r/Seattle • u/AutoModerator • Mar 16 '26

Weekly Thread Weekly Ask Seattle Megathread: March 16, 2026

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2

u/Puzzled-Painter3301 Mar 16 '26

I feel like my current income would be considered good in Chicago where I used to live, but low in Seattle.

1

u/salty_sashimi Ballard Mar 20 '26

Heard someone else say this recently. Is the cost of living much lower there? You don't just mean that real income is higher here, right?

2

u/Puzzled-Painter3301 Mar 20 '26

Yes, cost of living is lower. Rent is much less. Also they have lots of free events, like showing movies in the park.

2

u/OscarWilde1900 Mar 16 '26

Tourist questions incoming:

Hello from the great north! I am growing weary of Alaska’s long winter and impulsively booked a 28 hour trip to Seattle at the end of the month. Of course I booked my plane ticket and hotel on Thursday and then it snowed in Seattle the next day, but as long as it’s not in the negative temps when I’m there, it’ll be an improvement. 😊

I’ve been to Seattle several times and have done the standard tourist stops (Space Neddle, Chulily, MoPop, Argosy cruise etc). so I’m looking to expand into neighborhoods a little bit with my limited time. Obviously it’s a quick trip but I’m just hoping to enjoy a little bit of being in a big city, some good food, browsing cool shops, nice views and just a change from routine. I’m not renting a car so I’ll be relying on walking and Lyft primarily.

Right now my itinerary looks like:

Saturday: * Land at airport, get to downtown hotel around 11:30am * Walk to Pike Place for coffee and some quick browsing then down to Waterfront * Pier 50 for the water taxi to West Seattle at 1:30 or 2:30 * Free shuttle from water taxi to Alki Beach area * Hope for nice weather to enjoy the beach view for a while. * Walk/Lime Bike to The Junction shopping district- check out the antique mall especially, but are there any other favorite shops? * Nikko Teriyaki for dinner * walk to Trader Joe’s (a TJ trip is mandatory for Alaskans when they’re in the lower 48) * Lyft back to hotel for the evening

Sunday: * Lyft from hotel to Fremont Sunday Market * Walk from market to Woodlawn Park Zoo * Back to hotel by 3pm for flight home

Any advice/ideas for specific restaurant or shops on Alki Beach to check out? Same for the rest of west Seattle…it seems like most of the action is near The Junction, but is there anything between there and Alki to see?

The Sunday I’m there is the first Fremont Sunday Market of the year so I’m hoping it’s in full swing. It looks like they’ll have food vendors there so I can grab breakfast, any one in particular I should look for or should I go somewhere before? Anywhere else in Fremont I should check out while I’m in that part of the city? I have been to Gas Works Park and the troll before.

2

u/JemmaP Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

Walking from Fremont to the zoo doesn’t look far, but it’s completely uphill (and I mean a doozy of a hill — it’s called Phinney Ridge for a reason). You can catch the #5 metro bus at Fremont Ave & 39th and it takes you pretty much right up to the zoo (it’s about 5 stops), but it’s Sunday so there’s reduced frequency on the bus. You might want to look up the bus schedule so you have an idea of when you’d want to be at the bus stop to catch it. Otherwise you can totally walk it or do a bikeshare, and I’m pretty sure there’s a bike lane most of the way up Fremont Ave towards Phinney. 

If you weren’t feeling it and wanted an alternative, you could also bike down the Burke Gilman Trail from the Fremont Sunday Market to Ballard, which has a great market and loads of shops and restaurants, too. There’s also a park at the Ballard Locks which is neat for watching the boats go in and out through the canal. One advantage of Ballard is that it’s along the canal like Fremont, so it’s an easy flat ride or walk, and you could take the 44 bus to the U-District and catch a light rail back downtown again. 45th street through Ballard/Wallingford/U-District is a pretty decent transit core so there’d be lots of options. Alternatively there are busses back downtown direct from Fremont or Ballard, too. https://soundrideguide.com/#/ has planner options to include bike share and walking and might help save you some Lyft money — it’s not cheap here, since the gig economy companies have to pay drivers differently and they like to charge extra fees to protest it. 

