Seattle - car needed?

[traveljunkie13]

We will be heading to Seattle in 2wks with the kiddos and I'm trying to decide if we will need a car while there. We actually have a car we could borrow but I would need to drag both convertible carseats with us. We are staying in a rental house a few blocks from the zoo and mostly plan on doing the tourist things and relaxing (we are considering a move to there in a few years so we want to get a feel for the city and different neighborhoods). How easy is public transport? We do not have a pickup from the airport and will need to get to the house ourselves!

[frlcb]

We were just there with two kids at the beginning of June and we had a car and we were glad we did. We stayed in Capitol Hill and walked into town the first day but otherwise we drove everywhere. And we did take the bus once and it was fine but I don't know how far out it goes. FWIW we LOVED Seattle with kids, if you are interested in reading my travel blog posts about what we did while we were there let me know We did a ton of stuff that was awesome for kids!

[traveljunkie13]

Oh yes! I will take any tips . I'm usually an anal planner but have done nothing but get plane tickets and an apt for this trip! ~

[Deleted]

We were in Seattle in May and did fine without a car. We were right near all the tourist stuff though (I don't know where the zoo is). We did A LOT of walking so with kids, a car might be a good idea. Traffic didn't look like it would be fun to navigate though.

[Moe]

If you're staying in either Wallingford/Fremont/Phinney Ridge, you can enjoy those neighbourhood "main drags" but it's really not near anything that's downtown. You can take the 358, which is notorious for its sketchiness.

I would rent a car.

[traveljunkie13]

Car it is! Thanks everyone!

[frlcb]

Jul 28, 2013 9:58:14 GMT -5 traveljunkie13 said:

Oh yes! I will take any tips . I'm usually an anal planner but have done nothing but get plane tickets and an apt for this trip! ~

Here are my posts, I still have one left to write, which includes Ballard Locks and the Freemont Troll. We didn't actually do the zoo or the aquarium but we did a ton of other stuff!

passportsandpushchairs.com/seattle-to-vancouver-by-car/

passportsandpushchairs.com/seattle-with-kids-bainbridge-island-volunteer-park/

passportsandpushchairs.com/seattle-day-two-quack-quack/

passportsandpushchairs.com/seattle-an-ideal-family-destination/

We loved it there!

[pacificrules]

I'm late on this, but want to say...yes, a car is needed. The zoo area is great but not close to downtown. And Seattle public transportation is not stellar.

[laurelle]

It is definitely smart to have the car and the driver at the airport. If you find a company that is trustworthy, it's good to make use of them every time. Moreover, it's advisable to build a good rapport with the owners and drivers of the company as that ensures a safer and comfortable trip. But, you are hiring a service for the first time, it's important to find out about the owners and their reputation. There are a lot of thefts and robberies that happen if the travelers are careless. Therefore, you should not hire unless you completely satisfied with the company.

[frlcb]

Jul 29, 2013 23:16:52 GMT -5 laurelle said:

It is definitely smart to have the car and the driver at the airport. If you find a company that is trustworthy, it's good to make use of them every time. Moreover, it's advisable to build a good rapport with the owners and drivers of the company as that ensures a safer and comfortable trip. But, you are hiring a service for the first time, it's important to find out about the owners and their reputation. There are a lot of thefts and robberies that happen if the travelers are careless. Therefore, you should not hire unless you completely satisfied with the company.

what?

[mdgirl]

I'll also add that although I take the bus twice a day and find it works great, if you want to explore with kids for a potential move a car is a must. Especially since taking the bus between neighborhoods and/or in the middle of the day or on weekends could be a very long process.