portland - seattle 10 days
Jun 20th, 2011, 12:13 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
portland - seattle 10 days
Flying into Portland and out of Seattle at the end of July. So far this is what we have planned as a family of four (kids 12 and 17). I would appreciate any advice regarding what is planned.. is it too much driving, too little, etc. We are from FLorida and have never been to the NorthWest.
Day 1 Portland, Drive MT. Hood and Columbia Gorge
Day 2 Mt St Helens - stay in Chehalis
Day 3 What is the best route to get close to Anacortes for a ferry the next day???? I-5 OR 101/20 Where should we stay?
Day 4 Friday Harbor
Day 5 Friday Harbor
Day 6 Drive to Seattle (any ideas for this drive?)
Day 7 Seattle (Ballard Locks, Boeing Tour) Considering turning in the rental car at the end of this day.
Day 8 Downtown Seattle (Pike Place Market, Olympic Sculpture Garden, International District (don't know how to get there) Instead of going up the Space Needle I read about a taller building for the view, but I don't remember what it is. Can anyone help with the name of the building/place?
Day 9 ?
Day 10 Fly home
I think we may stay in the Tukwila area and take the train on Day 8 and 9 to downtown
Thanks for any input and advice!
Day 1 Portland, Drive MT. Hood and Columbia Gorge
Day 2 Mt St Helens - stay in Chehalis
Day 3 What is the best route to get close to Anacortes for a ferry the next day???? I-5 OR 101/20 Where should we stay?
Day 4 Friday Harbor
Day 5 Friday Harbor
Day 6 Drive to Seattle (any ideas for this drive?)
Day 7 Seattle (Ballard Locks, Boeing Tour) Considering turning in the rental car at the end of this day.
Day 8 Downtown Seattle (Pike Place Market, Olympic Sculpture Garden, International District (don't know how to get there) Instead of going up the Space Needle I read about a taller building for the view, but I don't remember what it is. Can anyone help with the name of the building/place?
Day 9 ?
Day 10 Fly home
I think we may stay in the Tukwila area and take the train on Day 8 and 9 to downtown
Thanks for any input and advice!
Jun 20th, 2011, 02:06 PM
#2
Looks like your first post on Fodor's - welcome!
Day 1 - I assume you're staying in the Portland/Gorge area, right? Good plan.
Day 2 - Depending on your time at Mt. St. Helens, you might be able to make it further than Chehalis that night - maybe Olympia?
Day 3 - I would plan to stay in Anacortes, particularly if you're wanting an early ferry and especially if this would be on a Friday or Saturday.
If you take US 101 you'll need to take a ferry between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island in order to get to Anacortes for the San Juan ferry. While fairly scenic, this route and ferry are the slowest option. Some other choices:
(a) Take I-5 to Burlington, then SR20 to Anacortes. Very straightforward, but between Olympia and Anacortes very urban and rather boring.
(b) Take I-5 to SR 526, just south of Everett, then follow the signs to Mukilteo. Take the Mukilteo ferry to Whidbey Island, then drive up the highway to Deception Pass, over the Deception Pass bridge onto Fidalgo Island, then straight into Anacortes.
Regarding (b) a couple of notes. First, this will take you right past the Boeing widebody plant where you plan to tour a few days later. (SR 526 is called the "Boeing Freeway." You might think about a modification to your itinerary:
After leaving Mt. St. Helens, drive to the Seattle area, maybe even Mukilteo itself, for the night. From the Johnston Ridge Visitors Center, it's right around 3 hours to Seattle, so 3 1/2 to Mukilteo. THEN schedule your visit to the Boeing factory the next morning (Day 3), then take the ferry to Whidbey and drive up to Anacortes. The tour itself takes around 90 min., the ferry to Whidbey around half an hour, and the drive from the ferry dock on the island up to Anacortes another hour and a quarter, so you'd have tons of time that day to do all those things, and you'd save a half-day later in Seattle, since you wouldn't need to schlep to Mukilteo for the tour.
For a very cool place to stay in Mukilteo (budget gods willing) have a look at the Silver Cloud Inn, sitting over the water right next to the ferry dock, with a sunset view of the Olympics, Ivar's fish and chips a 50-foot walk... seriously cool location. And it would make the next day (Boeing, Whidbey, Anacortes) dead easy. In my view the tradeoff of the longer Day 2 would be more than worth it. http://www.silvercloud.com/mukilteo/
Day 6 - Same choices as above, but in reverse. Ferry back to Anacortes, then either SR20/I-5 straight to town, or else via Whidbey.
Days 7-9. The International District is adjacent to Pioneer Square. Take any downtown (free) bus to Jackson Street, walk east 2 blocks, bingo.
