Seattle Plans

[cjnix29]

I have searched, but havent' been able to put it all together....here' s what I'm thinking....with the horrible flight options from Indy, it looks like I'm going to have to book a flight that gets in really late two days before our cruise.  So, probably looking to book an airport hotel, so we can just head to bed.  We do want to see a little bit of Seattle before we get on the ship.  Unfortunately, our touring day will be July 4.   What is the wisdom in just staying two nights at the airport hotel, on touring day, take a cab or uber to Pike Place Market?  what else can I see within walking distance, easy touring from there? and then cab back to hotel?  Never been to Seattle before.  And having a horrible time planning this, it is all so expensive!  Thanks.

[cft8]

I can't help with staying by the airport and getting downtown. There is a light rail system, but I'm not sure how close that can get you to Pike's Place.

 

There are plenty of things to see around Pike's Place - it's close to the aquarium, the art museum, and the Seattle Wheel (giant ferris wheel). I honestly could have spent hours just wandering around Pike's Place. It's also just a couple of blocks to the monorail that you can take to the Space Needle, Chihuly museum, and the Experience Music Project (which has a new name now that I keep forgetting). The Chihuly museum was the highlight of my last trip! 

 

If you're worried about crowds on the holiday, I'd google to see when and where celebrations are taking place. Or, probably someone on this board will know! I love fireworks over the water, though, so I'd consider it a benefit to be there on July 4th.

[Gardyloo]

The 4th is generally an okay day to tour around.  Obviously it's a holiday, and in the middle of peak tourist season, so touristy things are going to be crowded.  The fireworks are quite late (10:30 PM) due to long daylight hours, and their location - at the north end of Lake Union - isn't one that's going to disrupt tourist sites very much, so aside from crowds you won't have to make any special concessions because it's the 4th.

 

You certainly can cab or Uber from the airport hotel to downtown; alternatively you can take the hotel's shuttle to the airport and take the light rail to downtown Seattle.  The International District stop is convenient for the Chinatown/International District area and the baseball park, the Pioneer Square station is (fairly) convenient to Pioneer Square, and the Westlake station is convenient to the Pike Place market, the monorail to Seattle Center (Space Needle, Chihuly etc.) and the streetcar to South Lake Union.  The light rail takes around 40 minutes (vs. 20 - 25 in a cab/Uber) and costs $3 each way.  

 

As to what to see and do, well, there are tons of threads on this board covering all that, but as a local I'll just suggest a couple of things.  First, the Pike Place market becomes horrendously crowded after around 10:30 or 11 in the morning.  If you're okay with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, then fine, otherwise I'd strongly recommend you get to the market as early in the day as possible.  If you're coming from Indy, you're going to have a 3-hour time difference, so maybe you get up in your own body clock's "morning" and either take the train or (quicker) cab to the Pike Place market for breakfast; there are several great places with good food and views out over the bay.  Then watch the merchants set up for the day, watch the fish flingers if you must, join the ridiculous lineup for the "original" Starbucks (it isn't) and do other touristy things, but be gone from the market district by 11.  

 

If it was me, I'd leave the crowds of the market behind by walking down the Harbor Steps (or take one of the nearby elevators) to the central waterfront, at the foot of the bluff below the market.  I'd walk down the waterfront, past the various touristy stores and cafes, to the ferry terminal at the foot of Columbia Street.  There I'd board the West Seattle Water Taxi and cross to Seacrest Park in West Seattle.

 

 

Stop for a snack (or save it for later) at Marination Ma Kai, a very cool Korean/Hawaiian cafe/bar right on the dock, then walk, rent bikes, or take a free shuttle bus out to Alki Beach, around 2 level miles from the dock.  See our wee Statue of Liberty, watch passing ferries and beach volleyballers, look at the Olympic mountains, have a nosh or a beer at one of the various places facing the water, and just kick back.  Then make your way back to the water taxi dock and return to downtown.  

