stpetereb

We will arrive in Seattle at 9:30 Monday morning, we would like to know the quickest and most interesting way to go. We would like an idea of how long it will take and if there are any "must See" places along the way. Thanks in advance.

NWWanderer

In this case, quickest is not the most interesting. Driving around via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge will be slightly faster but taking the ferry from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island and driving from there is MUCH, much more interesting.

ONP is a very big place--I'm assuming you're going to the Port Angeles area first since most people do, but that could be an incorrect assumption--please specify. If you are going there, the trip will take about 2-2.5 hours, plus any ferry waiting time (which should be minimal at that time of the morning on a Monday).

happytrailstoyou

The quickest way is by driving I-5 south and then Highways 16, 3 and 101 (125 miles and about 2 1/2 hours).

This route can be made much more scenic if you work your way over to Hoodsport and drive up Highway 101, as it skirts the west side of Hood Canal--but that takes longer.

Port Townsend, a Victorian town with a beautiful setting, is worth a detour.

azzure

I agree with NWW -- the route from Seatac to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is anything but interesting. Bainbridge Ferry would be a much nicer option, and shouldn't take much longer.

Tip: as you come up Highway 3 toward the Hood Canal Bridge, continue straight past the left turn to the bridge for about a mile and visit Port Gamble, a very cute restored 19th century village. Port Townsend, as HTTY mentions, is also worth visiting but is a bit out of the way if you're headed for Olympic NP.

jan_1006_fiveseasuns

We often suggest to our guests here at Five SeaSuns B&B in Port Angeles that they come to the Peninsula via the Bainbridge Island ferry with a stop at Pikes Market in Seattle very near the ferry terminal on their way if they haven't experienced the market before. Seeing the Seattle skyline behind you and the Olympic Mountains in front of you is always an amazing sight.

If Port Angeles is your first destination on the Peninsula,, it is about 1 1/2 hours from Bainbridge ferry terminal. Enjoy your time on the Olympic Peninsula.

Bobmrg

jan_1006_fiveseasons....you're a semi-local and you call it Pike's Market???

The market's physical location is on Pike Place, so it is called Pike Place Market.

stpetereb

Thanks for all of the info.

jj1

Going via Bainbridge, there is normally a lot of traffic between the airport and Seattle and you will normally have a several ferry wait at Seattle.

azzure

You will NOT experience a "several ferry wait" going from Seattle to Bainbridge mid-morning on a weekday. Later on in the afternoon (commuter hours), that's possible but not likely.

easytraveler

Many eons ago I lived in Seattle for awhile and my recollection is that we called it "Pike's Market" - but my memory is not that reliable, especially so far back.

NWWanderer

definitely NOT pike's market. it's the pike place market or just the market for short.

and agree that it would not be usual to have a several ferry wait that time of the morning, nor should there be that much traffic coming from seatac since it'll be past the peak of the morning rush hour.

russp3762

Would the same hold true for early afternoon (ferry wait times and city traffic)? We arrive on a Tuesday on an 11:30am flight, so after getting luggage and rental would probably be around 1 pm to get downtown - also headed to PA.

azzure

You should be fine. The ferries at 1:10, 2:05 and 3:00 should be fairly free of commuter traffic.

easytraveler

Well,this bothered me because I remember people referring to it as Pike Market or Pike's Market. Apparently that section of town is called "Pike Market" as opposed to the marektplace itself.

http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/public...S/NN-1250S.htm

My memory of the place goes back to the days before it became so commercialized, just as I can remember the Ferry Building in San Francisco before its commercial development, so we may not be in conflict.

NWWanderer

well, some people call bumbershoot "bumpershoot", doesn't mean it's correct ;-), kwim? so it's certainly possible you heard people calling it by an incorrect name. but the official name is the pike place market, http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/. i don't think the name has ever changed since it was founded in 1907--there's no indication of that on the site's history page--but that would be an interesting piece of seattle historical trivia if so.