Seattle Trip Report
Aug 21st, 2006, 11:03 AM
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Seattle Trip Report
First, a big thanks to posters such as lovesadventure, fritzrl, suze, gardyloo, etc. We used a lot of the information from posts such as theirs in researching this trip. Now, on to the fun.
This was actually a Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle vacation, but I'll report on Vancouver & Victoria on the Canada board.
First, the weather (3 days/nights, mid-August) in Seattle was awesome: temps from about 60 to low 70s, and 3 great sunny days.
We stayed at Inn at the Harbor Steps (a Four Sisters Inn) in downtown Seattle. It's literally a few blocks from the water and a short walk to either Pike Place Market or Pioneer Square.
The Inn was a great stay (I think the total including tax was $255 per night, plus about $15 per day parking). It's the first two floors of an apartment building, and the room (#19) was just cavernous. By far the largest room we've ever stayed in. The patio opens into an interior courtyard & gardens. Very, very nice (with a fridge, coffee maker, and jacuzzi--what more could you ask for?)
We really only had two full days in Seattle, so we just hit a few highlights and soaked it in. I have to say, we're not really fans of bigger cities, tending to prefer smaller places . . . BUT, Seattle we loved (except the insane traffic on I-5). Seattle just had a wonderful feel to it, friendly people, lots of shops & activity. And the espresso drinks! Venti Soy Lattes for everyone!
Highlights:
Pike Place Market. I had really low expectations for what I thought would be kind of a tourist trap. Nothing of the sort. I got the impression that lots of locals were checking it out too. The flying fish, and the sharp-witted guys giving flight to them, were cool. Amazing what flowers and produce was available (at killer prices). A wide variety of food vendors/restaurants, and some of the best beer I've ever had at Pike Place Brewery.
Pioneer Square. We were kind of scratching our heads at this one. Perhaps we didn't expore enough of it, but it seemed like Belltown had a little more going on.
Belltown/Seattle Center. We walked through Belltown along First Street to get to Seattle Center (to visit EMP, more later), and loved the restaurants & shops. Our goal was the Experience Music Project for sure, maybe the Sci Fi Museum inside that, and maybe a trip up the Space Needle. My better half is not wild about heights anyway, and when she saw the elevators had external windows, a ride up the Needle was not going to happen.
We also decided to ditch the Sci Fi Museum in the EMP complex, as it had a fairly small amount of floor-space. Having been wowed at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas, we guessed we would probably be disappointed.
EMP was pretty cool. The Jimi Hendrix exhibit and the Guitar history exhibits were great. I think the music labs would have been a lot of fun (you get to play & record a variety of instruments). But they have a very limited number of them, and they were overrun (naturally) with kids. All in all, it wasn't a rip-off by any means, but I am not sure I would give it a heartfelt recommendation unless you're a huge Hendrix fan--then by all means, go.
Dining: we had already broken the bank on the first part of our trip, so we were a little cost-conscious.
All breakfasts were at the Inn (it functions that way like a B&B); they were definitely okay, but a little institutional compared to a real B&B--e.g., self-serve buffet style.
First dinner was at Elliots on the waterfront, Pier 56 I think. Great small meal of baked oysters and a salmon-topped salad; nice atmosphere at an outside table.
Next day, skipped lunch due to an enormous breakfast (some type of vegetarian quiche, pretty good and lots of it). Dinner was fish & chips from Elliots (take out); pretty good, but I have high fish & chips standards, so not outstanding.
Lunch the last day was outstanding, possibly the best meal of our trip. We went to Racha's (Thai) near Seattle Center. I can't say enough about the food and service for lunches under $10. We had a green curry tofu dish and another vegetarian dish with a brown sauce, both with brown rice. Just outstanding. We were started off with complimentary mini spring rolls and soup, and our waiter finished us off with a complimentary orange sherbert treat.
Dinner our last night was uninspired--we were still bowled over by lunch, so decided to just get something to take back to the room. Unfortunately we opted for fish & chips again (when in Rome). We got some from Ivar's little shack near us on the waterfront. Not so much that it was bad--it wasn't--but just a lot closer to the kind of fried fish we could get at home in Myrtle Beach than to the fish & chips I've had anywhere with a British heritage.
And that's our Seattle experience. We'd definitely go back!
This was actually a Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle vacation, but I'll report on Vancouver & Victoria on the Canada board.
First, the weather (3 days/nights, mid-August) in Seattle was awesome: temps from about 60 to low 70s, and 3 great sunny days.
We stayed at Inn at the Harbor Steps (a Four Sisters Inn) in downtown Seattle. It's literally a few blocks from the water and a short walk to either Pike Place Market or Pioneer Square.
