How walkable is Seattle?

[milokitty]

We will be spending a couple of days in Seattle before leaving on our cruise. We will be staying at the Crowne Plaza with our points, but I was wondering how easy it is to get around the city. It looks like the waterfront is about 8 blocks away, which we can walk to, but what about Pioneer Square and the Space Needle? Sometimes it's hard to estimate how far things are just looking at a map.

 

Thanks!!

[bottom-dragger]

seattle has a significant downtown free bus ride zone downtown.

http://transit.metrokc.gov/tops/bus/area_maps/m_seattle-rfa.html

ride for free from belltown to within a block of the international district (formally known as chinatown).

 

north/south is realtively flat. but.........east west like third to alaskan or back has a severe change in elevation.

 

and there's only one way to get to the needle, board the monarail at west centre. the view from the needle is fantastic, the food is very pedestrian.

[SeattleCruiselover]

We will be spending a couple of days in Seattle before leaving on our cruise. We will be staying at the Crowne Plaza with our points, but I was wondering how easy it is to get around the city. It looks like the waterfront is about 8 blocks away, which we can walk to, but what about Pioneer Square and the Space Needle? Sometimes it's hard to estimate how far things are just looking at a map.

 

Thanks!!

 

That kind of depends. How do you feel about 15-20% grades up and down hill if you are going east to west (north and south have some grades downtown, but nowhere near as steep as the perpendiculars). Getting TO the waterfront from your hotel is downhill, and, if your knees are in pretty good shape, should be no problem at all. Getting back could be a whole 'nother story, so to speak, but there are plenty of buses, and you can look at trip planning here:

 

http://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/cgi-bin/itin_page.pl?resptype=U

 

Fares are going up by a quarter today, but you can get an all day pass on Saturdays and Sundays for $4.00 which is unlimited on and off for one calendar day. A lot of the places you might want to go are in the free ride zone, which applies from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm daily, so you would only need to worry about the bus fare outside of that zone.

 

Space Needle is outside of it, as are the zoo, the duck tour, the sports stadia, the Universities, most of the hospitals, et cetera. But Pike Place Market, the Underground Tour, downtown shopping and dining are all in the free ride zone.

[Loves to dance]

My husband and I were in Seattle this December and purposefully did not take a car. I hate finding parking in a city and would rather walk and enjoy the sights. Of course, I also lived in NYC for 2 1/2 years, so to me, cities are made for walking. We planned on taking a cab, if we ever got tired of walking, but never bothered to do so- walking was too much fun!

 

That said, make sure that you have good walking shoes- I didn't plan well and mine weren't great, so my feet were tired by the 2nd day. And yes, it is fairly steep going west to east, but I saw it as a great way to work off some marvelous meals! :)

 

If you like marvelous Italian cuisine, ask people by Pikes Place where you can find "The Pink Door." Our lunch there probably ranks as one of the 20 best meals I have had. It is definitely one of those places where you need to be "in the know," because there is no sign from the street (which is an alley!)

 

Corie

[judyf]

This seems like a good thread to add this question.

 

We're staying at the Red Lion Hotel on 5th Ave. What's witnin an easy walk and where would we get the bus and or monarail?

 

We staying 3 days pre cruise so we have lots of time to do things.

 

What's the best way to get from Seattle airport to hotel and from hotel to pier for 4 adults and luggage?

 

Thanks

[bottom-dragger]

This seems like a good thread to add this question.

 

We're staying at the Red Lion Hotel on 5th Ave. What's witnin an easy walk and where would we get the bus and or monarail?

 

We staying 3 days pre cruise so we have lots of time to do things.

 

What's the best way to get from Seattle airport to hotel and from hotel to pier for 4 adults and luggage?

 

Thanks

 

how mobile are your?

 

shuttle express is door to door and ~$27/pp

limo is about $30

taxi is $35

the grayline does not stop at your hotel

 

the southern end of the gold rush national park is downtown, the northern end is in skagway. that's one long park.

 

stand in line and have lunch at salumi. yes, it's worth it. try the lamb proscutto. and you will stand in line. only open for lunch. it's mario batali's dad's retirement business.

 

the underground seattle tour starts in pioneer square. it is entertaining.

 

wander around in the elliot bay bookstore. i love to hear the wood floors creak.

 

the monorail only makes two stops (unless it breaks down) westlake center and seattle center (the needle).

http://www.seattlemonorail.com/index.php

 

and then eat some more.

