Steve R. Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 No, not this month. Or next. We have a wedding to attend the weekend of June 26-28th a couple of hours away in Leavenworth & will probably stick around Seattle afterwards for a couple of weeks or so, seeing old friends who have relocated there (we have quite a few), taking day trips & even meeting virtual friends (if anyone's available). So I'm starting this thread to kick around ideas & post questions as the time draws closer. And to give you all a head's up… just in case. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve R. Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Okay, our dates are set. We're flying in the evening of 6/23 & staying in Seattle for 3 nights, probably in a hotel. Then, off to the wedding for 3 nights (everything all arranged). Back in Seattle on Mon 6/29 & leaving 7/8 (9 nights)… probably looking for an apt. thru VRBO or airbnb. Just the two of us… lovely couple of pre-trendy non-hipster Brooklynites, early 60s but can play younger roles.  So… first question: for our initial 3 night hotel stay, is Belltown really not a good place? All our Seattle friends say it's lively but somewhat dangerous & generally undesirable at night. We're not late nighters, we live in NYC and we'll have a car (& garage) or will be taking a cab. Still not the place to stay? I know Seattle well enough (3 previous brief visits, none recent) to probably rule out Downtown hotels. Should we look in Ballard and other communities for our first 3 nights or keep Belltown as an option? Any hotel recommendations? We're allergic to cats (big time) and a little to dogs, so Kimpton and other pet friendly chains get a little dicey for us. Advice appreciated… you don't need to use this thread, you can pm me if that suits you better.  For our 9 night stay (which includes July 4th weekend), we'll probably be in an apartment. Ballard is probably our first choice, but I'll be looking in Capital Hill, Queen Anne and Freemont as well. All okay? Other places to look? Again, we'll have a car and our friends are scattered around, from Ballard to Mercer Island to other areas. It'd be nice to have a neighborhood coffee shop (do any neighborhoods there not have one every block anyway?) & a neighborhood bar/restaurant. We're not cocktail people but consume wine quite nicely. Beer will work too… especially in Ballard, I hear.  That's it for now. Sorry this isn't a food thread (yet). Ferreting out food is easier for us than lodging issues, but we'll be asking for recommendations (& company?) sooner or later. Are there boards other than this for restaurant discussions. Eater & CH ok in Seattle?  Thanks to all in advance. Lauren: are you still around? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tighe Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I wouldn't hesitate to stay in Belltown, plenty of people live there after all. It can get dicey late on weekends when the clubs and bars shut down, but it's not a dangerous area, at least by most big city standards. If you wanted play it safer, you could go a bit further north, to Lower Queen Anne or northeast and stay somewhere around the south end of Lake Union. Both areas have plenty of restaurants, etc and easy access to downtown. Â If you have friends in Ballard, staying there may make sense, but be aware that it's a very inconvenient location for getting to the rest of the city and metro area. I live in Burien (near the airport) and can usually get downtown faster than friends who live in Ballard. That said, it offers all the amenities you're looking for in spades. Capital Hill does as well, but a more convenient base. Â Happy to try to meet for a meal or drinks while you're hear and have some strong feeling on restaurants when the time comes! ;-) BTW, I think Eater does a pretty good job for Seattle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve R. Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 Thanks tighe…. much appreciated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockdoggydog Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I would recommend the Max as a conveniently located hotel downtown, also the Westin has been having killer rates. Book now. Seattle is badly underserved for hotels and summer gets insanely expensive with 6 cruise ship sailings a week on top of normal convention, business, and tourist traffic. Ballard is great but not that central, I would go for Capitol Hill or Eastlake. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tighe Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 One other thought on where to stay for the first few days. The Pioneer Square area south of downtown has been experiencing a real renaissance over the last couple years and might be a fun place to stay for a few nights (there's a Silver Cloud just north of the stadiums). Locals will tell you that PS is dangerous at night, but for me it falls into the same category as Belltown. It is also the oldest and architecturally most interesting part of the city. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve R. Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 One other thought on where to stay for the first few days. The Pioneer Square area south of downtown has been experiencing a real renaissance over the last couple years and might be a fun place to stay for a few nights (there's a Silver Cloud just north of the stadiums). Locals will tell you that PS is dangerous at night, but for me it falls into the same category as Belltown. It is also the oldest and architecturally most interesting part of the city. Interesting idea. We'll look into it. Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve R. Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 I would recommend the Max as a conveniently located hotel downtown, also the Westin has been having killer rates. Book now. Seattle is badly underserved for hotels and summer gets insanely expensive with 6 cruise ship sailings a week on top of normal convention, business, and tourist traffic. Ballard is great but not that central, I would go for Capitol Hill or Eastlake. Thanks. Downtown isn't dead at night? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
porkwah Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 most of downtown is dead at night but centrally located. seattle traffic is really bad and a central location can make a big difference. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I'm here and will post a more thorough and thoughtful response soon but I wanted to say, for your 9 night stay over the 4th of July, it would be really fun to find a place with a view of Lake Union so you can watch the fireworks. Try looking for places in these neighborhoods: Eastlake, Westlake, South Lake Union, Northlake or Northwest Capitol Hill. I'll poke around HomeAway, airbnb, etc and see if I can't find some examples. Â And can we get together while you are here????? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve R. Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Thank you & yes. Â We're currently in Florida till the end of Feb, escaping the NYC winter, but I brought my Seattle folder with me & fully intend to try to find something. If I can pry myself off our balcony on the Gulf, with waves crashing. Or the tennis court. Â How's the Chinese food in Seattle, say compared to LA or NYC? (Hopefully, you're not following that thread). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bloviatrix Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 We're currently in Florida till the end of Feb, escaping the NYC winter, but I brought my Seattle folder with me & fully intend to try to find something. If I can pry myself off our balcony on the Gulf, with waves crashing. Or the tennis court. Wow. Retirement really sucks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve R. Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Â We're currently in Florida till the end of Feb, escaping the NYC winter, but I brought my Seattle folder with me & fully intend to try to find something. If I can pry myself off our balcony on the Gulf, with waves crashing. Or the tennis court. Â Wow. Retirement really sucks. We're honestly not sure how we ever used to fit working into our schedule. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Orik Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Do you get a different cut at Bern's every day at 4pm? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve R. Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Do you get a different cut at Bern's every day at 4pm? We've been mainly staying locally on the Gulf Beaches area so far, but Rich & Peg are joining us in Tampa this weekend & Bern's is reserved for both Fri & Sat dinners. Yes, different cuts (& different wines) but at 7pm (still early enough). Wanna join us? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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