clarasong

I'd go to Victoria on the Clipper, maybe get an overnight package so you don't have to hurry thru Victoria, go to the gardens one afternoon, then have time the next day for some sights in Victoria...a nice boat trip too (about 3 hrs, as I recall) thru lovely Puget Sound.
I'd do the Pikes Market
Space Needle
Waterfront (all done in a day)
Seattle Art Museum

Then drive to Mt. Rainer (a day)
Snoqualmie Falls
and maybe two days to drive the Olympic Penn, if you like scenic driving.
Would not try to take a car into Canada...also, be aware of peak border crossing times, and try to schedule around that.
Don't hurry about....take a good look.

Presocia

My friends made a trip to Forks last weekend (avid Twilight fans), and chose to stay in Port Angeles.

Deb15July

Presocia...do you have any idea how much time I need to allow for a trip to Forks? And how long is the drive from Forks to Port Angeles?

Presocia

It's only 55 miles from Forks to Port Angeles, so a little over an hour at two-lane highway speed.

I think how long you spend there depends on how much your daughter wants to see, poke around, and take pictures of. My friends included a drive to La Push and the beach, which adds 30 miles roundtrip.

Deb15July

Thanks Presocia...I haven't seen Twilight yet, but I just got it in the mail from NetFlix yesterday. DD has seen it already. From what I have read I think we should try to include a drive to La Push. Part of our plans will be dependent on our hosts and what they are up for. They have offered to be our tour guides and accompany us on all our adventures. Woohoo!

Deb15July

OK...forgive me but I've been very distracted with personal matters for the last several weeks. We leave in 2 wks for Seattle...what should I absolutely not miss.

Plan for:
Pike's Market
Locks Tour
Underground Tour
Forks...for my daughter, but I enjoyed Twilight too!
Buchardt Gardens
Mt. St. Helens
Eastside Seattle

Is EMP worth the visit? I think DD would think so, but there are sooo many things I want to see.

cferrb

I still really, really recommend taking the ferry out to Friday Harbor. You can rent scooters and scoot around the island or you can stay in Friday Harbor. The ferry is a lovely trip and the island is very pretty. It's an easy day trip, although you do have to go up to Anacortes to get the ferry.

cferrb

DH says you can catch a ferry out of Seattle but it's a longer trip and more expensive.

jerrypolon

Trying to get from Olympic Park to San Juan Island (Friday Harbor). Is there no other way but to drive the long circuitous route to Anacortes to catch the ferry? No ferry possible via Port Townsend or Port Angeles, etc?

NWWanderer

There is a ferry from Port Townsend to Keystone on Whidbey Island, then you'd drive up Whidbey to Anacortes. You need to make reservations on that ferry (but you can't make reservations on the ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor).

beanweb24

I'm curious what you mean by visiting "Eastside Seattle."

With your 19 year old daughter, I would also recommend exploring the Fremont and Ballard neighborhoods. Ballard is easily combinable with the Locks. Great restaurants and shops, and a fantastic outdoor market if you're here on a Sunday. Fremont is also really fun/funky with more restaurants and boutiques, as well as some public art that's worth viewing -- specifically the Fremont Troll and the statue of Lenin.

Deb15July

This is part of our currently planned itinerary for two nights:

Vancouver
Drive to Vancouver
Tour the Arboretum at Queen Elizabeth Park
Ferry to Vancouver Island

Victoria (2 nights)
Tour Butchart Gardens, including lunch
Walk around Victoria

Ferry to Port Angeles
Drive to Forks
Walk around Forks
Drive to Port Angeles
Lunch in Port Angeles
Drive to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park

I think my friends thought the ferry to Vancouver Island might give some of the same experiences as the ferry around San Juan Islands?

Thoughts?

Deb15July

Beanweb24,

I really am flying blind on this as I've never been to Washington. My friends have lived in Bellevue for at least 15 yrs and they helped plan our itinerary. Eastside Seatle was as follows:

Kirkland
Redmond
Bellevue
Bellevue Farmers Market - Thurs (16th and 23rd) - cooking demos

Gardyloo

Deb15July on Jul 1, 09 at 07:45 PM

OK...forgive me but I've been very distracted with personal matters for the last several weeks. We leave in 2 wks for Seattle...what should I absolutely not miss.

Plan for:
Pike's Market
Locks Tour
Underground Tour
Forks...for my daughter, but I enjoyed Twilight too!
Buchardt Gardens
Mt. St. Helens
Eastside Seattle

Is EMP worth the visit? I think DD would think so, but there are sooo many things I want to see.

Can't speak for your DD but if the EMP is of interest I would swap it for the Underground Tour, which is of local interest but to many is just a guided tour of some interesting basements. BTW it's the Pike (not Pike's) market.

