Less than a day in Seattle area
 

We'll be making a quick turn-around trip in March to surprise our daughter in Maple Valley, flying in and out of SeaTac. Allowing for time to visit with her, we will have only about a half of a day to ourselves. Was thinking of going to the Museum of Flight. Starting to wonder if we'll just feel like we're cheating ourselves with a rush visit; maybe should just spend the entire day and a half in Maple Valley? Or is there something else we should do in that brief time without giving it short shrift? Any advice appreciated.

Pike Place Market

Personally, I would spend the time with my daughter. You apparently live a distance from her, so rather than spending a day with her and half day seeing something, I woud opt for the time with her. But that's me.

You're surprisingly her? Is there anyone with her that knows? What if you get there and she's away for the day??

PPM is wonderful, but so is the MofF. It just depends on your interests. MofF is much easier to get to from Maple Valley, FWIW.

<i>Personally, I would spend the time with my daughter.</i>

Is this about you?

<i>You're surprisingly her? Is there anyone with her that knows? What if you get there and she's away for the day?</i>

Where are the thumb screws? The bright light in the eyes?

"Any advice appreciated."

I vote for Pike Place Market! I would feel cheated if I went to Seattle and did NOT get to spend any time the Market.

I agree with SeaF. That is always my first stop. Say "hi" to the pig, watch the fish fly for a few minutes and then I head to my favorite restaurant (the Athenian), grab a seat by the second floor window and watch the boats and ferries while I eat. I may wander more of the market or may head back out for other options.

I'm sure the Museum of Flight is nice, but if you've not taken this tour I highly recommend the Underground tour -
http://undergroundtour.com/about/index.html

On my next trip out, I want to take a tour on the lake and to go through the locks -
http://www.argosycruises.com/sightse.../locks-cruise/

http://www.seattle.gov/tour/locks.htm

Since you'll be there in March, you may want to head further north to see the tulips - if you have enough time.
http://www.tulipfestival.org/

Enjoy your trip and have a nice visit!

If I had a half-day in Seattle I would:

Go to Pike Place Market (1 hour)
Walk along the Waterfront heading south (30 mins)
Go to Pioneer Square historic district, up the Smith Tower, the Klondike Museum, and Waterfall Garden Park (2 hours)
... and have lunch somewhere

I would not do Museum of Flight (since it's not downtown) and I would not do any tours since you have so little time.

suze, in seattle

The Tulip Festival is great, but it is in April.

Have you been here before by chance? If you have and have spent time at the market, I can see why you might consider other options. Whatever you choose, enjoy!

If the tulip festival is in April, won't the daffodils be up in March?

We were there for a conference and it was before the tulip festival and the daffodils were fabulous.

Usually, but the festival is SOOOO much better than just seeing the daffodils. The weather has been so crazy here this year though, so who knows when things will bloom. Probably early, but the festival still stays in April as it is usually a muddy mess before that. Besides, coming from MV, that will take much more than half a day!

I would spend MOST of your time in Maple Valley with your daughter.

But you could have a really nice lunch somewhere and a quick walk thru the Pike Place Market and Waterfront on your way back to SeaTac. Somewhere in the Market like Etta's Seafood, Maximillien's or Place Pigalle (great view), or more casual Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar or Pike Place Chowder.

I'm glad the festival is so much better than just seeing the daffodils, but we loved driving around the area, stopping at a pottery, having lunch and enjoying an afternoon.

It's one of a half dozen suggestion of things I've enjoyed. Maybe the OP will, maybe the OP won't. Different folks like different things.

We don't know what she's already seen in Seattle and what she hasn't. I definitely take a tour when I have just a short amount of time in an area because I think it's one of the most time-effective ways to see an area. If I've seen most of what I've wanted to see in a city, I definitely take drives out to pretty areas. She could stop and see the locks and explore a new area she hasn't seen. The fields of daffodils were fabulous and we enjoyed exploring an area that reminded us of Holland.

During that same conference I had an afternoon off and drove out to Snoqualmie to ski. Not suggesting that to the parents but it was a great way to spend an afternoon off work. They were offering a great deal for ticket, rental and group lesson. I was the only one who showed up for a mid-week group lesson so had a private lesson with Jake from Australia.

Different people enjoy different things. That's the great part of this forum - different people suggesting different things. :-)

The Tulip Festival may not work out because Maple Valley is 30 miles south of Seattle, the Tulip Festival is 60 miles north of Seattle, and SeaTac Airport is 15 miles south of Seattle. That's a lot of driving with little time to smell the tulips.

