Seattle - 10th anniv. in May
 

My husband and I have booked a trip to Seattle (without the kids!!) this May using some frequent flier miles. Celebrating our 10th anniversary!

With three children 5 and under it's been difficult for me to spend much time on the Fodors travel book I picked up for Seattle. Looking for a little jump start here from folks familiar with the area.

We'll arrive on a Friday night and depart on the following Wednesday morning. Looking for reommendations regarding hotel (preferably not a chain, middle of the road expense, maybe $200/night?) and specific information regarding day excursions after seeing the regulars - Pike Place market, Space needle, etc. Should we day trip to these places or spend the night away from the city?

I like the boutique hotels right downtown- Andre, Monaco, and the new one over El Gaucho is suppose to be nice too.

Seattle is very easy to walk around in. Pike Place, shopping in Beltown and Pacific Place/5th Ave area, Waterfront, Sculpture Park, etc.

When you hit a sunny day a ferry ride over to Bainbridge for brunch or lunch is nice.

What areas are you thinking of day tripping to?

Thought about driving to Mt. Ranier. What else is worth a side trip?

Also, we love baseball and I just checked the Mariners schedule so looks like we'll hit a game on Tuesday night.

Mt Rainier is a great day drive- up to Paradise if it is clear.

Safeco field is a great place for a game. They offer tours too which I've been on , it is great.

We head down to Seattle at least twice a year. I would try to book your hotel at
www.seattlesupersaver.com
for great rates. Our favourites? Inn at the Market and the Mayflower Park Hotel. Inn at the Market is just steps from Pike Place market and you might enjoy that for your special occasion!
Try to hit Cafe Campagne for brunch Sat. or Sun...just right by Inn at the Market.
Cocktails at the Mayflower Park Hotel lounge might be a good start to your dinner out one night...our favourite spots for dinner are Wild Ginger, Crush, and Le Pichet..which would all require reservations.
enjoy!
CC

With your budget, the Mayflower Park is probably going to be your best bet for a hotel.

If you are thinking of doing the drive to Mt Rainier, be aware that in May, there will still be a fair amount of snow up there so hiking won't really be an option. I'd probably opt for somewhere else but I really like to hike so if that's not something you enjoy then maybe seeing the mountain up close (if it's a clear day) would be enough to make the trip worthwhile.

The garden in the arboretum is charming, a lovely sojourn in any weather other than a downpour. The zoo's pleasant if small, too.

I enjoyed the boat excursion throught the locks -- sounds a little tedious but gives you an interesting different view of the city. (Different from ferry to Bainbridge, which is worth doing.)

You might enjoy puttering around the "U" (university) area -- some decent inexpensive restaurants, funky shops.

Whatever you do -- and this is going to sound truly nuts -- don't miss the library! It's downtown and a unique bit of architecture. They have tours, but you can also just go in, take the elevator up and work your way down. You can do it in an hour or less -- it's a good refuge from rain and proximate to lots of other things (on major bus lines). Here's a photo:
http://time-blog.com/looking_around/...licLibrary.jpg

Another vote for the Mayflower Park Hotel. Also check Hotel Andra, someone's recently posted about getting a good room rate with them.

In that period of time, renting a car for a day either to go down to Mt Rainier or over Snoqualmie Falls would be nice.

The ferry ride to Bainbridge and back is a great idea and can be done on-foot from downtown.

Pike Place Market
& Waterfront

Pioneer Square Historic District
& Chinatown

Seattle Center/Space Needle
& Olympic Sculpture Garden

And that would about fill up your time, I think.

We had stayed at The Inn at the Market a few years ago and really liked it (innatthemarket.com). I don't know the current rates but it's right by the Pike Place Market.

Do you think it's best to stay put at a downtown hotel and see the city and day trip or spend the night on an island or near Mt. Ranier and all? I'm thinking it's probably best to stay put and run around during the day.

Mt Rainier's only 2 hours away, so unless you want to make a reservation at the Lodge within the park itself, no need to stay overnight.

Depends which *islands* you are talking about. Bainbridge or Vashon are day trips. Whidbey can be a day trip or an overnight. The San Juan islands definitely need an overnight.

The ferry ride to Bainbridge Island really is great fun, you will be able to take some great photos of Seattle from the boat. We enjoyed a very nice meal at Salty's on Alki Beach, very pretty views from the outdoor patio area here and an outdoor fireplace to keep you warm if the weather is chilly. Enjoy Seattle! ***kim*** ((f))

I would just stay in one place and do a day trip or two--there's enough in Seattle itself to keep you busy for the other days.

Hi srice --

I agree that you need to be aware about Mt. Rainier in May. The weather isn't at its best. Snoqualmie Falls would be a much better option. You can hike down to the falls and it's super close (less than a half hour from the city). Even on a rainy day, it's still easy to do and beautiful.

Enjoy!

Snoqualmie Falls is very beautiful and very close. If you want to splash out a bit, you can eat at the restaurant at the Salish Lodge. Also a nice gift shop with souveniers showing 'the falls'.

One other note - with record snow pack in the mountains this year, in May Snoqualmie Falls is likely to be impressive on the cusp of scary. Really a treat.

I agree with Suze...if your time is limited, going all the way to see Mt. Rainer is not worth doing...on a clear day,you can see it from anywhere anyway.. I live here, and Snoqualmie falls is fun, the Salish Lodge there is great, known all around for their breakfasts, ..etc. It all depends on what you like. We have it all...city, shops, water front, ferries, hikes, forest, etc. Decide what you like, then plan around that. One mistake alot of people make when they travel is trying to do too much. Hope you love it here as much as we do, and hope thesun shines for your. Today was wonderful.!!!!!

Mt Rainier is AMAZING, but I prefer to look at it from the city on a clear day, rather than driving down to hike on it.

Is it realistic to visit the Falls in the morning and then go to Mt Rainier in the afternoon returning in the evening?

It appears to be a 2 hour drive from the Falls.

You might also consider a day trip to some of the wineries in Woodinville.

www.woodinvillewinecountry.com

Barking Frog is a great place for a bite to eat. If you're looking for something really amazing (but expensive), you could try to get reservations at Herb Farm (need to reserve well in advance of your trip).

<i>Is it realistic to visit the Falls in the morning and then go to Mt Rainier in the afternoon returning in the evening?</i>

It's doable. Obviously it will depend on time of year (daylight) and how much time you want to spend at the falls and mountain.

I would aim for the Crystal Mountain/Sunrise side first, then around the bottom to the Paradise side. Two hours seems optimistic to Paradise, about right to Sunrise.