Seattle Itinerary

[LorbriK]

My husband and I are spending a couple days in Seattle before our cruise to Alaska.  Can someone tell me if our plans are "doable" and give us some recommendations for lunch/dinner (prefer local restaurants - not too expensive)?  We arrive late morning on the 5th and are planning on checking in the hotel, getting something to eat and then hitting Chihuly Garden and the Space Needle.  We'd grab dinner somewhere before heading back to the hotel.  The next day we have an early (8am) food tour at Pike Place.  We'd like to do the Underground Tour after that, find someplace in that area for lunch and then head to Bainbridge Island on the ferry.  Any suggestions/ideas and feedback is appreciated.  Thank you in advance!

[Gardyloo]

Presumably this is the 5th of September?  Where is your hotel?

 

Nothing wrong with your outline plan, but you might actually find that you have more time than you think.  Chihuly + Space Needle is around 2 hours tops, so if you're getting there in the early afternoon (after checking in and lunch) you might have some time to spare before dinner.  

 

But let us know where your hotel is located and we can be more helpful.

[LorbriK]

Yes, September 5 - sorry :)  We're staying at the Sheraton Downtown Seattle Center.  I was allowing time for lines, but if you think we may have time for other things, please, send your suggestions.  I appreciate your help! 

[kctwinmommy]

Here's my trip report on our days in Seattle. We did most of the things you're asking about...

 

 

[LorbriK]

Thanks so much Cindy - yes our plans are almost identical to what you did!  Beautiful pictures too.  Thanks for sharing with me 🙂

[Eaglecw]

Your plan sounds pretty good. I'd bypass the Space Needle, total tourist trap. To get better views of Seattle and the general area go up to the observation deck on the Columbia Tower https://www.skyviewobservatory.com/

Great views of the city, you'll be looking down on the Space Needle. You might want to also look at a Argosy boat cruise  https://www.argosycruises.com/ The Museum of Flight https://www.museumofflight.org/ is one of our favorite places to go in Seattle. There's just not enough time to see everything in Seattle. Be forewarned Seattle is not the safest of places to visit, be on guard.

[fastpitchdad]

9 hours ago, Eaglecw said:

Be forewarned Seattle is not the safest of places to visit, be on guard.

 

Don't listen to them...Seattle is perfectly safe especially compared to other major cities. 

[kctwinmommy]

11 hours ago, LorbriK said:

Thanks so much Cindy - yes our plans are almost identical to what you did!  Beautiful pictures too.  Thanks for sharing with me 🙂

 

You're welcome! And if you see what Eaglecw wrote, and I obviously agree, I'd skip going up in the Space Needle. Such a better view from the tower.

[ParrotRob]

On 8/23/2019 at 10:16 PM, fastpitchdad said:

 

Don't listen to them...Seattle is perfectly safe especially compared to other major cities. 

 

Pioneer Square is downright terrifying.

 

[fastpitchdad]

2 hours ago, ParrotRob said:

 

Pioneer Square is downright terrifying.

 

 

Maybe at 2 in the morning or if you have never been in a city before. 

[ParrotRob]

41 minutes ago, fastpitchdad said:

 

Maybe at 2 in the morning or if you have never been in a city before. 

 

I lived for 25 years in Baltimore . I have worked in Washington, DC for the past 25.  And Pioneer Square makes both of those cities look like Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

 

The homeless problem, overall, in Seattle (and Portland) is appalling (Tent cities on the side of the freeways?  Really?!).  But the specific group in Pioneer Square are aggressive and intimidating, no matter how much you try to spin it otherwise.  That group runs around talking... no, SHOUTING... at each other, themselves, tourists, inanimate objects, trees... anything that moves.  And some things that don't.

 

 

 

[ParrotRob]

50 minutes ago, fastpitchdad said:

 

Maybe at 2 in the morning or if you have never been in a city before. 

 

"Now? Employees are being urinated and spit on by the homeless. Perhaps this wasn’t the game changer we had hoped for?

Pioneer Square is plagued by out-of-control homelessness. Many homeless people loiter in the neighborhood, which offers nearby resources from the city, King County, and nonprofits. And it’s dangerous.

“Our employees have been spit in the face, urinated on, aggressively yelled at, chased by people wielding tent poles, punched in the face…” Senior Vice President and Chief Administration Officer Denise Merle wrote in an email to city officials, including Mayor Jenny Durkan and several city council members, according to KOMO 4’s Matt Markovich. “Our employees have to walk over needles, human waste and garbage. Often they have to walk in the street because the tents on the sidewalks block their access.”

https://mynorthwest.com/1167146/rantz-homeless-punching-urinating-seattle-pioneer-square/?

[fastpitchdad]

1 hour ago, ParrotRob said:

 

"Now? Employees are being urinated and spit on by the homeless. Perhaps this wasn’t the game changer we had hoped for?

