Negin Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 We're planning a trip and I need to book our hotel room: * fairly close to a good mall or shopping area - does not have to be in downtown (parking hassles, etc.) * it would be nice to be fairly close to the cruise ship terminals - or at least not a huge distance away. Hotwire gives the following categories and I'd like to know what to bid for: Downtown - Pike Place Seattle Tacoma Intl Airport SEA Downtown Seattle Center - Space Needle Southcenter - Tukwila Renton - Kent Auburn - Federal Way Downtown Bellevue Thanks so much. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Downtown-Pike Place Downtown Seattle Center-Space Needle You can park at your hotel and then get around by foot, public transportation, or cab ($9 flat rate). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 By the airport will be cheaper, I think. If you take light rail from the airport you will go right downtown very cheaply and efficiently. http://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Central-Link-light-rail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Close to the cruise terminals puts you in some part of downtown or adjacent. I would go Pike Place Market or Space Needle (which is lower Queen Anne, adjacent to downtown) if you want to enjoy some stuff in the city before you sail. Parking will be easier by Space Needle than Pike. There are some less nice places to stay in the Space Needle zone though- you could end up in a nice fun place or you could end up in a floppy motel on a very busy hiway that is currently the epicenter of road projects. Don't go easy on the star rating selection there! Airport is not at all close to cruise lines but it is easy enough to get downtown from there. The only malls in the city are downtown (Pacific Place) and Northgate (you don't want to stay there, there is only 1 hotel there and it's not so nice) and University District. The Silver Cloud near University Village is a nice option but it is not near to the cruise terminals. There is also Southcenter which is closer to the airport but a really dull place to stay as a tourist. If I were splurging and heading out on a cruise I'd stay at the Edgewater. Next door to the cruise terminals and lots of fun on the water. But parking there will cost you $$$. If you stay downtown you aren't going to have need to take your car in and out. You would park it and leave it or just not get one at all unless planning to leave downtown area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Thank you all. This is really helpful. At this point I'm not very sure about Seattle's public transport. If it's very good and close to our hotel, maybe we won't even need to rent a car. We have no problem renting a car. I'm just wondering, since some cities are more friendly for public transport. If anyone has any thoughts on their public transport, would really appreciate it. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hikin' Mama Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I have limited experience, but I was just there in late Sept./early Oct. I've never lived there , though, only traveled there twice. We stayed at a vintage hotel that I loved, the Marqueen. It is older and has no elevators, but there is a bellboy/doorman to carry it for you if you wish. The rooms have full kitchens and are incredibly charming, if you like that kind of thing. There is a grocery store one block away and many, many restaurants nearby. The Space Needle/Seattle Center is a very short walk from there. Pike's Place and the waterfront (where I saw cruise ships, so I am assumming this is where you board) is a longer walk, perhaps 2 miles. We did it several times, but I love to walk. If I go back again, I will stay there and either walk/take the bus downtown. On another visit, I stayed near the University of Washington, but that is a long way from where you want to be. As far as public transport...we flew in and didn't get a rental car to go into the city. Per the wonderfully helpful advice of Jean (of Newcastle), we took the light rail fhttp://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Central-Link-light-rail from the airport and a cab to our hotel. On returning to the airport, we walked to the Monorail http://www.seattlemonorail.com/information/ (by Space Needle and Seattle Center), which took us right to the lightrail. For all of our other adventures, we were able to walk or take the bus. We went downtown many times. Seattle seems to have a great bus system. I was so glad I didn't have a car to deal with when we were there. Parking would have been an absolute hassle and would have added more expense to our trip. Here is a link to the bus site: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/schedules/ Have fun! I loved it there! I'm planning to go back this spring when my son competes in a rowing event at the UW. It is a great city! