Safeco Field
 

We intend to go to watch the Mariners in April. What is the best way to get to the Westlake Center area after the game. Given that we will have our 10 year old daughter with us is it better to get a taxi or bus. Where do these depart from. Is walking an option. How long would it take and is it a safe walk at night. Thank you

If it's a night game, I'd say it's too far to walk (around 2 miles), slightly uphill, and with April weather probably not very comfortable. The bus is an option (although the "ride free" period stops at night, and Safeco is past the boundary), but with a 10 y.o. I'd opt for a taxi. Check with your hotel about shuttles - I believe there are a few.

You may also want to grab a pedi cab if they are around and the weather is ok. Make sure you check and find out how much it will be BEFORE you jump on though. Sometimes a cab can be cheaper.

Metro has a bus stop right outside the stadium. There is a bus around 10:30pm that will take you right by westlake. Check out the Metro website. The bus is MUCH cheaper than a cab. And you can trust the busdriver. :-) <BR>

I personally would walk if it is not raining, but in April rain and cold weather is likely. (Don't forget to wear your long johns to the game - by the ninth inning it will most likely be in the low 40's F.) It is a little less than two miles, and should take around 30-40 minutes to walk. I am a frequent user of public transit and usually recommend it. I do think, however, that to take the bus from Safeco field you have to be prepared. You would want to scope out in advance exactly where your bus will load. Also, you need to be prepared for the possibility that the bus will be full by the time you get to the bus stop. In my experience that can be a problem. In past years there has been a free shuttle bus(run by Metro) that goes from the stadium to the downtown area- find out if that is going to happen this year and the exact location at which it will load. If there is such a bus that should be a better bet than waiting for one of the regularly scheduled busses. (Look at the Seattle Mariners website and/or the King County Metro website for bus information.) A cab to the Westlake Center should not cost more than $10 -15, but hailing a cab in a crowd after a baseball game in Seattle has, in my experience, been more difficult than it should be. If you find yourself in a sea of people with no cab in sight, one alternative might be to walk a few blocks north to Pioneer Square to one of the restaurants north of Jackson Street (car travel south of Jackson will be gridlocked for a while after the game) and call a cab to take you to the Westlake Center area. (If, by any chance, your game is a day game and it is not Sunday, then there is a much easier answer to your question - get a bus that goes on the dedicated bus street/bus tunnel right to Westlake Center. Unfortunately those busses do not run late or on Sunday.)