the best neighborhood to stay in based on the things below I am interested in doing. Many thanks for your help!
Wednesday 1010 am: arrive...take public transportation to hotel...eat lunch because you are starving by now...go see Ballard Locks, Elliott Bay Bookstore, REI store, be lazy and slow because you are tired from getting up at 4 am.
Thursday: morning run (where? would love a suggestion) Pike Market, SAM...walk around Capitol Hill neighborhood? or a different one?
Friday: Aquarium, Pier 52 ferry to Bainbridge Island, Frye Museum
Saturday: 10k run commences at Seattle Center, Olympic Sculpture Park, check out of hotel, get rental car and drive 2 hours to Mt. Rainier. Check into hotel there...looking at Paradise Inn
Sunday: Mt. Rainier all day...hiking/photos....spend night there again
Monday morning: head back to Seattle, return car, public transportation to airport for 3:10 pm flight
Wednesday 1010 am: arrive...take public transportation to hotel...eat lunch because you are starving by now...go see Ballard Locks, Elliott Bay Bookstore, REI store, be lazy and slow because you are tired from getting up at 4 am.
Thursday: morning run (where? would love a suggestion) Pike Market, SAM...walk around Capitol Hill neighborhood? or a different one?
Friday: Aquarium, Pier 52 ferry to Bainbridge Island, Frye Museum
Saturday: 10k run commences at Seattle Center, Olympic Sculpture Park, check out of hotel, get rental car and drive 2 hours to Mt. Rainier. Check into hotel there...looking at Paradise Inn
Sunday: Mt. Rainier all day...hiking/photos....spend night there again
Monday morning: head back to Seattle, return car, public transportation to airport for 3:10 pm flight
#2
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I think that IF you are in a 10K run, the 1 1/2 miles-ish trip from "downtown" Seattle should be a non-issue to you on Saturday morning.
(go for the "downtown" zone on Priceline - much more pleasant areas than some you could land in the Seattle Center area)
It is nearly all 'flat' beTWEEEEEEEEEEN mid-town and Seattle Center. The Seattle bus system is quite reliable, and it should be easy to catch some sort of a bus from mid-town toward Seattle Center so early, if need be.
Thursday... IF you want a sense of Seattle, you might consider running around/near to "Green Lake" in the north end.
Since it will be early on a Thursday (work day)... you won't have toooooooooooo many others on the paths. You can take the bus there very easily.
(note for arrival: the "Link Light Rail" is a cinch trip from the airport into mid-town, for $2.75... and you can't really get lost... same for the trip back.
It would cost a few/several extra bucks to get your car downtown and return it at the airport, but you COULD do that for a touch of convenience.
Good job on the ferry to Bainbridge... though I could see just riding over and back, without getting off the boat.
I just went to Mount Rainier the other day... for the first time in a thousand years... and while clear weather is of considerable importance, it was still fun to be at "the snowiest place on earth" nearing July, with still 10 feet of snow officially on the ground at Paradise.
(roads are all completely clear, as are the parking lots)
Hope this helps somehow !!
(go for the "downtown" zone on Priceline - much more pleasant areas than some you could land in the Seattle Center area)
It is nearly all 'flat' beTWEEEEEEEEEEN mid-town and Seattle Center. The Seattle bus system is quite reliable, and it should be easy to catch some sort of a bus from mid-town toward Seattle Center so early, if need be.
Thursday... IF you want a sense of Seattle, you might consider running around/near to "Green Lake" in the north end.
Since it will be early on a Thursday (work day)... you won't have toooooooooooo many others on the paths. You can take the bus there very easily.
(note for arrival: the "Link Light Rail" is a cinch trip from the airport into mid-town, for $2.75... and you can't really get lost... same for the trip back.
It would cost a few/several extra bucks to get your car downtown and return it at the airport, but you COULD do that for a touch of convenience.
Good job on the ferry to Bainbridge... though I could see just riding over and back, without getting off the boat.
I just went to Mount Rainier the other day... for the first time in a thousand years... and while clear weather is of considerable importance, it was still fun to be at "the snowiest place on earth" nearing July, with still 10 feet of snow officially on the ground at Paradise.
(roads are all completely clear, as are the parking lots)
Hope this helps somehow !!
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Thank you, Male of the Northwest...it does help! I did not realize Seattle Center and DT were so close, so yes, I'd rather stay in a better part of town and take the bus. I will look on a map for Green Lake for the running...thank you for that suggestion!
#5
I think you need to check a map. On each of your days you have stuff all over town.
For example:
Wed- Ballard Locks (are out at Shilshole past Ballard north of downtown), Elliott Bay Bookstore (is on Capitol Hill now), REI store (at the east edge of downtown near the freeway).
