Please critique my Seattle itinerary -- late August
 

Hello! Take a look at the following and let me know your thoughts. I'm pretty flexible, since I'm travelling alone. I will probably do a PL or Hotwire hotel...am considering the Seattle Center neighborhood so I can walk to the 10K race start I am registered for. (Am guessing public transportation doesn't run before 7 am on Saturdays...) BUT would despparately love a suggestion for the best neighborhood to stay in based on the things below I am interested in doing. Many thanks for your help!

Wednesday 1010 am: arrive...take public transportation to hotel...eat lunch because you are starving by now...go see Ballard Locks, Elliott Bay Bookstore, REI store, be lazy and slow because you are tired from getting up at 4 am.

Thursday: morning run (where? would love a suggestion) Pike Market, SAM...walk around Capitol Hill neighborhood? or a different one?

Friday: Aquarium, Pier 52 ferry to Bainbridge Island, Frye Museum

Saturday: 10k run commences at Seattle Center, Olympic Sculpture Park, check out of hotel, get rental car and drive 2 hours to Mt. Rainier. Check into hotel there...looking at Paradise Inn

Sunday: Mt. Rainier all day...hiking/photos....spend night there again

Monday morning: head back to Seattle, return car, public transportation to airport for 3:10 pm flight

I think that IF you are in a 10K run, the 1 1/2 miles-ish trip from "downtown" Seattle should be a non-issue to you on Saturday morning.

(go for the "downtown" zone on Priceline - much more pleasant areas than some you could land in the Seattle Center area)

It is nearly all 'flat' beTWEEEEEEEEEEN mid-town and Seattle Center. The Seattle bus system is quite reliable, and it should be easy to catch some sort of a bus from mid-town toward Seattle Center so early, if need be.

Thursday... IF you want a sense of Seattle, you might consider running around/near to "Green Lake" in the north end.

Since it will be early on a Thursday (work day)... you won't have toooooooooooo many others on the paths. You can take the bus there very easily.

(note for arrival: the "Link Light Rail" is a cinch trip from the airport into mid-town, for $2.75... and you can't really get lost... same for the trip back.

It would cost a few/several extra bucks to get your car downtown and return it at the airport, but you COULD do that for a touch of convenience.

Good job on the ferry to Bainbridge... though I could see just riding over and back, without getting off the boat.

I just went to Mount Rainier the other day... for the first time in a thousand years... and while clear weather is of considerable importance, it was still fun to be at "the snowiest place on earth" nearing July, with still 10 feet of snow officially on the ground at Paradise.

(roads are all completely clear, as are the parking lots)

Hope this helps somehow !!

Thank you, Male of the Northwest...it does help! I did not realize Seattle Center and DT were so close, so yes, I'd rather stay in a better part of town and take the bus. I will look on a map for Green Lake for the running...thank you for that suggestion!

Another run suggestion (although not a really long run) is Myrtle Edwards Park along the waterfront north of Pier 70. Lots of joggers there.

I think you need to check a map. On each of your days you have stuff all over town.

For example:

Wed- Ballard Locks (are out at Shilshole past Ballard north of downtown), Elliott Bay Bookstore (is on Capitol Hill now), REI store (at the east edge of downtown near the freeway).

Th- Pike Market, SAM. (both downtown), Capitol Hill (back up to Capitol Hill

Fri- Aquarium, Pier 52 ferry to Bainbridge Island (both downtown/waterfront), Frye Museum (on First Hill).

Especially since you are doing this by public transportation, I would try to group the things closer together on the same days, rather than going to 2-3 different parts of the city every day.

Are you saying it's tough to get from downtown to First Hill or Capitol Hill? They seem pretty close to me. Surely a visit to Pike Place, SAM and a walk around Capitol Hill is doable on a single day?

Would love other thoughts. Thank you!

Here is the info on the free bus zone-map link-
http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus...attle-rfa.html

Thank you, Tom Fuller. I think that's wonderful that Seattle provides that service.

Yes, you could definitely go to the Market and the downtown art museum then bus up and take a walk around Capitol Hill in one day.