Mt. St. Helens is a 4-hour detour to the south, and seems very out of place given the rest of your itinerary. Are you visiting Portland before or after? If so, MSH is easily included in the drive from Seattle to Portland.

cferrb on Jul 1, 09 at 08:16 PM

DH says you can catch a ferry out of Seattle but it's a longer trip and more expensive.

Most years there's a passenger-only ferry from Seattle to the San Juans, but not this year as the boats have been chartered by the Navy for ship worker transport.

Deb15July on Jul 2, 09 at 10:09 PM

This is part of our currently planned itinerary for two nights:

Vancouver
Drive to Vancouver
Tour the Arboretum at Queen Elizabeth Park
Ferry to Vancouver Island

Victoria (2 nights)
Tour Butchart Gardens, including lunch
Walk around Victoria

Ferry to Port Angeles
Drive to Forks
Walk around Forks
Drive to Port Angeles
Lunch in Port Angeles
Drive to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park

I think my friends thought the ferry to Vancouver Island might give some of the same experiences as the ferry around San Juan Islands?

Thoughts?

The BC ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay is (IMO) equal to or better than the San Juan ferry from Anacortes in terms of scenery, but it's different in that the WA ferry stops at the various islands, so you get a more intimate view of things. The BC boat winds through the Gulf Islands and gives you a longer island/shore viewing experience, but it doesn't stop.

Deb15July on Jul 2, 09 at 10:13 PM

Beanweb24,

I really am flying blind on this as I've never been to Washington. My friends have lived in Bellevue for at least 15 yrs and they helped plan our itinerary. Eastside Seatle was as follows:

Kirkland
Redmond
Bellevue
Bellevue Farmers Market - Thurs (16th and 23rd) - cooking demos

At least have them take you to Snoqualmie Falls and through the Snoqualmie Valley to see a little of the gorgeous countryside on the eastside. You can loop from Redmond to Duvall or Carnation, then south on SR 203/SR 202 to Snoqualmie Falls, then through North Bend to connect to I-90 and back quickly into Bellevue for shopping, farmers markets, malls etc.

beanweb24

Got it...since they're friends AND they live in Bellevue, then I understand the urge to go to the Eastside. But it's definitely not something I would normally recommend for someone's visit to Seattle (especially the first one!).

I work 2 blocks from the Thursday farmers market in Bellevue. It's a pretty decent market, and many of the vendors there are the same as they are in Ballard. BUT...the location of Ballard is way better (tons of funky shops to wander in) whereas the location of the market in Bellevue is in an old grocery store parking lot across the street from a big mall.

Go to the market a little hungry. There are several really good food vendors there -- Anitas will be making crepes (sweet or savory), there will be fresh wood oven pizza, there's usually a vegetarian tamale/quesadilla/grilled veggie stand, gelato, etc. I usually buy a pint of gazpacho and that's my dinner on Thursday nights.

I second the recommendation for Snoqualmie Falls if you have the time and are on the east side.

jerrypolon

Thanks, NW Wanderer for the ferry info. I'm guessing that the longish drive North on Whidbey to Anacortes is a good trip also. But I also wonder, looking at my map, if a boat from Port Townsend also goes North to Lopez Island, shorter than the Whidbey route, which involves two ferries, without a scheduled connection.

I've seen some awesome photos of Mt. Olympus, one with what looks like a lodge. The photo doesn't identify where exactly it is.I do hope to see the great peak. Can this occur from Port Angeles? Hurricane Ridge? Olympic Hot Springs?

azzure

The only ferry from Port Townsend goes to Keystone Harbor, near Coupeville, on Whidbey Island. You will have to drive from there to Anacortes, but you're right in assuming it's a beautiful trip...Deception Pass bridge, which you will cross, is one of the most photographed sites in Washington.

And the lodge you're most likely seeing is probably the visitor center at Hurricane Ridge. Is this it? http://www.byways.org/explore/byways.../places/42541/

jerrypolon

Cost of ferrying with car is quite high, and I wonder if we NEED a car on San Juan or Orcas Islands. So the question is can we leave our auto in Anacortes for a couple of days while we explore the islands? Also, does Orcas offer as good kayaking/wildlife sightings as San Juan?

Thanks again for your great help!

NWWanderer

I prefer to have a car on the islands. IMO getting off the beaten path and onto the backroads is part of what makes going there special. It allows much greater flexibility as well. If you're going for at least 2 nights, IMO it's worth taking your car, unless you're very strong cyclists.

I've kayaked from both islands and prefer the trips from Orcas by a slight margin, but both islands offer good trips. There's a higher chance of seeing the orcas if you go kayaking off the west side of SJI but otherwise, you'll see similar wildlife from both--eagles and harbor seals mainly.

lennyba

<Anitas will be making crepes (sweet or savory),>


<drool>

Beanweb, have you been to their storefront on Leary?