Th- Pike Market, SAM. (both downtown), Capitol Hill (back up to Capitol Hill
Fri- Aquarium, Pier 52 ferry to Bainbridge Island (both downtown/waterfront), Frye Museum (on First Hill).
Especially since you are doing this by public transportation, I would try to group the things closer together on the same days, rather than going to 2-3 different parts of the city every day.
For example:
Wed- Ballard Locks (are out at Shilshole past Ballard north of downtown), Elliott Bay Bookstore (is on Capitol Hill now), REI store (at the east edge of downtown near the freeway).
Th- Pike Market, SAM. (both downtown), Capitol Hill (back up to Capitol Hill
Fri- Aquarium, Pier 52 ferry to Bainbridge Island (both downtown/waterfront), Frye Museum (on First Hill).
Especially since you are doing this by public transportation, I would try to group the things closer together on the same days, rather than going to 2-3 different parts of the city every day.
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Are you saying it's tough to get from downtown to First Hill or Capitol Hill? They seem pretty close to me. Surely a visit to Pike Place, SAM and a walk around Capitol Hill is doable on a single day?
Would love other thoughts. Thank you!
Would love other thoughts. Thank you!
#7
Here is the info on the free bus zone-map link-
http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus...attle-rfa.html
http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus...attle-rfa.html
#9
Yes, you could definitely go to the Market and the downtown art museum then bus up and take a walk around Capitol Hill in one day.
Just thinking I'd probably group things that were closer to save time riding Metro all over every day. For example - Elliott Bay, the Frye, and Capitol Hill together. Then the Market, SAM, aquariuim, and Bainbridge ferry together. Would be a little smoother.
Just thinking I'd probably group things that were closer to save time riding Metro all over every day. For example - Elliott Bay, the Frye, and Capitol Hill together. Then the Market, SAM, aquariuim, and Bainbridge ferry together. Would be a little smoother.
#10
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Thank you, Suze. I know the first day seems odd. But I will be tired from the early morning flight and will probbly welcome a bus ride or two.
I wanted to go to the bookstore the first day to get a really good guidebook, so I guess that would be day to cruise around that neighborhood, too. I also wanted to go to the locks the first day because it is more out of the way, if I understand corectly. I sometimes like to do those sorts of things first because they tend to fall off the itin if left for the end. If I don't make it to the REI mothership, that's okay. I've been before.
Regarding my Monday drive back from Rainier for my 310 flight: Is that enough time to see Mt. St. Helen's on the drive back in? Or, I would like to see the museum that has the Chihuly's in it in Tacoma, and I see from their website they are open on Mondays during the summer!
Thank you, all!
I wanted to go to the bookstore the first day to get a really good guidebook, so I guess that would be day to cruise around that neighborhood, too. I also wanted to go to the locks the first day because it is more out of the way, if I understand corectly. I sometimes like to do those sorts of things first because they tend to fall off the itin if left for the end. If I don't make it to the REI mothership, that's okay. I've been before.
Regarding my Monday drive back from Rainier for my 310 flight: Is that enough time to see Mt. St. Helen's on the drive back in? Or, I would like to see the museum that has the Chihuly's in it in Tacoma, and I see from their website they are open on Mondays during the summer!
Thank you, all!
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Revised:
Wednesday 1010 am: arrive...light rail to hotel...eat lunch because you are starving by now...go see Ballard Locks, Elliott Bay Bookstore, REI store...BUS DAY!
Thursday: morning run (where? maybe Green Lake or Myrtle Edwards PArk) Pike Market, SAM...walk around Pioneer Square...FEET DAY!
Friday: Aquarium, Pier 52 ferry to Bainbridge Island, Frye Museum...FERRy Day!
Saturday: 10k run commences at Seattle Center, Olympic Sculpture Park, check out of hotel, get rental car and drive 2 hours to Mt. Rainier. Check into hotel there...looking at Paradise Inn
Sunday: Mt. Rainier all day...hiking/photos....spend night there again
Monday morning: head back to airport for 3:10 pm flight, but drive by something on way back in (time for MT. St. Helen's?) or go see some Chihuly's at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma
Wednesday 1010 am: arrive...light rail to hotel...eat lunch because you are starving by now...go see Ballard Locks, Elliott Bay Bookstore, REI store...BUS DAY!
Thursday: morning run (where? maybe Green Lake or Myrtle Edwards PArk) Pike Market, SAM...walk around Pioneer Square...FEET DAY!
Friday: Aquarium, Pier 52 ferry to Bainbridge Island, Frye Museum...FERRy Day!
