Cracking down on Crime in Seattle before cruise season

[teacherman]

Does Lyft give good service in Seattle? Can we use it from SEA-TAC to the Mayflower Hotel? Also, how about from hotel to Pier 91 and then back to the airport at end of cruise? Last time in Seattle, I believe we dialed at the airport for a towncar. Not really interested in the light rail as we don't want to pull our luggage around. Any info is welcome. Thank you.

[Gardyloo]

Hey Vibeguy, I appreciate your honest and fair assessment of the situation in Seattle. Can you provide some guidance for all of us coming into Seattle the day before a cruise? Do you have any suggestions for a hotel that would provide nearby restaurants and a place to buy some wine before a cruise? We are currently staying at the Renaissance Seattle on Madison. From Google Street view, everything looks nice but it looks like a few block walk to restaurants.

Not Vibeguy, but I'd look for a hotel that's not at the top of one of the steepest hills in Seattle. (The Renaissance is located at a former cable car stop - Seattle had them, just like San Francisco.)

 

Look at the Mayflower Park hotel or the Warwick hotel. The Warwick is not as fancy as some (still quite comfortable) but close to many good restaurants, and has a nice grocery store across the street with a decent selection of wines.

[VibeGuy]

Does Lyft give good service in Seattle? Can we use it from SEA-TAC to the Mayflower Hotel? Also, how about from hotel to Pier 91 and then back to the airport at end of cruise? Last time in Seattle, I believe we dialed at the airport for a towncar. Not really interested in the light rail as we don't want to pull our luggage around. Any info is welcome. Thank you.

 

UberX and Lyft both work well in Seattle. There is an entry in the FAQ about how to hail them close to the airport.

[VibeGuy]

Hey Vibeguy, I appreciate your honest and fair assessment of the situation in Seattle. Can you provide some guidance for all of us coming into Seattle the day before a cruise? Do you have any suggestions for a hotel that would provide nearby restaurants and a place to buy some wine before a cruise? We are currently staying at the Renaissance Seattle on Madison. From Google Street view, everything looks nice but it looks like a few block walk to restaurants.

 

The problem with the Renaissance is the changes of grade - it is up a miserably steep hill. It's a great property though. I'd post pictures but they were from a rugby tournament and lets just say cruise passengers are much more genteel and I wouldn't want to shock anyone's delicate sensibilities. Where was I?

 

Oh. Yeah. Hotels. Almost anything downtown is going to be close tonl something good to eat. I eat a lot of seafood and really really like Steelhead Diner, in the Market, and there's both a nearby wine shop (Pike and Western Wine Merchants) and both a Target and IGA with decent wine selections, and frankly, aside from the Renaissance and Sorrento, essentially every downtown hotel is within about the same walk, give or take five blocks.

 

The value equation is a lot better around the Seattle Center as a rule - the Hyatt Place is a particular favorite of mine. It's not as close to dining, but again, downtown/Belltown are walkable and you save enough money to get an UberX to food. It's walkable to the QFC grocery store at 5th and Roy, which has a great wine department or the Whole Foods at Westlake and Denny which also has things you want to drink.

 

I haven't mentioned it anywhere else, but my absolute favorite place to stay in Seattle is the Inn at the Washington Athletic Club. The catch is, you generally need to be a member of a club that has reciprocal privileges - many country and city clubs are. They let me in by virtue of my employment relationship - you might check with your corporate travel people to see if they have a rate.

 

The rooms are smallish, but really nicely appointed, and the service is world-class. Obviously, the gym facilities are great - what's unexpected is how enjoyable the bar and restaurants are. The wine program is award-winning.

[reallyitsmema]

Hey Vibeguy, I knew I liked you! We just spent the day at the D2 NERFU championship game which was a qualifier for the sweet 16 for the D2 National Championship. Our guys won, so on to Saratoga!

 

Back to cruising though, we are staying at the Marriott Waterfront. I was thinking we can walk along Alaskan Way to get to a bunch of things but will have some hill climbing too. Really don't want to move to another hotel since we are staying on points.