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 If you aren't venturing out of downtown you don't need a car, but if you wanted to see things like the Ballard Locks, Zoo, museum of Flight etc, then a car would be needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 If you are staying downtown a car is not needed. Just get the light rail from the airport. Many tourist attractions in other areas are readily accessible via buses. The bus system is definitely downtown centered. If you join zipcar before you come you can get a car for a few hours at a time if you want to go somewhere off of a bus like. The Museum of Flight and the Locks are both right on buslines, though less frequent ones. There is a lot to see and do downtown and nearby. One advantage of zipcar is that you don't have to pay to park it at your hotel and there are zip cars all over downtown you can pick up with an online reservation. www.zipcar.com If you rent a car through a regular rental place, it will be more economical to stay outside of the downtown area, say in the University area or a suburb like Bellevue or Southcenter. The downtown area hotels charge more than a pretty penny to park there. Like as much as it costs to rent a car sometimes. And driving downtown when you are unfamiliar with the area is a PITA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 will you be walking, mass transit, or driving? I assume you are going on a cruise? first - don't bother with renton, tukwila or seatac (airport). or auburn. they aren't that close to the cruise terminals, and they are not pedestrian/mass transit friendly. all transit roads lead to downtown seattle - which is odd if you consider more people commute from seattle to work on the eastside. downtown seattle - either area (pike's place market or the space needle) are reasonable walking distance to the cruise ship terminals - if you like hills. (this is seattle. there are hills.) pay to park, and parking is expensive. check the hotel's you're interested in for if/how much they charge for parking. mass transit is readily available. good shopping for upscale. nordstrom's original location (they have since taken over the old frederick and nelson building, I'm sad to say, it's not the same.) there is a monoral from the seattle center/space needle directly to downtown core. downtown bellevue - transit center for ease of access to mass transit to seattle. also walkable. lots of free parking in the parks and shopping areas. big green space with the downtown park. three malls with stores ranging from jimmy choos to penny's. nordstrom is on their third building in bellevue. the first was converted into part of the mall when they built the second. then they added a third more than doubling their square footage. free parking (except in office buildings. lincoln square has offices too, so you need to have your parking validated.). if you want a nice romantic dinner - maxmilians at the market (pike's place). fabulous french restaurant with views of elliot bay. mmm. my mouth is watering at the thought. . . . (don't eat dinner at the space needle. the food is over rated, and over priced. the columbia center has a better view, and it costs less to go up there.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 And driving downtown when you are unfamiliar with the area is a PITA. even if you are familiar it can be a pita. eta: metro. tptb who designed the bus system think downtown seattle is the center of the universe. if that's the only place are going, you're fine. except there's lots to do that isn't in the central core. buses don't run as often as they think they do. (hey, I visited SF and seattle loses hands down.) metro routes are what motivated my son to get his license because a 20 minute drive was a 2 HOUR trip by bus. with two transfers. and walking a mile. and it backed to a major freeway that we can see from our house. so not like it was in the boonies or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 ITA. The whole lack of cross town transit options is a huge PITA. While the buses are not super for locals headed to/fro places not including downtown outside of peak hours, they are sufficient in most cases for tourists and regular day schedule commuters headed to popular locations. It's easy enough to get a bus to see something when you are staying downtown provided what you want to see is somewhat popular. Still, all Seattlites know Seattle hasn't been crowned the city with the worst transportation planning in the western world (by the Economist) for nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 first - don't bother with renton, tukwila or seatac (airport). or auburn. they aren't that close to the cruise terminals, and they are not pedestrian/mass transit friendly. I agree with all the other advice you have gotten, but want to emphasize that these three places are not really pleasant. Renton's ok I guess, but Seatac, Auburn, and Tukwila, while close to the airport and full of hotels, are actually not nice cities at all. I really encourage you to stay downtown! