Seattle Travel Forum

Hi, I'm hoping to get advice on how best to spend my time while visiting the NW coast of Washington. I will visiting from 6/25-7/5. I arrive in Seattle and was planning on spending my 1st few day's in the city- would I want to rent a car for use in Seattle?
- I really enjoy nature and the ocean. And am hoping to do numerous hikes, and would like to see a varity of marine life: whales, seals, ect.
- I don't tend to like really large crowds / or touristy type things. But would do for exceptional experience. Also, where is the best place to be on the 4th of July? .. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.. MJ

I'll be flying in to Seattle next week in the evening and wondered what recommendations people have as far as ground transportation from the Airport to our hotel which is near the space needle.

How expensive are cabs? Are shuttles a reasonable alternative? Any public transportation available?

I will be visiting your city from 15-17 June (I know its not nearly long enough) but need to know what to pack. What is the weather like at that time of year. I live in GA where it is always HOT! Thanks.

I need a car for about ten days from SEA in July. Is there a "best" rental agancy in the airport? How can I find the best deals?

Many thanks.

In September 2008 I will fly to Seattle and bring my bike.

Question # 1: Can I leave the cardboard-bikebox at the airport, because I want to use it again for my flight back to Germany?

Question # 2: I want to ride the bike up to Port Angeles, take the ferry to Vancouver Island an carry on biking on the island.

Question # 3: Can anybody tell me the shortest and easiest way by bike from Seattle airport to Seattle harbour?

Thank you for your cooperation!!!

Hi there!

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

I am going to be flying in to Seattle this Saturday for 6 whole days.
- 4/20 - 4/26 (kinda cramped, i know!)

I would like to make the best out of the week in the Northeast.
About me:
- Really like nature/outdoors/beautiful drives
- Can tolerate touristy things but willing to make sacrifices here.

I would like to see:
- Vancouver
- Cool Parts of Washington
- Possibly Portland/parts of Oregon


I am traveling with my parents who are pretty flexible..

What would be a good way to get a decent feel for the area without being too cramped? Should I leave portland out?

I am in medical school now and I am strongly leaning toward doing residency in the northwest. This trip is to clarify my strong desire to be out there - possibly getting an idea of where I would like to be.

Thank you SO much for your insights!

Hi VTers,
I'm planning a 2-week trip right after Memorial Day or the 1st week in June. I will be there for apartment and job hunting.

Does anyone have feedback about The Belltown Inn, located in the Belltown area?
It's advertised as a hotel with an apartment living experience, and has a weekly rate of a little over $700 including taxes. (Your experience - safe? quiet? easy to get around? clean? I will be alone, I have a good sense of direction and I'm way way past college age.

I would love to get something less expensive, but I don't want to sacrifice too much quality for price and the guy I spoke to on the phone was very helpful.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks
PS(I've already done the craigslist thing.)

Do you have a listing of the planes shown in The Great Hall? I was fortunate to visit the museum last summer but am only now getting to edit my videotape. Naturaly I relied on memory rather than notes and have now forgotten many of the planes I saw that day.

For example: Is that a Mig 21 next to the F4? What is the name of the small rocket that won the X-Prize for the first commercial trip into space?

As I view my tape footage, many more questions arise.

If you have a listing of the contents of The Great Hall, it would help a lot.

Thank you,

Bill Affleck
baffleck@centurytel.net

Hi--
I love the Rick Steves books for European travel, but can anyone recommend any good books for US travel? We're considering a trip to the Pacific Northwest. I'd especially like suggestions for the out of the ordinary, not just touristy places, although some of that is great, too.
Thanks!

I am planning to visit Seattle and Vancouver in August. I have come up with the following itinerary for Seattle and would like your opinions.

Day 1- Flight from either Vancouver or New York. Visit Museum of Flight.

Day 2- (a) 3 hour city tour with Seattle Tours
(b) Argosy Boat Cruise

Day 3- (a)Pike Place Market Tour with Savor Foods (2+ hours)
(b)Woodland Park Zoo
(c) Henry Chittenden Locks, including salmon ladder

Day 4- Seattle Mariners day game

Day 5- Mount Rainier tour with Seattle Tours

I am planning to stay at the Silver Cloud Inn at Lake Union.

I have heard mixed reviews about visiting the Space Needle and Seattle Art Museum. Are they worth seeing? Is anyone familiar with the Chinatown Discovery Tours offered through the Wing Luke Asian Museum? Are there any restauarnts that you can recommend that are nice without being very expensive?

Thanks in advance for your great tips.

David

Hi. We (family with 4yr old) will be visiting Seattle in early July and are looking for some suggestions for places to visit and stay. We will travel to Port Angeles on the ferry, with a car, and spend a few days in Seattle before moving onto Lax.

We will drive from Port Angeles to Seattle and want to know if there are any must see places/stops on that drive. With a young child I don't think we will be doing any hikes (unless there are some short easy ones). Are there any nice places to stay around the Kingston area?

Also, what are the uniquely greater Seattle area places to visit/things to do? We will be in Seattle the July 4th long weekend.

Look forward to your replies!