Just thinking I'd probably group things that were closer to save time riding Metro all over every day. For example - Elliott Bay, the Frye, and Capitol Hill together. Then the Market, SAM, aquariuim, and Bainbridge ferry together. Would be a little smoother.

Thank you, Suze. I know the first day seems odd. But I will be tired from the early morning flight and will probbly welcome a bus ride or two.

I wanted to go to the bookstore the first day to get a really good guidebook, so I guess that would be day to cruise around that neighborhood, too. I also wanted to go to the locks the first day because it is more out of the way, if I understand corectly. I sometimes like to do those sorts of things first because they tend to fall off the itin if left for the end. If I don't make it to the REI mothership, that's okay. I've been before.

Regarding my Monday drive back from Rainier for my 310 flight: Is that enough time to see Mt. St. Helen's on the drive back in? Or, I would like to see the museum that has the Chihuly's in it in Tacoma, and I see from their website they are open on Mondays during the summer!

Thank you, all!

Revised:

Wednesday 1010 am: arrive...light rail to hotel...eat lunch because you are starving by now...go see Ballard Locks, Elliott Bay Bookstore, REI store...BUS DAY!

Thursday: morning run (where? maybe Green Lake or Myrtle Edwards PArk) Pike Market, SAM...walk around Pioneer Square...FEET DAY!

Friday: Aquarium, Pier 52 ferry to Bainbridge Island, Frye Museum...FERRy Day!

Saturday: 10k run commences at Seattle Center, Olympic Sculpture Park, check out of hotel, get rental car and drive 2 hours to Mt. Rainier. Check into hotel there...looking at Paradise Inn

Sunday: Mt. Rainier all day...hiking/photos....spend night there again

Monday morning: head back to airport for 3:10 pm flight, but drive by something on way back in (time for MT. St. Helen's?) or go see some Chihuly's at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma

Hmmm...last message didn't post. Anyway, I am ditching the Mt. St. Helens' idea and am thinking I can make it from Rainier to the Glass Museum in Tacoma to SEATAC for a 310 flight all without getting too stressed out about time. Holler if I'm wrong!

Mt Rainier thru Tacoma for the glass museum and on to the airport should work fine (you're right, you didn't have enough time to add Mt St Helens too).

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmph, and I say this only because I WENT to Mount Rainier (Paradise) for the first time in decades last week:

I hope you are envisioning a complete circuit of Mount Rainier when combining your arrival and departure from Paradise. It is just... the right thing to do. And one never knows from which random spot the best views/photo-ops will come.

As for Tacoma and the Glass Museum... even in the event of bad traffic, a trip from Tacoma to the airport can be had along "highway 99" (IF the Interstate is for some reason blocked)... so that should ease some concerns about that final day.

Just MapQuest some of the important legs of your trip in advance, and those guides will be very helpful come crunch time.

Thanks, NWM. Yes, I plan to hike every inch my day and a half there will allow! I am waiting until I get to Seattle to get a good guidebook, though. My library and B&N in Kansas aren't well-stocked with Rainier titles : )

The main library in Seattle is one of the most beautiful I've seen. You can use a computer for an hour (for free) there.

(ponders kit: ) What? Y'mean Fodors' guidebook to Seattle, 5th edition, isn't plentiful there... (complete with a quote from meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee on page 39)


And now, I shall read a selection from my published works:


"If ideal weather was a given (laugh), I would include a round-trip, walk-on ferry ride to Bainbridge Island for mountain, water, and skyline views. Then lunch on the Seattle waterfront, shopping in Pioneer Square, or a walk around Olympic Sculpture Park. Take the bus to Broadway [on Capitol Hill] for interesting shopping, people-watching, and burgers at Dick's Drive-in"


I, as usual, had more to say, but they took editorial liberty and reduced it to suit their space.

But c'mon, Kansas needs access to my one travel-related published paragraph...


PS - yes, the downtown Seattle library (which COULD land right near to a random-ish Priceline hotel score) IS really unique and worth visiting. You can go up or down several floors of books without either stairs or an elevator! The floor is graded, and thus you never have to leave the steady progression of the shelved books.