 

i have lots of opinions, few answers.

[lin712]

We were in Seattle last july for 3 days before our cruise. What we liked was the double decker bus, I think the cost was like $20.00 for a 2 day ticket and had 5 or 6 stops you can get on and off where ever you wanted and stopped at all the tourist areas,

[Budget Queen]

I am one who walks everywhere, and never bats an eye at the significant uphills in Seattle. Adding to this, I use the public transportation to ships from the airport, hauling my bag to the ship all those blocks. :) But can't beat the about $1.50 transfer. :) I just transited NYC last week from JFK via subway back to Grand Central after flying back from Sydney. This would not be acceptable for most people, so cabs are easy and reasonable to consider about Seattle, if needed.

 

The Underground is a top tour choice, that is very enjoyable. The Park Service also has an informative visitor center to consider if you are interested.

[judyf]

Thanks for the tips. I just started searching Seattle options. Wish I started earlier, as in before I booked our flights. We have a 10pm flight and found out that we can't rent a car at the pier. That was our plan, Any ideas on that?

 

We are moblic, just getting older and don't want to walk up and down hills all that much :)

 

shuttle express is door to door and ~$27/pp

limo is about $30

taxi is $35

 

These prices are all per person? Even the Taxi? When we arrive it will be late 11pm Seattle time 1pm for us NY time. So we will want to go straight to the hotel for some sleep. :) We were thinking a cab at that point.

[bottom-dragger]

Even the Taxi? When we arrive it will be late 11pm Seattle time 1pm for us NY time. So we will want to go straight to the hotel for some sleep. :) We were thinking a cab at that point.

 

man, i bet you're going to be cranky.........................

 

http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/ground/shuttlebus.shtml

 

i've only done the grayline and shuttleexpress. i'll be so happy when they finish the light rail from seatac to downtown.

[judyf]

I am one who walks everywhere, and never bats an eye at the significant uphills in Seattle. Adding to this, I use the public transportation to ships from the airport, hauling my bag to the ship all those blocks. :) But can't beat the about $1.50 transfer. :) I just transited NYC last week from JFK via subway back to Grand Central after flying back from Sydney. This would not be acceptable for most people, so cabs are easy and reasonable to consider about Seattle, if needed.

 

The Underground is a top tour choice, that is very enjoyable. The Park Service also has an informative visitor center to consider if you are interested.

 

We use the subways in NYC all the time.

 

Yes, we will do the underground tour and we're very interested in the park information. I will try to find a site to request the guide. Thanks!!!

[Budget Queen]

We use the subways in NYC all the time.

 

Yes, we will do the underground tour and we're very interested in the park information. I will try to find a site to request the guide. Thanks!!!

 

http://www.nps.gov/klse/planyourvisit/hours.htm

[judyf]

Thank you!!!

[KansasScrapper]

What is the underground tour thing?

[Budget Queen]

What is the underground tour thing?

 

http://www.undergroundtour.com/

 

In my opinion, it is excellent and a great touring option.

[sammamishcruiser]

Hi KansasScrapper

The underground tour is "old Seattle". After the fire of 1889 Seattle was built right on top of the old, destroyed town. Very interesting tour. when I was in high school a bunch of us were bored on a Saturday, so decided to go explore this underground that we had read about in our Wash. State history books!! Believe me, we thought the tour was a lot better than the book!

 

I'd say, go on this tour, interesting. Also be sure to walk around the Pioneer Square area (right where the tour starts) very cool area of old Seattle

 

Google underground Seattle, gives a lot more info than I could and they will get all the details right, I'm sure i did not - been a LONG time since I was in high school! lol

 

Enjoy Seattle

Melody

[judyf]

Hi KansasScrapper

The underground tour is "old Seattle". After the fire of 1889 Seattle was built right on top of the old, destroyed town. Very interesting tour. when I was in high school a bunch of us were bored on a Saturday, so decided to go explore this underground that we had read about in our Wash. State history books!! Believe me, we thought the tour was a lot better than the book!

 

I'd say, go on this tour, interesting. Also be sure to walk around the Pioneer Square area (right where the tour starts) very cool area of old Seattle

 

Google underground Seattle, gives a lot more info than I could and they will get all the details right, I'm sure i did not - been a LONG time since I was in high school! lol

 

Enjoy Seattle

Melody

 

Thanks for the background, explains a little more. Sounds very interesting.

