Vacationing in Seattle. (Vancouver, Everett, Mukilteo: rental car, rentals, houses)

[dynamo fan]

Hello, My wife and I have booked an Alaskan cruise which departs from Seattle next summer. Before the cruise we are going to spend a week in the Seattle/Vancouver area. Neither of us has been there before, so I was looking for some suggestions. We are both very active and really enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, sightseeing, etc. I am sure this area has plenty, but can anyone give some specifics. We also are major foodies and like trying local specialties. We want to go whale watching at one point either in the Pacific Northwest or in Alaska. I will also be posting this in the Vancouver thread as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Plus, are there any issues to renting a car in Seattle and driving to Vancouver for the day or overnight and returning it to Seattle?

[DevanXL]

Do you know how long you want to spend in each city?

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by dynamo fan

Plus, are there any issues to renting a car in Seattle and driving to Vancouver for the day or overnight and returning it to Seattle?

Just FYI, you can also do this one the train, which only stops briefly at the border.

[dynamo fan]

Originally Posted by DevanXL

Do you know how long you want to spend in each city?

We will spend 4-5 days in Seattle and 1-2 days in Vancouver.

[dynamo fan]

Originally Posted by BATCAT

Just FYI, you can also do this one the train, which only stops briefly at the border.

I would prefer taking a train up there, is Vancouver very walkable where we would be able to get around once up there?

[RustinginSeattle]

Neither are walkable for finding good hiking, but are walkable for city sightseeing and possibly kayaking. The water is in the city, the woods are not. I usually count on an hour drive or more (without traffic) for hiking. Although that will get you exceedingly crowded hiking.

The last time I went hiking within an hour of the city it seemed like thousands of my closest neighbors followed me out there. I'm a native and this was shocking to me. We now only consider hikes that are further out and longer than 4 miles to try to beat some of the crowds. I hike to get exercise and find peace in the woods, not to feel like I'm stuck in (foot) traffic.

[movingwiththewind]

Originally Posted by dynamo fan

We will spend 4-5 days in Seattle and 1-2 days in Vancouver.

I'd rather spend 4-5 days in Vancouver and 1-2 days in Seattle.

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by dynamo fan

I would prefer taking a train up there, is Vancouver very walkable where we would be able to get around once up there?

Oh, yes, for sure- in the main city area.

[Gardyloo]

Originally Posted by dynamo fan

Hello, My wife and I have booked an Alaskan cruise which departs from Seattle next summer. Before the cruise we are going to spend a week in the Seattle/Vancouver area. Neither of us has been there before, so I was looking for some suggestions. We are both very active and really enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, sightseeing, etc. I am sure this area has plenty, but can anyone give some specifics. We also are major foodies and like trying local specialties. We want to go whale watching at one point either in the Pacific Northwest or in Alaska. I will also be posting this in the Vancouver thread as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Plus, are there any issues to renting a car in Seattle and driving to Vancouver for the day or overnight and returning it to Seattle?

First, some other resources...

Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums - has boards on "West Coast Departures" that cover umpteen logistical and Seattle-specific topics, as well as an Alaska board covering Alaska-specific topics.

TripAdvisor - Travel Forum, Discussion Board for Talk and Chat - TripAdvisor - has Washington and Alaska boards, with numerous sub-boards.

Specifics - Save your whale chasing for the cruise. While there are resources in both Seattle and Vancouver for whale watching, the bulk of the activity is located around the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island/Victoria, and with your limited time the logistics of getting to and from those places, and/or the cost, is such that you'd be better off in Alaska for that activity. The Cruise Critic boards (above) are an excellent resource on that.

Kayaking - there are kayak rentals in several places in Seattle, and also in Vancouver, as well as non-kayak boat and canoe rentals in several locations. One terrific Seattle outing is to take the King County water taxi from downtown to West Seattle, and rent kayaks where the little ferry docks, Alki Kayak Tours then after, indulge your foodie selves with funky and good food and booze at Marination Ma Kai, a cool Hawaiian/Korean/Mexican fusion place located right on the dock next to the water taxi and kayak rental place. The views from the water taxi, the cafe, and the kayaks are to die for.

Hiking - as stated, Seattle is a city of great walks, but proper hiking is a car ride away.

If you're coming back to Seattle for your cruise after visiting Vancouver, I would actually recommend a rental car the whole time. While Vancouver isn't the most car-friendly city, it's not terrible, and like Seattle there are many attractions that are more easily visited with a car than without, not the least of which is the Sea to Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler, one of the most beautiful roads in North America.

The car would also give you the opportunity to explore a little of the Puget Sound area while you travel between the two cities. For example, from Seattle you could drive to the big Boeing factory in Everett, around 20 miles north of the city, and see the big jets being built in the biggest building in the world. Then 10 min. later you could be in Mukilteo, a cute little town near the Boeing plant, where you could catch a ferry to Whidbey Island, a marvelous long island that houses a couple of very pretty little waterfront towns in Langley and Coupeville, a terrific state park (Ft. Casey) with a nice little lighthouse and coastal gun batteries, and top it off with a visit to Deception Pass, the narrow channel between Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands where at tide change the water rushes through like nothing you've seen. Then back onto the mainland (by bridge this time) and you're back on your way to the border. And that's just one example.

Talk about specific interests, foodie targets, etc., and more help can be forthcoming.

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by dynamo fan

Hello, My wife and I have booked an Alaskan cruise which departs from Seattle next summer. Before the cruise we are going to spend a week in the Seattle/Vancouver area. Neither of us has been there before, so I was looking for some suggestions. We are both very active and really enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, sightseeing, etc. I am sure this area has plenty, but can anyone give some specifics. We also are major foodies and like trying local specialties. We want to go whale watching at one point either in the Pacific Northwest or in Alaska. I will also be posting this in the Vancouver thread as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Plus, are there any issues to renting a car in Seattle and driving to Vancouver for the day or overnight and returning it to Seattle?

Seattle/Vancouver are three hours and one sometimes-painful border crossing apart. Wouldn't put them in the same sentence.

Do you have Globalpass, which has reciprocity with SENTRI and NEXUS? You've got time to get this, if not. Makes border crossings easier at Blaine, not to mention domestic and international air travel dealing less with lines and customs. I've only leveraged it twice so far, but that alone was well worth the roughly $75 application fee, a detailed questionnaire with Homeland (and the Canadians), and an interview near Blaine with surly American and Canadian customs. The last part was so thorough it was amusing, actually, but I never shy away from precision questioning or depositions in-general. YMMV.

Hiking and etc. Research Rainier, to the south. Baker, to the north. St. Helens, a smoking crater to the extreme south. I've had great hikes and adventures at all three. That's as specific as you need, to ask more detailed questions.

Foodies, eh? For what? There are 1,001 great restaurants from here to Vancouver, and back down to Portland. In Seattle, Canlis on one end, Ivar's on the other, both great for their respective niche dining experiences.

Whale watching: six years ago, I showed up at Anacortes, took the passenger ferry to Friday Harbor at the last minute, and winged it once in-town: there are always cancels and no-shows. Sure enough, T-15 minutes I got on a boat during peak season and it was well worth the money just to tour the San Juans. Seeing whales was gravy (yep, there were a few!). Might suggest you Bing "Friday Harbor" and "Whale watching tours," that will get you going. Yes, reservations are smarter money.