Vacation in Seattle

Ruby Vee, BSN · Apr 14, 2005

i lived in washington state for 18 years: 5 in spokane and 13 in seattle. i'd recommend taking the north cascades highway in june. the scenery is gorgeous! hwy 2 is nice in the western part of the state, but gets boring through the eastern part.

[color=#4b0082]be sure to visit pike's place market and see the fish tossing! there are lots of interesting little shops and restaurants there, too. the space needle is expensive for dinner, but the view is great! try just drinks there, or maybe coffee and dessert. the seattle aquarium (waterfront) area is great!

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[color=#4b0082]wander around west seattle. the main drag has beach on one side and shops and restaurants on the other. some of the most decadent desserts i've ever had came from coffee shops there!

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[color=#4b0082]when hubby and i were first dating, our idea of a romantic date was to ride the ferry from edmonds to kingston. if you walk on, it's pretty inexpensive. we'd have insulated cups full of champagne and stand out on the deck and watch the sun set or the stars. in kingston, walk off the ferry and up the street a couple of blocks -- there's a great place to have pizza on the left hand side of the street. after pizza, we'd wander down to the ice cream shop, then ride the ferry back to edmonds.

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[color=#4b0082]rent a kayak at agua verde (on boat street, next to the uwmc). if i can paddle, anyone can! we'd rent a double so my athletic hubby couldn't paddle away from me! it's fun to paddle around lake union and look at the houseboats! we had so much fun doing that, we bought a used kayak from them at the end of the season! now we're paddling on the chesapeake!

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[color=#4b0082]when my parents would visit, their favorite thing was an all day ferry ride around the san juan islands. dad also liked the waterfront seafood restaurants on the sound. ray's boathouse at shilshole has an upper deck with a bar -- perfect for watching the sun go down over the olympics. if you get chilly, they'll bring you blankets! the food is wonderful, too.

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[color=#4b0082]just a few ideas!

[color=#4b0082]ruby

erjulie · Apr 14, 2005

Omg I could SO help you here...but you need to tell me specifically what you want and how much time you have. DO TAKE THAT loop (hiway 101) thru the Olympic Penninsula......if you have the time (its a 300 mi or so drive)----in that ONE drive, you will see the Rain Forest, the Olympic Mountains, and unspoiled and uncrowded North Beaches (Ruby Beach)! You will also get to see a beautiful view of the Hood Canal of the Puget Sound and gorgeous, sky- blue Crescent Lake. That trip alone could take you a week, seeing it all ....... :)
Let me know if you need more specifics. I have seen the whole of WA State from Canada to Oregon and in between. I love it here.

Everything time-wise is up in the air. I am ON VACATION June1-June21. :rotfl: The baby is due May 20th, so if all goes well we will be driving out starting 6/2. I'm sure the kid will be breastfeeding every two hours or so, so we'll have to stop frequently. I'm thinking it may take 5-6 days to get there, and then we'll be staying with my son who's stationed at Ft. Lewis. That will be "base camp". A week of seeing the sights, and Olympic National Forest is an absolute, then the drive back. The son plans on taking us to Seattle to Pike market, where he "discovered" salmon...of course, I'd tried fish on him numerous times and he wouldn't even look at it...

We won't have to worry about a place to stay while there, so all should be day trips but I could probably do an over-nighter. All depends on gas prices! If we didn't have the newborn, we'd camp, but I'm not sure that I'd like to try that with a baby that's not my own. So- Cascades Hwy (is there a hwy #?), Olympic national forest and beaches, how about the San Juan ferries? Are they worth the trip?

Thanks SO much for your help. Nurses seem to be able to only trust nurses for the real deal!

:chuckle

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 14, 2005

Highway 101 is the one I was referring to around the Peninsula--- but it's a LONG trip, not one likely you want to do w/a newborn. It's a 300-mi loop and unless you plan to stay the night in the middle of it, too long. But it's one AMAZING 300 mi.

The Cacades Highway? Hmmm well I am not sure if you are referring to Snoqualmie Pass, perhaps (Interstate 90)? It's a beautiful drive and should be just fine when you come. We have suffered a drought here, so not much snow will stop you---(yes snow does fall up there in June, at times. When I moved here in 1999, there were at least 10 feet of snow piled up on either side of the highway in May). You will have no problem crossing the Cascades unless a freak snowstorm happens in June (not too likely).

Gas prices? OMG here, they are horrendous, averaging about 2.42/gal last I bought. Seems it goes up a nickle each time I need to fill up. Be prepared to pay through the teeth for gas here in the Seattle/Tacoma area.

Pike Place Market is fun. But do it during the week, if you can. Less people to crowd you. I always enjoy taking family/friends who are in town there. The atmosphere is great. Just plan to drive up and home again after rush hour or plan on a long drive from Seattle to Ft. Lewis. (its about 40 mi). You can always do the Space Needle and Seattle Center in the same day trip, as you probably know, making a day of it.

