Getting around Seattle
Bridges, Buses, and Bumpers: What You Need to Know to Navigate SeattleThe crystalline waters and spiky peaks that crown the city with impressive views also squish the navigable geography, rendering getting anywhere dependent on a pretty, though imperfect, collection of bridges. While not robust, the hub-and-spoke public transportation system works well for visitors, who tend to mostly be based in the hub – Downtown.
Upon arrival, Seattle’s public transportation system might seem impressive: The Link Light Rail (officially Route 1) picks up passengers right from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s parking garage and whisks them efficiently to Downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, and the University District – the three major hotel neighborhoods. Sadly, a series of endless delays on additional light rail lines limits this efficiency to the single line. The rest of the public transportation system within the city consists of two streetcars, a handful of bus rapid transit lines, a water taxi, and a lot of buses. Getting from Downtown Seattle to most neighborhoods and attractions tends to be easy. If you want to get from one neighborhood to another, things get more difficult. Unfortunately, those buses are limited by the same traffic and issues facing cars: Seattle’s major thoroughfares (Interstate 5 and Highway 99) both run north-south, and moving east-west mostly requires small surface streets. Both cross high above the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which divides the city, while a series of drawbridges work the street level. Heading out of the city to the eastern suburbs and mountains requires taking one of the two floating bridges. Outside of rush hour and major events, Seattle traffic tends to flow smoothly, but the many bridges cause chokepoints, so a single accident at any moment can snarl the entire city for the better part of a day. The upside is that wherever you get slowed to a crawl on city streets, bridges, or highways, there’s a good chance the view is excellent.
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By Car
If you plan to stay outside of Downtown or go anywhere off the most beaten of paths or outside the city, you will need a car. If you plan to stay Downtown, a car becomes a liability in the crowded, confusing one-way streets, and parking is expensive and hard to find. If you do stay Downtown, many car rental agencies have offices there and you can arrange it for just the days you absolutely need it.
As mentioned above, always pad your plans in case of traffic issues. Apps like Google Maps or Waze tend to be pretty accurate on real-time traffic, so consult them as you get ready to leave. Once on the road, Seattle has a reputation for bad driving, but not in the way most cities do: Drivers here are criticized for being too nice – using your horn immediately identifies you as an outsider. It seems like a good thing until the person in front of you merging onto I-5 lets a seventh car cut in front, or you spend five minutes waiting for someone, anyone, to go at a four-way stop – “No, no, you first!”
By Taxi
Taxis also have set fares, governed by the meter or the flat fare from the airport, so don’t have surge pricing when rides are scarce. You can pick up a taxi without an app from the third floor of the parking garage at SeaTac Airport – if you use an app, you’ll meet your driver on the same floor just a little further from the door. Seattle Yellow Cab is the biggest and most functional of the taxi companies, but Seattle Orange Cab and Farwest Taxi also have apps on both Android and iOS platforms.
By Ride-Share
The advent of ride-share apps like Uber and Lyft threatened to decimate Seattle cab companies, but if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em: They also operate mostly via app now, leaving little difference between the two methods. Both usually have a driver available anywhere in the city within a few minutes, and charge roughly the same amount, though taxi drivers can accept cash while apps require a credit card.
By Tram
Seattle’s Link Light Rail is the shining star of its public transportation system, running from south of SeaTac Airport up to Northgate Mall, with stops in Downtown, Capitol Hill, and the University of Washington. It costs between $2.25 and $3.50, depending on how far you go, and runs from about 5 am to 1 am. However, in South Seattle, it runs at street level, which leads to delays in traffic.
By Bus
Somehow, Seattle’s lone light rail line ended up with three station names including the word “University:” “University Street,” “University of Washington,” and “University District.” If you’re looking for one of those, make sure you know which!
Other parts of the city are served by numbered bus routes or the bus rapid transit lines, which each get a letter – these have their own lane, so are less prone to traffic delays. Two street cars – one in South Lake Union and another running from the Chinatown-International District up First Hill, and then north through Capitol Hill – tend to be unhelpful for actual transportation, though they are adorable.
Buses don’t give change, so paying with cash is inadvisable. The Transit GO app allows you to buy tickets on your phone and use them directly, or pay with cash at 7-Eleven, Walgreens, or CVS stores and store on your phone until you need them. If you don’t have a smartphone, you can purchase an Orca Card from the vending machine at most Light Rail stations.
By Boat
There are few better ways to spend a sunny afternoon than taking the Water Taxi just to eat at Marination Ma Kai, on the West Seattle dock. Get the fish and chips with kimchi tartar or a “sexy tofu” taco on the colorful Adirondack chairs while staring at the panoramic view of Downtown.
Washington State Ferries is the second-largest ferry system in the world, and it works wonderfully if you want to get from Downtown to one of the suburbs across the water. Even if you don’t, on a clear day, it makes for a delightful round trip with terrific views. More useful is the smaller King County Water Taxi, which runs from Downtown across Elliott Bay to West Seattle. From there, shuttles bring passengers to the main shopping streets and parks in West Seattle, which turns it into an easy half-day trip.