HTtY

That's why Museum of Flight might work well, because it also is south of Seattle.

Depending on how much time sart29 decides to spend in Maple Valley (i.e., "maybe should just spend the entire day and a half in Maple Valley?") they may not make it into Seattle at all!

Bingo HTTY. Exactly what Suze and I were getting at.

As for skiing, well, I would absolutely pass on that too. Our ski season flat out sucks this year. We did it a couple days over new years and lucked out with the absolute best days for conditions, and even that was far from ideal with limited runs open etc, and the season has gotten significantly worse since then.

MofF is excellent and is easy from MV. Or maybe find something else on the east side to just sort of hang our with your daughter.

Starrs--Miles are only part of this equation. Traffic is the other. When was the last time you visited?

It is unclear from the OP exactly what the time frame is for this visit.

IF the OP flies in on Saturday a.m. and spends all day/night Saturday with the daughter and is flying out on noon or there abouts on Sunday, that is going to make a major difference as to how the time is spent. Maybe they are planning on spending Saturday night IN Seattle. Who knows?

Many assumptions being made here and since OP hasn't provided additional info; hard to offer hard and fast suggestions.

DebitNM,
The timeframe was made perfectly clear: It is zero in Seattle ("just spend the entire day and a half in Maple Valley") up to a half day ("only about a half of a day to ourselves").

I know that suze, but they could be flying in on Saturday am, have the morning to themselves and then spend from mid Saturday until the next day with the daughter when they fly home.

So whether they have time Saturday morning free or some other time makes a difference. I saw something about having dinner as a way to spend the time ... who knows when exactly the "free" time is during the weekend.

It would make a difference when the free time slot is as to what was done, IMHO

I agree they have limited time. I stated my suggestion up top. Sticking with that; I agree that there is little free time.

I agree that many suggestions are really not fitting the parameters of OP need. It is quite different to need to be at airport for a flight and have a few free hours vs. working in a city for a week and having free afternoons.

Hi sart,
More information about the daffodils/tulips of the Skagit Valley -
<I>Who is behind the tulips? Roozengaarde was established in 1985 by the Roozen family and Washington Bulb Company, Inc. The Roozen family business of growing Tulips, Daffodils and Irises is the largest in the world, covering Skagit Valley with more than 1200 acres of field blooms and 15 acres of greenhouses. William Roozen emigrated from Holland in 1947 with years of experience in the bulb industry. He had a good back, strong hands, and a heart pulsing with dreams. Roozen started a bulb farm on five acres of land, holding meetings in a garage and toiling long hours beside a few hired hands. He saved money by buying used tractors and farm equipment.

The Roozen family’s hard work ethic spans at least six generations. The family first began raising tulips in Holland in the mid-1700’s.

more at this link -
http://www.visitskagitvalley.com/upc...ulip-festival/

The Unofficial Daffodil festival is now official with events throughout March -
<I>La Conner Daffodil Festival – March 2015

You all have heard about the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival right? While the tulips are our most famous blooms, there’s nothing quite as wonderful as entire fields of bright, cheery daffodils against our Mt. Baker backdrop.

This year La Conner is changing the March La Conner’s Unofficial Daffodil Festival to the La Conner Daffodil Festival. Why not make it official? It’s just so beautiful in March with the Daffodils blooming and there are so many fun events and exhibits in La Conner during the month of March. <b>If you can’t make it to Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April, skip the crowds and join us in March this year for the La Conner Daffodil Festival!</b>

To get you started, we will be posting the Daffodil Bloom Map as soon as it’s ready to go! The Daffodil Bloom Map is updated daily to show you which fields are blooming.

... within a few minutes of all of the daffodil fields and display gardens, plus you’ll be able to enjoy a visit to our waterfront village, shop in our many specialty stores and dine at one of our amazing restaurants.

There are not many valleys quite as beautiful as the Skagit Valley – and there certainly are even fewer valleys as gorgeous as ours is when the sun is out, the fields are ablaze with color and snow-covered Mount Baker offers a perfect backdrop. Come visit us – we promise that you’ll absolutely love La Conner and the Skagit Valley in March!"

Detailed info at this link -
http://www.visitskagitvalley.com/blo...al-march-2015/

Maybe you should come visit again then?

As made clear by other posters, the drive to the Skagit Valley may be too far for you. Or, it may not be too far at all. It may be something your daughter might be interested in doing with you and there's always the possibility that it's something in the Seattle area she's not done yet.