The building you heard of might be either the Columbia Center tower (big office building) or the Smith Tower. Of the two, the Smith Tower is (IMO) a much better choice - lots of history, an outdoor deck you can walk around, and access is by a cool manned elevator. http://www.chineseroom.com/
As for the car, you might drop it, or else consider keeping it and staying at some hotel that doesn't charge parking. I'd do a back-of-the-envelope calculation on the additional cost vs. taxis to the airport etc. You could also think about a day trip using the car at some point - Bainbridge Island ferry, Mt. Rainier...? Just a thought.
One other thought. Don't know your precise dates, but with kids that age, you might see if your schedule overlaps with Seafair - Blue Angels, hydroplane races, parades, etc. Very much a locals thing, but great fun most years. The main events are over the first weekend in August. http://www.seafair.com/
Happy planning!
Day 1 - I assume you're staying in the Portland/Gorge area, right? Good plan.
Day 2 - Depending on your time at Mt. St. Helens, you might be able to make it further than Chehalis that night - maybe Olympia?
Day 3 - I would plan to stay in Anacortes, particularly if you're wanting an early ferry and especially if this would be on a Friday or Saturday.
If you take US 101 you'll need to take a ferry between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island in order to get to Anacortes for the San Juan ferry. While fairly scenic, this route and ferry are the slowest option. Some other choices:
(a) Take I-5 to Burlington, then SR20 to Anacortes. Very straightforward, but between Olympia and Anacortes very urban and rather boring.
(b) Take I-5 to SR 526, just south of Everett, then follow the signs to Mukilteo. Take the Mukilteo ferry to Whidbey Island, then drive up the highway to Deception Pass, over the Deception Pass bridge onto Fidalgo Island, then straight into Anacortes.
Regarding (b) a couple of notes. First, this will take you right past the Boeing widebody plant where you plan to tour a few days later. (SR 526 is called the "Boeing Freeway." You might think about a modification to your itinerary:
After leaving Mt. St. Helens, drive to the Seattle area, maybe even Mukilteo itself, for the night. From the Johnston Ridge Visitors Center, it's right around 3 hours to Seattle, so 3 1/2 to Mukilteo. THEN schedule your visit to the Boeing factory the next morning (Day 3), then take the ferry to Whidbey and drive up to Anacortes. The tour itself takes around 90 min., the ferry to Whidbey around half an hour, and the drive from the ferry dock on the island up to Anacortes another hour and a quarter, so you'd have tons of time that day to do all those things, and you'd save a half-day later in Seattle, since you wouldn't need to schlep to Mukilteo for the tour.
For a very cool place to stay in Mukilteo (budget gods willing) have a look at the Silver Cloud Inn, sitting over the water right next to the ferry dock, with a sunset view of the Olympics, Ivar's fish and chips a 50-foot walk... seriously cool location. And it would make the next day (Boeing, Whidbey, Anacortes) dead easy. In my view the tradeoff of the longer Day 2 would be more than worth it. http://www.silvercloud.com/mukilteo/
Day 6 - Same choices as above, but in reverse. Ferry back to Anacortes, then either SR20/I-5 straight to town, or else via Whidbey.
Days 7-9. The International District is adjacent to Pioneer Square. Take any downtown (free) bus to Jackson Street, walk east 2 blocks, bingo.
The building you heard of might be either the Columbia Center tower (big office building) or the Smith Tower. Of the two, the Smith Tower is (IMO) a much better choice - lots of history, an outdoor deck you can walk around, and access is by a cool manned elevator. http://www.chineseroom.com/
As for the car, you might drop it, or else consider keeping it and staying at some hotel that doesn't charge parking. I'd do a back-of-the-envelope calculation on the additional cost vs. taxis to the airport etc. You could also think about a day trip using the car at some point - Bainbridge Island ferry, Mt. Rainier...? Just a thought.
One other thought. Don't know your precise dates, but with kids that age, you might see if your schedule overlaps with Seafair - Blue Angels, hydroplane races, parades, etc. Very much a locals thing, but great fun most years. The main events are over the first weekend in August. http://www.seafair.com/
Happy planning!
Jun 20th, 2011, 02:10 PM
#3
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello Teacher1,
I think you're not allowing yourself enough time, on the 1st 3 days, rethink this, I say add an extra day to this time, otherwise you're doing a lot of driving and limited your sightseeing time.
The taller building for the view is the Columbia Tower (aka Bank of America Towner) building downtown on Cherry Street (double check this). The Columbia Tower Club is located on the 78th floor of this building. The club is members only, but there's a view deck one floor down for the "general" public. But, that doesn't mean don't go up in the space needle. You almost gotta do it since it's such a touristy thing, and the view is different. The food at the space needle is so-so, so...just go up for the ride and the view.
There's an underground tour downtown in Pioneer Square that's kinda cool.
The International District is on the furthest south end of downtown (with the Space Needle being at the furthest nor end of downtown).
