The SEA DOO VIII Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that the eighth annual SEA DOO will be held in the lovely Emerald City from Friday, August 4th through Sunday, August 6th.
Consulting the
CommunityBuzz threads for that month, it does not look like these dates conflict with any other scheduled major FT event, and in talking with many past attendees, an early August date better fits with scheduling. So we hope to see many of your there.
The actual planned events and such are still in the planning stage, though we expect to have a schedule and such firmed up very soon. The SEA crowd is meeting all month at various events, so feel free to PM or post your ideas for discussion.
The Seattle Mariners are playing at home that weekend against the Oakland Athletics, so a Friday evening baseball game is possible, either as a formal group event or as a side event for individual participants if no formal group outing is scheduled.
Many folks went on the Boeing Widebody Factory Tour in Everett last year. Boeing has changed the tour now, showcasing the 777 production line instead of the 747 one. Evidently the view of the factory floor is much better. There is also the new Future of Flight Aviation museum on the facility, so there is more to do then just the factory tour.
http://www.futureofflight.org/
http://www.futureofflight.org/exhibi...s/current.html
The Boeing Museum of Flight is also a possibility. It is a truly fantastic facility and the new “Personal Courage” wing of WWI and WWII military aircraft is exceptional. There are numerous static displays, including the first 747-100 and 737-100, as well as
Concorde and SAM-970, used as
Air Force One by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. Both
Concorde and SAM-970 allow you inside the planes.
http://www.museumofflight.org/
http://www.museumofflight.org/Display.asp?Page=Exhibits
We will, of course, have the usual Saturday "brunch and booze" at the Redhook Ale brewery, and those that wish may tour the adjoining Columbia Winery and Chateau Ste Michelle facilities.
http://www.redhook.com/
http://www.columbiawinery.com/home.asp
http://www.ste-michelle.com/
Transportation Options
King County Metro Transit offers the 194 Express and 174 (local) bus service between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and downtown Seattle.
SoundTransit offers the 560 Express bus service between Sea-Tac and downtown Bellevue. In addition, the SoundTransit 550 runs between downtown Bellevue and downtown Seattle for those wishing to stay in Bellevue. The price for all three is $2.50 each-way.
Transit within downtown Seattle between the International District (not quite Safeco Field) and the northern edge of the Financial District (about the Westin Hotel) is free of charge.
Metro:
http://transit.metrokc.gov/
SoundTransit:
http://www.soundtransit.org/
Both sites offer online trip planners to help you plan.
Grayline offers the Seattle Downtown Airporter bus service between SeaTac Airport and the Crowne Plaza, Fairmont Olympic, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Hilton Hotel, Madison Renaissance, Seattle Sheraton, Warwick Hotel and Westin Hotel. Price is $10.25 each way ($17 for a round-trip ticket) and you meet the bus at the end of the South Main Terminal / A Concourse.
http://graylineseattle.com/airportexpress1.cfm
There are also airport shuttles, Town Car/Limo, and taxi services. Taxi fares to Seattle hotels are capped at I believe around $35.
I am not aware of any scheduled Airporter service to the Bellevue hotels and I believe taxi service is
not capped, and a Town Car runs me around $40.
All major car rental companies have facilities at SEA, however downtown parking (be it the hotels or in garages) is not cheap. The SEA DOO Organizing Committee arranges a large transport vehicle for events outside of downtown Seattle, so it is not necessary to have a car to attend the scheduled SEA DOO events.
Hotels - Seattle
As usual, SEA-DOO does not have an official hotel. Fortunately, most chains are well-represented in downtown Seattle.
Hyatt fans have the wonderful Grand Hyatt Seattle.
Starwood Preferred Guest members can choose from the Sheraton Seattle, the W Seattle, and the Westin Seattle.
Marriott has Mariott-brand property on the Seattle waterfront, as well as a Renaissance on 6th and Madison and a Springhill Suites near Interstate 5.
Unfortunately the Seattle Hilton is not well-regarded, so the Homewood Suites or the Hampton Inn may better suit those who wish Hilton HHonors points.
For those who Priceline, a four-star downtown Seattle bid seems to historically select Westin property, while a three-star lands a non-major chain property.
Hotels - Bellevue
Bellevue (across Lake Washington from Seattle) has seen a number of new properties open since SEA DOO VII.
A new Westin has opened next to Bellevue Square, and in response the Hyatt Regency Bellevue has undergone a major room renovation program. A new Courtyard by Marriott has also opened in downtown Bellevue and there is an old Sheraton (ex-Hilton) property. The Hilton moved next door to a very nice facility which started life as a Red Lion.
Amenity Collection
It's become a SeaDoo tradition that hotel and airline amenities are collected at the Saturday night dinner for local shelters.