Obrero

We will be spending a night in July in Seattle before our 11am flight home out of Sea. We will already have done downtown and the Boeing tour. Is there a surrounding area that would be cool for the night? Maybe Kirkland on the water? Or some place that has a nice downtown we could wander and have good dinner in? How about Tacoma for the night? Thx..

Fodorite018

I personally would not do Tacoma, but that is a personal preference. Kirkland would fit your needs perfectly. Take a look at The Woodmark in Kirkland. Another option would be Woodinville, at The Willows Lodge. The Willows has two very good restaurants right there, The Barking Frog and then The HerbFarm. There is also a bar/lounge area at the lodge that does a great happy hour, and has live music some nights.

Very close to The Willows Lodge is Chateau St Michelle which does concerts on the lawn in the summer. You might check their website for the schedule and if there is one for your date, try and go as they are a lot of fun!

Obrero

Just looked at them both - thanks! I think Kirkland will be the winner unless anyone else has something better. I did like the look of The Willows until I saw it was dog friendly. That's not for me! Thanks again for your response.

Gardyloo

Is your flight out on a weekday or a weekend? The reason I ask is that on weekdays you'll face some traffic headaches, especially coming from someplace like Kirkland or Woodinville. With an 11 AM departure you'll need to be at the airport around 9:30, so working backward, you'd have to drop a rental car by 9, which would put you smack in the middle of the rush hour for the drive to the airport. Assuming there are 2 or more of you, that means you can use the HOV lanes, but even so it will be an annoying drive at best. From Woodinville or Kirkland it could easily take most of an hour, even more.

Coming from Tacoma might be a little quicker, but the only place in Tacoma I'd recommend would be the Silver Cloud - http://www.silvercloud.com/tacoma/ - on the waterfront between downtown and "Old Tacoma" - a pretty fun neighborhood. However, the tradeoff would be traffic (through downtown Tacoma then north during rush hour) and stress in the morning. Again, it could take up to an hour.

If it's the weekend, then you have a different problem in that several thousand cruise passengers will be queuing in the security lines at the airport trying to make their flights. The cruise lines recommend that people not plan on departures before noon, but most of the cruisers don't pay attention to this, hence they race to the airport as soon as they disembark off the ships (starting around 7:30 and continuing until 9:30 or so.) So while traffic might not be an issue, the airport can (and probably will) be.

So, bottom line, it strikes me that the best option might be to visit somewhere fun and walkable the night before, but spend the actual hotel night near the airport.

For an up-market place, have a look at Cedarbrook Lodge - http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/ - or there are, of course, numerous decent and affordable hotels near the airport, all with free shuttles.

Maybe have a sunset dinner at Salty's at Redondo - http://saltys.com/south-seattle then drop bags at an airport area hotel, return the car, and take the shuttle back to the hotel overnight? It might save money on the car, but it will definitely save hassle in the morning.

Obrero

It's a weekday - Tuesday night. And I was going to stay at the airport but you suggested somewhere else in a previous thread nd that put the bug in my head!

I don't mind staying at the airport but I was just trying to squeeze another night out of our trip.

Fodorite018

Yes, a morning would involve rush hour, but I make the drive routinely from Woodinville down past the airport and it is much less than an hour, FWIW, barring an accident or something. When DH flies, he drives from Redmond to SeaTac, and allows about 30 minutes. Of course this is all variable, but these are the usual drive times.

suze

Kirkland fits exactly what you are looking for. Cute little downtown, on Lake Washington, very near downtown Seattle.

Obrero

OK great thanks. With traffic on a Tuesday morning what time would you guys leave Kirkland to get to the airport by 9:30? Would 8am to be safe do it you think?

Fodorite018

Obrero--That would be more than ample, and should allow for extra time to relax at the airport and shop/wander/whatever.

suze

Ditto. Agreed.

Gardyloo

Should be fine. You'd want to take I-405, which can be congested between Bellevue and Renton, and remember you'd probably want to top up the fuel or else get whacked by the rental car company. There are gas stations on Airport Blvd. (SR 99) not far from the car rental facility.

Obrero

OK super - that's another night wrapped up. Thanks. I'm sure I'll be back again with another question.

happytrailstoyou

Cedarbrook Lodge Is a very highly rated place, and it is close to the airport: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ashington.html

HTtY