jbtraveller

My husband and I will be in Seattle arriving after our tour of the Boeing Factory and then plan to catch a ferry to Victoria the following morning. Can we have a suggestion of what to do for the afternoon and evening to get a feel of Seattle. I saw a posting about Bainbridge Island Ferry is this worth it and of course we will do the Space Needle.
As we will be leaving early for Victoria, I presume there is only one ferry which will take us there can we have accomodation advice on where to stay close to the ferry. Thanking you all.

BetsyinKY

I was just in Seattle in April and two of the activities that I enjoyed most were riding the ferry and prowling through Pike Place Market. Considering how inexpensive it is, I think the Bainbridge Island ferry is definitely "worth it", if the weather is nice. It is a great way to get out on the Puget Sound and see the Seattle skyline. Pike Place Market was also fun...lots of food to sample and market stalls to browse.

kimamom

We loved the ferry ride to Bainbridge, but I regret not getting off the boat and exploring the place. We didn't have our car, tho.

The ferry, the Space Needle and Pike's Place were the highlights of our trip. We even enjoyed the aquarium there.

We stayed at the Edgewater Hotel, it was absolutely wonderful. Gorgeous property, located right on the water. A very nice restaurant, Six Seven, also where we enjoyed breakfast and appetizers out on the deck in the pm before we would head out for dinner. www.edgewaterhotel.com

I want to go back to the PNW and I've only been back in CA for a few hours, LOL!!! ***kim***

turn_it_on

I gotta say it. We didn't think the Space Needle was worth the $12.50 EACH(December 2003). We get to the top, walk all around, ooh and aah for several minutes, freeze our butts off outside, go back in and then look at each other wondering "Now what?". It just didn't strike us as that much bang for your buck.

Pike Place Market was a lot of fun for a waterfront lunch. We ate three times at Lowell's and loved it, good casual seafood/chowder/sandwiches overlooking the water.

love
roxy

pollyvw

Locals, help me out here. It's been a while since I was there, but I remember a cute little park just north of the Space Needle. I believe it is called Kerry Park and is on Queen Anne St. It is the place where photographers go to get those fantastic travel photos of Seattle like you see in airports. If you have access to a car (what the heck, take a taxi, if you don't), do go there. It won't take long and for as long as you live, whenever you see a travel picture of Seattle, you will remember standing there. It's beautiful day or night.

Gardyloo

If it's a nice day the Bainbridge ferry can be enjoyable. No food or hot drinks on the ferries at the moment, due to ridiculous labor/contracting disputes, so if you go, I'd recommend walking the 10 min. or so from the Bainbridge dock to the Harbour Public House on Eagle Harbor in Winslow, the town where the ferry docks. Good burgers etc., also some excellent beers, overlooking the ferry system bone yard.

Yes, it's called Kerry Park and it's on Highland Dr. on Queen Anne Hill. Easy car or bus access, up the Queen Anne Ave. "counterbalance" (former cable car route) to Highland, half a block west.

jdtraveller, if you're still interested in things aeronautical, the Museum of Flight (at Boeing Field, south of downtown) is an unheralded crown jewel of Pacific NW museums; the new "Personal Courage" wing - fighters and related aircraft from WWs I and II - is absolutely outstanding - the equal (okay, smaller) than comparable exhibits at the Smithsonian, better than the USAF museum in Dayton. Plus you can walk through the last Concorde to carry paying pax, and see JFK's Air Force One, complete with his pipe holder.

For the price of 2 tickets up the Space Needle, I'd take a bus or cab to Gasworks Park, at the north end of Lake Union, for an unusual and spectacular view of downtown Seattle. I'd use the rest of the money for a 3-piece fish and chips platter from Ivar's carry-out bar near the park entrance.

Once again, it's not "Pike's" anything. It's the Pike Place Market, named after Pike Street (not Pike's St.) which leads to it. There's a Pike's Market in northern Maine, convenient for moose hunters. Only one I know of.

pollyvw

LOL! Interesting how locals get their dander up when someone erroneously adds an 's' to a place name! I itentify with you Gardyloo as I live near Silver Spring (no 's') Maryland. The tourists always add the 's' (makes them easy to pick out of a crowd)..and it always grinds on my nerves. Why are we so sensitive?? Thank you for correcting me on Pike Place Market. I must have 1/2 doz pics with that sign, but have always incorrectly referred to it.

iamq

Try the Inn at Harbor Steps for a place to stay. Have heard great things about it.
-Bill

Orcas

Try being from Illinois and having to listen to people pronounce the silent "s" at the end. Ironically, listening to "s's" where they don't belong, is my fate, as I have also lived in Silver Spring MD and now live in Seattle, home of Pike Place Mkt.

If you haven't had a chance to see salmon ladders, you might enjoy the Ballard locks, after or before your trip to Gasworks Park. You can view the ladders from the outside and inside, and see eels sucking on the glass, if the salmon aren't running. There's a nice little garden at the locks, too, and information on the transition from salt to fresh water at the locks.
I might skip Bainbridge since you'll be on a ferry the next day for Victoria, anyway, and really enjoy Seattle.
And how impressive is the new Seattle public library, downtown? It even managed to wow my 14 year old punk rocker wannabe son. It's definitely worth a visit. Check it out on the internet and see for yourself.

There's a Van Gogh exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, too, right now. Lots to do in an afternoon and evening in Seattle!