Seattle Vacation on a Ramen Soup Budget? (neighborhood, best)

[AlohaHuey]

5. If you have a car, take a drive north and spend a day in the San Juan Islands, or Pt. Townsend (may be substituted for 2.). A day trip to Victoria BC is fairly reasonable (under 100 RT) and leaves from downtown, and is a great way to see the area by boat...but be advised you need a passport to get back into the country from Canada.

Depending on the week, you might be here for the Fremont Solstice parade, Seafair, the Blue Angels...there are festivals in some part of the city every summer weekend and are definitely worth seeking out.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by AlohaHuey

5. If you have a car, take a drive north and spend a day in the San Juan Islands, or Pt. Townsend (may be substituted for 2.). A day trip to Victoria BC is fairly reasonable (under 100 RT) and leaves from downtown, and is a great way to see the area by boat...but be advised you need a passport to get back into the country from Canada.

Depending on the week, you might be here for the Fremont Solstice parade, Seafair, the Blue Angels...there are festivals in some part of the city every summer weekend and are definitely worth seeking out.

Thanks for the tips! I just posted on Facebook that I'm investigating a vacation to Seattle, and a friend who has been there has recommended I go during Seafair. I was considering even pushing my dates WAY up and doing the half-marathon in June. My boss used to live there, so maybe she'll offer some guidance as well.

Perhaps I'm a bit loopy, but Mapquest has me traversing lots of water to get from Seattle to Port Townsend. Do they have ferries that take cars across the sound? If so, how much are they, and how long would it REALLY take to get between the two? Mapquest says 2 hours.

[scirocco22]

Mapquest is routing via Edmonds - Kingston. The fare is $11.85 for a car and its driver.

I'd say allow substantially over the two hours because of the ferry variables. Yes, under two hours is reasonable if you time the ferry well and everything goes smoothly.

If you were to drive around crossing the Tacoma Narrows, it would be about 2.5 to 3-hours. You might want to do that coming back so you can say you've been across the waterway that was once spanned by "galloping gertie."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Fi1VcbpAI




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[southking500]

Just be aware that there can be huge lines for the Edmonds ferry on summer weekends and 2 hour plus waits are not uncommon. You might consider Leavenworth as a ferry-free alternative to Pt. Townsend, it's a very scenic drive and the town is fun in an over the top faux Bavarian way.

[MaikeerinWA]

I'm a little surprised that airfares are so high - $600. We flew to Baltimore on Delta just a couple of months ago for about half that, albeit with one stop.

[eskercurve]

A trip to the top of the Space Needle is about $18 last time I went up. On a clear day, if you are a photographer, it is worth it. On a cloudy day ... not so much, and they may not even open it.

Queen Anne is a nice neighborhood if you want to go bar crawling or explore the shops.

Lots of cheap stuff in Pike Place Market. Some of the best cheese, clam chowder, and cocktails if you feel like splurging are there. The first Starbucks is there (though you won't miss much if you decide to skip it), and walking around Pike Place is an experience in itself.

If the Solstice parade is the time around when you come ... do go. It was my first "Seattle experience" and I have to say it really flipped me for a loop. Don't Google it ... it will spoil it.

Thai Tom's on University Way is AWESOME. And cheap. Be sure to go when they open though, there's usually a line. The only place I would say to avoid for food is Finn MacCool's. I ordered food from there twice, and got sick twice. Dick's is also pretty cheap. If you find yourself in the International District, there's cheap places to eat there too. Lastly, don't forget that you can go into a QFC and get pre-made stuff. Some of it is surprisingly good, it's cheaper than eating out, and it made me wonder if I should cook again (of course I will, as I make fabulous stuff they don't ). If you have a stomach that can store food, consider eating at Todai, excellent buffet style sushi and other asian-esque foods. I've seen a person go in there, three hours later, I notice them leaving.

Most of the ferry destinations require a car to go to places which are interesting. The little antique shops and stuff I don't consider worthwhile to stop and take a look around in, they're all pretty much the same.

Alki Beach and the Golden Gardens park are two beach destinations which you should go to in the summer.

All these places are easily accessible by the bus. I don't know anybody in the Seattle area - transplant or not - who thinks taking the bus is "for poor people" as I've heard in Chicago. Also, the buses are clean (relatively speaking) and are pretty good. There's even free bus rides in the commercial district during the day.

[Ira500]

Very few people intentionally go to Bremerton on a vacation. Neither Bremerton nor Bainbridge has a ton of stuff to do, but Bainbridge is prettier. Another option is to take the foot passenger ferry from downtown Seattle to Vashon Island, another place worth exploring. And yes, take in a Mariners game.Safeco field is one of the nicest in all of baseball, and the team should be fun to watch this year.

[SaltyDawg]

If you can pull of the Rainier day trip (and the weather is good), don't miss it. Ideally, go to Sunrise and not Paradise (my personal opinion), particularly if you like to walk, which you indicated. The Burroughs mountain hikes from Sunrise are beyond breathtaking. If you have less time, Paradise will get you spectacular scenery closer-in and much, much larger crowds.

Bainbridge would be the preference of the two you mention - cute town, worth a few hours. Bremerton is trying, but it's really a semi-dead old Navy town. Beautiful ferry rides either way.

In Seattle - 2-3 days would do it. Downtown isn't overwhelmingly large-just quite hilly. Spend a day at Pike Place & the Waterfront, and then choose one of the more dynamic neighborhoods, like Fremont, Ballard, or Capitol Hill and take the bus there. All fit your bill quite nicely.

I like your style of finding a neighborhood and walking endlessly... I agree that it's the best way to see a city beyond the tourist trappings.

Have a great trip!

[TotalFat]

Definitely do not miss Rainier. My first time to Seattle was with two friends on a buddy pass and I don't think I even had a job at the time. I scraped together enough to rent a car and for the three of us to split a room every night. Even on that first trip Rainier was top of my list. That vacation and the three that would follow it in the next 10 years we ended up going to Rainier two days instead of one. We had to sacrifice something else each time but it was so worth it. But that's just me! If I had it to do all over again I would not waste money going up there. Just MOVE THERE and get it over with! A lifetime is STILL not enough time to see half of what's up there.

[tobester]

Re: Living it up like Frasier Crane. IMHO the only thing that made that a Seattle show was the fake skyline out his living room window. There was really no Seattle vibe to the show.