Seattle trip
 

Hi! I am planning to spend one week in Seattle in early June. I've done my hotel research and I think I am ready to book a stay at the Mediterranean Inn. My understanding is that it is in Lower Queen Anne. How far is that from downtown Seattle? I am not renting a car. I like to stay within or near the city center and walk most places. Is Lower Queen Anne a "safe" neighborhood for a single, female traveler?
Also, is it possible to visit Victoria in one day if I take a ferry from Seattle?
I would appreciate any helpful info... thanks!

Hi azure0327
The Mediterranean Inn is a very nice spot on Lower Queen Anne. It's in a safe neighborhood that's close to bus lines. I've moved from Seattle, but whenever I visit I often park nearby and walk a couple of blocks to the Seattle Center under the Space Needle to catch the Monorail into downtown Seattle. It's about a mile and a half ride and you'll arrive in the middle of the shopping district, across the street from Nordstrom's.

There used to be a Victoria Ferry that made daily runs back and forth. If the hydrofoil is still running, that would be the best bet to get up there and back in one day. Check the web for details. It's a beautiful trip! Be sure to see Butchart Gardens.

azure~ The area around the Mediterranean on lower Queen Anne is a fine neighborhood. It's right 'off the back' of the Seattle Center/Space Needle campus.

You'd simply walk all the way down 1st Ave, thru Belltown, say, to get to Pike Place Market. Couldn't be more than 20-25 mins. on foot. There's also Metro bus you can check routes & schedules.

Going thru the Center to catch the monorail as mentioned above is another way to get into the downtown core.

Yes, you can get to Victoria & back in 1 day using the Victoria Clipper. If your days are flexible I've seen deals on the ticket prices at Ticket/Ticket (1/2 price theater and events broker with two locations in Seattle).

Thank you roundthebend and suze! I really appreciate your input. While researching hotels, the Queen Anne area sounded appealing but it helps to have that confirmed by people who know Seattle well. I am really looking forward to this trip now!

My days are flexible so I will look into suze's suggestion on getting a good deal for the Victoria Clipper.

I want to spend as much time near the water as possible. Any other suggestions on where to go by ferry or along the coast near Seattle? Thanks again...

A few things close in to do by the water:

There is a water taxi runs over to West Seattle from downtown that just started running for the summer season.

Also you can ride a ferry over to Bainbridge Island (and have lunch or poke around the shops) and back for only $6.95 round-trip. It's a 1/2 hour ride each way and gives fantastic views of the Seattle skyline.

Walking along the Waterfront, the stretch in the downtown area, is very nice to do. Tourist shops, restaurants, great views of the water and mountains.

We took the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Victoria but wound up spending the night, and we're really glad we did. We took a lovely evening stroll in the harbor area and had a wonderful dinner.

Stay the night if you can.

suze, we decided to play tourist and took the water taxi over to West Seattle. Twelve bucks round trip for two. The Bainbridge ferry is cheaper. Seacrest is a couple of hundred yards north of Salty's, so taking the water taxi over for Sunday brunch would be a nice outing. We didn't take the shuttle that was waiting at the Seacrest dock (get a transfer when leaving the water taxi) but that would be a great way to explore West Seattle.

It leaves from Pier 55, same as Argosy cruises and the Tillicum Village cruise.

bobmrg~ Thanks. I haven't have occasion to take the West Seattle water taxi myself, so good to hear the details.

Thankis for the tip about the Bainbridge ferry and the Victoria Clipper.

More expensive but unique and IMO better for a day trip to Victoria, consider Kenmore Air's floatplane service from Lake Union in Seattle to the Inner Harbour in Victoria. You'd have more time to explore Victoria and environs vs. spending several hours bouncing on the water. www.kenmoreair.com

I've booked my stay and I'm looking forward to exploring Seattle! Questions for Suze or anyone else who is familiar with Seattle: any recommendations for good restaurants, cafes etc. in Queen Anne or Belltown. I love seafood, ethnic restaurants, vegetarian, bakeries, coffeeshops (not Starbucks). Also: any unique bookstores or shops worth visiting? I appreciate any recommendations, thanks in advance.

I am a single female like you (and just moved to Seattle about 6 months ago). In Belltown, I've had good solo dining experiences (in terms of both food and atmosphere) at Flying Fish and Zoe...and I'm really interested in trying Tavolata.

My personal favorites in Belltown these days are Dahlia Lounge, Dahlia Bakery (to-go), or Serious Pie. Also Assagio's Italian on 4th.

Steelhead is a cool new-ish restaurant right near the Market.

Bacco and Le Pichet on 1st are great cafes for breakfast or lunch.

For coffeeshops, Top Pot Donuts on 5th is a fun place but a bit out of the way.

For seafood at lunchtime either Market Grill (a lunch-counter "near the pig" in Pike Place Market) or Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar (also in the Market, down the hallway behind to the original Starbucks) both have excellent fresh seafood at reasonable prices.

My favorite downtown bookstore to recommend is down in Pioneer Square (at the other end of 1st Ave)... Elliott Bay Bookstore. It's a Seattle institution. A nice cafe downstairs too.

Thank you beanweb24 and suze! Those places sound great...

What is the best way to get from the airport to Queen Anne in Seattle? I'm not renting a car and I've heard taxi's are expensive... Is there a bus or shuttle that goes from the airport to different hotels/neighborhoods throughout Seattle? Thanks in advance for any tips.

Hello, fellow azure! You will want to take Metro bus #194, an express that will take you from the baggage claim area at SeaTac straight to downtown Seattle. The cost is $1.50 I believe. From there another bus will get you to the Queen Anne area; I'm not certain of the route numbers there so just check the King County metro website. Or you could take a taxi for the short ride to your hotel from downtown.

Note that Bus 194 can be very crowded; so if you have a lot of luggage that could be a problem. I usually travel with just a carry-on.

It depends what you call expensive. I always use a taxi to get to and from SeaTac myself. I live on Capitol Hill (similar distance to the airport) and figure $35-40 for the ~1/2 hour trip.

If you have much luggage I think taking the Metro bus would be a huge hassle (been there, done that). If you have only a single small bag, then it'd be OK. But still perhaps a bit much in a strange city after getting off a plane ride.

My recommendation would be to take the *Greyline Airporter* (bus that goes from the airport around to the hotels downtown) and get off at the Warwick Hotel (last stop on the loop). That costs ~$10 one-way and leaves every 1/2 hour. Then at the Warwick there is a taxi line outside, so hop a taxi for the last little bit up to Queen Anne, which should not be more than ~$5.

Hello fellow azzure! Thanks to you and Suze for the suggestions...

Re getting trom SeaTac Airport to anywhere in Seattle:
Cheaper than a taxi (and not much more time), MUCH more convenient than a bus .. take the Shuttle Express ... vans continually leaving from Sea Tac take you right to your door ... they coordinate so you share the ride with 3 or 4 others, stop each at their own door

They have a terminal at Sea Tac in the parking garage ... ask at the airport for details of just follow the "shuttle" signs