Travel Note
The ceremony will take place at Wisteria Hall, which is located in the Arboretum, in the Madison Valley neighborhood of Seattle. In general we would recommend looking for accommodations in Seattle along the I-5 corridor (U District, Eastlake, Wallingford, and Capitol Hill). These are all cute neighborhoods, near to the venue, with plenty of things to do, and with easy access to public transit options to get to other parts of the city for tourist activities.
Travel Note
We have arranged with The Graduate, a hotel located in U District, to offer rooms to our guests at a discounted rate. The hotel well-situated: across the street from the U District light rail station, a 5-minute walk from the University of Washington's Seattle campus (where Sophie and Hannah both work), and for the public-transit-inclined, adjacent to the 48 bus, which will drop you a short walk from the venue. If you would like to reserve a room at the Graduate, please include the discount code: 3225278 for 20% off your reservation.
Train
Seattle has a regional light rail service, called The Link. There are two lines which are currently unconnected. For wedding festivities, the 1 Line is of interest. The train runs north-south, with the Southern Terminus located at Angle Lake, and the Northern Terminus at Lynnwood. Trains run every 10 minutes. There is a station at SeaTac International Airport. It takes about 45 minutes to get from the airport to Capitol Hill by train. It is by far the cheapest and easiest way to get from the airport into Seattle. In addition to Capitol Hill, there are stops at the University of Washington (lets out at the football stadium on the lakefront) and University District (lets out across the street from The Graduate and two blocks from campus). A ticket on the light rail costs $3, or a day pass can be bought for $6. You can use a terminal to buy a single-use ticket, or put down a $5 deposit for Seattle's regional transit card, an ORCA card. This card gets you on Link trains, both SoundTransit and King County Metro buses, the streetcar, the monorail, and water taxis, as well as any transfers between these services. The Link does not have any ticket control. Rather, you tap the card at one of the terminals located around the station entrance. Occasionally fare officers will be on the trains and will check everybody for current tickets or valid ORCA cards. Tapping on ensures your card has been validated. You do not need to tap when you leave as the Link cost is a flat fee per ride.
Travel Note
Seattle has an extensive and robust bus system. It is the best way to get around the city without a car. There are two transit agencies which operate the bus services in Seattle. King County Metro administers all normal bus services. Their buses are green and blue, and all their routes are numbered. Tickets are $2.75 for a regular rider, or $1 for seniors. All transfers are free, but only when using an Orca card. Orca cards work for all buses, and you can tap in at a terminal located either by one of the entrances or, in the case of RapidRide stop, at one of the terminals at the stop. You can also pay the driver in cash, or download the TransitGo app. This app allows you to purchase tickets to either transit service, and stores your tickets for you. When entering the bus you display the validated ticket to the bus driver who will wave you through. When using the buses in Seattle, both Google Maps and Apple Maps are typically sufficient for route planning. However, for the most accurate, up-to-the minute status on bus location and ETA, we recommend downloading the app OneBusAway. Bus routes of particular interest include: 44: Runs east-west between UW and Ballard 48: Runs north-south between UW and the Mount Baker transit station. The stop at 24th and McGraw will let you out just a short 5 min walk from the venue. 49: Runs north-south between UW and downtown, passing through Capitol Hill along Broadway. Great way to access Cap Hill from UW and lovely views passing over University Bridge. G Line: RapidRide bus that runs along Madison St. Direct line from the Arboretum to downtown Seattle. The bus has 6 minute headways and is an excellent way to get downtown.
Travel Note
We generally recommend against using a rideshare like Uber or Lyft while in Seattle as they tend to run quite expensive. Rather, we recommend downloading the Seattle YellowCab app. This is a ride-hailing service that works exactly like Uber and Lyft, however runs through the taxis rather than independent drivers. It's not a perfect service - it can often take 10-15 minutes to match with a driver, however, prices are often significantly reduced compared to Uber and Lyft, AND prices are fixed at set rates: no surge pricing. For instance, a Lyft from the Airport to Capitol Hill after the Link ceases service at midnight can run upwards of $150, while a yellow cab for the same trip will be ~ $45. While it can indeed be spotty trying to get a ride through app, we would always always recommend trying through the app first before resorting to one of the other more reliable rideshare apps.