 

 

 

When you're back downtown, walk through Pioneer Square around 20 minutes to the amazing Uwajimaya pan-Asian grocery/department store.  Play "name that vegetable," shop for weird Japanese snacks to take on the boat, look at the impressive collection of books, stationery and other cool things in the Kinokuniya Bookstore, have a snack or (another) meal in the fun food court (all sorts of Asian food stalls.)  

 

Walk a block from Uwajimaya to the International District light rail station.  If you still have the energy, get on a train back to Westlake, then head upstairs to the monorail station and take the monorail to Seattle Center.  Visit the Space Needle if you must (IMO overpriced) and/or the Chihuly glass exhibit, wander around the Center grounds including the MoPop music/sci-fi museum, whatever, then monorail back downtown and if you haven't run out of gas by then, have a meal someplace and head back to the airport to soak your feet.    Here's a map showing the day's hoofing.  https://goo.gl/maps/o2WwdgJDK9k

 

This is a very full and quite high-speed selection of downtown (and nearby) visitor sites, but it ought to give you a good feel for our fair city without breaking the bank.

[cjnix29]

Thank you so much for your replies!!  So much great information!!! Thank you!!

[Dan G]

light rail is easy to get downtown.  I'd take the Westlake Station Stop.  From there you can walk to the market (about 4 blocks) or go to 5th and Pine and take the monorail to the space Needle and Chihuly.  The waterfront is a great area to explore and there is a free shuttle from the waterfront to the Space needle.  Look on tripadvisor.com Seattle forum and look on top right for the one day itinerary without a car for some routing.  You can also arrange a tour which will pick up at your hotel and then you can stay downtown after.  

toursofseattle.com

toursnorthwest.com

are two of the oldest firms doing this

[Peckishpixie]

On 3/6/2019 at 9:22 AM, cft8 said:

I can't help with staying by the airport and getting downtown. There is a light rail system, but I'm not sure how close that can get you to Pike's Place.

 

There are plenty of things to see around Pike's Place - it's close to the aquarium, the art museum, and the Seattle Wheel (giant ferris wheel). I honestly could have spent hours just wandering around Pike's Place. It's also just a couple of blocks to the monorail that you can take to the Space Needle, Chihuly museum, and the Experience Music Project (which has a new name now that I keep forgetting). The Chihuly museum was the highlight of my last trip! 

 

If you're worried about crowds on the holiday, I'd google to see when and where celebrations are taking place. Or, probably someone on this board will know! I love fireworks over the water, though, so I'd consider it a benefit to be there on July 4th.

The light rail from the airport drops you off 4 blocks from The Public Market (Not Pike's place. Pike Place, is the name of the road it is on) Get off at the Westlake tunnel stop, walk up the stairs and turn west. You will be standing in the heart of downtown shopping area and you should see Starbucks in front of you.  Okay, you will see 500 Starbucks, but this one is kinda big, midblick and a good indicator you are in fact pointed west. Walk 4 blocks and you are there. Its the corner of 1st and Pike. Buy donuts at daily dozen even though the line is so long. They only take cash, but trust me. I am 48 years old and these remain my favorite thing about Seattle. The Aquarium and ferry terminal are down a set of stairs. The Monorail to the Seattle center is in Westlake where the train dropped you off. It is a really great location to explore Seattle from.

 

Edited March 19, 2019 by Peckishpixie

[kentuckycruiser]

Interesting that I just saw this. We are flying from Indy to Seattle direct on Delta in May and I could not believe how cheap the flights were! Via Holland I paid $209 per person for main cabin round trip. 

[ProfCruise]

On 3/6/2019 at 9:41 AM, Gardyloo said:

The 4th is generally an okay day to tour around.  Obviously it's a holiday, and in the middle of peak tourist season, so touristy things are going to be crowded.  The fireworks are quite late (10:30 PM) due to long daylight hours, and their location - at the north end of Lake Union - isn't one that's going to disrupt tourist sites very much, so aside from crowds you won't have to make any special concessions because it's the 4th.