Again, it was a choice I made and a favorite travel memory. There aren't many places one can drive to in less than two hours and feel like they've driven to Holland. The original growers were from Holland and they chose their valley well. IMO it's a delightful afternoon trip, a gorgeous place to visit and restaurants and shops to visit.

As mentioned up thread, the Tulip festival is very busy but daffodil season is not as crazy nor crowded. This may not be anything you would be interested in but we enjoyed it very much. :-)

"Maybe you should come visit again then?"

I hope I'm able to, mms. :-)
A very good friend lives there now and can't wait to meet her new bride.

Trying to send this person to the daffodil OR tulip festival makes ZERO sense.

Who knows. Hey, we lived in GA 23 years ago. Maybe I should go post there. Who cares if it is outdated etc;)

Where does the OP say she has a free afternoon and evening for a dinner out?

Was in Seattle this summer, before and after our flight to Alaska.......It's a lovely city with loads to do but easy to get around. We took a hop/hop off bus tour....easy way to get your bearings and lots of history of the area...stay on for the whole circuit then hop on/off wherever you fancy. Pike place is a definite, the fish and flower stands are worth the trip alone.....We ate at a very average looking thai restaurant in Pionneer square but it was one of the most authentic Thai restaurants ever (IMO) and I've been to Thailand. However, the traffic to/from the airport on both occasions was gridlocked....sitting in traffic and panicking about getting back to the airport might not be worth it for a half a day.....the museum is, as I recall, halfway between so might be a stress free option if you are interested in air-flight.... you then have a reason to return to Seattle and do it properly! However, I would listen to advice from Seattle residents because they will know what's do-able.....we might have been unlucky.

Wow, go away for a day and a lot can happen on the Fodor's forum. :)

I truly appreciate all the input. We are flying in on a Friday morning. My daughter tours with a children's theatre company, so will be in rehersals until late Friday afternoon. We will catch a performance either Friday evening or Saturday morning and then fly out Saturday evening. So really, we are needing to pick something to see on Friday morning after we land at SeaTac and before we drive to Maple Valley. If she is unavailable to us on Saturday (one never knows what kinds of issue will arise) we will have time to fill Saturday morning.

We've not spent any time in Seattle before, but hope to have time for a longer visit sometime next year, so truly all the provided information will help -- either with this visit or the next.

Friday afternoon traffic will be very heavy. As much as I love the market, I would opt for MofF for your free time. It will be much easier in regards to traffic. MofF is excellent!!! We have been many times, and the kids used to go for school field trips.

Enjoy your trip, whatever you choose:)

Thanks for coming back and clearing up some loose ends. So we were all wrong ! HAHA

Enjoy you time, I am sure you will.

If I was flying in to SeaTac on Friday morning and didn't have to be in Maple Valley until late Friday afternoon, I would go to Pike Place Market. You'll probably be in time for lunch - we generally just munch our way through the market, particularly at Piroshky Piroshky (smoked salmon is the best!), Beecher's Cheese (sandwiches and delicious macaroni and cheese), and Le Panier (a french bakery with sandwiches and mille feuilles). Assuming you only spend a couple of hours there, I'd head south before rush hour and visit the Museum of Flight for a couple of hours before heading to Maple Valley. With the carpool lanes, it shouldn't be an terrible drive to get there as long as there isn't an accident on the Maple Valley Highway.

So if we were to decide to go to Pike Place, what is the latest we should hit the road out of the city to avoid the traffic?

Traffic is pretty much 24/7 here these days. Really doesn't matter. "Rush hour" is from about 3pm to 7pm (haha).

I agree with Suze that the worst traffic is between 3 and 7 pm, which is why I was thinking I'd leave Pike Place by around 2 or 3. But you'll have the carpool lane heading south from Seattle on I-5 and a carpool lane on 405 N, so I don't think you'll be in too much trouble on the freeways - my only concerns would be getting out of downtown and the Maple Valley Highway (which should be slow but not terrible unless there's an accident, which is pretty rare).

Realized I didn't check back in. We ended up going straight from the airport to Maple Valley, skipping Seattle all together. We enjoyed the view and hike at Snoqualmie Falls and also did some hiking at Lake Wilderness. Spent some quick quality time with our and flew back home. All in all, it was best not to try to crowd in any real sight-seeing. However, thanks to the replies on this post, we are planning for a week in the Seattle area next spring! Thanks again, Fodorites.