I spent a week in Seattle in August and I am willing to answer any questions. I also stayed 2 nights in the San Juan Islands.

spending fri-sun in seattle in jan. where should we stay and in 3 days what can we do and should do. i would love to go to san juan islands can it be a day trip.

Hi,
I stayed in downtown Seattle just a few blocks from Pike Street Market at
the Moore Hotel for just $55, a fantastic location but just expect a room to
sleep in. Here's the website www.moorehotel.com. Next door to the hotel
is a restaurant called Fare Start and its' employees are formerly homeless
people learning to work and they have the best chefs in town come to give
cooking lessons and this food is delicious. I spent a lot of time in town just
walking around window shopping. The bus is free in that area, too. If you
take the free underground Metro it stops at every stop. You can catch the
monorail to the space needle which is nice and we ate there in the
revolving restaurant. It was pricey but well worth it for the views. We took
mountain drives. We drove north a half an hour from Seattle to tour the
Boeing factory where they make planes. Getting to the San Juan Islands
can take time because you have to take ferries and the lines are long and
space limited. We stayed in Anacortes at the Cap Sante Inn, a very nice
hotel, and we left our car rather than try to get room on the ferries and it
took the whole day because the ferry stops at several islands before we
got to our destination, Friday Harbor. On this island, we had lunch and we
took a shuttle to the park on the ocean and hiked. Beautiful! If you want to ask anything, email me.

Wow, you spent a week at the Moore! That's brave! Weren't you nervous about safety? Or were most of the rooms taken up by visitors in August? Usually the clientele has a healthy percentage of street people flopping for a night.

Vic, I am going to Seattle in 2 weeks
and hope you don't mind me asking 2
questions.
1) Can you suggest any good blues bars?

2) I will be touring the Boeing Factory in Everett and then going to the Ballard Locks. I'd appreciate a
lunch place suggestion near the locks.

Tell us what activities you enjoyed most in Seattle.

Thank you.

Yes, we stayed at the Moore and we weren't afraid. I liked best the San Juan Islands whale watching tour, eating at the Space Needle, and the drive to the Cascades.

Hi, Vic
For Alfreda, 2 eating possibilities near the locks, down- and up-market..
1) The Totem fish and chips stand right across the street from the entrance to the Locks park is a Seattle landmark.
2) Pescatore Italian/seafood restaurant at the west end of the Locks park has tables with a view of the boat traffic entering/leaving the locks. Good food, too.
For blues bars check out Seattle Sidewalk. Some reliable places in Pioneer Square.

Hi Vic.
Thanks John. Both places sound great and just what I was looking for. I have looked on Seattle Sidewalk and noticed that Pioneer Square was a good place for a blues bar. I didn't pick up on a specific place so I was going to just walk around and let my ears decide unless someone advised of a specific place. I appreciate you suggestions once more. In 4 weeks when I return, I'll be glad to assist others.

OK, Vicki, you've really raised my curiousity. WHY weren't you afraid at the Moore? I was there two years ago when an acquaintance landed up there, and was quite frankly rather appalled at the conditions (it struck me as dark, smelly and seedy). So I've been steering people away ever since. Are you a 20-something backpacker from New York City? Or are you the proverbial typical tourist from Kansas? I hope you don't mind the questions, but I am geniunely curious and interested. I'm trying to get a sense of who would be comfortable there--for instance, I can't imagine that my grandmother from Colorado would be (even though she hates to spend money on hotel rooms).

Thanks much,
Sheri