Seattle - Washington State - page 117

Monday through Friday. However, when making reservations, you'll pay $10 per
person regardless of age. Everett is roughly 30 miles north of Seattle (a 30- to
45-min. drive) off I-5.
If you're in town without a car, you can book a tour to the plant through Cus-
tomized Tours and Charter Service ( & 800/770-8769 or 206/878-3965; www.
customizedtours.net), which charges $40 and will pick you up at your Seattle
hotel.
7 Outdoor Pursuits
See “Beaches, Parks & Public Gardens,” earlier in this chapter, for a rundown of
great places to play.
BIKING
Gregg's Green Lake Cycle, 7007 Woodlawn Ave. NE ( & 206/523-1822 ), and
the Bicycle Center, 4529 Sand Point Way NE ( & 206/523-8300 ), both rent
bikes by the hour, day, or week. Rates range from $5 to $7 per hour and $25 to
$30 per day. These shops are both convenient to the Burke-Gilman/Sam-
mamish River Trail , a 27-mile paved pathway created mostly from an old
railway bed. This path is immensely popular and is a great place for a family bike
ride or to get in a long, vigorous ride without having to deal with traffic. The
Burke-Gilman portion of this trail starts in the Ballard neighborhood of north
Seattle, but the most convenient place to start a ride is at Gasworks Park on the
north shore of Lake Union. From here you can ride north and east, by way of
the University of Washington, to Kenmore Logboom Park at the north end of
Lake Washington. Serious riders can then continue on from Kenmore Logboom
Park on the Sammamish River portion of the trail, which leads to the north end
of Lake Sammamish and Marymoor Park, which is the site of a velodrome (a
bicycle racetrack). This latter half of the trail is our favorite portion of a ride
along this trail. This section of the path follows the Sammamish River and passes
through several pretty parks. Riding the entire trail out and back is a 54-mile
round-trip popular with riders in training for races. Plenty of great picnicking
spots can be found along both trails.
The West Seattle bike path along Alki Beach is another good place to ride and
offers great views of the sound and the Olympics. If you'd like to pedal this path-
way, you can rent single-speed bikes at Alki Crab & Fish Co., 1660 Harbor Ave.
SW ( & 206/938-0975 ), which charges $10 for a 3-hour rental. Because this
place has a limited number of bikes, it's a good idea to call ahead and make a
reservation. You can then take the water taxi from the downtown waterfront to
West Seattle. The water taxi dock is right at Alki Crab & Fish Co.
GOLF
While Seattle isn't a name that springs immediately to mind when folks think of
golf, the sport is just as much a passion here as it is all across the country. Should
you wish to get in a round of golf while you're in town, Seattle has three conve-
niently located municipal golf courses: Jackson Park Golf Course, 1000 NE
135th St. ( & 206/363-4747 ); Jefferson Park Golf Course, 4101 Beacon Ave.
S. ( & 206/762-4513 ); and West Seattle Golf Course, 4470 35th Ave. SW
( & 206/935-5187 ). This latter course has great views of the Seattle skyline. All
three charge very reasonable greens fees of between $20 and $30. For informa-
tion on the Web, check out www.seattlegolf.com .