Ride an elevator all the way to the top, and then explore...

PS - YES, it really says "(laugh)"

NWM -- you are a word bumping GENIUS! I, too, was quoted once (Las Vegas maybe?) and remember thinking that I was glad Kit wasn't my real name : ) (laugh)

I am so excited to visit Seattle as a tourist instead of a business traveler. and I hope it's raining; I love the rain.

Tried to get a Priceline Hotel tonight, but all my bids and free re-bids were rejected. Will try again in a few days. Hoping for some big anonymous business hotel DT for about 135.

I think Pricelining a downtown hotel is an excellent idea. People often report getting the Sheraton or Westin at really good rates (hopefully your particular weekend isn't overly busy with tourists, cruiseship passengers, conventions, or the marathon).

Kit... I did a hint of research to figure out when you'd be in town... and my GUT feeling is that it should be a reasonably decent week for downtown digs on Priceline.

Obviously it is summer, but Labor Day weekend would be up ahead, and "Seafair" celebrations in Seattle will be behind (us) by then.

Hotels are less 'concerned' about their bookings this far out than they are about next week, or even early next month, so stay right at-near where you've been bidding, and continue to expect it to be a buyer's market.

I've done Priceline VERY recently for downtown Seattle digs... and nabbed the Sheraton @ $90 per night base bid... and later the Westin for the same $90 bid (on behalf of a friend, these were).

I would totally stick with 4-star only... and as Seattle is a GREAT location for 'free rebids' with 4-star properties... I would START at about $80 each day of bidding, STICKING to your guns and being willing to go through the process weekly-and-later-daily until you achieve success. (boosting your bids by $5 each time when unsuccessful)

I'm guessing that you will score in the 90-100 range, and not have to go to 135.

(BUT it might be early August (or even mid???) when you land it)

Again, I stress, sticking to a ritual of making the same-ish bids should come through in due time. (maybe only once a week prior to late JULY, then later on a daily basis)

Yes, Suze and NWM, I think the weekend I chose (27th/28th plus and minus) is fairly devoid of big Seattle events, so I am hoping for a good PL deal. Didn't occur to me I was bidding too early....I was just so excited!

I did get a room in the PAradise Inn on Rainier, but just barely, I think. I've been watching the inventory go steadily down. Unsure why I didn't book that sooner. I am going to use the two days for day hike and photography...and for a scouting mission of more difficult treks I'd like to do on a return trip. I will not even care if it rains, I am so excited to be up there.

I am going to relax now. I am feeling good about te itin and other than my PL hotel, I am set. It feels so great to have something to look forward to! Thank you all for your help thus far!

Haven't been to Seattle before, but thought I'd pass along something I was told to seriously consider when on foot here -- jaywalking is apparently vigorously enforced by the police in Seattle, perhaps more vigilantly so than in any other US city. I've seen the comment that "if you see someone standing at a street corner waiting for the walk signal to change at 2 am, chances are good you're in Seattle" or something to that effect.

A little overstated--like the belief that we have more rain than New York City and other wetter places.

However, if the skies are clear, the temperature is 60 F and you see people standing in the shade, you are probably in Seattle.

HTTY

Actually the police aren't ticketing jaywalkers like they used to (that was more back in the 80's). BUT as a city we do still respect the traffic lights as pedestrians pretty much. Actually I think that's me you're quoting from here on Fodor's, bachslunch -lol! Yes you can tell the locals from the tourists by who does and who doesn't obey the walk/don't walk lights!!

Kit,
I've forwarded your post to my sis who lives in Seattle for her two cents. I'll let you know what she says. One more word of caution if you are driving in Seattle - you must stop any/every time you see someone in a crosswalk and wait until they have completely crossed. I know here in KC we let the people in crosswalks get passed the bumper of our cars, then we proceed on our merry way. My sister claims that is a HUGE no no in Seattle and will get you a ticket faster than I can down a nacho at Via : )

Have a great trip!

A

I agree with the comment on Green Lake - both a great place to run and great sense of seattle neighborhoods, with a good variety of cafes & outdoor activity.

