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Getting around Seattle

DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
edited May 2007 in PAX Archive
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.

Doc on

Posts

  • ElectricTurtleElectricTurtle Seeress WARegistered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Doc wrote: »
    Duck Tours

    I'll kill you.

    I'll hold `em down.

    ElectricTurtle on
    yfrxgugaj8wu.png
  • jaberwockynmtjaberwockynmt PAX Info Booth Manager Renton, WARegistered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Good stuff Doc. Thanks.

    jaberwockynmt on
    --Jarrod "Jaberwocky" Lombardo, PAX Enforcer: Info Booth Manager.
    "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.
  • slacktronslacktron Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    You forgot:

    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.

    slacktron on
    slacktron_zombie_fighter_sig.jpg
  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2007
    slacktron wrote: »
    You forgot:

    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.

    Doc on
  • Qs23Qs23 Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Doc wrote: »
    Duck Tours

    I'll kill you.

    I'll hold `em down.

    What... I took one of those in Chicago.. and it was actually alot of fun...

    Qs23 on
    PASig.gif
  • PolagoPolago Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Are there any baseball fields nearby (I doubt it in downtown seattle)?

    It'd be neat to have a PA drunken softball tourney or something.

    Polago on
  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2007
    PolaGo wrote: »
    Are there any baseball fields nearby (I doubt it in downtown seattle)?

    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.

    Doc on
  • Sl1pstreamSl1pstream [E] BelgiumRegistered User regular
    edited May 2007
    So, what's this Duck Tour?


    Also, thanks for this, I will be needing this.

    Sl1pstream on
  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2007
    Sl1pstream wrote: »
    So, what's this Duck Tour?


    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.

    Doc on
  • slacktronslacktron Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Doc wrote: »
    slacktron wrote: »
    You forgot:

    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.


    I posted that largely in jest, but I'll be damned if your addendum isn't well written and informative. Good jorb there, Doc.

    slacktron on
    slacktron_zombie_fighter_sig.jpg
  • TNTrooperTNTrooper Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Just have to ask but how long of a walk would it take to get to the Topolino's Pizza place at 1830 12th Avenue, Seattle?

    TNTrooper on
    steam_sig.png
  • BigRedBigRed Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited May 2007
    TNTrooper wrote: »
    Just have to ask but how long of a walk would it take to get to the Topolino's Pizza place at 1830 12th Avenue, Seattle?

    Google map it from 8th and pike (wsctc location)

    BigRed on
    <MoeFwacky> besides, BigRed-Worky is right
  • DreamwriterDreamwriter Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    There's another option - horse-drawn carriage. Usually found at the waterfront, occasioanlly in front of Westlake Center.

    Dreamwriter on
  • yourevilgodyourevilgod Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    There's another option - horse-drawn carriage. Usually found at the waterfront, occasioanlly in front of Westlake Center.

    for when you find that special drunk someone and want to make it a sure thing :^:

    yourevilgod on
    BEHOLD, The pwnage of Cheese
  • nearlysobernearlysober Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Doc wrote: »
    Sl1pstream wrote: »
    So, what's this Duck Tour?
    They operate tours of the city. You ride around in an open-top amphibious boat/car thing, and they make really bad jokes...
    I walk down Pike at lunch to go to my gym and frequently pass the beasts. I always look to see who is riding... to look at their sad faces wondering when their torment will end. Today, I saw like 3 people on board... and they weren't even sitting together. Perhaps they started together and by this point of the tour they had grown spiteful of each other due to their circumstances.

    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...

    nearlysober on
  • djdoomikedjdoomike Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Doc wrote: »
    Sl1pstream wrote: »
    So, what's this Duck Tour?

    Perhaps a PAX crew should take over one of these metal monsters and pester the driver with painful questions until he cries...

    I was thinking the same thing. Though it could go great, or completely terrible.

    djdoomike on
  • yourevilgodyourevilgod Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    djdoomike wrote: »
    Doc wrote: »
    Sl1pstream wrote: »
    So, what's this Duck Tour?

    Perhaps a PAX crew should take over one of these metal monsters and pester the driver with painful questions until he cries...

    I was thinking the same thing. Though it could go great, or completely terrible.

    i have heard mixed reviews about the silly duck. i just feel bad about them wearing the rubber ducky wistle that they never use (im pretty sure they are rental but dont quote me) but yeah the duck guy is REALLY annoying. but people watching at the bus stop is always fun.

    yourevilgod on
    BEHOLD, The pwnage of Cheese
  • nearlysobernearlysober Registered User regular
    edited May 2007
    Doc, not sure if they're worthy of their own section but maybe worth pointing out in the walking (or bus) section.

    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)

    nearlysober on
This discussion has been closed.