Seattle or other vacation in the Winter

[Aggie_Ama]

I inherited a small amount of money from my Nanny passing and would like to use it how she would have, travelling or living it up. I know a charity is more honorable but Nanny would have wanted us to do something fun. She loved the sea and sea food, so we were thinking coastal. DH and I are trying to visit all 50 states and have never been to Washington or Oregon. So we thought Seattle might be fun for a 5 day weekend excursion but it would likely be early November. How is the weather? We want to see all the touristy stuff like the Space Needle, the zoo, etc... Suggestions? Alternate vacation spot? We have warm winters so we don't need to escape to Florida but bitter cold will be a bit much for us Texans!

[BikingNurse]

if you want to go to the zoo. I suggest woodland park zoo
http://www.zoo.org/zoo_info/planning/activities.html
Some good walking and you see the animals in their habitat not so much of a glass box. We went there a few weeks ago. There is also point defiance zoo. I don't remember it well I haven't been there since I was 4. And also hit up Pike Place Market. it's a must see and it's really fun.
http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/frameset.asp?flash=false

[Biciclista]

Seattle isn't the best place to be in later November, December, or January for touristing. THe days are very short and if it's cloudy (and it generally is) it is even darker. I guess early November wouldn't be so bad. It won't be frigid, probably in the 40's.There are certainly a lot of things to do, but traffic stinks too.

Our zoo is really nice !

[Aggie_Ama]

Seattle isn't the best place to be in later November, December, or January for touristing. THe days are very short and if it's cloudy (and it generally is) it is even darker. I guess early November wouldn't be so bad. It won't be frigid, probably in the 40's.There are certainly a lot of things to do, but traffic stinks too.

Our zoo is really nice !

Oh dang! I forgot about you being so far north and having short days. It would likely be early November though. I love zoos, I don't like to travel anywhere that doesn't have one. :p

[salsabike]

Amanda, we have a wonderful zoo, and early November is a good time to see the animals, since cool weather seems to make them more active. We have two snow leopard cubs who are going outside in a really wonderful enclosure, every day!

Don't be afraid to come here in early November. It'll be cool and grey, might rain, but it's perfectly do-able. We don't get bitter cold here at all, ever. It'll likely be in the 40s.

[salsabike]

PS We could meet you! That would be great.

[Blueberry]

Good for you for thinking of what she would have wanted! You'll have photos and memories - and what a great way to remember her!

Another suggestion to throw out there - we visited San Diego around that time last year. The weather was beautiful - the zoo is great, there's a wild animal park I didn't go to, the ocean is fabulous in La Jolla (and there are seals and sea lions), there's great biking, you can do a day trip to the mountains, etc.

I still want to visit Seattle - our trip this year didn't happen because we erred on the side of staying home with a sick kitty. However, I'll have time off in late March/early April and might think about it then. It's the top of my list - just wanted to throw another option out there.

CA

[crazycanuck]

I'm out of my depth here but i'll make an attempt..

Can you do a mtn bike trip to Moab :cool: at that time of year? Since you're into dirt, why not take them on a vacation??

[Ana]

I vote for Hawai'i! :D It was one of the best vacations of my life :)

[Aggie_Ama]

I vote for Hawai'i! :D It was one of the best vacations of my life :)

Our budget isn't that big. My Nanny would have loved to have gone there. San Diego zoo is high on my list but DH is still liking Seattle because it seems to have a variety of cool things.

He did ask if we could find hiking and rent decent bikes where ever we go. Temps in the 40's sounds about like our weather, we are just a little shy about snow!

[buddha_bellies]

Oh! I love the underground tour (http://www.undergroundtour.com/). You might want to check that out.

And are you planning a day trip up to Vancouver too?

[Biciclista]

there are a few great bike shops here that rent bikes and yes, nice places to go riding!

[Drtgirl]

There are so many outdoor things to do here, even in November. Are you renting a car? If so the possibilities are unlimited! Some of my faves:

-Trip to the Olympic Peninsula (Hoh rainforest and beach/tidepools). See here for some photos of our last trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/82427018@N00/sets/72157607084202975/
-Day hikes around Mt. Rainier (maybe snowshoeing depending on where you go)
-Day hikes closer to Seattle along the I-90 corridor. There are dozens of places to hike in the foothills.

