Seattle - Washington State - page 53

Shuttle Express ( & 206/622-1424 or 425/981-7000; www.shuttleexpress.
com) provides 24-hour service between Sea-Tac and the Seattle, north Seattle,
and Bellevue areas. The rate to downtown Seattle is $21 for one to three adults
and $25 for four adults; children 12 and younger ride free when accompanied
by a paying adult. You need to make a reservation to get to the airport, but to
leave the airport, simply follow the red-and-black signs to the Ground Trans-
portation Center on the third floor of the parking garage. If there are three or
more of you traveling together, this is going to be your cheapest alternative for
getting into town unless you take a public bus.
Metro Transit ( & 800/542-7876 in Washington, or 206/553-3000; http://
transit.metrokc.gov) operates two buses between the airport and downtown.
These buses leave from near Door 6 (close to baggage carousel 1) of the baggage
claim area. It's a good idea to call for the current schedule when you arrive in
town. Bus no. 194 operates (to Third Ave. and Union St. or the bus tunnel's
Convention Place Station, depending on the time of day) every 30 minutes
weekdays from 5:56am to 8:33pm, weekends from about 6:20am to about
7:20pm. Bus no. 174 operates (to Fourth Ave. and Union St.) about every 25 to
30 minutes from 4:47am to 2:43am (5:45am-2:47am Sat and 6:49am-2:46pm
Sun). Bus trips take 40 to 50 minutes depending on conditions. The fare is
$1.25 during off-peak hours and $2 during peak hours.
BY TRAIN OR BUS
Amtrak ( & 800/872-7245 or 206/382-4125; www.amtrak.com) trains stop at
King Street Station, which is located at 303 S. Jackson St., within a few blocks
of the historic Pioneer Square neighborhood and adjacent to the south entrance
of the downtown bus tunnel. Any bus running north through the tunnel will
take you to within a few blocks of most downtown hotels. The Waterfront
Streetcar also stops within a block of King Street Station and can take you to the
The Edgewater hotel.
The Greyhound bus station, 811 Stewart St. ( & 800/229-9424 or 206/
628-5526; www.greyhound.com), is located a few blocks northeast of down-
town Seattle not far from Lake Union and Seattle Center. Several budget-chain
motels are located only a few blocks from the bus station. It's a bit farther to the
Hostelling International-Seattle hostel, yet walkable if you don't have much
luggage. Otherwise, you can grab a free ride on a Metro bus.
BY CAR
See section 11, “Getting There,” at the end of chapter 2; and section 2, “Getting
Around,” below.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Visitor information on Seattle and the surrounding area is available by contact-
ing Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau Visitor Information Center,
Washington State Convention & Trade Center, 800 Convention Place, Galleria
Level, at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Pike Street ( & 206/461-5840; www.
seeseattle.org). To find it, walk up Union Street until it goes into a tunnel under
the Convention Center. You'll see the information center on your left. Alterna-
tively, you can enter the building from Pike Street.
CITY LAYOUT
Although downtown Seattle is fairly compact and can easily be navigated on foot,
finding your way by car can be frustrating. The Seattle area has been experiencing