To me, the San Juans are SO worth the trip. Beauuuuuuuuuuuuuuutiful. The drive to Anacortes is gorgeous, too, (if you plan to ferry from there)....bring that camera. Skagit County is pretty just by itself, as are the San Juans. It's a long day though, from Ft. Lewis. Plan to get up early and come home later in the evening. You cannot possibly take in ALL the San Juans in one day, as you probably know, but the ride is gorgeous, rain or shine.

You COULD consider going South versus North for daytripping. There is Mt St Helens National Park and it's only about 2 1/2 hours south of Ft.Lewis/McChord. Well worth the trip Who knows, she may even 'belch" for you....as you know she is being a bit active of late. It's quite a sight to see when it does happen.

You can go to the ocean, via the south beaches---Westport is a fun little funky town. It's an EASY drive from Ft. Lewis, and you will deal with less traffic during the week if you elect to go that way.

Olympia (the Capitol City) is very pretty and eclectic shops and a farmer's market await downtown, near the water, if you venture there. Olympia is only about 20-25 minutes south of Ft. Lewis.

And do NOT ignore Mt. Rainier Park, only about an hour drive or so from Ft. Lewis. A trip up to Paradise will net you some of the most amazing views you have even been treated to, and you will likely be able to have a little snowball fight in Early June, if you go high enough in elevation. It's so worth the hour drive to take in that beautiful park.

Ah well I could go on and on and on......Like I said I know the place pretty well. If there is anything else I can do to help, please ask. Have a safe and very fun trip when you do come.

erjulie · Apr 14, 2005

Highway 101 is the one I was referring to around the Peninsula--- but it's a LONG trip, not one likely you want to do w/a newborn. It's a 300-mi loop and unless you plan to stay the night in the middle of it, too long. But it's one AMAZING 300 mi.
The Cacades Highway? Hmmm well I am not sure if you are referring to Snoqualmie Pass, perhaps (Interstate 90)? It's a beautiful drive and should be just fine when you come. We have suffered a drought here, so not much snow will stop you---(yes snow does fall up there in June, at times. When I moved here in 1999, there were at least 10 feet of snow piled up on either side of the highway in May). You will have no problem crossing the Cascades unless a freak snowstorm happens in June (not too likely).
Gas prices? OMG here, they are horrendous, averaging about 2.42/gal last I bought. Seems it goes up a nickle each time I need to fill up. Be prepared to pay through the teeth for gas here in the Seattle/Tacoma area.
Pike Place Market is fun. But do it during the week, if you can. Less people to crowd you. I always enjoy taking family/friends who are in town there. The atmosphere is great. Just plan to drive up and home again after rush hour or plan on a long drive from Seattle to Ft. Lewis. (its about 40 mi). You can always do the Space Needle and Seattle Center in the same day trip, as you probably know, making a day of it.
To me, the San Juans are SO worth the trip. Beauuuuuuuuuuuuuuutiful. The drive to Anacortes is gorgeous, too, (if you plan to ferry from there)....bring that camera. Skagit County is pretty just by itself, as are the San Juans. It's a long day though, from Ft. Lewis. Plan to get up early and come home later in the evening. You cannot possibly take in ALL the San Juans in one day, as you probably know, but the ride is gorgeous, rain or shine.
You COULD consider going South versus North for daytripping. There is Mt St Helens National Park and it's only about 2 1/2 hours south of Ft.Lewis/McChord. Well worth the trip Who knows, she may even 'belch" for you....as you know she is being a bit active of late. It's quite a sight to see when it does happen.
You can go to the ocean, via the south beaches---Westport is a fun little funky town. It's an EASY drive from Ft. Lewis, and you will deal with less traffic during the week if you elect to go that way.
Olympia (the Capitol City) is very pretty and eclectic shops and a farmer's market await downtown, near the water, if you venture there. Olympia is only about 20-25 minutes south of Ft. Lewis.
And do NOT ignore Mt. Rainier Park, only about an hour drive or so from Ft. Lewis. A trip up to Paradise will net you some of the most amazing views you have even been treated to, and you will likely be able to have a little snowball fight in Early June, if you go high enough in elevation. It's so worth the hour drive to take in that beautiful park.
Ah well I could go on and on and on......Like I said I know the place pretty well. If there is anything else I can do to help, please ask. Have a safe and very fun trip when you do come.

Thanks so much for the advice, I am SO looking forward to this trip with the daughter and baby, I can't tell you. My son loves the area too. He came there from Iraq, which he hated. Now, he's crabbing a little about the rain, and I just say "better than sand, son!" I hope his computer is up and running when we get there, in case I need quick advice...thanks agin, and if you're ever in northern Illinois, let us know! Gas is down to $2.19 here, peaked at $2.35 a week ago...hmmm :uhoh3:

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 15, 2005

I grew up outside Chicago actually! NO plans to visit for a while yet, even though all my family still live in and around the city.

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 15, 2005

PM me if you want my email address for any reason. Glad to help you if I can.