As for riding, there are a couple shops that rent bikes. Bring rain gear for sure!

PM if you want more info!!

[shootingstar]

We spent a few days in Santa Fe, NM area at end of October and loved it. Dry, sunny...no rain.:D The colourful rock formations around Georgia O'Keefe (the artist's) Ghost Ranch estate is just gorgeous..

However, a foreign country...is just a 4 hr. train ride (1 hr. for border crossing checks) from downtown Seattle to downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. :)

From Vancouver, B.C. :)
lst photo is a cove area within North Vancouver that we bike to frequently. Local mountain have hiking trails. 29 kms. from home. Kayakers go up the inlet. There is also kayaking directly in downtown Vancouver. We see the kayakers paddle by from home.
2nd photo is from a local park, within city. Actually park has soaring old growth Douglas fir trees, etc. Located in a wealthy area overlooking a strait.

[Aggie_Ama]

ShootingStar- Vancouver is on our list of places to see but since they changed the laws and you need a passport I have to wait to get one. I have never left the US. Sad but true!

[Aggie_Ama]

Oh! I love the underground tour (http://www.undergroundtour.com/). You might want to check that out.


Oh that looks neat, I think we saw it on the History Channel. Adding it to the list. We may not have time to sleep!

Pending our vacations getting approved at work we are coming the first week of November. Since I switched jobs this year I only have 3 vacation days so it will be a 4 night, 5 day excursion. I can't wait to add a state to our list!

[NbyNW]

If you can hold off until next year (and get your passport!) there are a few cruise ship companies that go from Seattle to Alaska. I've heard they're quite good. -- Never done it, but it's something we've always had on our "someday" list!

[Ana]

Seattle is also one of my favorite places :) I think you would have a good time there, especially since there are so many things to do there and places nearby (hiking, skiing, biking, etc) :)

[shootingstar]

Well, if you visit NW U.S. coast, hope it will be rain-free.
Dearie has some hotel points to burn off or else they expire by end of this yr.

So we are hoping to plan a short vacation somewhere in NW to keep costs down, yet use up precious hotel points. I confess that already it looks like we may march more and more into rainy times as the days fly along this fall.

Hmmmm..knock on wood for good luck for all of us NW travellers.

[teigyr]

Seattle isn't bad at all during November. Before I lived up here, I lived in Southern Calif. I never minded the weather each time I visited (and it was a lot), in fact I found it quaint. There IS tons to do up here. Even if you don't rent a car, you can get from the airport to the hotel to a bus to a ferry.

I recommend it and because it'd be "off season", you could get a fantastic hotel at a fairly good rate.

Oh and re an Alaska cruise...I think it might be too late for that? But trust me, the ferry system down here will take you to some awesome places, if you want.

[StressFree]

We went to Seattle in the summer and it was a nice time to go. But then again I'm in Socal and cannot handle cold weather. We did the underground tour which was really neat to see. I agree if you have the time drive to Vancouver it's a nice drive. I didn't know that you need a passport now. All my friends said that so far this year has been a bit warmer I don't know how the fall and winter is going to be though.

[Cataboo]

Vancouver, Vancouver island & Alaska cruises are gorgeous.


I just booked tickets to Costa rica for NOvember because the airfares were quite reasonable ($277 roundtrip)

You would of course need a passport for that... but you can have an expedited one made.

[Aggie_Ama]

We are going to Alaska next summer, college close friend moved there. Since we don't have to have a hotel we can really save a lot and see someone we don't get to see nearly enough.

We like going places in the off season, low crowds and can see the real personality of a place. Plus we have always discussed moving the PNW, so why not go at a "great weather" time. We just need to buy raincoats, because you rarely need one in Texas!

Is there a way to find out about the ferry and buses? We would prefer not to deal with the headache of a rental car!

[tc1]

Usually the first week of November is sunny, then someone flips the weather switch to precipitation and leaves it there until April. Though there are occasional cold clear days in December or January.