 

BQ-Thanks for the links.

[milokitty]

Thanks everyone for all the information. I had no idea that Seattle had hills. I'm used to mostly flat cities like Boston, NYC, Chicago, DC.

 

Anyway, I do have a question about the free bus zone that I hope doesn't sound too obtuse. How easy is it to figure out what bus to go on, where it goes, and will it stay in the free zone? I'm assuming that there must be quite a few bus routes that drive in that area.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Thanks everyone for all the information. I had no idea that Seattle had hills. I'm used to mostly flat cities like Boston, NYC, Chicago, DC.

 

Anyway, I do have a question about the free bus zone that I hope doesn't sound too obtuse. How easy is it to figure out what bus to go on, where it goes, and will it stay in the free zone? I'm assuming that there must be quite a few bus routes that drive in that area.

 

http://transit.metrokc.gov

 

and click on the trip planner. Know where you are starting from and where you want to go, and it will tell you exactly how to do it.

 

The free bus zone is bounded by the Sound on the West, by Bell St on the north, by 5th Av on the east, and by Jackson St on the south. It is not a large area, the central downtown core only. For example, things in it are: Pike Place Market, the Underground Tour, Pier 66, Westlake Center, Pacific Place Mall, and some of the downtown hotels. Some examples outside of the zone: Space Needle/Seattle Center, Duck Tour, the SuperMall, South Center, the Museum of Flight, and on and on.

 

 

Though this is not really close enough to give you a total perspective, you can still sort of see how high and steep the hills are from looking at this.

[prestodiner]

opinion about the Pink Door. We were tipped off about it, too. I'd highly recommend the olive tapenade (one order will feed a small army) and the cioppino. Also, if you're at all into doughnuts, visit "Top Pot Doughnuts". Great old-fashioned doughnuts in a hip environment. The monorail runs right by it. Sorry I can't be more specific about where these are in relation to where you are staying, but as a tourist to Seattle, these are places we like to go.

[RoofingPrincess]

Also, if you're at all into doughnuts, visit "Top Pot Doughnuts". Great old-fashioned doughnuts in a hip environment.

I think I saw this on a show on the Food Network! Just can't remember which show... It looked like a great place to visit.

[SeattleCruiselover]

opinion about the Pink Door. We were tipped off about it, too. I'd highly recommend the olive tapenade (one order will feed a small army) and the cioppino. Also, if you're at all into doughnuts, visit "Top Pot Doughnuts". Great old-fashioned doughnuts in a hip environment. The monorail runs right by it. Sorry I can't be more specific about where these are in relation to where you are staying, but as a tourist to Seattle, these are places we like to go.

 

Top Pot is on 5th Av between Lenora and Wall on the east side of the street. They have limited hours, so go early if you are going to go. (It is wonderful to smell them baking the donuts at three in the morning (I live about four blocks away)).

[chris2597]

how mobile are your?

 

shuttle express is door to door and ~$27/pp

limo is about $30

taxi is $35

the grayline does not stop at your hotel

 

the southern end of the gold rush national park is downtown, the northern end is in skagway. that's one long park.

 

stand in line and have lunch at salumi. yes, it's worth it. try the lamb proscutto. and you will stand in line. only open for lunch. it's mario batali's dad's retirement business.

 

the underground seattle tour starts in pioneer square. it is entertaining.

 

wander around in the elliot bay bookstore. i love to hear the wood floors creak.

 

the monorail only makes two stops (unless it breaks down) westlake center and seattle center (the needle).

http://www.seattlemonorail.com/index.php

 

and then eat some more.

 

i have lots of opinions, few answers.

 

Which limo service are you referring to? I priced Towncar and the price was 45.00 from airport to hotel.

[milokitty]

Wow--thanks for the pix of Seattle Karen. Looks like I'm going to need to start getting in shape...NOW! :) And thanks for the transit link. It looks like Seattle has a great transit system, unlike other places I've lived.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Wow--thanks for the pix of Seattle Karen. Looks like I'm going to need to start getting in shape...NOW! :) And thanks for the transit link. It looks like Seattle has a great transit system, unlike other places I've lived.

 

And that's just one of the "smaller hills"....:D

 

Our transit system leaves a lot to be desired but, yes, it's better than a number of places I've lived, too.