Narrowing down choices for Seattle

[lmintzer]

Hi. We are now 3 weeks out from our 1st Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Pearl! Super excited--it's starting to feel more real.

 

We will be flying into Seattle on a Friday--two days before we embark. Three of us (myself and my 15 and 12-year-old sons) will be arriving at 7:30 p.m. after a long flight from Philly. As it will feel like 10:30 p.m., I'm not sure we'll be up for much more than finding our way to our hotel (Hampton Inn), getting some food, and going to bed.

 

Our extended family (my dad, brother, and sister-in-law) will be getting in in the afternoon, so they might have time for something on Friday early evening.

 

We'll have all day Saturday (and I'm guessing we'll be waking up pretty early) to pack in as much of Seattle as the most tired group member can tolerate. Also, 5 of the 6 of us should have a few hours on the Sunday we return before needing to head to the airport.

 

Here are some things I am interested in. How much of this do you think is reasonable to fit in?

 

Seattle Space Needle (a must for my boys), Chihuly Garden (a must for me), Ferris Wheel, Pikes Place Market (my friend who is visiting Seattle this week said it was terribly crowded yesterday--also a Saturday), a duck boat ride or harbor cruise (if so, which one), Underground Tour (is this worth it? Something to do when we have a short time on debarkation day?), Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room (I'm a major coffee lover). Anything else?

 

Thanks much--I know this is too much--hard to decide what to cut. Also need places to suggestions to eat for lunch and dinner--we will have free breakfast at the hotel.

[Gardyloo]

Hi. We are now 3 weeks out from our 1st Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Pearl! Super excited--it's starting to feel more real.

 

We will be flying into Seattle on a Friday--two days before we embark. Three of us (myself and my 15 and 12-year-old sons) will be arriving at 7:30 p.m. after a long flight from Philly. As it will feel like 10:30 p.m., I'm not sure we'll be up for much more than finding our way to our hotel (Hampton Inn), getting some food, and going to bed.

 

Our extended family (my dad, brother, and sister-in-law) will be getting in in the afternoon, so they might have time for something on Friday early evening.

 

We'll have all day Saturday (and I'm guessing we'll be waking up pretty early) to pack in as much of Seattle as the most tired group member can tolerate. Also, 5 of the 6 of us should have a few hours on the Sunday we return before needing to head to the airport.

 

Here are some things I am interested in. How much of this do you think is reasonable to fit in?

 

Seattle Space Needle (a must for my boys), Chihuly Garden (a must for me), Ferris Wheel, Pikes Place Market (my friend who is visiting Seattle this week said it was terribly crowded yesterday--also a Saturday), a duck boat ride or harbor cruise (if so, which one), Underground Tour (is this worth it? Something to do when we have a short time on debarkation day?), Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room (I'm a major coffee lover). Anything else?

 

Thanks much--I know this is too much--hard to decide what to cut. Also need places to suggestions to eat for lunch and dinner--we will have free breakfast at the hotel.

This should be on the "West Coast Departures" board, but I'll give it a shot.

 

I assume you're staying at the Hampton Inn "downtown" (which it isn't) and not the one by the airport.

 

The key for Saturday is to get the Pike Place market (no "s") out of the way as early as possible. The crowds are horrific by around 11 AM, so capitalize on your east coast body clocks by going there for breakfast. (Yes, your hotel offers breakfast, but maybe get a coffee to go or something and have a real breakfast at someplace like Lowell's in the main market arcade - http://eatatlowells.com/ )

 

The monorail doesn't open until 8:30 on weekends, so instead walk a couple of blocks south from your hotel to the No. 4 bus stop on 5th across from the EMP. The No. 4 bus ($2.50) will take you to 3rd and Pine, from which it's a short walk (2 blocks) over to the market. The hotel front desk ought to be able to help with this. Alternatively, a cab will probably cost $12 or so, Uber probably a little less. http://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/

 

Have breakfast and explore the market, but like I say, be gone by 11 or so.

 

Head down the stairs from the market to the central waterfront and you'll be right at the Great Wheel. To be honest, with as many terrific views as you can get for free in Seattle, I'd be hesitant to spend as much as they want for the wheel, but hey, it's your dime.

 

Just down the waterfront from the wheel is the Argosy Cruise pier. Personally, I'd skip the wheel and use the savings to "upgrade" to one of Argosy's Locks cruises. This cruise shows off the waterfront and harbor, then heads north and passes through the Ballard Locks, which separate Puget Sound (salt) and Lakes Union and Washington (fresh.) The tour continues through the Lake Washington Ship Canal past Fishermen's terminal to Lake Union. It then passes some of the houseboats (including the "Sleepless" houseboat) and docks at the south end of Lake Union, where you catch a bus back to the pier where you started. Argosy also runs this tour in reverse, i.e. start with the bus TO Lake Union, then end at the waterfront. http://www.argosycruises.com/sightseeing-cruises/locks-cruise/

 

While the Argosy pier is walkable to Pioneer Square, I'm not as big a fan of the Underground Tour as many, but it's certainly doable if you want.

 

Either way, I'd head back to the monorail (from Westlake Center, close to where you got off the bus earlier) and ride it to Seattle Center. The Space Needle and Chihuly are next to each other and only a few steps from the monorail station. When you're done you can stumble back to your hotel on foot - diagonally across Seattle Center.