Personally, I would not waste my time at the Aquarium (unless, of course you've never seen one before). Nothing special about the Seattle Aquarium. Probably one of my biggest disappointments in Seattle.

"WAC 132E-16-040

Pedestrians -- Right of way.

(1) Stopping for pedestrian. The operator of an approaching vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross the roadway within a crosswalk unmarked or marked when the pedestrian is upon or within one lane of the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning."

It is not necessary to wait until the pedestrian has cleared the entire roadway.

Regarding the rental car: I will be leaving DT Seattle to drive to Mt. Rainier, and then will return the car to SEA before my flight home.

Do you think I should rent the car DT and return it at SEA? Or would it be easier to ride the train from DT to the airport and pick up a car there.

I am remembering some heinous fees for returning a car at a different location in my past, though not in Seattle. I haven't checked rates yet...which may answer it all for me.

It's cheaper to get your rental car downtown anyway. So definitely do NOT make a special trip back out to the airport to pick it up!

Kit, compare the RATE differences between picking-up and dropping-off in DT Seattle to those for picking-up DOWNTOWN and dropping-off at the AIRPORT.

The DIFFERENCE will tell you all you need to know.

Obviously the question of how tight your last-day schedule is will play a part, AS will how much convenience you need then.

Sadly, downtown Seattle is directly OUT-of-the-way to someone awakening at Mt. Rainier, wanting to stop in Tacoma, and then flying out of Sea Tac @ 3:00pm.

For that reason, maybe you SHOULD at least 'price' the idea of, on Saturday, AFTER the run, taking the LIGHT RAIL back to the airport on the chance that it is cheaper to both pick-up and drop-off THERE... (THAN it would be to pick-up downtown and drop-off at the airport later).

STILL ANOTHER PROBLEM with that shall be that it will be Saturday, with weekend airport traffic at rental car counters, causing who knows HOW much of a delay.

(back to Monday scheduling) According to online mapping, the most DIRECT path from Paradise to the glass museum takes about 2 hours... @ 76 miles.

The glass museum opens at 10:00am... and EVEN IF you leave the mountain @ 7:00am... and found yourself right at the door waiting for it to open @ 10... then, say, lets allow TWO HOURS for the museum (I have no idea - just guessing/being fair???).

It would be NOON... then you'd have to drive 35 minutes into central Seattle (with good traffic), FIND your rental-car station (easier for me than for you, I'm guessing)... and rebound to the bus tunnel (under 3rd avenue)... get on the Light Rail, and ride 35-ish minutes to the airport.

Indeed you could DO it, but even MY schedule would put you arriving back to the airport almost exactly two hours prior to your flight.

(I was never envisioning you being able to keep to the schedule I just put there, given you'd want to maybe EAT twice during that time, AND have a margin for error/traffic)

Another thing, as Paradise-to-Tacoma sends you around the west side of the Mountain, I WANT YOU TO circle most or all of the mountain from close range during your time in the area.

I JUST went to Paradise a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in decades... and I reaffirmed that going all the way around (over your 48-hours) makes the most sense.

CONCLUSION: EVEN if you have the most economical ideas in mind, the RUSH of the final day will be such that you will probably want the convenience of NOT having to go back to mid-town Seattle just to return your car.

PRICE everything, and IF there is a one-way rental fee between downtown and the airport, then to just GO to the airport on the light rail to pick-up your car may still be cheaper than to pick-up downtown and drop-off at the airport.

For clarity:

The Link Light Rail is toooooooooooooootally easy... in that

It runs so often you don't even need a schedule.

It runs under 3rd Avenue most of the way through mid-town.

Its LAST STOP is the airport, so you CAN'T really get lost.


Reminder: admittedly some concern about airport car rental traffic picking-UP the car. Maybe the peaceful ride on the light rail could be comforting after your 10K run that morning.

Hope this outlines many of the concerns.

<on the chance that it is cheaper to both pick-up and drop-off THERE... (THAN it would be to pick-up downtown and drop-off at the airport later).>

It's not.

if you go to Tacoma there are two museums side by side.the Tacoma art museum and the glass museum. if you want to see Chihulys work you would be going to the art museum not the glass museum.