Pioneer Square is plagued by out-of-control homelessness. Many homeless people loiter in the neighborhood, which offers nearby resources from the city, King County, and nonprofits. And it’s dangerous.

“Our employees have been spit in the face, urinated on, aggressively yelled at, chased by people wielding tent poles, punched in the face…” Senior Vice President and Chief Administration Officer Denise Merle wrote in an email to city officials, including Mayor Jenny Durkan and several city council members, according to KOMO 4’s Matt Markovich. “Our employees have to walk over needles, human waste and garbage. Often they have to walk in the street because the tents on the sidewalks block their access.”

https://mynorthwest.com/1167146/rantz-homeless-punching-urinating-seattle-pioneer-square/?

 

Despite Sinclair hit pieces to the contrary, the homeless problem is not worse than most other cities and the city is definitely safe. 

[ParrotRob]

5 hours ago, fastpitchdad said:

 

Despite Sinclair hit pieces to the contrary, the homeless problem is not worse than most other cities and the city is definitely safe. 

 

Is that so?  What other cities do you frequent to compare it to?  Because I frequent every major city on the East Coast from Halifax to Key West, and the deep South including Atlanta, Birmingham, New Orleans and more, and I've never seen anything over here even remotely like the problems out there.  Sorry, you live in a beautiful part of the world, but despite your cheerleading and your civic pride, it's gone totally to hell.

[Gardyloo]

 "...but despite your cheerleading and your civic pride, it's gone totally to hell."

 

People have different tolerances for things like homeless people, and some place a higher value on civil rights, such as protection against involuntary commitment and support of habeas corpus, than others.   I'm sure in your vast travel and living experience you've seen this.  What practices have you seen in all the cities you frequent that have resulted in lower rates of visible homelessness?  Can you be specific?

 

Fighting homelessness is a very complicated matter, and personally I'm quite proud of the work being done by my city and county, especially in the face of financial, legal and public opinion opposition, including propaganda from media outlets with axes to grind.

Edited September 1, 2019 by Gardyloo

[ParrotRob]

38 minutes ago, Gardyloo said:

 "...but despite your cheerleading and your civic pride, it's gone totally to hell."

 

People have different tolerances for things like homeless people, and some place a higher value on civil rights, such as protection against involuntary commitment and support of habeas corpus, than others.   I'm sure in your vast travel and living experience you've seen this.  What practices have you seen in all the cities you frequent that have resulted in lower rates of visible homelessness?  Can you be specific?

 

Fighting homelessness is a very complicated matter, and personally I'm quite proud of the work being done by my city and county, especially in the face of financial, legal and public opinion opposition, including propaganda from media outlets with axes to grind.

 

My posts in this forum are meant for one purpose only - to properly set expectations for the Seattle tourist who is coming to Cruise Critic's West Coast departure board, having so recently done exactly the same.

I don't pretend to know WHY Seattle and Portland have such visible homeless problems.  I don't know WHY the homeless in Pioneer Square are so aggressive and intimidating versus those in other cities, or even those in other parts of the SAME city (the ones in Seattle Center, for instance).

 

The article I referenced SEEMS to suggest that the culture of the west coast may breed a homeless population with a sense of entitlement that does not exist elsewhere.  I don't know.  That's not why I cited that article.  I cited that article only to show that it's NOT just me who sees this problem.  Seattleites like fastpitchdad can stick their heads in the sand all day and pretend there's not a serious problem in their cities, but they're dead wrong.

 

I don't know the solution, and I'm not here to debate the politics.

 

To come back to the topic (Seattle Itinerary) - enjoy Seattle - there are plenty of enjoyable things to do there.  Just beware the aggressive and intimidating homeless encampments which very definitely do exist, no matter what the locals tell you.

[Peckishpixie]

On 8/31/2019 at 8:01 PM, ParrotRob said:

 

I lived for 25 years in Baltimore . I have worked in Washington, DC for the past 25.  And Pioneer Square makes both of those cities look like Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

 

The homeless problem, overall, in Seattle (and Portland) is appalling (Tent cities on the side of the freeways?  Really?!).  But the specific group in Pioneer Square are aggressive and intimidating, no matter how much you try to spin it otherwise.  That group runs around talking... no, SHOUTING... at each other, themselves, tourists, inanimate objects, trees... anything that moves.  And some things that don't.

 

 

 

Seattle's homeless community is about the same size as any other bug cities. Statistically, tent cities actually cut down on "crime" as well as emergency room hospital visits. When you take away arrests for "loitering public drunkeness" the homeless community is actually less likely to commit a crime then those with homes. Untreated mental illness and chemical dependency are common in our homeless community, but again, no more so than most major cities. Your premise that it is a dangerous city because of homeless people is predicated on false information and you are buying in to a smear campaign started by an out of state property investor who wanted to build where the tent city was so she paid the media to run a story. It isn't true. It's advertising. 

