Heading to Seattle - Could use a little help

[daepp]

I leave Friday early for Seattle to see my daughter who is stationed nearby at Naval Station Everett. I will only be there for about 48 hours and have already secured lodging. I’m curious to know about what to expect in terms of places of interest that may or may not be open. I think I’ve got the restaurant issue figured out, but a few suggestions about places to go and see and do that would be open during this $&@%# covid time - esp. as they relate to the area’s natural beauty, destinations etc. Any help really appreciated.

TIA,

David

[Ayles]

You are in luck traffic wise. The drive between Seattle and Everett can be BRUTAL. But right now it's about a half hour give or take.

If you plan on staying in the north end there are a few cool things. But not a ton to see/do in Everett. The Boeing factory is a must see, they have tours but no idea what that looks like in the current climate. If you want to ride a ferry, you can do that up there too. Its a quick and very nice ride from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island. You can do a full circle across the island, deception pass, Anacortes then South back to Everrett in a few hours. It will be incredibly scenic and will have interesting things to explore along the way like Fort Casey.

You can always head East as well. Look up the Mountain Loop hwy. Another extremely scenic drive that does a complete loop basically starting and ending in North Everett/Marysville.

[Jeff Higgins]

Hmm... that's not much time. For one of our better scenic destinations, try Snoqualmie Falls. You should be able to make it down there in about an hour, hour and a half from Everett.

The drive up the Mountain Loop Highway out of Granite Falls is beautiful, and very reachable from Everett.

A ferry ride across the sound (Puget Sound) is always a favorite. Mukilteo is just south of Everett, and there is a ferry to Whidbey Island. The wait can be quite long on weekends, so if you have a weekday to kill, that might be better. You can then drive up the island and around, going over Deception Pass on the way. Beautiful views from the bridge over the pass, with parking on both ends, so you can walk it. On the way back south, don't just head out to I-5, head down the Skagit Valley, through LaConner, Stanwood, and then down past Warm Beach (you can google map those places).

Or, rather than driving up the island to Deception Pass, the other alternative is to go out to Fort Casey, and take the Port Townsend ferry over to the Peninsula. From there, make your way down to Kingston, and take that ferry back to the mainland, which drops you in Edmonds. That's a big day, so leave early. And, again, weekend ferries get full, and waits can be terribly long. Best do it on a weekday.

So, there's a few things you can do out of Everett. There is plenty of other stuff to do, but many of our most famous local attractions remain closed. For example, the Pike Place Market on the Seattle waterfront is really cool, but I'm just not sure if it's even "open", or to what degree it might be "open". Hopefully others will chime in.

[Ayles]

Good to see we agree on something

[Jeff Higgins]

Wow - great minds think alike. I must have been typing at the same time as Ayles, just slower... The fact that we both just listed pretty much the same places, independently of one another, should tell you something.

[71T Targa]

Since I'm on the north end, that's the direction we usually take guests. If you want to get out of the car at 'Warm Beach' google Kayak Point Park is a good spot.

This has become our go-to loop for out of town guests. I love the Oyster Bar!


You may see snow on Mtn Loop, I haven't been up yet this year. The ice caves are an easy hike from the road. And you go by the Oso slide memorial.


Ice caves a few years ago, much bigger some years:


If Casinos are your thing, Tulalip is the biggest on the north end, and there are several smaller ones scattered throughout the area.

[daepp]

Wow - talk about synchronicity of ideas - wow. Thanks a lot.

I should have said I'm staying in a hotel near her apartment in Queen Anne, but the loops shown are exactly what I was looking for.

Re the Boeing Museum, I managed to get up to Seattle about 48 hours before she came back from deployment, so in between unloading some of the larger things the movers left in her unit and stocking her fridge etc, the one thing I managed to squeeze in for me was that Boeing museum, and man I'm glad I did.

You guys gave me a lot to work with - and whatever I miss I'll hit on the next trip - her tour doesn't end until late April 2021 so she'll be around till then.

Thanks again!

David

[RWebb]

drive over to Carnation

[gtc]

Looks like the weather this weekend is going to suck (rain, rain, rain), so keep that in mind for your sight seeing planning.

Pike Place Market is partially open, i was just down there on Sunday. Most of the food vendors are open, fortunately.

