The homeless situation
I have recently been to NYC, San Francisco, and Miami but Seattle is the first big city I have seen lots of homeless people. They seemed to be on every street corner, 2 and 3 at a time. There were also plenty of mentally ill people walking around and surprisingly to me lots of physically disabled people with no safety net or help offered. There were stretches of slum areas downtown. You would have a nice store and then 3 or4 boarded up with graffiti all over the outside. And finally, obvious drug addicts walking around. So for a supposedly rich city, Seattle seemed more like the other big cities you read about with obvious serious problems including retail theft. The entire time we were there the news was reporting constant retail theft. So far the worst I have seen.
At the end of our stay, we finally had a decent dinner at The Capital Grill but I was very disappointed in the dining scene. As stated most food was tourist burgers and fries. Maybe I did not look hard enough but around the Public Market forget about a gourmet meal. When we go home we will stay near the airport, SEATAC, and we know there are some great places there, but for this trip that is a 30-minute drive and something we did not want to do.
Shopping is also scattered around. There are many top-shelf shops but they are not in one specific area downtown and walking from one to another be prepared to walk through a dead area. I insisted on using Seattle as my start and ending point for an Alaska cruise as our last trip to Vancouver was traumatic but comparing the two now I can say for ambiance, food scene, and shopping, Vancouver is much better than Seattle if you want to spend a couple of days in town before a cruise to Alaska.
Palihotel Seattle Washington
The main benefit of this hotel is its location. It is a couple of hundred feet uphill from the Public Market which is a large complex of vendors, restaurants, and various shops. You can walk there in a couple of minutes. In addition, it is only a few blocks from most main attractions. You are about 3 blocks from Metro stations as well as the monorail that takes you directly to the Space Needle. The rooms are comfortable and housekeeping is adequate. However, there is no storage in the rooms and you need to bring what is necessary to charge electronics. The major downside and the main reason I would not recommend it is the very poor and uncaring customer service. From the check-in clerk to the day manager no one seemed interested in helping. Checking in was painful. At noon daily our key quit working because no one chose to pay attention to detail and program the computer that we were there for 3 days. One aggravation after another with the front desk staff not helping much. As I said you cannot beat the location but sadly customer service like the rest of the Nation is nonexistent.
DoubleTree Hilton at SEATAC Airport
No question the best hotel we have stayed at near SEATAC over the years. A fairly elegant facility with full amenities including a good hot tub. Good shuttle to the airport and good service from the staff though during our stay reception was clearly understaffed. We will use this as our go-to hotel in the future at SEATAC.
Roasters Restaurant
Directly across the street from DoubleTree by Hilton so very convenient and within easy walking distance. We actually planned to stay at the airport an extra night to eat here. It is a very full, busy fun place and both times now we have eaten at the bar as there is usually an hour wait for a table and the bartenders are a bunch of fun. They excel at meat and in the evening serve the 12-hour roasted prime rib that they are known for. I had it again and it is beyond succulent. They also make their own bourbon that I have found to be excellent and sadly other than buying a bottle there and packing it in checked baggage no way to get any home. So I guess I will need to fly back soon to have another glass. https://www.sharpsroasthouse.com/
Palihotel Seattle Washington
The main benefit of this hotel is its location. It is a couple of hundred feet uphill from the Public Market which is a large complex of vendors, restaurants, and various shops. You can walk there in a couple of minutes. In addition, it is only a few blocks from most main attractions. You are about 3 blocks from Metro stations as well as the monorail that takes you directly to the Space Needle. The rooms are comfortable and housekeeping is adequate. However, there is no storage in the rooms and you need to bring what is necessary to charge electronics. The major downside and the main reason I would not recommend it is the very poor and uncaring customer service. From the check-in clerk to the day manager no one seemed interested in helping. Checking in was painful. At noon daily our key quit working because no one chose to pay attention to detail and program the computer that we were there for 3 days. One aggravation after another with the front desk staff not helping much. As I said you cannot beat the location but sadly customer service like the rest of the Nation is nonexistent.
DoubleTree Hilton at SEATAC Airport
No question the best hotel we have stayed at near SEATAC over the years. A fairly elegant facility with full amenities including a good hot tub. Good shuttle to the airport and good service from the staff though during our stay reception was clearly understaffed. We will use this as our go-to hotel in the future at SEATAC.
Roasters Restaurant
Directly across the street from DoubleTree by Hilton so very convenient and within easy walking distance. We actually planned to stay at the airport an extra night to eat here. It is a very full, busy fun place and both times now we have eaten at the bar as there is usually an hour wait for a table and the bartenders are a bunch of fun. They excel at meat and in the evening serve the 12-hour roasted prime rib that they are known for. I had it again and it is beyond succulent. They also make their own bourbon that I have found to be excellent and sadly other than buying a bottle there and packing it in checked baggage no way to get any home. So I guess I will need to fly back soon to have another glass. https://www.sharpsroasthouse.com/
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