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 Thank you all so much. Your replies are super-helpful and I'm taking notes. :) I used to live in Portland. Seattle sounds quite similar - very public transport friendly. We stayed in Bellevue a few years ago and spent a half day in Seattle. I do remember that parking was a bit of a pain. Nothing huge, just like any major city. Am I correct in assuming that downtown Seattle has good shopping - malls, etc.? I forgot to ask if there's a Target nearby. I guess I can look that up. Whenever we visit the U.S., Target seems to be our Disney World. It's the first place we head to. We just need to pick up some layers (not necessarily Target) and essentials for the cruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Thank you all so much. Your replies are super-helpful and I'm taking notes. :) I used to live in Portland. Seattle sounds quite similar - very public transport friendly. We stayed in Bellevue a few years ago and spent a half day in Seattle. I do remember that parking was a bit of a pain. Nothing huge, just like any major city. Am I correct in assuming that downtown Seattle has good shopping - malls, etc.? I forgot to ask if there's a Target nearby. I guess I can look that up. Whenever we visit the U.S., Target seems to be our Disney World. It's the first place we head to. We just need to pick up some layers (not necessarily Target) and essentials for the cruise. IMO Portland public transport is much easier. I've ridden it as a tourist. As a local I cannot figure out Seattle's transportation outside of the monorail from Seattle Center to Westlake Center. Their website trip planner is useless. As for shopping, yes there is shopping downtown. Lots of the big name stores (Eddie Bauer, Gap, etc), but there aren't really shopping Malls. There are a couple like Westlake Center and Pacific Place. Maybe I just don't go often enough but the are both small and don't really have the usual type stores. I'd you want a Mall Bellevue Square is the place to go. Getting there by bus wouldn't be too bad, just find any bus to the Bellevue Transit Station. What stores do you want to shop at? If we knew we could tell you which mall would be best or if there was one downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 There is a Target on 2nd Avenue in downtown Seattle. There is also one by Southcenter Mall in Tukwila. As to the hotel thing - it sort of depends on how long you are going to stay in a hotel in Seattle and how much time you want to spend there. If you want it just for sleeping, then getting a hotel a bit removed from downtown that is on a good transportation line is still a good option in my opinion. It also depends on how much money you want to spend on a hotel. I will admit that I tend to want to spend a lot more money on food and entertainment and much less on lodging! But some people want the whole experience of more luxurious accomodations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Yes, there is a Target downtown now near Pike Place Market and a couple of grocery stores and plenty of shopping- 2 smaller malls and lots of department stores adjacent. I'm still a little bummed because when I lived downtown getting groceries besides Pike Place Market was an ordeal that required walking all the way to lower QA or Denny or bussing it. Then I was walking down 3rd ave last week and was amazed to see a real supermarket with food staples. That is relatively new, but I'm not often in that block so it could be a few years old. When I was still working, it was on the periphery of downtown (pioneer square and belltown) so I could have just missed it for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 You've gotten lots of good advice, but I thought I'd specifically address the neighborhoods you can bid for: Downtown - Pike Place Yes, good place for a tourist Seattle Tacoma Intl Airport SEA No, unless you have an early morning flight the next day. It's down in suburbia, and it's not a very prosperous part of suburbia. It's not where I'd want to be for any part of my vacation. Downtown Seattle Center - Space Needle Also a good area to hang out as a tourist, but as someone above said, the hotels are a little iffier here. I'd take the Downtown/Pike Place ones and take the monorail over to the Seattle Center Southcenter - Tukwila No. This is deep suburbia. It would be like going to New York City and staying in a not-so-nice-suburb of Newark. Renton - Kent Deep suburbia again. No. Auburn - Federal Way No. Way out in the 'burbs. Downtown Bellevue Maybe. It's easier to drive there than in downtown Seattle, and Bellevue does have lots of shopping. It's not nearly as close to the cruise terminals (which are by downtown Seattle), but it's only 20-30 minutes away if you're not going at rush hour. It's suburbia, but it's more urban suburbia, and it's easier to get from one shopping spot to another via car. As a tourist, I'd still rather be in Seattle because other than the Microsoft campus, that's where most of the sights you're going to want to see are, but if shopping is the highest priority, this might not be a bad choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Thank you all so much for being so helpful and patient with me. :) I'm really annoyed at the