Seattle Travel Forum

I am coming from the UK to washington state for a 3 week course in july/august. I will have one night and the following day to spend in seattle before i fly home. Any suggestions what i can do? I'm not used to traveling on my own, so this is a big deal for me.I live in the countryside on the welsh borders, so the big city will be hugely exciting.Any advice will be gratefully received. I'm interested in architecture, art, i love the sea, and a bit of shopping ;-). If i stay at the airport, is it a long hike back into the city?
Thanks

An airport hotel would be less money but a drain on time wanting to be looking around.
I really liked the way Kirkland felt. It has a neat West Coast look.

You are there for Sea Fair. The largest festival in Seattle with hydrofoil races, parties, parades and fireworks.
http://www.seafair.com/

Pikes market... they throw fish around there..
Spaceneedle,
take a ferry across.

A couple of web sites that might be helpful: (1) http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/seattle-city-guide4.htm., and (2) www.seattlearchitecture.org/tours.cfm. Gary

You picked a great time of year to visit. The weather in July and August is typically sunny and very comfortable. The airport is about 20 min drive south of the city, definitely to far to walk. I would not recommend staying there. The airport has many buses that will take you to the city for a few dollars and there are plenty of hotels in the city.

Some attractions you should check out are:
See what is going on with Seafair! Lots of events and it runs for a few weeks.
The Pike Place Market, late morning is the best time to go.
Mariners baseball. Tickets are cheap and they play all the time.
Argosy cruise. Experience Seattle from the water. Puget Sound is very beautiful.
The Seattle Center. There you will find the Space Needle and Experience Music
Project.
Some of the cooler neighborhoods to wonder around are Freemont, International District, University District, Belltown and Capital Hill. All have unique shopping, food and culture.

One more tip!
If you want to get around downtown there is a bus free ride area in the city:
http://transit.metrokc.gov/tops/bus/ridefree.html

Hope this gives you a few ideas
Safe travels!

Definitely need to go to Pike Place Market. It won't take you too long to go through it but it's worth while. There's a great little French bakery along the boardwalk where the original Starbucks is located (hopefully it's still there). I also enjoyed going to Pioneer Square. it's south of where Pike Place Market is. You can get there on the trolley. Two tour we took that were not too expensive: The Underground Tour and the Haunted Happenings Tour. Each are listed on things to do and off the beaten path on my Seattle page.
Shopping is fantastic in Seattle. Lots of great shops!

Become a couchsurfer and ask the locals to take you to the best spots. They'll probably put you up for the night as well, and if you're lucky, take you to the airport.

www.couchsurfing.com

That sounds more like a young person would like to experience. I don't think I could do that at my age but, 20-30 years ago, I'd be all over it.

Stay the hostel if you can't afford Downtown Seattle hotels. The Moore is about the cheapest hotel Downtown, but it's gone up recently. Another alternative is Downtown Bellevue, which has some shopping and restaurants around it and is pretty safe, but also a good bus connection to Seattle.
If you stay at the airport, you'll save money, but you'll likely have to take the hotel's airport shuttle (you absolutely need one that has a shuttle, otherwise you'll absolutely have to have a car) to the airport, then get on the bus to Downtown. Not fun. Not a great area around the airport hotels either, on International Boulevard.
Do the tourist stuff: Pike's Place Market, Pioneer Square, Seattle Center/Space Needle (skip the Music Project thing) and maybe take the monorail.
Since you're into architecture visit the new library Downtown: http://www.spl.org/images/slideshow/slideshow.asp
Also, a ferry is a great idea, especially in the evening as you get a fabulous view of the skyline. You can take either the Bainbridge Island or Bremerton ferries from Pier 52. It's $6.70 on the way out, free on the way back.
Or you can take the water taxi over to West Seattle. http://transit.metrokc.gov/tops/oto/water_taxi.html
Another thing to do, if you like water and boats, is check out the Ballard Locks: http://www.seattle.gov/tour/locks.htm
The Fremont, Ballard and Capitol Hill neighborhoods should be up your alley. Ballard's gotten a little yuppie though.
Also, if you like beer, be sure to try at least one of Seattle's local brewpubs. Some of the best beer in the country, but might not be to your liking if you're used to English beer.
hth

thank you to everyone who has taken the time to answer my post. brilliant ideas there. I'm really looking forward to it now. :-)

Another web site that might be helpful: www.whatsonwhen.com. Gary

Stay in downtown and explore downtown!

