The Travel Thread

[Butterscup]

We've got a bourbon tour and a day at Churchill on the books so all set there. Our nights are mostly free so trying to figure out what to do then. Hopeful to find a decent place to watch the hawks Saturday

[wekse]

We've got a bourbon tour and a day at Churchill on the books so all set there. Our nights are mostly free so trying to figure out what to do then. Hopeful to find a decent place to watch the hawks Saturday

you should def check out this bar...it's really cool.

http://holygralelouisville.com/

[seanimal]

holy grale is sweet, but sergio's is the weirdest beer bar ever and is a must see when in town imo. try to hit up both if you can, but if you are at all concerned about presentation, go with holy grale

[Butterscup]

Wife and I are going to a wedding in Seattle in July and are going to spend a handful of days in Seattle and a few more days in Vancouver. Looking to AirBNB at both places - what neighborhoods should we be checking out as places to stay? Would prefer to walk to as many bars/restaurants/shops/etc as possible but we're not opposed to cabs/uber either.

[BigbadB]

Wife and I are going to a wedding in Seattle in July and are going to spend a handful of days in Seattle and a few more days in Vancouver. Looking to AirBNB at both places - what neighborhoods should we be checking out as places to stay? Would prefer to walk to as many bars/restaurants/shops/etc as possible but we're not opposed to cabs/uber either.

The monorail is nice in Seattle, and it is real handy to the action downtown. I can't offer up much more than that. I stayed at a hotel by the airport and we just shuttled back and forth downtown.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Minny and GR would definitely know better than me, but it sounds like you might want to aim for Capitol Hill, Belltown, or thereabouts. Basically start from the downtown/Pike's Place market area and spread north.

[WrigleyField 22]

Speaking of Seattle-area, thinking about a family trip in the summer to the islands/Peninsula areas of Washington state. Any recommendations for that? Would be looking to rent a house that can sleep 10 and is in an area with both highly active outdoor activities such as hiking, as well as some more low key touristy activities that the less active would enjoy.

[Butterscup]

Minny and GR would definitely know better than me, but it sounds like you might want to aim for Capitol Hill, Belltown, or thereabouts. Basically start from the downtown/Pike's Place market area and spread north.

@Minny @GR

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[CaliforniaRaisin]

Along the same lines, the wife and I are going to Seattle and Portland in April and will gladly listen to any and all recommendations. (Especially beer, food and anything outdoorsy.)

[yanrslatr]

Minny and GR would definitely know better than me, but it sounds like you might want to aim for Capitol Hill, Belltown, or thereabouts. Basically start from the downtown/Pike's Place market area and spread north.

@Minny @GR

fake edit: nope still doesnt work

I wouldn't stay in Cap Hill. It's fun but a little crazy. I'd stay in Belltown or Fremont.

What types of things are you looking to do? There are tons of food options and breweries in Fremont, Belltown, Downtown. Some distilleries have popped up in SoDo (literally South of Downtown, near the stadiums). I actually liked the underground tour (we did the adult-only night version) that starts in Pioneer Square. Some good historical info about Seattle, which has an interesting history.

If you're not lazy like me, there are, I think literally, 150 million places to hike nearby for all levels of skill/crazy. My wife loves Rattlesnake Ledge. But in addition to being lazy, I'm pretty terrified of heights, so this is like my own personal hell.



If you google it, you'll see the view. Those people are crazy, but there aren't stupid. It's pretty incredible, not that I'll ever see it first hand.

But there are hikes for less crazy people and the waterfall at Snoqualmie and Mt. Rainier ain't that far away either. Since you're here for a few days, that'd be near the top of my list. In July there will still be snow and Reflection Lake is pretty stunning.

I think if you visit Seattle and the PNW for a few days, you need to get out and enjoy the beauty. July is a perfect time. Sad as this sounds, it's the start of summer.

I also go to Vancouver quite a bit as I've got some clients up there. I don't know the area as well, but I really like Gastown. Can be a little hipster though. Let me know if you want me to get other ideas from my contacts there.

[yanrslatr]

Wife and I are going to a wedding in Seattle in July and are going to spend a handful of days in Seattle and a few more days in Vancouver. Looking to AirBNB at both places - what neighborhoods should we be checking out as places to stay? Would prefer to walk to as many bars/restaurants/shops/etc as possible but we're not opposed to cabs/uber either.

The monorail is nice in Seattle, and it is real handy to the action downtown. I can't offer up much more than that. I stayed at a hotel by the airport and we just shuttled back and forth downtown.

Do you mean the light rail? The monorail just runs between the Seattle Center (Space Needle, EMP - which is pretty awesome) and downtown, which isn't that far. The light rail runs between downtown and the airport. It's not a bad way to get to the city from Seatac, as it's cheap, pretty clean, and quick enough. Depends on where you're going once you get into town. But if you're renting a car at the airport it's not necessary.

[BigbadB]

Wife and I are going to a wedding in Seattle in July and are going to spend a handful of days in Seattle and a few more days in Vancouver. Looking to AirBNB at both places - what neighborhoods should we be checking out as places to stay? Would prefer to walk to as many bars/restaurants/shops/etc as possible but we're not opposed to cabs/uber either.

The monorail is nice in Seattle, and it is real handy to the action downtown. I can't offer up much more than that. I stayed at a hotel by the airport and we just shuttled back and forth downtown.

