Reno-Napa Valley-Portland-Seattle

[sashie]

Thanks for the great info about Seattle recently. Does anyone have any hotel suggestions for staying in Seattle? Downtown/suburbs etc... We are going to do the underground and some of the 'normal' tourist things... any suggestions would be appreciated.. thanks, Steve

[PNW Judy]

Thanks for the great information. And no you haven't scared us off, :)... You've given us what no one in the past has been able to really put across. Can't wait to visit and see the lush green areas. Maybe if you have time you could tell me what we shouldn't miss while in town?

In a previous post in this thread, I gave you several links to previous discussions about what to see and do along your route. And about things in both Seattle and Portland, too.

A quick list for Seattle (because I don't think all this was listed in that reference):

* The Public Market (a/k/a Farmer's Market or Pike Place Market). Watch for the flying fish! If you can, it's best if you get there early. Don't miss the lower floors.

* The Seattle Waterfront. Watch the ships and ferries, visit the aquarium, see the Edgewater Hotel famous for The Beatles fishing hanging out of their window, have a bite to eat at Ivar's (Ivar was one of Seattle's first local celebrities and characters), and visit the strangest store ever, the Ye Olde Curiousity Shoppe...yes, it's a curious place and I have a feeling old Ripley got his ideas about bizarre things from visiting this place.

* Pioneer Square. This is original Seattle. Lovely architecture and some unique shops, too. But if you want to get to the bottom of original Seattle, you can do it here, too. Go to Doc Maynard's (Doc Maynard was one of the founders of Seattle) and take Bill Speidel's Underground Tour. You will literally go into basements and see where the storefronts used to be prior to the raising of the streets. From here's it's an easy walk south to check out Mariner's Safeco Field, truly a beautiful baseball stadium. If you go north, check out the Gold Rush National Park....I think it's the only national park that is just a building. But a cool building with interesting history.

* 1st Ave. Well, this is a mixed bag, that's for sure. Actually, if you don't mind walking, walk from the Public Market, down 1st Ave. to Pioneer Square and back. It's memorable because it's a strange mix of porn shops, seedy bars with live entertainment, and x-rated theaters with numerous high-class and expensive stores dotted here and there. SAM (the Seattle Art Museum) is also located on this street with its well-known Hammering Man statue at the entrance, as is the architecturally-lovely Benaroya Hall, home to the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

* If you walk straight up the hill from the Public Market, you'll enter the main downtown shopping/business area. It's a very nice city to walk in so you might enjoy this. If you do, you might want to go into Westlake Center (just west of Nordstrom's) and take the famous Seattle monorail to Seattle Center. The monorail has been closed a lot for repairs so you might want to double-check to see if it's operating regularly.

* Seattle Center. The Space Needle! Fast elevator, great views and you don't even have to move as it rotates for you. It's also a nice place to have a bite to eat. Sunset is wonderful from there. Across the street is the EMP - Experience Music Project - bright and colorful outside, designed by famed architect Frank Gehry who also designed Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, Guggenheim Museums in both NYC and Balbao, Millenium Park in Chicago, and more. In part of the same building is the new Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame.

* Lake Union is just a bit east of Seattle Center. You might visit the Center for Wooden Boats. You can also rent kayaks here (and I think other types of boats, too). This is the lake with all the houseboats (yeah, the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat is really there).

* A bit south of downtown is Boeing Field. Located here is the Museum of Flight. A really great exhibit with interactive displays, interesting planes, and the Little Red Barn - the 1909 barn that was Boeing's first manufacturing plant.

* Puget Sound. You can see it from the waterfront, Space Needle, and more but you really should go on it. Take a ferry over to Bainbridge Island. Or take a tour on a boat, there are several harbor tour boat companies, that will also take you through the locks onto the lakes. Or take the boat to Blake Island...if you go, you can also opt to have a great salmon dinner, prepared traditionally, at Tillicum Village with Native American entertainment (I guess kinda like a PNW luau) or you can simply explore the island. I'd have dinner. ;)

I also enjoy the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks to watch the salmon going up the fish ladders and boats go through the locks. It's next to some nice botanical gardens. I haven't been there but I've heard the new Olympic Sculpture Park (an outdoor art park, subsidiary of Seattle Art Museum) is very nice and you can also see terrific views of the Olympic Mountains across the Sound.

And, of course, if you're lucky, The Mountain will be out. :)

Some interesting neighborhoods worth visiting are:

* Fremont - "The Center of the Universe" and my favorite. While the bohemian atmosphere of the past has become a bit commercialized, it's still a really cool place. See some interesting art work like the famous troll under the bridge holding a real old VW Beetle, a statue of Stalin, and other quirky things.

* Ballard - the Scandinavian part of town. Good bakeries and other Nordic shops.

* Queen Anne Hill - Victorian homes!!! Lovely neighborhood.

There are a lot of great things a short drive away (short if you miss commuter traffic). Tacoma's restored Union Station, history museum, and the Museum of Glass (lots of Chihuly), Snoqualmie Falls just west of North Bend, Mt. Rainier, the antique shopping in Snohomish, are just a few of many options.

This should give you more than enough to do. It's getting let so I'll close now. I'll try to get back here and add anything significant I can think of and add some links as well. But, if I don't, I'm sure you can find most of this with a google or two.

Hope this helps!

[PNW Judy]

I wish I could be as helpful with this request. We rarely spend the night in the city and, if we do, we usually go to the SeaTac Airport area where there are a lot of hotels with cheaper rates. Downtown Seattle has some amazing hotels but they're out of my budget.

The only two I've stayed in are The Inn at the Market and The Edgewater. I've enjoyed both.

[sashie]

Thanks so much Judy... you've given me more than enough information.. I appreciate your time to answer my questions.

Steve

[PNW Judy]

Let us know if you need any more help. Enjoy the trip and please consider returning here after your trip to give us a roadtrip report. We love those!

[sashie]

Hi ...

You've mentioned Bainbridge Island and the ferry. Do we need a car to see the sights on the island or can we do it on foot? We'd like to spend some time sightseeing on the island but really can't tell if the main things to see are close to the dock or not?

Thanks

Steve

[PNW Judy]

The town of Winslow is where the ferry docks. You could walk to part of that but, even though it's a charming town, it's still just a town.

Poulsbo, maybe 10 miles down the road, is far more interesting, imho. Nordic theme and shops.

And the real areas of interest on the island are, to me, the more natural settings. Beaches, coves, trails, etc.

I don't see how you'd do it without a car.