What is the name of the best restaurant after 47 years? Hard to go there without knowing the name!

Hi...I'm visiting Seattle in June, and plan to stay near to but not in SeaTac before moving on to tour Washington State.
Can anyone give me information about Federal Way, and whether it's a safe area to stay. Thanks in advance

I'm going to be in Seattle at the beginning of April and I was wondering where the best places to stay and eat are. I will have a car so transportation will not be a problem. I dont' know much about the city so any tips on the best location to stay and the best places to eat would be much appreciated. Thank you and happy travles!!!!

Does anyone have suggestions on a reliable, affordable (as affordable as to be expected in June) RV rental company. My family (in-laws, cousins, the whole gang) will visit the Seattle area in June and we need an RV to travel and sleep in. I have heard horror stories about RV rentals and would like a recommendation in an attempt to have a pleasant experience. We will fly into Seatlle but then will head to Port Orchard to visit more family and then south the Mount St. Helens, spend some time in Olympia State Park and the San Juan Islands. Thanks for your help.

I am planning a trip to seattle in the summer. I was just wondering what is the best way to get from the space needle to safeco field. Walking? Train? Bus? Thanks :)

My daughter and I will be heading to Seattle this weekend and wanted to know where the best places to go for prom/grad dresses? Any suggestions.

We're flying into Seattle and looking for an oceanfront rental for a week in June or July. What are the best areas to look? We'll have a rental car and are not into condos.. preferably a house.. something scenic available by owner.

Where might be the best or most popular brewhouse or brew pub in Seattle?

Also, where can I go if I want to find Alaskan Brewery products on tap in Seattle area?

Thanks a lot!

Hello

Is there a good nikon camera store in Seattle

Thank you

Hi

We're planning on going to Seattle from either Victoria, B.C., or Vancouver B.C. around May 11th. We will not have a vehicle.

This is a two part question:

1. What ferry services are available that go from Vancouver, B.C. to Seattle or from Victoria, B.C. to Seattle?

2. Not being familiar with Seattle area, and since we will not have our own transportation, we would like to stay in a central location and use the cities bus/shuttle system. Any suggestion on where to stay?

Hi, I'm going to be in Seattle for a week or so in April. Has anyone got any sugesstions on what we can do during our stay? Must see's / do's? So far we have the obvious things like Pike place market and the Space needle. We were also thinking about hiring a car for a day and going to one of the national parks? Any suggestions on where would be good? how long would it take to drive to a national park?

Any suggestions would be very welcome.

Ian.

Hi!!

I will be arriving from Vancouver with luggage on a Sunday ( Family of four, children: 11 and 17 ) at about midday so we would like to see the city. We have two options:
1. Find a place to leave our luggage ( Is it possible ? )in Seattle, and in the evening go to a hotel near the airport because I have to decide where to stay, I have seen that hotels near the airport are cheaper than the ones in Downtown. I have also got a very good price for the 4 of us ( family with children, 11 and 17 ) for only $68.41 with taxes included , it is a three star hotel but it is in Redmond. So what do you think ? Is it worth it to book that one or is it better to book one three stars at the airport for $106.70. or one in the city for $229.68 I really want to be in the afternoon and evening downtown to have a meal and see the city.

Thank a lot

I'll be in Seattle in November for the sole purpose of going to the Boeing factory. I wanted to get an organised tour from Seattle that can pick us up from the hotel. We'll be there on Tue 11th Nov, however all the tours I can find online don't seem to go on Tuesdays! Can anyone recommend a tour company that runs a daily tour to the Boeing factory? Thanks

I am considering a trip to visit relatives that recently relocated to the Enumclaw/King County area. Can anyone tell me anything about it? What is there to do there? The relatives are a little biased and I would love an outside opinion....

Thanks for any insight!!

What is the best bet for taking a ferry to Victoria from Seattle. We won't have a car, but will have some luggage with us.

Hello!
Could someone tell me the cheapest possible wait (short of hitching) to get from Seattle to Portland?

Thanks!

I'm planning several vacations this year - with Seattle on my list. What is the ideal time to travel to Seattle?

I am going to be in Seattle for a three days in mid-June and after looking at several sites I decided that I should stay downtown as I won't have a car.
This brings up two questions:
1. The hotels seem to be $125/night and up and those at the lower price don't seem to appealing. Any recommendations on a reasonably priced hotel in the downtown area?

2. What is mass transit like? It looks like I could use the bus system, like I do when visiting San Francisco. Is it pretty convenient? Or can I just walk everywhere? If so, the price of the hotel may be worth the convenience.

Any help with these questions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Frank

Hello! I will taking my first trip to Seattle (and the Pacific NW in general) the end of February, the 26th-29th. I have a conference I will be attending, but have one day completely open. I was hoping to rent a car for a day and drive either to Rainier NP or Olympic NP since I have never been to either. I'd just like to see some of the beautiful natural areas and take a hike or two, but I am not sure what it is like there the end of February. Are roads passable? Would one be better than the other at that time? Is there a better option?

Any help would be appreciated. I have no idea what to expect!

Thanks,

John