The Inn was a great stay (I think the total including tax was $255 per night, plus about $15 per day parking). It's the first two floors of an apartment building, and the room (#19) was just cavernous. By far the largest room we've ever stayed in. The patio opens into an interior courtyard & gardens. Very, very nice (with a fridge, coffee maker, and jacuzzi--what more could you ask for?)
We really only had two full days in Seattle, so we just hit a few highlights and soaked it in. I have to say, we're not really fans of bigger cities, tending to prefer smaller places . . . BUT, Seattle we loved (except the insane traffic on I-5). Seattle just had a wonderful feel to it, friendly people, lots of shops & activity. And the espresso drinks! Venti Soy Lattes for everyone!
Highlights:
Pike Place Market. I had really low expectations for what I thought would be kind of a tourist trap. Nothing of the sort. I got the impression that lots of locals were checking it out too. The flying fish, and the sharp-witted guys giving flight to them, were cool. Amazing what flowers and produce was available (at killer prices). A wide variety of food vendors/restaurants, and some of the best beer I've ever had at Pike Place Brewery.
Pioneer Square. We were kind of scratching our heads at this one. Perhaps we didn't expore enough of it, but it seemed like Belltown had a little more going on.
Belltown/Seattle Center. We walked through Belltown along First Street to get to Seattle Center (to visit EMP, more later), and loved the restaurants & shops. Our goal was the Experience Music Project for sure, maybe the Sci Fi Museum inside that, and maybe a trip up the Space Needle. My better half is not wild about heights anyway, and when she saw the elevators had external windows, a ride up the Needle was not going to happen.
We also decided to ditch the Sci Fi Museum in the EMP complex, as it had a fairly small amount of floor-space. Having been wowed at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas, we guessed we would probably be disappointed.
EMP was pretty cool. The Jimi Hendrix exhibit and the Guitar history exhibits were great. I think the music labs would have been a lot of fun (you get to play & record a variety of instruments). But they have a very limited number of them, and they were overrun (naturally) with kids. All in all, it wasn't a rip-off by any means, but I am not sure I would give it a heartfelt recommendation unless you're a huge Hendrix fan--then by all means, go.
Dining: we had already broken the bank on the first part of our trip, so we were a little cost-conscious.
All breakfasts were at the Inn (it functions that way like a B&B); they were definitely okay, but a little institutional compared to a real B&B--e.g., self-serve buffet style.
First dinner was at Elliots on the waterfront, Pier 56 I think. Great small meal of baked oysters and a salmon-topped salad; nice atmosphere at an outside table.
Next day, skipped lunch due to an enormous breakfast (some type of vegetarian quiche, pretty good and lots of it). Dinner was fish & chips from Elliots (take out); pretty good, but I have high fish & chips standards, so not outstanding.
Lunch the last day was outstanding, possibly the best meal of our trip. We went to Racha's (Thai) near Seattle Center. I can't say enough about the food and service for lunches under $10. We had a green curry tofu dish and another vegetarian dish with a brown sauce, both with brown rice. Just outstanding. We were started off with complimentary mini spring rolls and soup, and our waiter finished us off with a complimentary orange sherbert treat.
Dinner our last night was uninspired--we were still bowled over by lunch, so decided to just get something to take back to the room. Unfortunately we opted for fish & chips again (when in Rome). We got some from Ivar's little shack near us on the waterfront. Not so much that it was bad--it wasn't--but just a lot closer to the kind of fried fish we could get at home in Myrtle Beach than to the fish & chips I've had anywhere with a British heritage.
And that's our Seattle experience. We'd definitely go back!
Sep 7th, 2006, 08:27 AM
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And, the only reason that you think someone would top a trip report would be that they are bored?
Didn't realize that explanations were needed, but if you need one...
In response to questions on the board this morning in the PNW, beach dweller said he had posted a trip report. I looked for it. It had very few responses. Previously, good trip reports have been posted and others were on vacation and didn't get a chance to read the TR.
Many of us enjoy helping Fodorites plan for a trip and are interested in reading the resulting trip reports.
My thoughts were, perhaps that was true in this case as well.
Is that a thorough enough explanation as to why the TR was topped?
(Yes, sarcasm here. The "bored" comment didn't land well with me today).
Didn't realize that explanations were needed, but if you need one...
In response to questions on the board this morning in the PNW, beach dweller said he had posted a trip report. I looked for it. It had very few responses. Previously, good trip reports have been posted and others were on vacation and didn't get a chance to read the TR.
Many of us enjoy helping Fodorites plan for a trip and are interested in reading the resulting trip reports.
My thoughts were, perhaps that was true in this case as well.
Is that a thorough enough explanation as to why the TR was topped?
(Yes, sarcasm here. The "bored" comment didn't land well with me today).
