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Getting around Seattle
Doc
Registered User, ClubPA regular
Registered User, ClubPA regular
This thread is for tips and advice on getting around/into Seattle.
Generally helpful links:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Seattle#Get_around (Ignore the confusing parts of the "Navigating" section)
http://transit.metrokc.gov/
http://www.soundtransit.org/
http://www.seattlemonorail.com/
Bus Service
Downtown
Downtown bus service is great. Between 6am and 7pm, you can ride for free downtown. A map of downtown bus routes can be found here. PAX is located just to the right of the yellow route, between University and Union.
For service outside of those hours, expect to pay $1.25-$1.50. The driver will hand you a slip of paper that is good for unlimited bus use for the next 4 hours.
Into/Out of Seattle
It's served by a combination of Seattle Metro service and Sound Transit. Service often cuts off at 11:00 or so, especially on the weekends.
Taxis
For those who want to stay out late and can't stumble back to their hotel room, a taxi might be an option. My personal cab company of choice is Crown Black Car service. Their fleet is all black Towncars. Way nicer than a beat up Crown Vic. Their drivers are great, and it's cheaper than a yellow cab, to boot. The downside is that you can't just flag one down, you have to call ahead. Their number is (206)722-7696.
Run-of-the-mill cabs are also available. Your best bet is to just flag one down if you need a ride.
Monorail
If you want to go to the Space Needle/EMP/Sci-Fi Museum/Seattle Center area, this could be fun. Round-trip fare is $4. Like its Simpsons counterpart, it crashes sometimes. It starts at Westlake Center, a short walk from the convention center. It ends within spitting distance of the Space Needle. Don't go up in the Space Needle, by the way. It's an overly expensive tourist trap. Just get your picture taken next to it. Optional: make it look like you are leaning against it in the photo.
Duck Tours
I'll kill you.
Personal Car
It works well. Parking is short downtown. Expect to pay quite a bit for it. If you are commuting a distance, I would park in a residential area, then take a bus. There is some available parking on Capitol Hill, but be aware that property crime there is fairly high. Parking is free in city-owned metered spots on Sundays, as well as every day after 6. This works best on Saturday night, since you can park and not worry about having to move your car before 7 the next morning.
Walking
Given the location of PAX, walking is going to be your best bet for seeing a lot of what Seattle has to offer. Just a few blocks down the hill is the Pike Place Market. Down on the waterfront you can ride a Washington State ferry for a modest fee. That's actually a lot of fun; if you have an extra day, I suggest heading to Bainbridge Island for lunch. Go a few blocks from PAX in the other direction and you're on Capitol Hill, part of Seattle with some of the best bars and a large young crowd. More hipsters than bros.
I live a short distance out of downtown. I plan on riding the bus there, then either riding the bus or taking a cab back at night. If people have questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
Generally helpful links:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Seattle#Get_around (Ignore the confusing parts of the "Navigating" section)
http://transit.metrokc.gov/
http://www.soundtransit.org/
http://www.seattlemonorail.com/
Bus Service
Downtown
Downtown bus service is great. Between 6am and 7pm, you can ride for free downtown. A map of downtown bus routes can be found here. PAX is located just to the right of the yellow route, between University and Union.
For service outside of those hours, expect to pay $1.25-$1.50. The driver will hand you a slip of paper that is good for unlimited bus use for the next 4 hours.
Into/Out of Seattle
It's served by a combination of Seattle Metro service and Sound Transit. Service often cuts off at 11:00 or so, especially on the weekends.
Taxis
For those who want to stay out late and can't stumble back to their hotel room, a taxi might be an option. My personal cab company of choice is Crown Black Car service. Their fleet is all black Towncars. Way nicer than a beat up Crown Vic. Their drivers are great, and it's cheaper than a yellow cab, to boot. The downside is that you can't just flag one down, you have to call ahead. Their number is (206)722-7696.
Run-of-the-mill cabs are also available. Your best bet is to just flag one down if you need a ride.
