Seattle in June
Mar 6th, 2003, 08:14 AM
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People have been getting really good rates on rooms in Seattle thru Priceline. You may start trying for 4 star hotels in the downtown area and see if you are lucky too. Biddingfortravel.com will give you ideas of what rooms have been going for.
As far as interests it really depends on what you like and where you are from. Seattle has wineries, baseball, hiking, shopping, art, theater, great dining, watersports, etc.
I just picked up the 03 Fodors Pacific Northwest guide and it is pretty inclusive.
Wendy
As far as interests it really depends on what you like and where you are from. Seattle has wineries, baseball, hiking, shopping, art, theater, great dining, watersports, etc.
I just picked up the 03 Fodors Pacific Northwest guide and it is pretty inclusive.
Wendy
Mar 6th, 2003, 10:08 AM
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Yeah, I recently got a Best Western for $30/night at Seattle Center through Priceline (2.5 star hotel). Free parking. It was not an amazing hotel, but it was fine (better than a Motel 6) and a steal for that price. Good deals on 3-star and 4-star hotels right downtown can be had also, just remember that most of these places charge in the neighborhood of $20/night extra for parking! Booking on your own, hotels can be very pricey in Seattle.
Andrew
Andrew
Mar 6th, 2003, 12:58 PM
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If the weather is good, one of my favorite things to do in Seattle is to take the ferry from downtown to the island (I'm not sure of the name) across the sound. If you have a car, there's another ferry from Mukelteo to Whidby Island I really enjoy, too.
Mar 6th, 2003, 03:35 PM
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Things that are uniquilly (?) Seattle:
Pike Place Market, explore than have a nice lunch or dinner at Place Pigalle, Cafe Campaigne or Chez Shea.
Pioneer Square- you can stroll through the art galleries, check out the oldest part of the city, go on an underground tour.
Waterfront- browse the piers (full of shops and restuarants), take a harbor tour, take a water taxi to Alki Beach (across the harbor) and find the little statue of liberty. Have lunch or dinner at Salty's taking in the magnificant view of the skyline, or take a ferry to one of the Islands (I like Vashon).
Seattle Center- take the monorail from downtown at Westlake Center, check out the Space Needle (only go up if it is clear and sunny out), have lunch in the food court, check out the Butterfly exhibit at the Science Center, check out EMP if you are a music buff.
Snoqualmie Falls- drive out to the falls and hike down, have lunch at the Lodge for a spectacular view.
Mt. Rainier- take a day trip drive out to Mt. Rainier, drive up to Paradise lodge with a picnic of things purchased at the market. Hike and have lunch on the mountain.
Ballard- Go to the Ballard Locks, view the salmon ladder, go to Golden Gardens beach and wander, stop at Rays for lunch or drinks on the patio.
Lake Union- rent kayaks on lake union, check out all the houseboats like you saw on "Sleepless in Seattle", have lunch or drinks on the deck at Blue Water after.
Eat at the Dahlia Lounge, Wild Ginger, Palisades and/or Marco's Supper Club.
Just a few of my favorite things........
Wendy
Pike Place Market, explore than have a nice lunch or dinner at Place Pigalle, Cafe Campaigne or Chez Shea.
Pioneer Square- you can stroll through the art galleries, check out the oldest part of the city, go on an underground tour.
Waterfront- browse the piers (full of shops and restuarants), take a harbor tour, take a water taxi to Alki Beach (across the harbor) and find the little statue of liberty. Have lunch or dinner at Salty's taking in the magnificant view of the skyline, or take a ferry to one of the Islands (I like Vashon).
Seattle Center- take the monorail from downtown at Westlake Center, check out the Space Needle (only go up if it is clear and sunny out), have lunch in the food court, check out the Butterfly exhibit at the Science Center, check out EMP if you are a music buff.
Snoqualmie Falls- drive out to the falls and hike down, have lunch at the Lodge for a spectacular view.