Tukwila is fine for a home base, but I would still recommend keeping the car. I mean...How much more is it when you've already ad it 8 days. I think unless you're staying near the airport, you will need to take bus to get to the train to take downtown.
Cross the bridge and go over to Alki Beach. Rent some bikes, etc. If you're there on a Sunday, Salty's on Alki has one of the best brunches in town.
When you're at Pike's Place Market, across the street is a little french pastry shop Le Panier that is lovely.
Anyway, I hope this helps.
Good Luck and Safe Travels!!
Terri
I think you're not allowing yourself enough time, on the 1st 3 days, rethink this, I say add an extra day to this time, otherwise you're doing a lot of driving and limited your sightseeing time.
The taller building for the view is the Columbia Tower (aka Bank of America Towner) building downtown on Cherry Street (double check this). The Columbia Tower Club is located on the 78th floor of this building. The club is members only, but there's a view deck one floor down for the "general" public. But, that doesn't mean don't go up in the space needle. You almost gotta do it since it's such a touristy thing, and the view is different. The food at the space needle is so-so, so...just go up for the ride and the view.
There's an underground tour downtown in Pioneer Square that's kinda cool.
The International District is on the furthest south end of downtown (with the Space Needle being at the furthest nor end of downtown).
Tukwila is fine for a home base, but I would still recommend keeping the car. I mean...How much more is it when you've already ad it 8 days. I think unless you're staying near the airport, you will need to take bus to get to the train to take downtown.
Cross the bridge and go over to Alki Beach. Rent some bikes, etc. If you're there on a Sunday, Salty's on Alki has one of the best brunches in town.
When you're at Pike's Place Market, across the street is a little french pastry shop Le Panier that is lovely.
Anyway, I hope this helps.
Good Luck and Safe Travels!!
Terri
Jun 20th, 2011, 02:17 PM
#4
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The 101 route is very pretty, but remember you must factor in the ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville, for which you may need a reservation. Still, it's a much nicer drive than I-5.
The building downtown with views is the Columbia Tower, at 5th and Columbia. There is also a Starbucks with nice views on the 40th floor. But remember that this is an office building, and you can only access the observation deck Monday through Friday until 4:30 PM.
Don't stay in Tukwila! Get rid of the car and stay downtown. The light rail stops at the International District...just a few minutes south of downtown.
The building downtown with views is the Columbia Tower, at 5th and Columbia. There is also a Starbucks with nice views on the 40th floor. But remember that this is an office building, and you can only access the observation deck Monday through Friday until 4:30 PM.
Don't stay in Tukwila! Get rid of the car and stay downtown. The light rail stops at the International District...just a few minutes south of downtown.
Jun 21st, 2011, 04:47 PM
#5
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,773
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Chehalis???
(I couldn't resist doing a search for "Chehalis" in Fodors, and I was impressed that it comes up now and again)
Anyway, there is no need for anyone from far away to target Chehalis (or its bigger twin brother Centralia) for an overnight stay.
IF you are a budget conscious person, look into car reservations for the period of "ONE WEEK" wherein you PICK UP THE CAR AT A SPOT IN DOWNTOOOOOOOOOOOOWN Portland, and return it at a spot in DOWNtoooooooooown SEATTLE.
Then you wouldn't have to pay those nasty airport daily fees/taxes.
The "Link Light Rail" line in Seattle makes that end of your trip to the airport a cinch, AND would let you stay DOWNTOWN sans vehicle, while sightseeing here.
The "Max Light Rail" line goes from the Portland airport TO central Portland.
MAYBE you can reduce your rental car bill by enough to cover the difference between staying in "Tukwila" (read up on "Visiting Tukwila" before going there) and staying in a nice hotel in downtown Seattle while you sightsee nearby attractions.
As for night #2, and instead of Chehalis, maybe you should try to find somewhere to stay near Mount Rainier.
This would entail exiting Interstate #5 at exit #68 and driving toward Morton, WA and beyond.
The next day you could easily drive north toward Mt. Vernon or so, to stay, OR right to the ferry across to Friday Harbor.
As for driving BACK from Friday Harbor to Seattle, I don't think it is worth taking sidetrips that will serve mainly to delay your Seattle experiences (if there was a GREAT idea, I'd write it down here).
Burlington to Seattle is 65 freeway miles... and MAYBE the Everett Boeing plant could be of interest enroute, since you mentioned the Boeing tour. That Boeing plant is home to "The Largest Building in the World" at present. Maybe go see it before it is supplanted in that category.
Hope this helps.
PS - I think Godzilla ate up Tukwila
(I couldn't resist doing a search for "Chehalis" in Fodors, and I was impressed that it comes up now and again)
Anyway, there is no need for anyone from far away to target Chehalis (or its bigger twin brother Centralia) for an overnight stay.