Monorail
If you want to go to the Space Needle/EMP/Sci-Fi Museum/Seattle Center area, this could be fun. Round-trip fare is $4. Like its Simpsons counterpart, it crashes sometimes. It starts at Westlake Center, a short walk from the convention center. It ends within spitting distance of the Space Needle. Don't go up in the Space Needle, by the way. It's an overly expensive tourist trap. Just get your picture taken next to it. Optional: make it look like you are leaning against it in the photo.
Duck Tours
I'll kill you.
Personal Car
It works well. Parking is short downtown. Expect to pay quite a bit for it. If you are commuting a distance, I would park in a residential area, then take a bus. There is some available parking on Capitol Hill, but be aware that property crime there is fairly high. Parking is free in city-owned metered spots on Sundays, as well as every day after 6. This works best on Saturday night, since you can park and not worry about having to move your car before 7 the next morning.
Walking
Given the location of PAX, walking is going to be your best bet for seeing a lot of what Seattle has to offer. Just a few blocks down the hill is the Pike Place Market. Down on the waterfront you can ride a Washington State ferry for a modest fee. That's actually a lot of fun; if you have an extra day, I suggest heading to Bainbridge Island for lunch. Go a few blocks from PAX in the other direction and you're on Capitol Hill, part of Seattle with some of the best bars and a large young crowd. More hipsters than bros.
I live a short distance out of downtown. I plan on riding the bus there, then either riding the bus or taking a cab back at night. If people have questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
Doc on
0
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
I'll hold `em down.
"We know that the moment we slip, it will be taken away... and so it is of the utmost importance to be worthy of it constantly."
PAX will always be held on the best weekend for PAX. Sometimes that will be a bad weekend for you; I'm sorry.
Walking
Blessed with a bustling waterfront, charming neighborhoods, a cosmopolitan city center, and a visionary park system, Seattle is a wonderland for the explorer on foot.
Or, more succinctly: Get off your ass and pound the pavement, you fat pig.
Well, yeah. I figured people would be able to figure that part out on their own. I'll amend my first post.
What... I took one of those in Chicago.. and it was actually alot of fun...
It'd be neat to have a PA drunken softball tourney or something.
Yes, there is. There's a park on Capitol Hill with a baseball diamond. You can rent it out/reserve it from the city for something like $40 an hour. Or you could just show up and hope nobody is there. I'd be down for this if enough people want to do it.
Also, thanks for this, I will be needing this.
They operate tours of the city. You ride around in an open-top amphibious boat/car thing, and they make really bad jokes. The problem is that they drive around hella slow, irritating drivers. Also, they are really tacky and symbolize everything that's wrong about the tourism industry (I want to be shown your city, but I don't want to walk around, or talk with people), which irritates the locals and kind of gives a false impression of what Seattle is actually like.
I posted that largely in jest, but I'll be damned if your addendum isn't well written and informative. Good jorb there, Doc.
Google map it from 8th and pike (wsctc location)
for when you find that special drunk someone and want to make it a sure thing :^:
As the driver passed the bus station on 4th & Pike, he shouted through his loudspeaker system to the drunks & bums that hang out there and stink up the spot of urine "Don't worry folks, your bus is on it's way! It's right behind me." He paused, no doubt for dramatic effect to allow everyone to notice there was no bus behind him. I did notice this as I was walking in that direction anyway and to not notice it would have required more effort than to continue with my head facing its current direction. However, most the people at the bus stop were having conversations with invisible people and far too busy to notice that the carboat was talking to them. "Woops! I must have lost him!" the driver declaired.
Nobody laughed... we all just died a little inside.
Perhaps a PAX crew should take over one of these metal monsters and pester the driver with painful questions until he cries...
The Downtown Ambassador dudes... not sure what exactly their real titles are. I've never really dealt with them personally... and I guess they have a bit of a stigma as doing nothing more than shoo'ing homeless people away... but it seems like every time I pass one of them, they're giving someone directions on where to find something.
They're those dudes in the bright yellow jackets walking around... or riding their bikes with their bright yellow helmets. Fairly "official uniform looking"ish and easy to spot if you're from out of town. They probably don't know where every little store is, but they should be able to give good directions to the touristy stuff (Hotels, Pike Place, Seattle Center, etc) if someone is lost, and they can also help people with buses (which is why maybe they should be mentioned in bussing, not walking I dunno)