Mt. Rainier- take a day trip drive out to Mt. Rainier, drive up to Paradise lodge with a picnic of things purchased at the market. Hike and have lunch on the mountain.
Ballard- Go to the Ballard Locks, view the salmon ladder, go to Golden Gardens beach and wander, stop at Rays for lunch or drinks on the patio.
Lake Union- rent kayaks on lake union, check out all the houseboats like you saw on "Sleepless in Seattle", have lunch or drinks on the deck at Blue Water after.
Eat at the Dahlia Lounge, Wild Ginger, Palisades and/or Marco's Supper Club.
Just a few of my favorite things........
Wendy
Mar 8th, 2003, 12:51 PM
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Great post, Wendy ... I'd disagree on one small point, however. Unless you're taking a car onto the ferry, there's only one destination that makes sense: Winslow/Bainbridge Island. You can walk to the little town from the ferry dock. The trip to Vashon, which departs from West Seattle instead of from downtown Seattle like the Bainbridge boat, will bring you to the island -- but without any services within walking distance.
Mar 12th, 2003, 05:30 PM
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I just returned from a long weekend trip - 3 days in Seattle and one in Vancouver. Got the Vintage Park hotel for $60 per night on PL. Great property - really nice, small boutique hotel operated by Klimpton Group. Plush, large and comfy room... fireplace and free wine tastings in the lobby area living room... friendly staff. Advice re/car - parking is expensive in downtown Seattle and scarce ($25 per night at hotel and almost as much elsewhere). Lots of good public transport available and much is easy to walk to. Get greay Line Express bus from airport to downtowon hotels - cheap at about $11-14 for round trip. Then rent car by the day for your day trip(s). We rented a car for the weekend and regretted that we did.
Highlights (for us): the hotel, Pike Place Market, the Jacob Lawrence exhibit at Seattle Museum of Art (great museum and wonderful show) and a fantastic latte at Ancient Grounds on First Ave near University. he is only open in the daytime but makes great drinks and has an incredible gallery/collection of Northwestern and Mexican ceremonial masks and folk/tribal art. Excellent fish and just okay soup and appetizers at McCormick's Fish House. Great jazz show at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley - it's a world class jazz club that gets it right on all counts - great acoustics, intimate setting yet nor cramped, decent food, fair prices, good service and good line of sight to stage. I just wish NYC had a jazz club this good!
Low Points (for us): cold, rainy and windy weather for the time of year (all advised us that it was unusually cold for March) and high price for parking.
Meals in downtown, Belltown and Pike Place Market area tend to be pricey but if you get out to some of the neighborhoods (Capital Hill comes to mind) there are cheaper and very interesting options.
Highlights (for us): the hotel, Pike Place Market, the Jacob Lawrence exhibit at Seattle Museum of Art (great museum and wonderful show) and a fantastic latte at Ancient Grounds on First Ave near University. he is only open in the daytime but makes great drinks and has an incredible gallery/collection of Northwestern and Mexican ceremonial masks and folk/tribal art. Excellent fish and just okay soup and appetizers at McCormick's Fish House. Great jazz show at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley - it's a world class jazz club that gets it right on all counts - great acoustics, intimate setting yet nor cramped, decent food, fair prices, good service and good line of sight to stage. I just wish NYC had a jazz club this good!
Low Points (for us): cold, rainy and windy weather for the time of year (all advised us that it was unusually cold for March) and high price for parking.
Meals in downtown, Belltown and Pike Place Market area tend to be pricey but if you get out to some of the neighborhoods (Capital Hill comes to mind) there are cheaper and very interesting options.
Mar 28th, 2003, 08:18 PM
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Just went to Seattle on March 15-18. Recommend Pike Place Market. If you like oysters and/or clams, go to Elliots Oyster House. Also, loved breakfast at Coastal Kitchen. Had a great dinner at Restaurant Zoe (save room for dessert). Loved Seattle!
