Seattle, WA

Dougie Fresh · Mar 12, 2008

In a few weeks I am headed out to Seattle on biz. I'll be staying right downtown either at the Westin or Mayflower. I am hoping the Westin because they have a gym and a lap pool. 
I am wondering if anyone knows any good running routes in that area. I've been out there twice now but no one in the office runs so they didn't know. If anyone is familiar with the area around the Public Market, etc. and knows some good routes that don't involve waiting for the crosswalk at every block please let me know! 
Thanks! 
BTW, any suggestion for brewpubs would be appreciated too. You can't have running w/o beer especially on a biz trip.

hobey · Mar 12, 2008

For brews, you have to hit Elysian Brewery. Pike Place Pub isn't bad for a brewpub in a tourist trap. I believe that there are some running/bike paths along Lake Washington, but I'm not real familiar with Seattle as a whole. Super Jock and Jill is north of downtown and is consistently rated one of the best running stores in the country. I'm sure someone there could point you where to run.

alpara · Mar 12, 2008

Green Lake, which is a bit North of downtown, is your best bet-2.8 mile loop around the lake, no cars. Worth a cab/busride to get there.

ksurp · Mar 12, 2008

Alki Beach/Alki Avenue in West Seattle is a beautiful place to run. You would have to drive over there from downtown though (I think) 
I stayed at my brother's house in west Seattle last summer and the one thing that I noticed about running was every road/sidewalk I ran on was concrete. I wasn't used to that. 
I love Seattle and never having to wonder where I can get a good cup of coffee.

kristine25 · Mar 12, 2008

Doug; 
If you have a car, the Greenlake idea is a good one. Really pretty there but also can be very crowded, all of Seattle is crowded. Also, if you have a car (or you could even take a bus or cab) you can head to Gasworks Park which will hook you up to the Burke-Gilman Trail which is like 60 miles long. Here is a map. It would be great if you could get there! <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/burkegilmantrailmaps.htm" target="_blank">http://www.seattle.gov/transportatio...ntrailmaps.htm</a> 
If you don't have a car??? Head down to the waterfront, Alaskan Way. It runs along the whole waterfront and if you run on the waterfront side of the street, you will have to deal with people but no stop lights or intersections. 
If you are staying at the Westin, you gotta eat at Nikko. Great Sushi! For a good pub, head to the south end of downtown (you can take the buses free in downtown seattle) to Safeco Field (Home of the AWESOME Seattle Mariners!) You can even take a tour of the field or catch a game if you are here after the home opener. Right across the street from Safeco is the Pyramid Alehouse. Great place!

Stitcher · Mar 12, 2008

The last time I was in Seattle, I asked at the front desk of the hotel, and they were super nice, even had a map that had some easy-ish routes marked. 
I also discovered (don't ya dare laugh!), that: 
"though the map is flat, the town is NOT!" 
Oy! 
I went out on a Sat morning, early, and headed DOWN..... 
and around and around, 
then wanted to go back. 
Got turned around, couldn't remember whether the numbers on the streets needed to be going up or down..... 
and ended up in a DARK and starting-to-be-scary-looking part of town. 
TURNED AROUND. 
Saw a cop. 
Asked for directions. 
I at least knew the cross streets of my hotel, and a major road that would take me to them. 
He laughed at me!! <img alt="sad2.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad2.gif"> 
"You gotta go 8 blocks BACK that way." then, he pointed. 
So, I turned around, AGAIN... 
and kept going. 
I ended up running an extra 30 min than I planned, 
my roommie didn't know where I was... 
I'd forgotten phone and cash.. 
all the things wrong that I could do. 
BUT, it was a GREAT hill workout! 
And, really the cop was nice..... 
he was laughing that it was 33 degrees, and I still had a WAYS to go .

Callalily · Mar 12, 2008

I stayed at the Westin in Pittsburgh (never been to Seattle) and I really liked the Westin workout center because of the gym and lap pool. The big downside: the gym was only open at 7 or 8 a.m., and this wasn't early enough for my early morning workout before the conference started! The Pittsburg Westin web site advertised a running route developed by Runners World....so maybe the Seattle Westin will have a similar thing.