moment. I just spent about 20 minutes replying and it all got deleted. :cursing: Okay, here we go again. IMO Portland public transport is much easier. What stores do you want to shop at? If we knew we could tell you which mall would be best or if there was one downtown. I thought that Ptld would be easier. Stores: Target, Costco, Walking Company, Famous Footwear, any store with reasonably-priced layers. Not looking for touristy or flashy, designer, high-end stores. Tourist-stuff:Not necessarily looking for Space/Science Museum type stuff either. We've done that before. We would like to probably see a movie and some nice food. We get to Seattle very late at night and will be thoroughly exhausted. Riding the monorail will not be an option then.We'll be in Seattle for two nights, really one full day. Thinking of two options: We'll either rent a car and stay in one of the suburbs and return the car right before the cruise, getting a cab to the cruise terminal Staying in downtown and signing up for zipcar if we need to go shopping in a suburb-ish type place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 There is a Target on 2nd Avenue in downtown Seattle. It also depends on how much money you want to spend on a hotel. I will admit that I tend to want to spend a lot more money on food and entertainment and much less on lodging! But some people want the whole experience of more luxurious accomodations. Jean, is that Target a good one? My experience with Targets in cities are that some are not that good. Agreeing with you on not needing to be extravagant with lodging. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 You've gotten lots of good advice, but I thought I'd specifically address the neighborhoods you can bid for: Really, really helpful. Thank you. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Jean, is that Target a good one? My experience with Targets in cities are that some are not that good. Agreeing with you on not needing to be extravagant with lodging. :) You are right that it isn't as good as the Targets farther out (Bellevue or Southcenter). For a movie and nice food, Bellevue might be a very good choice. And it looks a bit nicer than Southcenter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Thank you all so much. Your replies are super-helpful and I'm taking notes. :) I used to live in Portland. Seattle sounds quite similar - very public transport friendly. We stayed in Bellevue a few years ago and spent a half day in Seattle. I do remember that parking was a bit of a pain. Nothing huge, just like any major city. Am I correct in assuming that downtown Seattle has good shopping - malls, etc.? I forgot to ask if there's a Target nearby. I guess I can look that up. Whenever we visit the U.S., Target seems to be our Disney World. It's the first place we head to. We just need to pick up some layers (not necessarily Target) and essentials for the cruise. because of the tunnel construction on the waterfront, it's more difficult to drive down there than usual. parking is also more scarce. there is a target on 2nd, just off of pike. no idea how it compares to others. I only drive through downtown (sometimes it's easier to go up 4th than I5) and generally avoid doing any shopping there. downtown seattle does have many apartments in that area, including a fair number of pricy condos. downtown has good shopping - one relatively small mall called westlake center (the downtown monorail station). it's across from nordstrom. macy's is also right there. mostly, you would have to walk up and down streets. but most of the major stores are there. eddie bauer, (rei is not in the downtown core - but their main store has a rock climbing feature), lots of designers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I thought that Ptld would be easier. Stores: Target, Costco, Walking Company, Famous Footwear, any store with reasonably-priced layers. Not looking for touristy or flashy, designer, high-end stores. Tourist-stuff:Not necessarily looking for Space/Science Museum type stuff either. We've done that before. We would like to probably see a movie and some nice food. We get to Seattle very late at night and will be thoroughly exhausted. Riding the monorail will not be an option then.We'll be in Seattle for two nights, really one full day. Thinking of two options: We'll either rent a car and stay in one of the suburbs and return the car right before the cruise, getting a cab to the cruise terminal Staying in downtown and signing up for zipcar if we need to go shopping in a suburb-ish type place. if you are staying downtown seattle - you can't get to the costco without a car. most of the shopping is more upscale. the monorail only goes between westlake center in downtown seattle, and the seattle center/space needle. costco has many options. south seattle off 4th. kirkland off I405. issaquah off I90. (we live in bellevue. dh goes to the kirkland costco, I go to issaquah. all three have gas.) lots of shopping in issaquah too. as well as movies and restaurants. if you rent a car and stay in bellevue - factoria mall (SE