Seattle is just starting to open back up... restaurants are at reduced capacity and many are still closed.

[PorscheGAL]

One of the most fun things we did there a couple years ago was rally school at Dirt Fish. If you have a morning free, they have half days.

[HardDrive]

Driver up US 2 to Stevens Pass. Not a lot to do out there, but beautiful drive.

[island911]

Ah, staying in Seattle proper... Hey, Capitol hill is a real riot! And know the rioters have taken over the Seattle police precinct there last night so you may want to avoid that hill. - which is the hill SE of Queen Anne hill. ...stay away from directly East of downtown.

To the West is Magnolia where there is a Marina with a couple restaurants serving sit-down starting tomorrow. Both "Maggie's" (casual) and Palasades have a great view of the city and are safe. There are only a few street people living at the beginning of the bridge that takes you there, and then an oasis. I was there yesterday.

If you do Whidbey Island by Ferry the first town to hit will be Langley, where Prima Bistro is open with a nice roof-top deck. About mid island is Ciao Pizza in Coupville. Not a high-end location but fantastic Italian food.

If you do hit the Seattle waterfront know that it is open. I like the Alder planked salmon and Cesar salad from the Crab-pot there. (very casual place) They have giant crab legs too, and seem to walk behind the counter sideways a lot .

[LWJ]

Gumwall.

[jcommin]

If you are into art, Seattle has several shops featuring blown glass art. Some of the best blown glass art I have ever seen.

[island911]

Yeah, glass is big around here. There's a place in Langley (Whidbey island) where they often do some active glass-blowing for the on-lookers. https://callahansfirehouse.com/schedule-glassblowing/

And for big art, if you follow the Seattle waterfront to the north there is an outdoor sculpture park. - Although the first piece is disturbing in a MABLA sort of way (a naked man facing a naked boy, both with arms stretched out - but if the fountain part is running, that gets hidden a bit)

[sugarwood]

Funny. Those are decent suggestions, but it's kinda telling that if you ask "where should I go while in city X" on a car forum, every suggestion you get will involve a multi-hour drive out of the city in question.

Things are still partially shut down in the city proper (that Queen Anne neighborhood where the OP is staying is pretty central), there are still things to do that don't involve driving hours out to the Mountain Loop Highway, for example.

"Driver up US 2 to Stevens Pass. Not a lot to do out there, but beautiful drive."

LOL. Stevens Pass is the heart of the central cascades. Hundreds of miles of hiking, climbing, skiing, biking, camping, off-roading, hunting, and fishing right off of the pass. PCT crosses through there. It's one of the major outdoor recreational areas in the state.

Now that Mount Rainier NP has opened for day trips, for a long scenic drive from Seattle, I'd suggest going south over Chinook and Cayuse Passes into the park and up to the Paradise visitor center. Pretty spectacular countryside, and you end up on a volcano.

Another drive suggestion would be to drive down to Crystal Mountain and take the gondola ride up to the top. It's open now on weekends. Incredible views of Mount Rainier that you get without having to exert yourself.

[LakeCleElum]

Originally Posted by daepp

I should have said I'm staying in a hotel near her apartment in Queen Anne, but the loops shown are exactly what I was looking for.David

If you are on Queen Anne, you have to go to Kerry Park for view of the City, Elliot Bay and even Mt. Rainier on a clear day. Walk 3 blocks west and a whole different view to the west where you can see the Olympic Mtns:

https://www.tripsavvy.com/kerry-park-complete-guide-4691039

[look 171]

I really like that ferry ride. We do it every time we are up there. Get a cup of joe, sit and relax and enjoy the ride.

[island911]

Weather is supposed to be the grab-bag of all (except snow). The typical multi-weather graphic is up for the week (rain/sun/cloudy/wind/thunderstorms)

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by Ayles

The Boeing factory is a must see, they have tours but no idea what that looks like in the current climate. If you want to ride a ferry, you can do that up there too. Its a quick and very nice ride from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island. starting and ending in North Everett/Marysville.

I don’t have any advice, but when I worked at Boeing years ago, running the Electro-Impact side of body machine, the password was Mukilteo. I wondered if was a real word.

Sorry for the tangent.