Mar 29th, 2003, 10:05 AM
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Another vote for breakfast at the Coastal Kitchen(Capital Hill)..be prepared for a wait on the weekend but it's worth the wait. We stay two places while in Seattle. We have stayed twice at Inn at the Market which you should see if you can get on PL otherwise it's around $250/noc at least for a market view room ..and we have stayed many more times at the Gaslight Inn on Capital Hill. This is a B&B with wonderful arts and crafts decor and native art and fantastic glass. The grounds (in the back) are lovely and include a pool. Breakfast is continental. The Coastal Kitchen is about three blocks down the street. We have eaten great meals in Seattle. Not knowing what you consider reasonable I would suggest Tango the Tapas restaurant. Good food, great wine list and reasonable prices. I also recommend you check out Pioneer Square as a place to walk around. Go to Elliot Bay Books(it might blow your mind!) and find Salumi as a place for lunch while down in Pioneer Square. This is a tiny (like maybe 3 or 4 tables) sandwich,sausage place. It is a welcomming place. Mario Battali's dad owns it and he is a charmer. He'll sit down at the table with you and chat or suggest you taste some other things he has made. The Seattle Art Museum is easily reached. It's a few blocks from Pike Market...and you should definitely go to the Market. We always hit it the morning before we leave so we can take salmon home with us for dinner that night. By the way, we always buy our fish at Pure Fish..taste their alder smoked salmon as well. Try lunch at the Three Girls Bakery or just bring home some of their bread.
Mar 29th, 2003, 02:28 PM
#14
While many of the standard tourist sights are conveniently located downtown, Seattle is very much a city of neighborhoods. If you’re staying close to town, 4 or 5 days is enough time to explore some of the neighborhoods that IMO give the city its character. Some suggestions:
International District – just east of Pioneer Square. Not as big as SF’s (or Vancouver’s) Chinatown, but arguably more diverse in a small area – Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai… Check out Uwajimaya Village for wonderful shopping, food, grocery browsing opportunities. If your home town doesn’t have a distinct Asian area, Seattle’s will be a fun crash course.
Capitol Hill – immediately east and northeast of downtown. Hospitals (“Pill Hill”) on one end, wonderful shopping, eating, people watching along Broadway and 15th Avenues. The side streets include some of Seattle’s most beautiful residential blocks, which in June will be lush beyond belief. Volunteer Park has a cool art deco Asian museum, Victorian conservatory, and a water tower with a killer view from the top.
Eastlake/Lake Union – just north of downtown. Wendy mentioned the houseboats along Fairview. This is a fun, diverse area with a funky working waterfront, NOAA boats, wise men and women, including Nobel Laureates, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and a great Thai restaurant occupying railroad boxcars.
Fremont – at the northeast corner of Lake Union. It’s the center of the universe. Trolls under bridges, outdoor movies on the side of buildings, static bus waiters, open-air Sunday market, a statue of Lenin and a non-working rocket ship among other landmarks. Funque and junque shops, bars, hippies, artistes and high techies from neighboring surviving software companies.
Madison Park – at the northeast end of Madison St. Twee shops, great restaurants, dogs on the lakeshore, beer in the sun. You can look across Lake Washington at Bill Gates’ digs (bring binoculars). The neighboring Washington Park neighborhood contains most of the major grand houses in the city. The Washington Park Arboretum connects Madison to the University District.
U District – The U of W campus is gorgeous; the city is trying to upgrade University Way (“the Ave”), which needs it badly, but it’s still a vibrant, fun area, full of cheap eats, fun shops, and places to get espresso and make Xerox copies 24/7.
Wallingford/Green Lake – along 45th St northwest from the freeway. Ground zero for hip, yup, P-C Seattle. Movies, bars, restaurants, traffic, one of America’s great zoos, and wonderful Green Lake with joggers, dogs, little leaguers, midnight soccer players and lizard people basking in the sun. Occasional Caymans in the lake, ouch!
