kam

Were in Seattle for a 4 day weekend last weekend. Took SWA and caught an airport taxi to go to the Inn at the Market. Cost about $35--no traffic despite warnings that it's as bad as SF. No car--not really necessary unless you want to leave the city. Inn at the Market is charming and very, very well located. We had a "city view" room, which unfortunately was terribly noisy and we usually aren't bothered by such things. The hotel building is quite old so the airconditioners are individual units and ours was positioned so that it blew cold air right on our heads. It also cycled on and off all night. It would have been worse to open the windows because of the noise. The hotel has a gorgeous rooftop terrace(buy a bottle of wine--no alcohol in the mini bars--wonder why?) so a bay view is really not necessary and I don't think you'd gain much as there would be noise from the market in the early morning. The hotel offers all amenities, wonderfully responsive staff, and the pretty little Campagne restaurant where you can relax in the afternoon with a glass of wine in the courtyard. First night dinner at Place Pigalle--tiny, good food, how do the kitchen staff manage in such a small space? View is pretty, but windows are small. Next day wandered in the Market--what a treat! The flowers are gorgeous and the fish incredible. Had breakfast at the Athenian Inn--a market tradition. Went gallery hopping in Pioneer Square via the Waterfront streetcar and had lunch at touristy, but satisfying, Ivar's. Dinner at Il Bistro--pretty little restaurant,staff very incompetent, specials misquoted, could not figure how to deal with sunlight blinding us halfway through meal--there were other tables available, but no offer to move us, despite our appeals to several of the waitstaff. We ended up moving ourselves to the bar and then left without finishing our meal. Next day shopping and to Space Needle, which has just been renovated. Quite pleasant, beautiful view, not at all tacky as we feared. Monorail works well. Dinner that night at Etta's--probably the best of the weekend. Great seafood and a super staff. Next day up early for Victoria Clipper trip to Victoria. Unfortunately, after 4 hours on the boat we had to turn around and return to Seattle. Apparently they felt the winds and swells were too much to go from Whidbey Island to the San Juans without great discomfort and perhaps danger. We wonder if they were too conservative, but it's their call. Gave us a full refund and a 50% off coupon for another trip, which is certainly much more gracious than an airline. It was disappointing though. We decided instead to eat a very large, comfort lunch at Anthony's. It's a typical big waterfront restaurant, but it was raining and the Bloody Mary's and clam chowder sure are good. Wandered that aftermoon down 1st Ave. to Pioneer Square and the International District (read: Chinatown) and back along the piers. Seattle is a great walking city with public transportation available if you get tired. Spent Sunday night at Kell's Irish pub in the Market, one of the few places open on Sunday night. Charming owner and pretty decent bar food. Conclusions: Seattle is fun, clean and easy but not as sophisticated as we thought it would be. It's not a dress up city at all. The restaurants we sampled are very small. Sure, it rains, but we had two glorious days of sunshine. The traffic's not as bad as they would have you think. It's a great introduction to Northwest Native art--several excellent galleries with very knowledgeable people. We'd like to return, and this time, make it up to Victoria!

Brian in Atlanta

Thanks for the report Kam. We're kicking around ideas for this Thanksgiving and Seattle is near the top of the list (though we're questioning the weather in late Nov).

Cheryl Z.

Kam, am glad you had such a great time here in Seattle. Thanks for a good report for us. (and yep, we're not a dress-up town!) And Brian, yeah, it'll be kinda yucky - chilly and rainy end of November. I always think May is a great month to come up here but that can be chilly and rainy too - but so green and pretty.

kam

Cheryl, do you happen to know how often the Clipper gets turned around? I tried to ask them but they were so busy trying to give refunds and reschedule that I gave up. Something else I forgot to mention was that the Inn at the Market has a town car and will arrange to take you to the airport for a flat $30 fee, less than the taxi and they guarantee they'll be on time. We certainly will return!

Sandra

Kam,
Enjoyed your trip report so much! We were also in Seattle for a four day weekend last summer. Had no rain in four days! We also stayed at the Inn at the Market -- a really beautiful hotel! We stayed on the market side, a NEW room (no individual room air-conditioners -- central air) and very well decorated. We also spent many evenings on the rooftop terrace, watching the ferry boats while enjoying a bottle of wine. The one truly memorable dinner was at Etta's -- the salmon was outstanding. We were luckier than you on our trip to Victoria -- a kind of boring trip on the clipper, but we made it -- and spent a wonderful day at the gardens, having wine and cheese at that gorgeous Empress Hotel and, just in general, enjoying the whole harbor experience. Another side trip was to Snoqualmie and the Salish Lodge (remember the old series "Twin Peaks"? That's the hotel they always showed in the beginning!). Kam, your trip report brought back many good memories -- we loved Seattle and hope to visit again soon. Next month we'll be heading out to San Fran and Napa (YOU'RE neck of the woods!). I've never been to California (live in the midwest) -- but I've made our plans based on a lot of your recommendations. Thank you!

kam

Hi Sandra, We lived in Chicago for 20 years before we moved to LA and then to the Peninsula south of SF 5 years ago. We are now empty nesters and travel as much as we can. I don't like to give my real email address here so you have no way to contact me directly, but if you would want to put your real address on the Fodors forum I could give you first hand info about northern California. Too bad that we are restricted to this, but we've suffered in the past.