corner of I90 & I405) has target and famous footwear. it also has a nordstrom rack, tjmaxx, and a couple more cheap shoe stores. there is a movie theater about a block north of the mall. it's pretty easy to get back and forth between downtown bellevue and factoria by car. factoria also has our favorite chinese restaurant - top gun - in the area. (we were introduced to it by my mother's gentleman friend. he was from shanghai.) downtown bellevue has a great greenspace park with sculptures. lincoln square (connected to bellevue square by a skybridge) has a movie theater. there are many restaurants in both malls. cougar mt/somerset just behind factoria mall is worth driving up the west side and taking in the view. especially if you get a clear day and/or a sunset. it's a neighborhood, but you can park along the side of the road and it is safe. (If you pm me, I can give you easy directions) you can see to puget sound, and lake washington as well as both downtown seattle and downtown bellevue. eta: downtown bellevue has bellevue square. very large mall, recently updated decor. has walking company, nordstrom, macy's, penny's, some other sturdy waking shoe type shoe stores (e.g. clarks), and outdoorsy sporty clothes stores. lots of free parking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Downtown Bellevue Maybe. It's easier to drive there than in downtown Seattle, and Bellevue does have lots of shopping. It's not nearly as close to the cruise terminals (which are by downtown Seattle), but it's only 20-30 minutes away if you're not going at rush hour. It's suburbia, but it's more urban suburbia, and it's easier to get from one shopping spot to another via car. As a tourist, I'd still rather be in Seattle because other than the Microsoft campus, that's where most of the sights you're going to want to see are, but if shopping is the highest priority, this might not be a bad choice. I90 has carpool lanes. two people = carpool and you can travel faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I wouldn't suggest staying in any of the cities you listed other than Seattle or Bellevue. They're ordinary suburbs with nothing special to offer a tourist. Also, it can easily take 45 - 60 minutes to drive into the city from any of those spots at the wrong time of day (which could be any time of day, unfortunately). I'd stay in downtown Seattle for sure. Save the car rental money and stay at a nice hotel -- Edgewater, Inn at the Market, or one of those near the water. You'll have a beautiful view of the mountains and sunsets (if the sun comes out :) ) and proximity to so many good restaurants. Just about any store you want is downtown, and if you want a bigger Target or a lower-end department store (i.e. Penny's) it's quick and easy to take the bus from downtown to Northgate Mall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Well, I'll throw out another idea. Since you're only going to be in Seattle two nights, and you're coming in late & exhausted, what about staying at an airport hotel (will make life much easier when you come in), and then renting a car the next day to go wherever you'd like to go? You could rent it for just a day, and then take a cab to the cruise destination. I don't live in Seattle, but I've flown in and out of there more times than I can remember. The LaQuinta by the airport is usually reasonably priced and clean. Hope you have a marvelous trip! Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 No suggestions, just need to throw in a COMPLETELY off-topic anecdote: that my most recent brush with celebrity happened at a Days Inn Motel in Seattle: DH and I were heading through Seattle on the way to Vancouver Island for our 25th anniversary, and stayed overnight at a Days Inn Motel -- and had breakfast with Dick Smothers of the 1960s' show The Smothers Brothers! We bravely initiated conversation because he was wearing foot glove shoes, which we used as an icebreaker question about how he liked them, and went on to have a delightful 40-minute conversation with him. He was on a 2-month cross-country trip in his RV, and his last stop before Seattle was northern CA, where he said he "visited his brother at his vineyard". ;) We just enjoyed him as a person, and didn't let on that we knew him as a celebrity. :) Wishing you some fun adventures in Seattle! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Seconding Ms. Jones. And the Target by Northgate has a cart escalator which my sons still find fascinating. My younger son was very disappointed when we went to a single story Target in the suburbs once. :) The 41 and several other buses will whisk you from the bus tunnel to Northgate, which is a big shopping mall that will have anything you want that you can't find downtown. It's a really fast bus ride. Technically you can get to Costco by bus from Downtown but it's the worst possible bus (358). Stay away from the 358. There is a Costco right next to downtown but it's in a weird bus-less pocket of the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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