[VibeGuy]

The secret to the waterfront properties is to use the public-access elevators at Bell, Lenora and Pike to climb back up the bluff.

[Cruising_Tiger]

Thank you Vibeguy and Gardyloo. We will try to move down the hill. Thanks again.

[rkacruiser]

The secret to the waterfront properties is to use the public-access elevators at Bell, Lenora and Pike to climb back up the bluff.

 

Thank you for this information. I will be staying at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel and have been wondering where an elevator was located.

[NewEnglandNANA]

For a whiskey bar, go to Whisky Bar, Tavern Law, Old Sage, Radiator, Canon or Liberty. They are all awesome places to drink and a cheap UberX ride from anywhere in downtown. The Dbag and WooGirl problem will be eliminated. Of course, if you see a fat guy with an age-inappropriate haircut, you may have a VibeGuy problem.

 

 

Well then the least we could do if we run into you is buy you a drink for all your help!

Now I will be asking any larger man with an inappropriate hair cut if he is Vibe Guy Haha !

[NewEnglandNANA]

Thanks for all your help Vibe Guy. We did go to Radiator Whiskey and 5 Point Café for really bad for us but very delicious bar snacks. Interesting place.....

Seattle is a really amazing and wish we had more time to see everything.

Edited June 2, 2015 by NewEnglandNANA

[VibeGuy]

Glad you had fun - the Five Point is best described as "Just like mom's cooking, assuming that mom reconstitutes the frozen OJ with two cans of water and one can of vodka".

 

Funny, a few weeks back, martincath *did* ask a guy with a Mohawk if he happened to be VibeGuy....and it WAS!

[Casagordita]

Funny, a few weeks back, martincath *did* ask a guy with a Mohawk if he happened to be VibeGuy....and it WAS!

 

 

Your legend precedes you! :cool:

[urbanhawk]

Hey Mr. MohawkGuy aka VibeGuy:D, or? I read in the Lonely Planet, about the Moore Hotel by Pike Place-I went to their website, as it is not listed on the major search engines; Trip Advisor reviews have been favorable-Just curious what the locals think about the hotel and location. Thanks, Urbanhawk aka urbanhawk;)

[Casagordita]

Hey Mr. MohawkGuy aka VibeGuy:D, or? I read in the Lonely Planet, about the Moore Hotel by Pike Place-I went to their website, as it is not listed on the major search engines; Trip Advisor reviews have been favorable-Just curious what the locals think about the hotel and location. Thanks, Urbanhawk aka urbanhawk;)

 

It's an older building--haven't seen the rooms but I hear they're nice enough. There is a theater in the ground floor that books some great musical acts, comedians, etc--could get noisy, but if it's a show you'd enjoy, can't beat the proximity! That block is a bit of a no-man's-land between a skeevier area (2nd and 3rd Avenues, a few blocks to the south) and more lively areas (Belltown, a few blocks north). If you stay there, I would probably detour over to 1st Avenue to go to Pike Place Market, or back to 5th Avenue to go to and from Westlake Center--that might be excessively cautious, but you won't miss much along 2nd Avenue in any case.

[dfish]

Thank you so much for the information about the elevators. We will certainly make use of them!

 

Debbie

[Coonelian]

I am arriving at approx 9pm on the train from LA. Elderly traveling alone and staying at the Moore. I did some research on it and got good reviews. Next am getting on ship. I plan to get a taxi at the train station to hotel. After reading all these comments I am getting concerned. Think the station is at Jackson(?) My cruise is at pier 66. Do I need to worry more??

[Casagordita]

I am arriving at approx 9pm on the train from LA. Elderly traveling alone and staying at the Moore. I did some research on it and got good reviews. Next am getting on ship. I plan to get a taxi at the train station to hotel. After reading all these comments I am getting concerned. Think the station is at Jackson(?) My cruise is at pier 66. Do I need to worry more??

 

 

You can get a cab right outside the Amtrak station--they're always waiting to meet the trains--and it can drop you at the door of your hotel. I wouldn't worry--you should be fine.

