Seattle Vacation Next Week (Bremerton, Sammamish: rental car, for sale, apartment)

[srowden]

My girlfriend and I will be vacationing in Seattle next week from the 2nd to the 7th. We will be staying at The Edgewater hotel, anyone been here? Is it any good?

This will be my opportunity to scout for jobs and figure out where it is we will be moving. We already have a good idea where we want to move which is the city of Issaquah. I hear its safe and quiet the opposite of Los Angeles which is where we live now and hate with a passion.

I still want to get out and do things while were there any helpful guides or tips on making this vacation memorable. What are some things that my girlfriend and I MUST do while we are there? Would like some fellow citizen input as we finalize the schedule!

[Counter top guy NJ]

I spent a week last year around WA , Seattle , Monroe , Baring i even went to Leavenworth . My friend if you are moving to Seattle good luck and congratulations because i am dieing to move there but have not had the opportunity yet . I am from Jersey and i hate with a bigger Passion .

[chrisstie]

That's too funny i'm going to be there the 1-7 to look for a computer engineering job (really looking at software testing but entry level) and to find a place I'd like to live at also.

I will happily ride along on this thread Best of luck on your trip, too!

[texastrigirl]

Edgewater Hotel is very nice and is right on Elliott Bay in the thick of things. Is your trip more of a vacation or a trip to scout out where to live? Are you renting or buying? I live in Sammamish just on the Issaquah/Sammamish border. We love living out here and are avid hikers, cyclists, paddlers, etc. Skiing is just 40 minutes away from Issaquah. Fun things to do:

1) I would recommend a Duck Tour. Gives you a great lay of the land and feel for different city neighborhoods.
2) Underground Tour and Coffee Tours are highly recommended by others though I have not done them.
3) Take the ferry to Bainbridge or water taxi to West Seattle. The view of the city from the water is amazing.
4) Visit Kerry Park in Queen Anne for the postcard view of Seattle.
5) Pike Place Market and Seattle Center are must do's.
6) Go to Aqua Verde and eat fish tacos and then rent a kayak from them and paddle on Lake Union.
7) Chittenden Locks are very cool in Ballard.
8) Issaquah - you can check out the Salmon Hatchery and walk next door and eat at the Issaquah Brewhouse. If you want to hike, you can check out the trails on Tiger Mtn. I can be more specific if you want to hike and give you more ideas on that.
9) Drive out to Snoqualmie Falls and eat at the Salish Lodge or head into North Bend to the North Bend Bar and Grill.
10) Check out Alki Beach in West Seattle.

Have fun and welcome to Seattle!

[packet]

Funny enough, I spent a week at the Edgewater in February/March while looking for an apartment in Seattle. I got a fantastic rate via priceline.

The one thing you'll need to know is if you have a rental car, it's not going to be cheap to park. From what I remember, the hotel charges $35/day for parking on site and it's valet only. There's a parking garage across the street that charges $18/day.

[jenlion]

Drive down I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass -- see the big lake (Keechelus). Soak up the mountain views -- that'll be your new habitat.

Drive to Woodinville up Hwy 202. Stop at a few wineries, have some tastings. If you're not burned out on that, coming from CA, anyway. :-) There's also a brewery, so you can have a beer tour and beer tasting instead.

Second Alki Beach. If you can swing it, have a meal at Salty's on a clear day. I love it as the sun goes down... amazing.

Also second taking a ferry ride. To anywhere. If you have time, I'd suggest the hour-long ferry to Bremerton, a drive down the Hood Canal to places like Sceneic Beach State Park, then back up the roads onto Bainbridge Island, poke around there, and then take the 30-minute ferry back from Bainbridge. (Also very, very nice at dusk / after dark). You won't want to get back on the plane.

If you're serious about finding places to live, you might check out seattle.redfin.com to get an idea of what prices are like in different neighborhoods. Then, go drive by the houses for sale knowing what the prices are anyway. You'll get a very good reality check very quickly, having seen the home in the neighborhood context, and you'll be able to figure out where you'll fit. (If you're just looking to rent an apt for a few years, that's a different story, though).

Have a great trip!

[obsidian97]

Building on what others have said:

- Go to Ivar's and feed the seagulls.
- Drive up to Anacortes and see the whales.
- North Cascades NP is awesome if you have the time. It's the Alps of America.
- If you go to Woodinville on 202 stop by Theno's Dairy for some of the best ice cream you'll ever have.
- If you've not seen a waterfall up close and personal, you can make a stop at Snoqualmie Falls and have a four course formal breakfast at the Salish Lodge.
- If you like classic car 50's/60's kitch visit the XXX Root Beer in Issaquah just off I-90.
- Go to the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville. I think they have trivia night on Tuesday nights.
- If you're a computer geek you can go to the Microsoft Museum and see what three decades of Bill has wrought.

[shoegal111]

Originally Posted by srowden

My girlfriend and I will be vacationing in Seattle next week from the 2nd to the 7th. We will be staying at The Edgewater hotel, anyone been here? Is it any good?

This will be my opportunity to scout for jobs and figure out where it is we will be moving. We already have a good idea where we want to move which is the city of Issaquah. I hear its safe and quiet the opposite of Los Angeles which is where we live now and hate with a passion.

I still want to get out and do things while were there any helpful guides or tips on making this vacation memorable. What are some things that my girlfriend and I MUST do while we are there? Would like some fellow citizen input as we finalize the schedule!

The Edgewater rocks. Be sure to have dinner at 6/7, their restaurant-spectacular views and great food.

[shoegal111]

Originally Posted by texastrigirl

Edgewater Hotel is very nice and is right on Elliott Bay in the thick of things. Is your trip more of a vacation or a trip to scout out where to live? Are you renting or buying? I live in Sammamish just on the Issaquah/Sammamish border. We love living out here and are avid hikers, cyclists, paddlers, etc. Skiing is just 40 minutes away from Issaquah. Fun things to do:

1) I would recommend a Duck Tour. Gives you a great lay of the land and feel for different city neighborhoods.
2) Underground Tour and Coffee Tours are highly recommended by others though I have not done them.
3) Take the ferry to Bainbridge or water taxi to West Seattle. The view of the city from the water is amazing.
4) Visit Kerry Park in Queen Anne for the postcard view of Seattle.
5) Pike Place Market and Seattle Center are must do's.
6) Go to Aqua Verde and eat fish tacos and then rent a kayak from them and paddle on Lake Union.
7) Chittenden Locks are very cool in Ballard.
8) Issaquah - you can check out the Salmon Hatchery and walk next door and eat at the Issaquah Brewhouse. If you want to hike, you can check out the trails on Tiger Mtn. I can be more specific if you want to hike and give you more ideas on that.
9) Drive out to Snoqualmie Falls and eat at the Salish Lodge or head into North Bend to the North Bend Bar and Grill.
10) Check out Alki Beach in West Seattle.

Have fun and welcome to Seattle!

Ditto this. Be sure to have some Mac n Cheese from Beechers at the Pike Place Market.