You might enjoy the Seattle Acquarium. Check out their web page at

http://www.seattleaquarium.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=183&srcid=-2

And as everyone else has mentioned, do spend some time at Pikes Place Market.

There have to be a number of people who have posted tips on VT with their favorite places to visit in Seattle, and that is always a great place to start your searches.

With only one day (and I'm guessing on foot) you'll have to limit your sightseeing.

For your interest in architecture and art, definitely don't miss:
1. the Seattle Library (new, controversial, by Rem Koolhaas from the Netherlands
2. Seattle Art Museum's new Sculpture Park at the north end of the waterfront. Some world-class sculpture in a magnificent hillside setting stepping down to the waterfront .. great views

Be sure to check out the following:

1. Seattle Architecture Foundation has a gallery of architecture and organizes many tours throughout the year.
http://www.seattlearchitecture.org/
Rainier Square Atrium, Third Floor
1333 Fifth Avenue, Suite. 300
M - F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturdays 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Tour Dates
contact them ahead .. they could give you ideas ... and they have an excellent book available on Seattle architecture

2. Arts Link is an organization of arts/architecture things
http://depts.washington.edu/artsl/
they run walks throughout the year. Check out their schedule nearer your date at:
http://artslink.wordpress.com/category/architecture/

3. A commercial walking tour is at:
http://www.see-seattle.com/seeseattle.htm

A nice morning to mid afternoon itinerary for walking would be (in this or reverse order:)
1. check out the Architecture Foundation downtown
2. the library a few blocks away - interesting concepts
3. walk down the hill to Harbour Steps thence down to the waterfront
4. north to the Sculpture Park, walk upthew hill through it
5. south to Pike's Place Market
6. Pike's Place Market leaves you right next to downtown .. if you have time ... check out the Pacific Center for shopping (a vertical mall with a huge atrium)
7. When downtown look up Pike Street towards the convention center, that has an arch over the street linking its two halves. Its an interseting building built in part over a major downtown freeway. Adjacent (on its "back side" is Freeway Park - also built over the freeway.

However, much would depend on what walking tours are available.

Seattle has lots of hills, each containing neighboorhoods with distinctive character:
1. Queen Anne Hill north of downtown ... wonderful old (that is, old for Seattle, not old for the UK) mansions, great views, publis stairways between houses going up and down the hill
2. South Lake Union: new highrise luxury condos gradually taking over an old nondescript area just nort of downtown, running north to Lake Union with its restaurants and park and hightech bio-tech campuses
3. Capital Hill, just east of downtown, up Pike Street ... young, avant guard,edgy

It you have to stay at the Airport, much time will be wasted on transit to and from downtown. Preferable, stay downtown. Most downtown hotels are expensive. For some savings, consider the motels/hotels near the Seattle Center ... not bad location (you can take the monorail between the Seattle Center (its the sire of the 1962+- world's fair ... now a collection of park, concert, venues) to downtown (which is very roughly 10 or 15 blocks away.

Google Seattle to see maps and for conceptualizing where some of the above are.

Beware: you're in Seattle during Seafair and at the height of tourist season. Be sure to book ahead. (and hotel costs will be a their higher range)

You can check out activities and event schedules at:
http://www.seafair.com/
or
http://www.gonorthwest.com/Washington/seattle/activities/events.htm

P.S.

To get to/from the airport you can arrange to take Shuttle Express
http://www.shuttleexpress.com
It's shared vans ... cheaper than taxi, *much* faster than commercial transport, picks you up, and drops you off right at the door anywhere in the Seattle region.

Question: the nonstop flights to the UK leave Seattle between 6PM and 11PM. Will that give you an extra half day? Or is your "day in Seattle" the day you leave? Be sure to be AT the airport a minimum of 2hrs ahead, especially for international flights. And allow a minimum ofg 1 to 1.5 hrs to get to the airport depending on your mode of transport.

One humorous note re your town of Hereford. My wife and I were on a train going through Hereford from the south of Wales to Manchester a few years ago. There is a common breed of cattle in the US called Hereford (we pronounce it, phonetically, her..furd). I commented to my wife I wondered if Hereord was where "her..furd" cattle originated. A little 8 year old ahead of us turned around and said: "t's Hereford (in supurb local pronounciation that I can't mimick well) ... I know because I live there"

haha it's a small world. Thank you so much for taking the time to give such a brilliant detailed answer,very very useful. I'm staying downtown now and will take my brave pills and explore.
cheers