[Casagordita]

You can get a cab right outside the Amtrak station--they're always waiting to meet the trains--and it can drop you at the door of your hotel. I wouldn't worry--you should be fine.

 

 

Waited too long to edit that last...

 

I'd recommend trying to eat on the train (check with the conductor to find out when the dining car closes). There's a coffee shop in the hotel, but it closes before you'll get there. There are a few restaurants a couple of blocks away, but since you're on your own, I would recommend taking a cab somewhere if you want to eat after you arrive. Don't get me wrong--I've been to evening concerts at the Moore Theater, and walked there a few blocks from where I parked, with women friends. I wasn't very worried, and you shouldn't be, either. But unless there's a concert beginning or ending, the streets are likely to be pretty empty that late. I wouldn't recommend a solo stroll after dark.

[VibeGuy]

Granted, "dark" can be pretty late here. But the train from LA is habitually late. While I *assume* their will be taxis waiting for the (inevitably) late arrival, if you have a smartphone, this might be an excellent time to start using UberX or Lyft on-demand ride services.

 

If you want a late dinner in Seattle, I'd highly recommend Palace Kitchen - it's part of the Tom Douglas empire, they have a great menu late into the night, and it's not far from the hotel. But again, use a cab.

 

The area around the train station is the older part of downtown, but the station itself is VERY well-patrolled and it is extremely unlikely you will have any unpleasant encounters. Please make sure to look up to the ceiling in the station - they've done a stunning renovation.

 

The area right around the Moore is a few blocks from the core problem area in that part of downtown. They've been doing a pretty remarkable job of at least dispersing the problem, if not solving it.

 

I get my hair cut in downtown LA, at the corner of 5th and Spring. The area around the Moore is several steps better that in terms of sketchiness. My LA office is in 601 Figueroa. It's not *quite* that nice. Does that help?

Edited June 5, 2015 by VibeGuy

[jormot]

I would like to hear from those who have visited Seattle prior to a cruise. Did you feel unsafe while being a tourist?

[Coonelian]

Thanks for info. After 36 hrs on train I will not want to go out so taxi from station to hotel sounds safe from what you say. I feel much better--first time going solo since my husband passed and I don't want to fly anymore.

[Coonelian]

You have helped and thank you. Live out at the beach so don't know downtown LA like I used to. I just stick with my old cell phone for emergencies so will rely on waiting taxis.

[lauren0309]

We will be taking a monorail from Seattle Center by the space needle to downtown Pike Street. Is it a safe walk from the monorail to Pike Street? Also once we get off the monorail is it easy to find the Pike Place Market or do I need a street map?

Edited June 6, 2015 by lauren0309

[VibeGuy]

So the streets in the original post and news story are the streets in question between the monorail station and the market. The cleanup efforts have worked and you are extremely unlikely to experience issues walking between the monorail and the market.

 

As for being easy to find: exit the monorail station to street level. Walk towards Macy's. Keep walking. You will be at the edge of the market in four blocks.

[Casagordita]

Thanks for info. After 36 hrs on train I will not want to go out so taxi from station to hotel sounds safe from what you say. I feel much better--first time going solo since my husband passed and I don't want to fly anymore.

 

Good for you for embarking on this adventure, then! I love that train route--took the LA-Redding portion many times in college, and the Redding-Seattle portion a few times since. Much of the scenery is beautiful (try to get on the left-hand side as you face forward, for the best views along the water). If you want to get around and socialize, you're bound to meet some interesting people. Amtrak's senior discounts make it easier for a lot of older folks to do long-distance trips, so you'll be in good company. I've also run into quite a few European tourists, because they're in the habit of taking trains at home.

 

In the highly unlikely event that there isn't a cab waiting outside the station when you arrive, ask one of the staff in the station--they should be able to call one for you. The cab should wait for you to get inside the hotel before they pull away, but you might want to ask the driver, just to be sure. Again--it's not that it's really so unsafe where you're going--but if you're new to traveling alone, this might make you feel a little more reassured.