[ParrotRob]

7 hours ago, Peckishpixie said:

Seattle's homeless community is about the same size as any other bug cities. Statistically, tent cities actually cut down on "crime" as well as emergency room hospital visits. When you take away arrests for "loitering public drunkeness" the homeless community is actually less likely to commit a crime then those with homes. Untreated mental illness and chemical dependency are common in our homeless community, but again, no more so than most major cities. Your premise that it is a dangerous city because of homeless people is predicated on false information and you are buying in to a smear campaign started by an out of state property investor who wanted to build where the tent city was so she paid the media to run a story. It isn't true. It's advertising. 

 

I'm not "buying in" to anything.  I travel to Seattle for work fairly routinely and I was just there as a tourist two weeks ago.  I saw this phenomenon with my own eyes.  The media is reporting a very real problem.  Not a "smear campaign".

[Peckishpixie]

So you think you, who visit here, no more than all the people who actually live here Rob? More than the hundreds of people who work in homeless services? More than the Seattle police force? I cant believe you just keep coming back to this. Our crime rate is much lower than other cities our size. Seattle is safe for tourists. Please feel free not to visit our lovely city. You can leave your classism and fear mongering at home thanks.

[ParrotRob]

19 hours ago, Peckishpixie said:

So you think you, who visit here, no more than all the people who actually live here Rob? More than the hundreds of people who work in homeless services? More than the Seattle police force? I cant believe you just keep coming back to this. Our crime rate is much lower than other cities our size. Seattle is safe for tourists. Please feel free not to visit our lovely city. You can leave your classism and fear mongering at home thanks.

 

Yes, I damn sure DO think I know more about the TOURIST PERCEPTION OF SEATTLE than you local yokels with your rose-colored glasses that are blind to how horrible your city looks to outsiders.  You just go on telling yourselves that it's not bad, it's not a problem.  Perception is reality, and the face that your "lovely" city puts forward is frightening and intimidating to people coming to Seattle from the real world, no matter how much sugar-coating and cheerleading you do.

 

When one can't use a public restroom in Seattle Center because it's someone's HOME, then yeah, that's a problem.

 

Unfortunately, I can't NOT visit - I have to drive right past your "lovely" tent cities to get from SeaTac to Redmond or Bellevue.

[Gunther1]

🍿

[fastpitchdad]

11 hours ago, ParrotRob said:

 

Yes, I damn sure DO think I know more about the TOURIST PERCEPTION OF SEATTLE than you local yokels with your rose-colored glasses that are blind to how horrible your city looks to outsiders.  You just go on telling yourselves that it's not bad, it's not a problem.  Perception is reality, and the face that your "lovely" city puts forward is frightening and intimidating to people coming to Seattle from the real world, no matter how much sugar-coating and cheerleading you do.

 

When one can't use a public restroom in Seattle Center because it's someone's HOME, then yeah, that's a problem.

 

Unfortunately, I can't NOT visit - I have to drive right past your "lovely" tent cities to get from SeaTac to Redmond or Bellevue.

 

What tent cities in Seattle would you drive through going from SeaTac to Redmond or Bellevue? You would go 405 to Bellevue or 405 to 520 to Redmond and not go anywhere near Seattle. And there aren't any non-Seattle tent cities on that route either. Where I live we do sometimes support sanctioned and managed tent cities on Chruch property but you would never see those on that route either.

[ParrotRob]

5 hours ago, fastpitchdad said:

 

What tent cities in Seattle would you drive through going from SeaTac to Redmond or Bellevue? You would go 405 to Bellevue or 405 to 520 to Redmond and not go anywhere near Seattle. And there aren't any non-Seattle tent cities on that route either. Where I live we do sometimes support sanctioned and managed tent cities on Chruch property but you would never see those on that route either.

 

If you take I-5 directly to 520, right along I-5.  I guess they're hard to see when your head is in the sand.

[fastpitchdad]

10 hours ago, ParrotRob said:

 

If you take I-5 directly to 520, right along I-5.  I guess they're hard to see when your head is in the sand.

 

Why would you take I-5 directly to 520? That adds a ton of time to the drive. 

 

And that is part of the perceived increase in homelessness in Seattle. The city is clearing unsanctioned tent cities.

Edited September 6, 2019 by fastpitchdad

[ParrotRob]

4 hours ago, fastpitchdad said:

 

Why would you take I-5 directly to 520? That adds a ton of time to the drive. 

 

And that is part of the perceived increase in homelessness in Seattle. The city is clearing unsanctioned tent cities.

 

Is that really your answer?  "Drive a different way and you won't see the problem"?