osakaorchid

i have never been to seattle and its on my list of possible destinations to visit.

im the type of traveler that likes to visit places where i dont need a rental car to get around..i simply consider dealing with a rental car to be a hassle: extra expense, insurance, possible parking meters/fees, getting lost, vehicular vandalism, theft, wreck, etc.

you get the idea.

for example, i recently went to san francisco and had a blast there. although their transportation wasnt the world's finest..it did the job and got me everywhere i needed to go., and im fine with just that, as long as its somewhat efficient and dependable.

so, im soliciting the advice of those who have keen knowledge of seattle on the local transportation system. the pros and cons of it, and any recommendations.

im open to any lodging suggestions that would place me in the epicenter of the transportation hub, and/or near a transportation line. im also wanting to know if there is a rail system or subway that exists there, especially one that connects the airport to the downtown/tourist areas.

other than the space needle, and pike fish market, i really have no clue what else there is to do in seattle.

i like museums, shopping, entertainment, nightlife, restaurants.

im also specifically interested in the international district, and was wondering if it incorporates other cultures other than the chinatown district? if not, why else would it be referred to as "international district"?

idealistically, id like to go when the weather is mild, and not cold..so im thinking of visiting in the summertime, just dont have any dates set at all.

be_6489

I was in Seattle about a month ago and had a blast. I did not have a rental car and it was not a problem. I was able to get most places that I was going by walking or taking the public bus.

I stayed at the Westin which was a centrally located downtown very near the metrorail.

I wrote a trip report in case you are interested to read it.

suze

You definitely don't need or want a rental car if you stay somewhere downtown. The Moore Hotel, Ace hotel, Hotel Max are all decent budget places (depending the kind of place you're looking for) or the Warwick or Mayflower Park for more mainstream hotels.

It's called the ID because yes there are Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and other nationalities besides Chinese.

Metro bus system is decent. It's free in the downtown core. There's a new 'lightrail' from the airport. It's truly brand new so not sure how it's working yet. You can also get in from the airport on Metro #194 express. There's no subway per se, but some busses do go underground into the "bus tunnel" in the downtown area.

For museum there's SAM downtown of course, also SAM Asian branch in Volunteer Park, and the Frye is a great museum (and free).

Tourist itinerary: Space Needle/Seattle Center, Pioneer Square historic district/Smith Tower, the Waterfront, Pike Place Market, EPM, Olympic Sculpture Park, Argosy cruise, ferry ride, Savor Seattle tour, Underground Tour, the Locks, on and on.

As far as shopping, restaurants, entertainment, nightlife... give us some general idea of what you're after. It's a HUGE question!! Give us a clue your age, price range, interests. I'm not sure if you're seeking edgy contemporary music clubs for a 20-something, or a ticket to the symphony for an 80-year old traveler or something in between.

osakaorchid

your awesome so far, suze. if they dont quote anything you say in a future seattle fodors guidebook. ill be dismayed.

well, from your last paragraph alone, youre giving me the indication that seattle caters to every and all shopping interests.

as far as restaurants, being a traveler im interested in local flair, especially fresh seafood cuisine.

my price range would be best described as middle class. not exactly a budget minded shopper (although i can be, especially if a good deal is in store), but certainly dont flaunt any sort of debaucheries either.

as far as nightlife,.im in my early 30s, but dont mind hanging with either the older or younger crowd. thats what being in the middle has in store, i suppose.

i like most forms of nightlife: dance clubs, comedy, festivals, etc.

i do appreciate fine art, plays, and operas, but not the kind that are longwinded and would render me comatose.

NorthwestMale

(firstly, I opted to respond to you despite the allure of someone else's post headlined: "Buying a TV in Connecticut")

The main thing that people forget, about Seattle, and with regard to public transportation, is that unlike in so many U.S. cities (and unlike even Seattle last week) the weather is such that one can stand to be outside on the street waiting for the bus. (seldom too hot and seldom too cold - we hit 100 degrees last Wednesday, for the 3rd time in 50 years)

SO, Seattle has effective public transportation.

If I were coming, I would go ahead and use Priceline to land a 3- or 4-star hotel in the "downtown" core. Some of those possibilities are more ideally located than others, but any would do. The buses are free to ride to and fro downtown before 7pm, and once you have a list/sense of things you wish to do, the website of the local metro can help you figure out how to get there. http://transit.metrokc.gov/


Hope this helps

Bobmrg

Slight modification to Suze's excellent recommendations: the light rail system doesn't go all the way to the airport yet...should be finished by the end of the year. However, free shuttle buses are provided from the end of the line to the airport.

