Silver Cloud Inn Lake Union

Seattle Attractions and Possible Itinerary

by dbboston

I recently returned from my trip to Seattle and would like to thank all of you for your wonderful recommendations.

I found Seattle to be a wonderful city.

Below is a summary of my itinerary. Hopefully, it will be useful for future visitors to Seattle.

1. Pike Place Market- After seing the market, I don't think that someone has seen Seattle unless they see the market. The food is absolutely incredible. I took a food tour with Savor Seattle Food Tours and highly recommend it. We got samples at nine locations throughout the market. Samples included donuts, items from a cherry company, chowder, piroskhys (a Russian pastry), cheeses and salmon. There were also tons of restaurants to eat at.

2. Woodland Park Zoo- This zoo is the best zoo I have ever been to. The exhibits are done so well that it seemed like the animals were all in their natural habitat. The featured special exhibit when I was there was the flamingos.

3. Museum of Flight- I was quite impressed with the range of planes displayed. The museum was quite fascinating. I saw planes ranging from a replica of the Wright's first plane to an actual Concorde and Air Force One. You could board the Concorde and Air Force One. This museum is a distance from downtown. I took the #174 bus from 4th and Stewart to the museum.

4. Safeco Field-Mariners- I loved the ballpark. It actually started raining just before the game, so I watched as the roof was closed. The fans were definitely the best behaved of any baseball fans I have ever seen. There was no rowdiness. There is even an area for kids to play. The food is also quite good. I had chowder from the Ivar's stand.

5. Seattle Aquarium- The aquarium was okay. I found it to be on the small side. However, if you have kids, they might love it.

6. Mount Rainier tour- I took a tour of Mt. Rainier with Seattle Tours. The views were absolutely breathtaking. The overlooks were fabulous. I also got a chance to hike a bit. Not all of the trails are steep. I have a bad knee. Yet, I was able to hike.

I also took a Seattle tour with Seattle Tours and a boat cruise around Seattle with Argosy Cruises.

Hotel- I stayed at the Silver Cloud Inn- Lake Union and strongly recommend it. It is not as near to the downtown attractions as some other hotels are. However,the shuttle bus that runs about every half hour takes you by the Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, the Space Needle and Safeco Field. The only times I used taxis were getting to and from the airport and to and from the zoo. The hotel is near several restaurants (Dukes- I highly recommend it, Chandler's Crab House, Joeys and Blu Water Bistro). The hotel serves a very nice free breakfast.

Wouldn't stay anywhere else

by A TripAdvisor Member

My family of five recently stayed at the Silver Cloud Inn on Lake Union. We had a wonderful room, great view, and just an overall super experience there. The shuttle is a big plus, it will take you to various spots around town for free! It even picked us up outside of Safeco field after the ballgame. The breakfast could be better, but I've also seen alot worse. From this point on, my family will not stay anywhere else in Seattle. Economical as well.

Excellent hotel at a great price

by TripAdvisor Member strssr99

Living in Washington, we have taken several long weekend trips to Seattle over the years, always staying in a convenient, but pricey, downtown hotel. This year we decided to try something new, and decided on the Silver Cloud based on the positive reviews on this site. And boy are we glad! While it may not have the glitz and glamour of a 5 star downtown location, it has friendly employees and very nice rooms for around $100....which is one-half to one-third of what you will pay downtown.

We found the cheapest rates from their website ($109/night for a king suite). Parking is free in their attached garage, which eliminates the fear of leaving your vehicle unattended in Seattle. However, be warned in advance that, like most Seattle parking, spaces are somewhat tight and narrow. We found the upper parking floor to be less crowded and since it has elevator access directly to your room's floor, it is actually more convenient than parking on the first floor.

We were pleasantly surprised at how nice the rooms were. Despite being located literally next to the elevator, we didn't hear traffic in the halls or hear anything out of the nearby rooms.

The free breakfast is a treat compared to many I've been to at other hotels. Fruit, cereal and oatmeal, bagels and breads to toast, many different muffins and sweet rolls, even hard boiled eggs and cheese. Also do-it-yourself waffles, although the line for those was so long I didn't get to try them. As others have mentioned, the breakfast is a popular feature and gets very crowded, so try and get there early to get a table.

The pool and hot tub are very nice and warm, but can get crowded. They are open 24 hours, so you can avoid crowds if you go during "non-peak" times.

Wanting to visit several different attractions in different areas, we didn't take advantage of the free shuttle, but saw a lot of folks that did. Given the high cost of parking in Seattle, this is a wonderful feature.

Several nice restaurants are nearby, easily within walking distance unless it is raining or you don't like to walk. A tip - Dukes Chowder House is nearby, and if you sign up for their email list they will send you a buy-one-get-one-free dinner meal.

There is even a nice little playground near these restaurants, in the marina area, which was a nice treat for our children. And we enjoyed watching the seaplanes taking off and landing. And admiring the expensive yachts moored there.

We had a great time, and plan on using the Silver Cloud Lake Union as our new homebase whenever we visit Seattle!