IF you are a budget conscious person, look into car reservations for the period of "ONE WEEK" wherein you PICK UP THE CAR AT A SPOT IN DOWNTOOOOOOOOOOOOWN Portland, and return it at a spot in DOWNtoooooooooown SEATTLE.
Then you wouldn't have to pay those nasty airport daily fees/taxes.
The "Link Light Rail" line in Seattle makes that end of your trip to the airport a cinch, AND would let you stay DOWNTOWN sans vehicle, while sightseeing here.
The "Max Light Rail" line goes from the Portland airport TO central Portland.
MAYBE you can reduce your rental car bill by enough to cover the difference between staying in "Tukwila" (read up on "Visiting Tukwila" before going there) and staying in a nice hotel in downtown Seattle while you sightsee nearby attractions.
As for night #2, and instead of Chehalis, maybe you should try to find somewhere to stay near Mount Rainier.
This would entail exiting Interstate #5 at exit #68 and driving toward Morton, WA and beyond.
The next day you could easily drive north toward Mt. Vernon or so, to stay, OR right to the ferry across to Friday Harbor.
As for driving BACK from Friday Harbor to Seattle, I don't think it is worth taking sidetrips that will serve mainly to delay your Seattle experiences (if there was a GREAT idea, I'd write it down here).
Burlington to Seattle is 65 freeway miles... and MAYBE the Everett Boeing plant could be of interest enroute, since you mentioned the Boeing tour. That Boeing plant is home to "The Largest Building in the World" at present. Maybe go see it before it is supplanted in that category.
Hope this helps.
PS - I think Godzilla ate up Tukwila
Jun 21st, 2011, 06:06 PM
#7
Consider renting a car in Portland either downtown or at PDX and return it at the end of day 2. Take 1 of several Amtrak Cascades trains from Portland to Seattle and then rent another car in Seattle. I think your Amtrak fare will be less than a drop off fee. Otherwise, your plan looks good.
Jun 21st, 2011, 06:14 PM
#8
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 678
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Be prepared that in Friday Harbor you can rent scooters and scooter around the island. I have a hunch that your kids will definitely want to do this, and I'm not sure what the age limits are. I think they have side-cars, so the 12yo might have to settle for that.
You do know about the Experience Music Project museum, next to the Space Needle, right? We spent several happy hours there, and it was a good spot to let the kids wander. Be prepared that Pikes Place Market can take a while to work through, especially with kids who want to check all kinds of stuff out.
We had a wonderful evening at Gasworks Park last summer when we visited Seattle. It was just a fun place to hang out and relax for a while, with a great view of the city.
My 14yo daughter loved Powells Books in Portland. Again, it's a place where you can let the kids wander and explore, as long as you have a set meeting time and place.
Have fun.
You do know about the Experience Music Project museum, next to the Space Needle, right? We spent several happy hours there, and it was a good spot to let the kids wander. Be prepared that Pikes Place Market can take a while to work through, especially with kids who want to check all kinds of stuff out.
We had a wonderful evening at Gasworks Park last summer when we visited Seattle. It was just a fun place to hang out and relax for a while, with a great view of the city.
My 14yo daughter loved Powells Books in Portland. Again, it's a place where you can let the kids wander and explore, as long as you have a set meeting time and place.
Have fun.
Jun 24th, 2011, 06:30 AM
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you for all the advice and wisdom. I've learned so much already about the northwest for example "Visiting Tukwila" has multiple meanings. 
Decided to Take I-5 to get north as quickly as possible on Day 3. Then I liked Gardyloo's idea about coming back on 20 to 525 and ferry to Mukilteo, then we'll take the boeing tour.
Also decided to stay downtown. Still not sure about car, but leaning toward returning it while downtown.
Thanks Again!
Decided to Take I-5 to get north as quickly as possible on Day 3. Then I liked Gardyloo's idea about coming back on 20 to 525 and ferry to Mukilteo, then we'll take the boeing tour.
Also decided to stay downtown. Still not sure about car, but leaning toward returning it while downtown.
Thanks Again!
Jun 24th, 2011, 07:20 AM
#11
In Pioneer Square... another interesting building to get a view is the Smith Tower, it's not that tall by today's stanadards but was once the tallest building east of the Mississippi (or the Rockies or something like that -haha). It's cool because it has guilded elevators with attendants operating them, and you go up thru the Chinese Room at top to get to the observation deck. "Waterfall Garden Park" is another secret spot that is fun just a couple blocks from Smith Tower. Google either for further details. These are both pretty near to the International District/Chinatown, just walk a few blocks east on Jackson to get there.
Jun 25th, 2011, 01:46 PM
#13
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,773
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
(ponders) Of course most would see "visiting Tukwila" and "going to Tukwila" as being interchangeable, and with 'most' people, THAT would be understandable and accepted, but sometimes the devil is in the details!
