Seattle, Washington (SEA)

Hints and information on how to efficiently navigate Seattle, Washington.
Note: The information is subject to change.

Seattle, Washington is served by the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Here is some information on how to get to downtown Seattle, Renton and Tacoma:

• Take the Kings County Metro #174 or 194 to downtown Seattle. The bus stop is located on the arrival level just outside of baggage claim, by door 6; this is near carousel 5.
  • At the time of this writing, the fare is between 1.25 USD and 2.00 USD depending on whether it is peak or off-peak. Journey time is about thirty minutes. You can get a Metro Visitor Pass for 5.00 USD that allows you to ride the busses all day.
  There is no airline employee discount on the Metro bus.
• Take the Kings County Metro #140 to Renton. Journey time is about an hour. You can find the schedule here. You may also take the Sound Transit #560.
• To get to Tacoma, take the Sound Transit #574. You can also take the Kings County Metro #174 or 194 to downtown Seattle and transfer to another bus heading to Tacoma.
• The are also several Airport Shuttle buses available. There is an extensive list here. I recommend Gray Lines' Airport Express which at the time of this writing charges 8.50 USD one-way or 14.00 USD return. Just head out to Door 6 or 26 on the arrival level at Baggage Clain. Departures are twice every hour to major downtown hotels.
  • There is an airline employee discount available. Just show your ID and pay the child fare which is currently 6.00 USD one-way and 10.00 return.
• Car Rental
  • For the Seattle area, I recommend renting a car as you can cover more ground efficiently. Note that the taxes is some of the highest I've seen in any city, even New York. However, the base rates are quite reasonable. As with any city, parking is an issue in the downtown area. But when you go to the sites outside of the downtown area, parking is not a problem.
• Naturally, you can always take a cab, but it will be more expensive. Just follow the airport signs to the cab stand and tell the agent where you are heading.
• Links
  • Book a hotel
  • The Boeing Company (this is where your rented car comes in handy)
    • Boeing Factory Tour in Paine Field, Everett
      • There are also airplanes all over the place to see as well. In addition, Goodrich has an operation in Everett where they add after market stuff to the airplanes. Always something interesting to see there. It is located at the end of the runway at Paine Field/Snohomish County Airport. Here are driving directions.
    • Boeing Field in Seattle
      • This is one of Boeing's test airfields. Usually when the B757s depart from Renton they head to Boeing Field. You can watch airplanes being flight tested from the sidelines; either at the Museum of Flight or from the Kings County International Airport that uses the same runways. Just follow the signs to Boeing Field; you really cannot miss the long runway. You can also take the #174 that goes right by the Field.
    • Renton Plant in Renton
      • There is no tour of the Renton plant, but you can see the planes from a parking lot above the factory. Really just follow the road signs to the Renton Municipal Airport.
  • Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
  • Mount Rainier
  • The Museum of Flight
  • Pike Place Market
    • Check out their Web cam
  • San Juan Island
  • The Space Needle