Wife and a friend have a long layover on way to AK this Thursday. They planned to take a trip into Pike Place and fish market. The discussion in the Riots thread was well timed, sounds like this would be an awful plan. I suspect getting a ride back out could be a challenge as well.

So, any other ideas and suggestions for a way to kill some time in the area without high risk?

Shelter in Place...

We were just in Seattle in June for a cruise. We flew in the day before and rented a car. Drove through the city to figure out where the port was. While we were driving we were looking at potentially walking around but decided to just drive to Mt Ranier instead.

The next day we dropped the wives off at the ship terminal and took the car to drop off on 3rd Ave. We walked back to the terminal and it was interesting to say the least.

We stayed in a hotel in Bellevue for the one night. Wasn’t too bad out there.

Stay at the airport. It takes an 45 min to an hour to get into Seattle if there is any traffic. Seattle is not exactly a place you want to be, anyway. Pike’s market is no big deal.

down to the waterfront maybe. Figure it out once there.

Seattle is no NYC. Many bash the Emerald city and with some justification.

But it seems a bit like piling on in my opinion.


I love NW Wa. have family there who is freedom loving and and has been there for decades. There are scores of like minded people there and the rest of us throwing the towel in on them does no good.

One can always have hope that things can change.

I hope you can get out some and enjoy the beautiful area.

I did a 7 - 8 hour at SeaTac ages ago.

I read... A LOT. Tried to snooze with no luck. Made an artsy video of random goings on at the airport. I think I stepped outside for about 5 minutes. I thought about venturing off, but knew with my luck it would go bad.

I think now days with cell phones and iPads and the like it would be a whole lot easier.

Seattle has historically been a stopping point on the way somewhere. Not really a destination.

With the traffic and the time the only thing I came up with is The Museum of Flight. It's halfway between the airport and Seattle proper.

https://www.museumofflight.org

I would not venture to the Pike Place Market area. As I just posted in the "riots" thread, the PURE EVIL in that area is palpable. I find some other touristy attraction(s) that aren't in the heart of the city. And no, I don't have any suggestions...sorry. I don't even know if Boeing has a museum...

If you make it down to the waterfront there is a decent aquarium on Pier 59 and 60. There are also a number of decent seafood restaurants down there too. Not considered the best by the locals my Dad's favorite was Ivar's on Pier 54.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
Seattle has historically been a stopping point on the way somewhere. Not really a destination.

With the traffic and the time the only thing I came up with is The Museum of Flight. It's halfway between the airport and Seattle proper.

https://www.museumofflight.org

I agree on the museum idea. two or three interesting hours and you don't get into the smelly mess that Seattle has become. Good idea Brailldriver

I asked my girlfriend since she thinks more of the area than I do.

She suggested a few options and I responded- But they're going to Alaska.

Like going to Ivars for factory fish and chips when you're going to a seafood paradise.

The best things in Washington State are outside of Seattle.

Museum of Flight is pretty fun, you can easily kill a day there and still not see everything.

Pike Place itself isn't bad, it's just getting there that makes your Spidey Sense tingle and make you feel depressed. Real Talk: the last trip up there, seeing all the feral ghouls flopped out on the street in front of all the tourists, is what pushed me to pick up a Glock 34. I always felt pretty confident with my 226 and a couple 18 round spares, but now I'm rocking that 34 with the 21 round Magpuls.

The Boeing museum isn’t very far from SeaTac. It’s easy to get to and you can spend several hours there and not see everything. They have tools and machinery from the very first days of what became Boeing aircraft. They have planes from the very beginning to Boeing’s space program.
If you like airplanes and space stuff it’s well worth checking out.

Rebook on an earlier flight?

Downtown is depressing for a local like me. All of the empty storefronts, more than a few courtesy of COVID but so many due to the stupid extreme leftist, anti-police policies of the city council and previous dingbat mayor. Every time I drive through downtown it's just SAD.

It's not as bad now as it was prior to the MLB All-Star game. The hypocrites that ran the city into the ground finally realized just how bad an image their inept work would leave and FINALLY decided to clean up high visibility (i.e., touristy) areas around town. Some of the vermin have tried moving back in after The Show left, but without their drug-support RVs (rolling meth labs basically), they're generally not sticking around like they did prior to the cleanup.

3rd Ave (the mostly transit-only street) has been the traditional cesspool of downtown, even before the advent of fentanyl. I haven't been on that street in ages, ever since I was pulled over as a friendly reminder that it's mainly for buses (I knew that, but played it dumb to avoid a ticket...and it actually WORKED(!)).

So many of those downtown building projects that I worked on back in my old career makes seeing the voids and degradation all the more difficult to contemplate, let alone accept. But I will admit that I generally don't have a problem with myself being downtown, but then I'm always armed and often wearing soft Level III armor.

The Museum of Flight is neat. So is the Lemay auto museum in Tacoma for automotive gearheads. For a local like me the Market is just a tourist trap. I haven't been down to the waterfront since I worked down there so I don't have a clue as to how good or bad it is these days. There's also the Seattle Center and the Space Needle if you've never been up there.

Museum of Flight would be my pick if you leave the airport.

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
Museum of Flight would be my pick if you leave the airport.

plus it's an easy UBER ride there and back. Only like 5 miles away.

If you want to walk from the airport to someplace to eat, exit out the light rail station exit from the airport (go across ped bridge and down to ground level) and walk to this place and order the BBQ combo platter.

https://www.sharpsroasthouse.c...b&utm_medium=organic

I ate there a month ago when I had a layover on Alaska air. Awesome restaurant.

quote:

Originally posted by dfwglockguy:
The Boeing museum isn’t very far from SeaTac. It’s easy to get to and you can spend several hours there and not see everything. They have tools and machinery from the very first days of what became Boeing aircraft. They have planes from the very beginning to Boeing’s space program.
If you like airplanes and space stuff it’s well worth checking out.

It really is cool. Everything is production on a massive scale. Worth the trip if you can work it in.

- Museum of Flight
- REI flagship store
- Filson flagship store
- Go do the Tillicum Village Salmon Bake and Cruise to Blake Island (4-5 hr excursion to include a meal)
- Eat at The Walrus and Carpenter
- Get a porchetta sandwich at Salumi
- Eat a steak at Bateau

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