Do you mean the light rail? The monorail just runs between the Seattle Center (Space Needle, EMP - which is pretty awesome) and downtown, which isn't that far. The light rail runs between downtown and the airport. It's not a bad way to get to the city from Seatac, as it's cheap, pretty clean, and quick enough. Depends on where you're going once you get into town. But if you're renting a car at the airport it's not necessary.

I'm sure that's what I was referring to. Fast and very clean. I was impressed for public transportation. And from there, there was tons of stuff within walking distance.

[Butterscup]

Minny and GR would definitely know better than me, but it sounds like you might want to aim for Capitol Hill, Belltown, or thereabouts. Basically start from the downtown/Pike's Place market area and spread north.

@Minny @GR

fake edit: nope still doesnt work

I wouldn't stay in Cap Hill. It's fun but a little crazy. I'd stay in Belltown or Fremont.

What types of things are you looking to do? There are tons of food options and breweries in Fremont, Belltown, Downtown. Some distilleries have popped up in SoDo (literally South of Downtown, near the stadiums). I actually liked the underground tour (we did the adult-only night version) that starts in Pioneer Square. Some good historical info about Seattle, which has an interesting history.

If you're not lazy like me, there are, I think literally, 150 million places to hike nearby for all levels of skill/crazy. My wife loves Rattlesnake Ledge. But in addition to being lazy, I'm pretty terrified of heights, so this is like my own personal hell.



If you google it, you'll see the view. Those people are crazy, but there aren't stupid. It's pretty incredible, not that I'll ever see it first hand.

But there are hikes for less crazy people and the waterfall at Snoqualmie and Mt. Rainier ain't that far away either. Since you're here for a few days, that'd be near the top of my list. In July there will still be snow and Reflection Lake is pretty stunning.

I think if you visit Seattle and the PNW for a few days, you need to get out and enjoy the beauty. July is a perfect time. Sad as this sounds, it's the start of summer.

I also go to Vancouver quite a bit as I've got some clients up there. I don't know the area as well, but I really like Gastown. Can be a little hipster though. Let me know if you want me to get other ideas from my contacts there.

this is great, thank you sir. the wife and i do enjoy hiking, but im nowhere near in good enough shape/skilled enough to do anything crazy, so i'll have to investigate some of the easier hikes. Snoqualmie/Mt. Rainier sound pretty fantastic.

and yeah, if you get any info on Vancouver, i'd appreciate that as well. no huge rush on that one, we're going into that one a little less planned

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I think if you visit Seattle and the PNW for a few days, you need to get out and enjoy the beauty. July is a perfect time. Sad as this sounds, it's the start of summer.

I'll quickly second this, it's a big reason I moved out here. Rainier especially is worth the day trip to explore, it's got everything: waterfalls, lakes, hikes, greenery, incredible vistas(especially after said hikes), etc.

[soccer10k]

Along the same lines, the wife and I are going to Seattle and Portland in April and will gladly listen to any and all recommendations. (Especially beer, food and anything outdoorsy.)

I don't have anything on Seattle but the wife and I went to Portland in the summer 2014. We stayed downtown right by the river and there were a ton of restaurants/breweries within walking distance. The hotel we stayed at also had free bike rentals - first come first serve, but those had to be back by sunset - and I'd definitely recommend renting a bike, whether it's from the hotel or an independent place.

We went to a bunch of breweries there. Rogue and Deschutes both have restaurants there. I also really liked Lucky Labrador, Ecliptic, Hopworks and Bridgeport. If you like sours, check out Cascade Brewing. Belmont Station has about 20 taps and is a great bottle shop also. For food, the one place that stood out was Apizza Scholls. Someone I work with recommended it and it was delicious. During the week they're only open for dinner and they get busy quick so we got there shortly after they opened and had no issues getting in.

We also drove to Multnomah Falls, which is about 40 minutes east of downtown. We just walked the mile or so to the falls and then drove along the Old Columbia River Highway. There are a bunch of waterfalls along the way that you can park and walk to, and we stopped at Vista House as well which gives a great view of the river and hills. My wife also wanted to go to the International Rose Garden, just west of downtown. Not outdoors but the Portland Zoo was fun also.

[yanrslatr]

I'll second Multnomah Falls. Not far from downtown at all and really great hikes around there. And the drive down the highway is beautiful. If you can drive a little further east, the bridge of the gods is cool too.

I don't love PDX like Minny, so he probably has much better ideas than me.

[BigbadB]

I enjoyed Multnomah Falls, but I wouldn't call it a "hike". It's an easy walk. I was blown away by the drive from The Dulles to Portland. The actual trip was all the way up California to Bend, OR for the night, then up to The Dulles and to Portland. Stayed there for 3 days then did the drive down the coast all the way to San Francisco, stopping for the night in Bandon OR. That's a neat town. Awesome drive.

[muntjack]

Speaking of Seattle-area, thinking about a family trip in the summer to the islands/Peninsula areas of Washington state. Any recommendations for that? Would be looking to rent a house that can sleep 10 and is in an area with both highly active outdoor activities such as hiking, as well as some more low key touristy activities that the less active would enjoy.

I'd recommend Whidbey Island. The northern portion to be more specific. You've got Deception Pass which has good hiking, kayaking,etc. and there are some quaint little towns dotting the area as well.