Seattle, Washington — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Seattle-TacomaInternational(SEA)
Tel: (206) 433 5388 or 1 800 544 1965.
Website: www.seatac.org
‘Sea-Tac’ airport is located 19km (12 miles) south of Seattle, off the I-5, and carries close to 30 million passengers annually. It is the primary air transportation hub for Washington State and the Pacific Northwest, as well as a departure point to Canada, Japan, Mexico, Russia, and South Korea. As in all US airports, heightened security measures are in place for passenger safety and you should allow extra pre-flight time, as well as check the website for the latest updates.
Take-offs, landings and the Olympic Mountains can be viewed from the glass-walled Central Terminal (center of the Main Terminal). The state-of-the-art hub contains Pacific Marketplace, a center of restaurants and retail shops. A five-story officer tower has conference rooms and state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment. A shuttle runs from the north end of the Main Terminal to its south end.
Approximate flight times to Seattle: From London is 9 hours 45 minutes; from New York is 6 hours 10 minutes; from Los Angeles is 2 hours 40 minutes; from Toronto is 5 hours 30 minutes and from Sydney is 18 hours.
Airport facilities: These include a visitor information center, a lost property office (tel: (206) 433 5312) and several 24-hour ground transportation booths (tel: (206) 431 5906). There are numerous ATMs, two Thomas Cook bureau de change and a language phone line which provides interpreters for more than 150 languages. The airport has telephone booths, mailboxes and wheelchair availability, as well as the usual shops, restaurants, bars, banks and duty-free shopping. Left luggage is available at Ken’s Baggage and Storage, located on the baggage claim level, between Carousels 12 and 13. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz and National car hire companies have information counters in the baggage claim area.
Business facilities: Laptop Lane is located in North Satellite Terminal, adjacent to Gate 9, with PC workstations, Internet access, telephones with long distance and conference-calling capabilities, printing, copying, faxing and package shipping, as well as private offices.
Transport to the city: Airport and hotel shuttles run almost around the clock, with scheduled departure and arrival times available from the Ground Transportation Information Booths (tel: (206) 431 5904), located on the third floor of the parking garage. Service requires advanced booking. Shuttle Express provides shared rides and a door-to-door service to most of Greater Seattle (tel: (425) 981 7000 or 1 800 487 7433; website: www.shuttleexpress.com). The Gray Line Downtown Airporter (tel: (206) 626 6088 or 1 800 426 7532; website: www.graylineofseattle.com) departs twice an hour throughout the day, with services to and from main hotels and downtown destinations. The public bus 194 (see Public Transport in the Getting Around section) departs every 30 minutes for the city center (journey time - 45 minutes). Taxis (tel: (206) 246 9999) and limousines (tel: (206) 431 5904) are also available.
Getting There By Road
The USA has a good network of interstate highways and state highways. Speed limits are 40kph (25mph) in urban areas, 80kph (50mph) on county roads and 97kph (60mph) on state highways. All valid national licenses are acceptable, but an International Driving Permit is preferred. US insurance is mandatory and can be purchased at customs points or from the car hire company. The minimum driving age is 16 years and cars drive on the right. The American Automobile Association (AAA) (tel: 1 800 222 1134; www.aaa.com) can provide further information.
Emergency breakdown services
AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357 or AAA HELP).
Routes to the city
Seattle is served by two major interstate highways. The I-5 goes south to Portland and San Francisco and north to the Canadian border and Vancouver. The I-90 links Seattle with central and eastern Washington State, passing through Spokane on its way to Chicago and Boston.
Driving times to the city
From Portland - 3 hours; Vancouver, Canada - 3 hours; Spokane - 6 hours.
Coach services
Greyhound (tel: (206) 628 5526 or 1 800 231 2222; www.greyhound.com) operates from the Greyhound Bus Station, 811 Stewart Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in downtown Seattle. The facilities are minimal but include 24-hour ticketing, left luggage and a snack bar. Greyhound buses serve hundreds of destinations around the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Getting There By Rail
Rail services to and from Seattle are good.
Rail Services
Seattle’s rail services operate to and from King Street Station, 303 South Jackson Street, located in the historic Pioneer Square district. King Street Station has been restored to its original turn-of-the-century architecture. There are bureau de change, banks, wheelchair access, luggage storage areas, snack bars and newspaper kiosks.
Rail Operators
Seattle is on the main Amtrak network (tel: 1 800 872 7245; www.amtrak.com). Service is slow but can offer a remarkably scenic journey. The Coast Starlight service runs southwards to Oakland and Los Angeles via Portland; the Amtrak Cascades runs northwards to Vancouver and the Empire Builder runs eastwards to Chicago via Spokane.
Connections
From Los Angeles - 35 hours; Vancouver - 4 hours; Chicago - 45 hours.
Getting Around in Seattle, Washington
Public Transport
Seattle’s excellent bus system is operated by Metro Transit (tel: (206) 553 3000; http://metro.kingcounty.gov). There is free transport in the downtown area everyday from 0600 until 1900. In other locations, tickets are available on the bus (exact change is required). A day pass for Metro Transit is available on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Metro Transit also operates the Waterfront Streetcar, a green-and-yellow tram linking Pier 70 and the International District/King Street Station. Currently, the line is under construction with free Route 99 buses temporarily replacing the tram. There is also a high-speed elevated monorail, operated by Seattle Monorail Services (tel: (206) 905 2620; www.seattlemonorail.com), which links the downtown area to the Seattle Center in less than two minutes. Washington State Ferries (tel: (206) 464 6400 or 1 888 808 7977; www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries) link Seattle with the Olympic Peninsula, Bainbridge Island and other parts of Greater Seattle and is an attractive means of transport. Ferries depart from Piers 50 and 52, 801 Alaskan Way, in the city center. Schedules vary, although ferries to Bainbridge Island and Bremerton operate daily. Tickets are available at the piers, before boarding.
Taxis
You can hail taxis from the few designated ranks in front of hotels and the airport or by telephone. A tip of 10 to15% is expected. Seattle taxi drivers are almost always polite and reliable, although you may have to wait up to 20 minutes for a cab. Recommended taxi firms include Yellow Cab (tel: (206) 622 6500), Orange Cab Corporation (tel: (206) 522 8800), Farwest (tel: (206) 622 1717) and Stita Taxi (tel: (206) 246 9999).
Driving in the City
Owing to heavy congestion, one-way streets and the high price of parking, it's not recommended to drive in downtown Seattle. Renting a car, however, can be a great way to explore areas outside Seattle. Drivers should be aware of the specially designated lanes for buses, bicycles and ‘HOV' or High Occupancy Vehicles - those carrying more than one person. Parking in downtown Seattle costs around US$5 for two hours; it's free on Sundays.
Car Hire
The minimum age to hire a car is 25 years. A valid driving license is usually acceptable but an International Driving Permit is preferred. Car rental companies in Seattle include Alamo (tel: 1 800 327 9633; www.alamo.com), Avis (tel: 1 877 222 9075; www.avis.com), Budget (tel: 1 800 527 0700; www.budget.com), Dollar (tel: 1 800 800 3665; www.dollarcar.com), Hertz (tel: 1 800 654 3131; www.hertz.com) and National Car Rental (tel: 1 877 222 9058; www.nationalcar.com).
Bicycle Hire
Seattle is a great albeit hilly city for cyclists, with designated bicycle lanes. Major bike hire companies include Aaron's Bicycle Repair (tel: (206) 938 9795; www.rideyourbike.com), and The Montlake Bicycle Shop, (tel: (206) 329 7333; www.montlakebike.com).
