Seattle - Washington State - page 113

Chinatown” is a brief introduction to the neighborhood. The “Chinatown by
Day” tour includes a six-course lunch. “Nibble Your Way Through Chinatown”
provides a sampling of flavors from around the International District. The “Chi-
natown by Night” tour includes an eight-course banquet. Rates (for four or
more on a tour) range from $15 to $40 per person (slightly higher for fewer than
four people).
BUS TOURS
If you'd like an overview of Seattle's main tourist attractions, or if you're pressed for
time during your visit, you can pack in a lot of sights on a tour with Gray Line of
Seattle ( & 800/426-7532 or 206/624-5077; www.graylineofseattle.com). Half-
day tours are $29 for adults, $15 for children; full-day tours are $39 for adults,
$20 for children. Many other tours, including tours to Mount Rainier National
Park and to the Boeing plant in Everett, are also available.
Mid-May through mid-October, Gray Line also offers a Trolley Tour on a
bus made up to look like an old trolley. The tour is really a day pass that allows
you to use the trolley, which follows a set route that passes nearly all the major
tourist attractions in downtown Seattle. The trolley stops at several places along
the waterfront and at Seattle Center, Pike Place Market, the Seattle Art
Museum, and Pioneer Square. Tickets are $17 for adults and $9 for children.
Because buses in downtown are free and because both the Waterfront Streetcar
and the monorail to Seattle Center cost no more than $1.25, the trolley is not a
very good deal; but if you don't want to worry about finding the right bus stop,
it's worth considering. A $36 family pass allows two adults and up to four chil-
dren to use the trolley for 2 days. Gray Line also operates open-topped double-
decker bus tours of the city. These tours operate from May 1 to September 30
and cost $21 for adults and $11 for children. Buses depart from Pier 55 and the
Seattle Sheraton Hotel and Towers.
A second company, Double Decker Tours of Seattle ( & 800/403-0024 ),
owned by Greyhound, operates seasonal double-decker buses on a fixed route
around the city. There are seven stops where you can get on and off the bus.
Basically, this is the same set-up as the Gray Line trolley tour. You buy your
ticket ($15 adults, $6 seniors and children 12 and under, $34 family of four),
and then you can get on and off the bus as often as you want throughout the
day. Buses operate every 30 minutes between 8:30am and 8:30pm from late
May to mid-September.
BOAT TOURS
In addition to the boat tours and cruises mentioned below, you can do your own
low-budget cruise simply by hopping on one of the ferries operated by Wash-
ington State Ferries ( & 800/84-FERRY or 888/808-7977 within Washington
state, or 206/464-6400; www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries). Try the Bainbridge Island
or Bremerton ferries out of Seattle for a 1 1 ⁄ 2 - to 2 1 ⁄ 2 -hour round-trip. For more
information on these ferries, see section 12, “Getting Around,” in chapter 2.
If you don't have enough vacation time scheduled to fit in an overnight trip to
the San Juan Islands, it's still possible to get a feel for these picturesque islands by
riding the San Juan Islands ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor. These ferries
depart from Anacortes, 75 miles north of Seattle. If you get off in Friday Harbor,
you can spend a few hours exploring this town before returning to Anacortes. It's
also possible to take the first ferry of the day from Anacortes, ride all the way to
Sidney, British Columbia, and then catch the next ferry back to Anacortes. How-
ever, if you're doing this trip in 1 day, you won't have any time to spend in