 

You might look at getting a City Pass - http://www.citypass.com/seattle - which can save you some money. (Note the cruise included in the city pass is the basic harbor tour; you can "upgrade" to the Locks cruise for twenty bucks or so, less for kids.) By the way, the kids might enjoy the EMP/Sci-Fi museum, right next to the monorail and Space Needle.

 

When you come back from the cruise, here's what I'd do. Rent a car for the day - there are kiosks for Alamo/National and Enterprise at the cruise terminals; they will shuttle you and bags to the downtown office to collect the car. Throw your bags in the back and use the day to explore some of our fair city - visit Alki Beach in West Seattle, or tour the beautiful University of Washington campus. Drive down Lake Washington or visit the Ballard Locks, this time from land, so you can look at the migrating salmon through the underwater viewing room. But most importantly, save a couple of hours to visit the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field, halfway between downtown and Seatac airport. The MoF is world-class, with lots of hands-on exhibits, a Concorde and former Air Force One, the training mockup of the Space Shuttle... fab. The MoF also has a terrific cafe with a view of the Boeing Field runway with its traffic of light planes and the occasional 787 making test flight take-offs and landings. http://www.museumofflight.org/

 

Then off to the airport, drop the car, badda bing.

[jonsmom]

that sounds awesome. Thanks for taking the time to reply to the OP.

[lmintzer]

Thank you so much for your detailed response! These are great suggestions for how to organize our day. I will run them by my family and see what they think.

 

I'm not sure if we'll have enough time to rent a car/drive around post-cruise--will have to see what time we need to be at the airport. I have heard that SeaTac's security lines can be very long, and at least 2 hours pre-flight is needed. I hope so, as these ideas sound great.

 

Any way to fit my Staburcks Reserve Roastery? : ) Maybe in the evening?

[Eaglecw]

You’ve got it pretty well covered. But I’d skip the Space Needle and go to the Columbia Tower to the 73rd floor Sky view observatory http://www.skyviewobservatory.com/ the views are much better from there. You’ll be higher than the Space Needle.

[Gardyloo]

I'm not sure if we'll have enough time to rent a car/drive around post-cruise--will have to see what time we need to be at the airport. I have heard that SeaTac's security lines can be very long, and at least 2 hours pre-flight is needed. I hope so, as these ideas sound great.

 

Any way to fit my Staburcks Reserve Roastery? : ) Maybe in the evening?

What time's your flight?

 

The Roastery's location isn't super convenient to any of your other targets. However, a block from your hotel is Caffe Vita, one of the very best espresso places in town. http://www.caffevita.com/

[Sequim88]

a duck boat ride or harbor cruise

 

A "locals perspective" alternative - and much cheaper - would be taking the ferry (walk-on) from downtown to either Bremerton or Bainbridge Is. Bremerton is a little longer ride but if it is clear out it has a better view of Mt. Rainier. You don't get the kitschy tour guide spiel but maybe that's a plus. :rolleyes:

 

I greatly enjoyed the Underground Tour but mainly as a born & raised here person deep into area history. The book they sell there "Sons of the Profits" is a great look into Seattle's sordid early history.

 

Anyone with an interest in guitars or science fiction would find the EMP and Sci-fi museums well worth the time. Otherwise probably not.

 

On the waterfront the kids would get a kick out of Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe. Especially Sylvester the mummy.

yeoldecuriosityshoppe I'm "curious" to see their new location. Free if you can resist buying stuff.

[peety3]

If aviation is an interest for anyone in your group, I highly recommend you consider either (or both!) the Museum of Flight or the Boeing Factory Tour. The Museum of Flight has an exceptional collection, and recently opened their new Pavillion, essentially a carport for airplanes. Not sure if they're all reopened for walkthroughs, but you can at least walk near if not go inside a Concorde, a Boeing 707 (that previously served as Air Force One), the first 727 ever produced, the first production 737, the first 747 ever built, the third 787 ever built, and numerous spacecraft, plus an entire room for war planes. The Museum is located on Boeing Field, situated between Sea-Tac and downtown Seattle.

 

The Boeing Factory Tour is a 90-minute tour to see "both sides" of the 747 area (modules, final body join), the 777 moving line, and the 787 final assembly line, with glimpses into the 767 area. The tour is located north of Seattle in Everett, where they currently produce about 16 widebody planes every month. (Sadly, they don't do tours at their Renton plant, where 21 days per month, 2 new 737s emerge from the factory: 42 planes per month, soon growing to 47, then 52, and by the early 2020s it'll be 60 planes per month out of a "tiny" plant.)

[lmintzer]

What time's your flight?

 

The Roastery's location isn't super convenient to any of your other targets. However, a block from your hotel is Caffe Vita, one of the very best espresso places in town. http://www.caffevita.com/

 

Thanks. Will give Caffe Vita a try if we can't make it to the Roastery.

 

Flight is at 5:50 p.m.

[limoncello07]

We will have a similarly short stay in Seattle -- thanks to everyone for the great tips and to the OP for posting the question!

[Sequim88]

The tour is located north of Seattle in Everett, where they currently produce about 16 widebody planes every month.

 

If making the trip to Everett for Boeing I would highly recommend stopping at Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection. Mostly WWII planes from many nations but also a V2 rocket and some newer items like the the Scaled Composites White Knight that carried SpaceShipOne to launch altitude. Also a small collection of tanks. Almost all of the collection is flight worthy - except the tanks. :D

 

FHC At the opposite end of Paine Field Airport from Boeing.