Saturday: 10k run commences at Seattle Center, Olympic Sculpture Park, check out of hotel, get rental car and drive 2 hours to Mt. Rainier. Check into hotel there...looking at Paradise Inn
Sunday: Mt. Rainier all day...hiking/photos....spend night there again
Monday morning: head back to airport for 3:10 pm flight, but drive by something on way back in (time for MT. St. Helen's?) or go see some Chihuly's at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma
#12
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Hmmm...last message didn't post. Anyway, I am ditching the Mt. St. Helens' idea and am thinking I can make it from Rainier to the Glass Museum in Tacoma to SEATAC for a 310 flight all without getting too stressed out about time. Holler if I'm wrong!
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmph, and I say this only because I WENT to Mount Rainier (Paradise) for the first time in decades last week:
I hope you are envisioning a complete circuit of Mount Rainier when combining your arrival and departure from Paradise. It is just... the right thing to do. And one never knows from which random spot the best views/photo-ops will come.
As for Tacoma and the Glass Museum... even in the event of bad traffic, a trip from Tacoma to the airport can be had along "highway 99" (IF the Interstate is for some reason blocked)... so that should ease some concerns about that final day.
Just MapQuest some of the important legs of your trip in advance, and those guides will be very helpful come crunch time.
I hope you are envisioning a complete circuit of Mount Rainier when combining your arrival and departure from Paradise. It is just... the right thing to do. And one never knows from which random spot the best views/photo-ops will come.
As for Tacoma and the Glass Museum... even in the event of bad traffic, a trip from Tacoma to the airport can be had along "highway 99" (IF the Interstate is for some reason blocked)... so that should ease some concerns about that final day.
Just MapQuest some of the important legs of your trip in advance, and those guides will be very helpful come crunch time.
#15
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Thanks, NWM. Yes, I plan to hike every inch my day and a half there will allow! I am waiting until I get to Seattle to get a good guidebook, though. My library and B&N in Kansas aren't well-stocked with Rainier titles : )
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(ponders kit: ) What? Y'mean Fodors' guidebook to Seattle, 5th edition, isn't plentiful there... (complete with a quote from meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee on page 39)
And now, I shall read a selection from my published works:
"If ideal weather was a given (laugh), I would include a round-trip, walk-on ferry ride to Bainbridge Island for mountain, water, and skyline views. Then lunch on the Seattle waterfront, shopping in Pioneer Square, or a walk around Olympic Sculpture Park. Take the bus to Broadway [on Capitol Hill] for interesting shopping, people-watching, and burgers at Dick's Drive-in"
I, as usual, had more to say, but they took editorial liberty and reduced it to suit their space.
But c'mon, Kansas needs access to my one travel-related published paragraph...
PS - yes, the downtown Seattle library (which COULD land right near to a random-ish Priceline hotel score) IS really unique and worth visiting. You can go up or down several floors of books without either stairs or an elevator! The floor is graded, and thus you never have to leave the steady progression of the shelved books.
Ride an elevator all the way to the top, and then explore...
And now, I shall read a selection from my published works:
"If ideal weather was a given (laugh), I would include a round-trip, walk-on ferry ride to Bainbridge Island for mountain, water, and skyline views. Then lunch on the Seattle waterfront, shopping in Pioneer Square, or a walk around Olympic Sculpture Park. Take the bus to Broadway [on Capitol Hill] for interesting shopping, people-watching, and burgers at Dick's Drive-in"
I, as usual, had more to say, but they took editorial liberty and reduced it to suit their space.
But c'mon, Kansas needs access to my one travel-related published paragraph...
PS - yes, the downtown Seattle library (which COULD land right near to a random-ish Priceline hotel score) IS really unique and worth visiting. You can go up or down several floors of books without either stairs or an elevator! The floor is graded, and thus you never have to leave the steady progression of the shelved books.
Ride an elevator all the way to the top, and then explore...
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NWM -- you are a word bumping GENIUS! I, too, was quoted once (Las Vegas maybe?) and remember thinking that I was glad Kit wasn't my real name : ) (laugh)
I am so excited to visit Seattle as a tourist instead of a business traveler. and I hope it's raining; I love the rain.
Tried to get a Priceline Hotel tonight, but all my bids and free re-bids were rejected. Will try again in a few days. Hoping for some big anonymous business hotel DT for about 135.
I am so excited to visit Seattle as a tourist instead of a business traveler. and I hope it's raining; I love the rain.
Tried to get a Priceline Hotel tonight, but all my bids and free re-bids were rejected. Will try again in a few days. Hoping for some big anonymous business hotel DT for about 135.
#20
I think Pricelining a downtown hotel is an excellent idea. People often report getting the Sheraton or Westin at really good rates (hopefully your particular weekend isn't overly busy with tourists, cruiseship passengers, conventions, or the marathon).