The year we bought our house, we saw it on Halloween, had the bid paperwork in by Nov 5, and the whole time it was bright and sunny. Three weeks later, the day we closed, it started raining hard and stayed that way until March. Turned out that was a record year for rainfall.

Last year I took vacation the last week of October and the first week of November. It was sunny and I rode every day until the rains came the last weekend.

[KnottedYet]

We like going places in the off season, low crowds and can see the real personality of a place. Plus we have always discussed moving the PNW, so why not go at a "great weather" time. We just need to buy raincoats, because you rarely need one in Texas!

Is there a way to find out about the ferry and buses? We would prefer not to deal with the headache of a rental car!

The Big Picture: http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation.aspx
The busses: http://transit.metrokc.gov/
The ferries: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
The light rail: http://www.soundtransit.org/Riding-Sound-Transit/Schedules-and-Facilities/Central-Link-Light-Rail.xml

As far as raincoats are concerned: our rain is fairly light, but quite steady. I'm happiest in a good wool sweater carrying an umbrella. Some folks wear hats and dispense with the umbrella. Often we just walk around in the rain without bothering. It isn't a thunderstorm kind of rain, more like a persistent annoying drizzle. If you don't already have raincoats, don't bother buying any for this trip. Just bring collapsible umbrellas and a sweater. You'll be fine! (and if you do need a rainjacket after all, REI's flagship store is easy to find! http://www.rei.com/stores/11 )

Good place to rent bikes (and on a major urban rails-to-trails): www.recycledcycles.com and specific to their rentals: http://www.recycledcycles.com/rentals You can ride the trail to Theo Chocolate, and my (and a few additional TE'er's) other favorite bike shop www.freerangecycles.com ! Going the other way on the same trail will get you to this fantastic brewery in the county: http://www.redhook.com/AgeCheck.aspx?p=41

(oh, and the trail will take you to the Pacific Ocean in one direction, Lake Washington in the other direction, and stuff like that... but who cares when there's bikes, chocolate, and beer?)

[Trek420]

The chocolate ;) http://www.theochocolate.com

[channlluv]

Wow, Vancouver is beautiful!

I spent two glorious weeks in Seattle over Christmas break in 1994-95. DH proposed to me in a little cabin on Puget Sound. It was very beautiful, too, and romantic, and it never rained once, although it did snow overnight a couple of times, but the weather was really mild compared to what it's used to. I didn't notice the short days. (Maybe because we were enjoying the long nights. Ahem.)

Anyway, San Diego is a great vacation destination. We have mountains to hike in, and that time of year the old stagecoach town of Julian has its apple harvest going on and you can find amazing pies and cider. There are great biking roads up there, but they're shared with cars. You can rent cabins, though, and it's really quite pretty.

The San Diego Zoo is world-famous for a reason, and our Wild Animal Park is pretty cool, too. You'll see animals in pretty close to their natural habitat. Take the Jeep tour.

The swimming at La Jolla Cove is great, and you can see while sea lions and seals at the Children's Pool in La Jolla still - I don't think they've run them out just yet.

Great dining, oh, and you can take a whale watching cruise that time of year, too, and you may see some gray whales migrating. They come in mid-November.

There are places to rent bikes, I know, down at the beach, but they're cruisers. I don't know about renting road bikes.

If you come this way, I'd love to take you to my favorite ride, the five-mile loop around Lake Miramar.

Roxy

[Aggie_Ama]

Trek and Knott- I told DH we could rent bikes and ride to a brewery, he was so excited. I guess that is probably going to be the ride, better bring my knickers. :p

MMM chocolate too!!

[jesvetmed]

Aggie -- you will enjoy yourselves immensely! Great advice from everyone. The only thing missing -- a plan for a TE get-together! Schedule us in -- there are lots of us around the area!

[copperlegend]

I *love* Seattle! I was just there a few weeks ago for work. If you are a coffee drinker, you HAVE to check out El Diablo Coffee on Queen Anne (eldiablocoffee.com).

[Aggie_Ama]

Tickets are booked!!! We are coming 11/3-11/8. Already have a house/doggie/cat sitter lined up. Now just need a hotel, we're thinking downtown or Space Needle area. Any suggestions?