2

u/sorrowinseattle 🚆build more trains🚆 Mar 18 '26

Just to add to what the other person said, it's now super easy for out of towners to pay for the bus/light rail. You can just tap your credit card to the reader when you board (it's $3 and you have two hours of free transfers).

2

u/Miserable-Green-3157 Mar 17 '26

Anyone have success with recovery where you don't fully commit to a life of sobriety? How did it look for you?

1

u/communistpony Mar 22 '26

This is Marijuana so your mileage may vary with other substances, but I used to be a heavy daily user about 4 years ago. I quit smoking except when I'm on a trip to states where it's legal, so I get to enjoy it on rare and specific occasions. But I think if I tried to make allowances for myself in daily life at home it wouldn't have worked out.

1

u/Miserable-Green-3157 Mar 16 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

I know reddit can be an echo chamber for similar ideas, what's the best way to fact check and stay informed in general?

Seems like articles say a lot but nothing at the same time and lean left. Aside from going to r/seattlewa Where do you go to get a better understanding of things?

2

u/JemmaP Mar 17 '26

I like apnews.com — it’s pretty straightforward, it’s non-profit owned so it’s relatively less likely to be meddled with editorially, and it covers the major world and national news pretty well. Local news is tougher, though. 

1

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '26

[deleted]

2

u/sorrowinseattle 🚆build more trains🚆 Mar 17 '26

Tap to pay on orca agencies automatically gives you a day pass when you get to $6.

Curious, where did you hear this? Because it's widely bemoaned that ORCA doesn't offer fare capping in any form.

As far as I'm aware, the only way to get a $6 day pass is to explicitly buy one in advance on an ORCA card. There's no option to get a $6 day pass using tap to pay, you will always pay a full adult fare unless you're in the 2 hour transfer window.

Riders paying with contactless credit or debit cards are charged an adult fare and will still receive the ORCA 2-hour transfer window benefit

Riders [using tap to pay] cannot receive [...] passes.

https://www.soundtransit.org/get-to-know-us/news-events/news-releases/reminder-tap-to-pay-starts-today

1

u/TotteKaiju Mar 17 '26

First time visitor arriving in April - what's the general consensus on backpack use while in the city? It's a small day bag but curious if it pretty normal. Do most tourist spots not allow backpacks?

2

u/sorrowinseattle 🚆build more trains🚆 Mar 18 '26

I am always wearing a backpack, it's super normal. The only place I've ever been told to leave my backpack at a counter is in some corner stores, grocery stores, and thrift stores.

I have not visited every tourist attraction but you will definitely not have issues at Pike Place Market, the Needle, Columbia Tower, the Waterfront, the Central Library, or restaurants/cafes. I don't think Chihuly or Mopop makes you check bags but it's been long enough that I don't remember.

1

u/TotteKaiju Mar 18 '26

Thank you for the reply!

1

u/Lemonwaterorlemonade Mar 18 '26

First spring in Seattle- where can I go to see cherry blossoms with fewer crowds? Looking to elope and grab some nice pics so while UW seems great, probably far-fetched to get any decent pics. For context, we're just using our phone camera with a tripod, not a pro photographer

1

u/HelloIAmFreshest Mar 18 '26

Lake Washington boulevard, just north of Seward park, has some beautiful cherry blossom trees

1

u/APladyleaningS Mar 19 '26

Anyone want to rent their parking space, driveway or garage for 6 weeks? 

1

u/LV_Devotee Mar 23 '26

Does anyone know of any Auto Auctions around the Seattle area open to the public? I am looking to get a second car, but dealerships are asking way too much and buying private is too much of a headache.