The ID is immediately adjacent to the south end of the business district...at the southern terminus of the free bus zone. Make it a point to visit Uwajimaya's big store at 600 5th Avenue S. (you could look it up on Google maps.

General rule is that numbered streets run north and south and are relatively flat; named streets run east and west up and down hills. However, exercise a little curiosity and you will find escalators and elevators in stores and office buildings that help with the hill-climbing.

When you get here, pick up a copy of the Seattle Weekly...it's free. Ignore the back pages where the sex trade ads are and concentrate on the show/entertainment listings.

suze

Neumo's, Noc Noc, Chop Suey, Showbox, Crocodile, Jazz Alley, Triple Door, Tula's, New Orleans are all live music venues, of various sorts downtown or on Capitol Hill.

Loads of bars along 1st Avenue from the Market to Belltown... and Whiskey Bar on 2nd.

Seafood cheap- Market Grill lunch stand (in the Market by the pig statue), from Jack's Seafood fish stand, Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar (in the Market near the original Starbucks), any of the stands down along the Waterfront.

Seafood expensive- Etta's Seafood, Matt's in the Market, Maximillien's, Place Pigalle, Anthony's Pier 66, Waterfront Seafood Grill, McCormicks on 4th and Ponti's or Ray's Boathouse (last two not in downtown).

Shopping downtown I'd first go to Nordstrom (yeah) and maybe Macy's, then shops in Pacific Place and Westlake "malls" and then check boutiques along 1st Avenue, again from the Market up thru Belltown.

Sorry I guess I don't know about anything "fine arts"-wise... they ALL put me into a coma (lol).

You can check online of grab the free weekly papers (Seattle Weekly and The Stranger) plus the Seattle Times for schedules of local entertainment and events.

For instance if you're here in summer-time, depending on the dates... there's Bon Adori (Japanese festival), SeaFair festivities (parade, boat races, Blue Angels), Folklife Festival on Memorial Day & Bumbershoot Festival on Labor Day at Seattle Center, concerts at the Woodlawn Park Zoo, concerts out at San Michele winery, Gay Pride parade, etc. etc.

Gardyloo

By all means enjoy your time in downtown and the immediate environs, but be aware that Seattle is very much a city of neighborhoods, some with distinctive characteristics and "vibes" that can be quite different from the downtown/ID/Belltown/Regrade areas - Scandinavian Ballard, or Fremont, the "Center of the Universe," with a troll under a bridge near a statue of Lenin, or yachty Madison Park, or the University (of Washington) District, or the houseboat jungles on Lake Union, or the Union Bay nature trails, canoe rentals, the Washington Park Arboretum, the incredible Lake Washington Boulevard alongside the lake, West Seattle and Alki Beach with cute lighthouse and mini Statue of Liberty, Fishermen's Terminal... and so on. It's a big and surprisingly cosmopolitan city, once you get past the Space Needle and Underground Tour fleshpots.

...idealistically, id like to go when the weather is mild, and not cold..so im thinking of visiting in the summertime, just dont have any dates set at all.

Well, idealism is always welcome. Are we talking this year or next? If this year, then hopefully last week we had our little annual bout with hot weather (90+) and you might want to think about arriving around Labor Day, attending the Bumbershoot arts festival - www.bumbershoot.org - then enjoy the city for a couple/few days after that when kids are back in school. Usually the weather is reliably nice (warm but not hot) around then.

I read and understand your aversion to cars, but I have to say that visiting Seattle and not getting out into some of the (car, not bus-accessible) countryside around here is a real pity. So much of Seattle's urban vibe is built around its proximity to ocean, mountains, islands etc. that only seeing these things from a distance is a shame (IMO.) So you might consider getting a car for a day or two and heading out to Mt. Rainier, or to the Olympic Peninsula, or to Vashon, Whidbey, the San Juan Islands... Driving is easy, and if you get a car from a downtown office of a car agency rather than at the airport the price can be reasonable. Just sayin'.

suze

I think it's a matter of personal interests. I love this region and own a car and hardly ever have gone to any of those places. I'm just a more urban focused person. I love to fly down and spend a few days in San Francisco. Going hiking out in the countryside around here, not so much.

beanweb24

Adding to the already events/festivals mentioned: Solstice in June and Seattle International Beer Fest (fabulous) the first weekend of July.