Hmmm...I have seen a lot of Chihulys...maybe I will go to the Glass Museum anyway to see some other artists, too. Both the art museum and the glass museum have Chihulys, right? Is the permanent collection at the art museum that much more extensive? I can't seem to get a feel for it from the websites. Thank you!

...I should clarify: I am wondering if there are greatly more Chihulys at the art museum than the glass museum. Is it a no-brainer?

Chihulys aside, is one museum generally thought to be a much more popular attraction?

Iam not sure there are any Chihulys at the glass museum.As I remember it the glass museum is centered around the working hot shop.either way the old (union ?)train station is right there and they have some Chihuli glass displayed in the lobby.I really like the ones hanging in the huge windows facing the tracks.It is a federal bldg. now so just walk in.One part of the srt museum is the skywalk going over the freeway that is filled with Chihuli works.You can see it from outside but the glass is not clear.They had to install bullet proof glass after it was fired on.

Kit,

Despite what Suze says/believes, you might want to know the truth:


With that in mind, I just did a mock reservation to test the rates.

I just went to National Car dot com for this experiment.

Indeed a two-day rental picking-up in downtown Seattle @ the Hilton Hotel, returning at the airport two days later (used Saturday August 27 - Mon. Aug. 29 for this example) is a healthy $150.89 for the rental period. (largely the result of a ballooned daily rate for a one-way rental and $24.91 in taxes)

A two-day rental for the same dates, but picking up AND returning at the airport... was $155.51 (lower daily rate, but a staggering $46.25 in taxes)

The same rental, but picking up AND returning DOWNTOWN... (then having to get back to the airport on light rail during crunch time) was a relatively small $81.73.


BUT, using National Rental Car's "(last minute)Specials to GO" (which CAN'T be guaranteed to be available at YOUR place of rental AND on the dates when YOU want/need it)... to go to the airport NEXT weekend (NOT on your August dates) shows a total bill of $63.66 (with $23.76 of that in TAXES).


SO, when August 15-20 rolls around, you'd certainly want, by then to have an iron clad reservation booked for a rental car, BUT you should at least check (at National for sure, and perhaps others?) to see if there are last-minute rates that could both save you money AND save you the hassle of awakening at Mt. Rainier on a Monday morning, needing to to to Tacoma to the museum(s), and then having to go ALL the way back into Seattle to avoid a big rate hike (before getting back to the airport on the rail).

No matter what, be sure to make yourself a car reservation soon if you've not already done so.

Then, periodically, attempt to improve upon your rate. Target mid-August for a look at last-minute special rates starting and ending at the Seattle airport. (again, Nationalcar.com is worth a look)

Wow...thank you,NWM. If you ever make the trip to Kansas City, I promise to do as much research for you : )

I've put the car rental reservation on hold until I book my PL room, which I will bein again in earnest in about a week. I always think car rental rates are such a racket, I hate dealing it with it. But yes, I'll book something decent when I get the hotel, and then keep searching.

Any other thoughts on the Glass Museum vs. the Art Museum for Chihulys? I will only have time for one, I think.

Thank you sincerely for everyone who has contributed and advised me!

Kit, it usually costs NOTHING to go ahead and make a car reservation EARLY.

And the rates are significantly lower the earlier you reserve.

(for example: it wasn't even 'fair' to cite rate comparisons for picking-up DOWNTOWN next weekend, vs. my "Specials to Go" @ National, because they'd already hiked the rates to a staggering $300 total for a 2-day rental).

Rental car rates are really weird... (except you can bank on them being high when demand outpaces supply).

You just never know when the good deal is there to be found, and the earlier you reserve, the better your chances.

(it would be simple to try to improve upon your established rate once a week after that)

good luck with it all!

Oh, I know. I just don't know what hotel I'm at yet, and am guessing there are several downtown pickup loctions for all the rental companies. I just want to wait til the hotel is selected so I can pick a rental caar location around the corner. I am very used to cancelling rental car reservations for biztravel reasons and am always appreciative that the car rental companies make it so easy to do so.