For convenience and quality, stay here!

by A TripAdvisor Member

This hotel is an excellent choice for a moderately priced place to stay while in Seattle. We stayed here for five days in July and couldn't have been more pleased. The room was well appointed (we had a suite with microwave, refrigerator,and fireplace for a bargain price), the bed very comfortable, and the bath quite useable. A breakfast buffet is provided in a room with great views of the lake. And the location is close to most of the attractions in downtown, though you probably need a car. This hotel is super for business or pleasure and would compare favorably to any Courtyard by Marriott. One note is that the hotel is on a somewhat busy street, so you may wish to ask for a room away from the street, though you would then lose the view of the lake. If you have a suite, the living room is next to the street, so you shouldn't have any noise problem (we didn't). If this hotel is full, I would recommend the Silver Cloud in the University District just as highly.

Wonderful Place

by TripAdvisor Member imhappy_7

The staff is most accomodating.After checking out, we were allowed to use all of the facilities until our flight left late that night.The hotel offers free shuttle to and from downtown,about a 5-10 minute ride. breakfasts are generous, and the pool and exercise room are open 24hours and are quite busy. The business center allows for computer, fax and copying usage. Kitchens are equipped with a small fridge and microwave and can not store much...but were adaquet. Our fridge frosted over the food but was replaced immediately. We all thought that this place was top on our list.

Great location, good breakfast, nice view.

by TripAdvisor Member HappyVisitior

We spent 8 nights here in October. I picked the hotel based on the other reviews, and it was a great choice. If you want to, you can even walk to the Seattle Center - about 1.5 miles or into downtown - 2 miles. (watch for Aurora St. - no pedestrian crossing until Denny Way)
The shuttle was very convenient. We especially appreciated the free daily newspaper - on our doorknob early each morning, and the free breakfast (they even had some good protein - eggs, cheese). We got a lake view room - worth the extra cost as the back of the hotel faces a freeway.
Seattle was great - especially the Pacific Science Center - check out the interactive fountains.

Seattle Visits 8, 8.1 and 9

by glabah

"8th Visit to Seattle (September 2010), plus 8.1:"

The timing of my 8 Trip to Seattle was actually based on my wanting to visit the Museum of Glass during their Third Thursday event, in which there is no admissions charge and generally there are some special arts things going on around Tacoma as part of their Third Thursday Art Walk.

Because of the location right on the water, and the fact that I was only going to be there one night, I decided to splurge a little and got a room in the Silver Cloud Inn, right on the water. I arrived on the first northbound train of the day, and after storing my stuff in the room I grabbed a wonderful bowl at the seafood store next to the hotel. I then explored a few of the parks around the hotel, making a long circle to Puget Park, a small native plant garden at a power substation, the War Memorial, then Titlow Park, a long looping bus ride back downtown, night photographs of the glass art and dinner at the pub nearest the hotel.

The hotel delivered the newspaper the next day, and one cover story was that day would mark the grand opening of the North Dock Overpass at Chambers Bay. I was on my way there, but when it started raining fairly hard, I decided to visit the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, as I figured that it was too cold and wet for most people to want to go there. This turned out to be a great decision as there were only several other visitors wandering around, and the staff was very friendly. I was able to visit the beautiful Chambers Bay Park complex later in the month on a day trip from Portland, when the weather was clear and the spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains were available. In the evening I headed to downtown Tacoma and to the Glass Museum and my Seattle friend and I spent some time visiting their exhibits. We had dinner in a brewpub just south of downtown.

On Friday I explored a little bit more of West Seattle including the tiny Log House museum and several parks and viewpoints I had not visited before, including Me-Kwa-Mooks Park and Emma Schmitz and Schmitz. Lunch was at the Alki Cafe.

Saturday involved a trip by bus to Snoqualmie and a visit to the Northwest Rail Museum and a trip on their tourist railroad. While I was up there I also walked a portion of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.

A number of local activities on Sunday included a visit to Fisherman's Terminal and finding a great bakery north of Ballard.

On Monday I took a quick day trip to Port Townsend and upon my return my Seattle friend and I had dinner at Maggie Bluff's.

Visit 8.1: While passing through Seattle on my way to Port Townsend in October, ate lunch in neat Irish Pub near the workplace of my Seattle friend and Lake Union.

"Visit #9 to Seattle: December Specials"

This trip to Seattle was incorporated into a trip to Victoria, BC. I came to Seattle on the train, spent a night at a friends house (I walked over the hill to Pronto Pizza and Pasta for dinner, and had dessert at Seattle Pie Company), and then took the Victoria Clipper to Victoria BC at winter discount rates. You can find more about that portion of the trip on my Visits to Victoria page.

I returned to Seattle on the Victoria Clipper on Thursday evening.

Friday, I spent searching out wintering birds around the Union Bay Nature Area and East Montlake Park, working my way south through the Washington Park Arboretum, and eventually wound up watching a performace by Twelfth Night Productions at Kenyon Hall in the evening, after dinner in Red Star Pizza.

On Saturday, I visited the Georgetown Powerplant Museum, and on my way back decided to visit the Wing Luke Museum and had dinner at Ga Ga Loc. In the evening I took a MEHVA Christmas Lights Tour.

On Sunday morning my Seattle friend and I ate breakfast at Toulouse (their Beignets are really good!), and then we went over and toured the Science Fiction Museum / Experience Music Project. Dinner was a wonderful pizza from ZAW.

On Monday I made my way over to Belleview to explore one or two of the parks and pathways they have over there. Most of my time was spent at Mercer Slough Nature Park and nearby. Dinner was at Time 4 Pho, which is only a two block walk from where my friend lives in Seattle.

Tuesday morning saw my departure on the first train going south.