Ballard/Shilshole – further out 45th to the west. Seattle’s Scandinavian soul, homeport to the biggest fishing fleet on the west coast. See the Chittenden Locks for rising and descending boats, watch returning salmon run sea lion gauntlets (view from underwater windows as the fish go up the fish ladders), then Shilshole Bay Marina, where most days about a billion bucks’ worth of boats sit idly. Where the hell are the owners?
West Seattle/Alki – west across the (ready?) West Seattle Bridge. Beach and mini-Statue of Liberty at Alki, unbelievable views of the downtown skyline from Harbor Ave. and the park above, Mondo Condo facing the city, the bay or the sound, jagged Olympic Mt. silhouettes at sunset, with ferry lights in the foreground. Try the Alki Homestead for a family-style chicken dinner, served in a wonderful ancient log house by your grandma.
I’m beebling. You get the idea.., get out of downtown.
International District – just east of Pioneer Square. Not as big as SF’s (or Vancouver’s) Chinatown, but arguably more diverse in a small area – Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai… Check out Uwajimaya Village for wonderful shopping, food, grocery browsing opportunities. If your home town doesn’t have a distinct Asian area, Seattle’s will be a fun crash course.
Capitol Hill – immediately east and northeast of downtown. Hospitals (“Pill Hill”) on one end, wonderful shopping, eating, people watching along Broadway and 15th Avenues. The side streets include some of Seattle’s most beautiful residential blocks, which in June will be lush beyond belief. Volunteer Park has a cool art deco Asian museum, Victorian conservatory, and a water tower with a killer view from the top.
Eastlake/Lake Union – just north of downtown. Wendy mentioned the houseboats along Fairview. This is a fun, diverse area with a funky working waterfront, NOAA boats, wise men and women, including Nobel Laureates, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and a great Thai restaurant occupying railroad boxcars.
Fremont – at the northeast corner of Lake Union. It’s the center of the universe. Trolls under bridges, outdoor movies on the side of buildings, static bus waiters, open-air Sunday market, a statue of Lenin and a non-working rocket ship among other landmarks. Funque and junque shops, bars, hippies, artistes and high techies from neighboring surviving software companies.
Madison Park – at the northeast end of Madison St. Twee shops, great restaurants, dogs on the lakeshore, beer in the sun. You can look across Lake Washington at Bill Gates’ digs (bring binoculars). The neighboring Washington Park neighborhood contains most of the major grand houses in the city. The Washington Park Arboretum connects Madison to the University District.
U District – The U of W campus is gorgeous; the city is trying to upgrade University Way (“the Ave”), which needs it badly, but it’s still a vibrant, fun area, full of cheap eats, fun shops, and places to get espresso and make Xerox copies 24/7.
Wallingford/Green Lake – along 45th St northwest from the freeway. Ground zero for hip, yup, P-C Seattle. Movies, bars, restaurants, traffic, one of America’s great zoos, and wonderful Green Lake with joggers, dogs, little leaguers, midnight soccer players and lizard people basking in the sun. Occasional Caymans in the lake, ouch!
Ballard/Shilshole – further out 45th to the west. Seattle’s Scandinavian soul, homeport to the biggest fishing fleet on the west coast. See the Chittenden Locks for rising and descending boats, watch returning salmon run sea lion gauntlets (view from underwater windows as the fish go up the fish ladders), then Shilshole Bay Marina, where most days about a billion bucks’ worth of boats sit idly. Where the hell are the owners?
West Seattle/Alki – west across the (ready?) West Seattle Bridge. Beach and mini-Statue of Liberty at Alki, unbelievable views of the downtown skyline from Harbor Ave. and the park above, Mondo Condo facing the city, the bay or the sound, jagged Olympic Mt. silhouettes at sunset, with ferry lights in the foreground. Try the Alki Homestead for a family-style chicken dinner, served in a wonderful ancient log house by your grandma.
I’m beebling. You get the idea.., get out of downtown.