MBannon · Mar 12, 2008

The food at the University of Washington Medical Center cafeteria is pretty good. At least, in comparison to the food at the Centralia General Hospital cafeteria. -shudder-

Thor · Mar 12, 2008

If you are downtown proper, here are a few tips... 
Seattle is VERY hilly. The city essentially sits on one big hill, and I mean one big hill. No rollers, just one big hill ascending from the lake. You can run north and south without hitting hills, mainly because you're running along the hill, not up or down -- this holds unless of course you're farther from the lake and deeper into the city, where it's more flat. 
You can run along the water, but the run back up to the hotel after your little prance will be more a walk because the hill is that steep. I did that several days in a row after Ironman Coeur d'Alene. It was a nice way to stretch the legs. Or let the hurt set in deeper. You choose. Or run down toward the stadiums. So you could run up north ? to the needle, then turn and go back to the stadiums, or do those on different days. It's fun. I even ran through Pike's Place market area in the early morning... do it and with what you see you will not purchase anything from there. 
As for beers, if you really want some, hobey is right! I personally feel in love with Pike's Brewery beers. I think they had a very good red that was very good and, like most red ales, slightly more alcoholic. Another brewery I really enjoyed was the Pyramid Brewery down by the stadiums. Very good wheat beer there. 
Enjoy... I know I did when I was there!

Dougie Fresh · Mar 13, 2008

Cool. Thanks for all the input. Since I won't have a car I think Alaskan Way and along the waterfront is something I will have to check out. I don't mind running back up to the hotel. IIRC, it's mostly stairs and then a slight incline to where I am staying. 
I am still hoping for the Westin too with the indoor pool. If I can't find a pool to swim at around here well I'll just go cross-country! 
I think last time I was there I went to Pike's Brewery every night. I love not just the beers but the whole feeling of the big warehouse. Of course, being walking distance from the hotel helps. 
I love Alki. I got to play some great beach vball there when I first visited in 1994. I would love to go over there and run. 
BTW, my avatar is in honor of my upcoming trip to Seattle. 
If anyone is around downtown that week lemme know.

kristine25 · Mar 13, 2008

Doug; 
When are you gonna be here? DH is most likely going to be accepting a job with F5 Networks. Since you are in the software buisness, ever heard of them? 
Anyways, we live pretty far outside the city but if DH is working by the time you head to town, I'll get a sitter and DH and I can take you to a good pub for drinks.

Dougie Fresh · Mar 13, 2008

Kristine, 
It would be fun to meet you guys and hit a good pub for drinks! 
I have heard of F5 networks. A friend/former colleague of mine worked there while he lived in Seattle between stints in NH and now CT. He's a fan of some team called the Seahawks but we let him hang out with us anyway for some reason.

kristine25 · Mar 13, 2008

Them are fighting words Mr. Dougie F. Although my heart is in baseball, don't mess with my Hawks!!! 
When are you headed this way?

Tri-Tammy · Mar 13, 2008

Doug- Kristine, Hobey and Thor are right... Pyramid is very good. It's a required stop before Mariners games for DH and I. Another place to go if you can get there, is Hales Brewery. It's north of Seattle proper between Ballard and Fremont on Leary Way. 
As for running in Seattle- I don't run downtown, but there are some great places around the UW, Greenlake and down on the waterfront as Kristine suggested. 
And as for food- I suppose you could come eat at the UWMC, but there are MUCH better places to dine! <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif">

Pichburg · Mar 13, 2008

Not sure if you'll have a car or not, but if you head to West Seattle and go to Lincoln Park, there are some great paths to run around there. 
We really enjoyed eating at Flying Fish, which is right in the downtown area.

Dougie Fresh · Mar 13, 2008

Looks like I will be there 4/8-4/11. I am waiting for my sister (she lives in Gig Harbor) to let me know if she'll be around the following weekend so I can stay and visit.

MBannon · Mar 13, 2008

That's where I grew up. Gig Harbor High School, home of the Tides (yeah, we thought it was weird, too).

Dougie Fresh · Mar 13, 2008

Knowing my sister, the first place we'll stop is Tides Tavern.

MBannon · Mar 13, 2008

It's a local legend.

Seattle, WA

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