 

You certainly can cab or Uber from the airport hotel to downtown; alternatively you can take the hotel's shuttle to the airport and take the light rail to downtown Seattle.  The International District stop is convenient for the Chinatown/International District area and the baseball park, the Pioneer Square station is (fairly) convenient to Pioneer Square, and the Westlake station is convenient to the Pike Place market, the monorail to Seattle Center (Space Needle, Chihuly etc.) and the streetcar to South Lake Union.  The light rail takes around 40 minutes (vs. 20 - 25 in a cab/Uber) and costs $3 each way.  

 

As to what to see and do, well, there are tons of threads on this board covering all that, but as a local I'll just suggest a couple of things.  First, the Pike Place market becomes horrendously crowded after around 10:30 or 11 in the morning.  If you're okay with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, then fine, otherwise I'd strongly recommend you get to the market as early in the day as possible.  If you're coming from Indy, you're going to have a 3-hour time difference, so maybe you get up in your own body clock's "morning" and either take the train or (quicker) cab to the Pike Place market for breakfast; there are several great places with good food and views out over the bay.  Then watch the merchants set up for the day, watch the fish flingers if you must, join the ridiculous lineup for the "original" Starbucks (it isn't) and do other touristy things, but be gone from the market district by 11.  

 

If it was me, I'd leave the crowds of the market behind by walking down the Harbor Steps (or take one of the nearby elevators) to the central waterfront, at the foot of the bluff below the market.  I'd walk down the waterfront, past the various touristy stores and cafes, to the ferry terminal at the foot of Columbia Street.  There I'd board the West Seattle Water Taxi and cross to Seacrest Park in West Seattle.

 

 

Stop for a snack (or save it for later) at Marination Ma Kai, a very cool Korean/Hawaiian cafe/bar right on the dock, then walk, rent bikes, or take a free shuttle bus out to Alki Beach, around 2 level miles from the dock.  See our wee Statue of Liberty, watch passing ferries and beach volleyballers, look at the Olympic mountains, have a nosh or a beer at one of the various places facing the water, and just kick back.  Then make your way back to the water taxi dock and return to downtown.  

 

 

 

When you're back downtown, walk through Pioneer Square around 20 minutes to the amazing Uwajimaya pan-Asian grocery/department store.  Play "name that vegetable," shop for weird Japanese snacks to take on the boat, look at the impressive collection of books, stationery and other cool things in the Kinokuniya Bookstore, have a snack or (another) meal in the fun food court (all sorts of Asian food stalls.)  

 

Walk a block from Uwajimaya to the International District light rail station.  If you still have the energy, get on a train back to Westlake, then head upstairs to the monorail station and take the monorail to Seattle Center.  Visit the Space Needle if you must (IMO overpriced) and/or the Chihuly glass exhibit, wander around the Center grounds including the MoPop music/sci-fi museum, whatever, then monorail back downtown and if you haven't run out of gas by then, have a meal someplace and head back to the airport to soak your feet.    Here's a map showing the day's hoofing.  https://goo.gl/maps/o2WwdgJDK9k

 

This is a very full and quite high-speed selection of downtown (and nearby) visitor sites, but it ought to give you a good feel for our fair city without breaking the bank.

 

I would only add one thing to Gardyloo's excellent suggestions.  On the 1st Thursday of month, which in your fortunate case falls on July 4th, several museums around Seattle are free.  This includes the Seattle Art Museum located on 1st avenue and Union Street right across from the Harbor Steps and a block away from Pike Place.  It's a fantastic museum and even better when it's free!  http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/seattle-art-museum

 

 

 

[makiramarlena]

I'll be there on the 4th also, with my mom who won't be doing tons of walking, staying downtown a few blocks from Pike's Market. I think she will be able to walk there and back. Maybe see fireworks. She can do elevators or escalators but not a lot of stairs, so it is good to know that there are elevators to the waterfront.