Travel Dates:
Saturday, December 6 thru Saturday, December 13

Travel:
Flew Northwest from Charlotte to Detroit to Seattle. All was good except for delays in Detroit for de-icing.

Accommodations:
First and last nights at the Marriott Courtyard Southcenter: Stayed here because the Warwick was too pricey on the first night due to the home game for the Seahawks. The Courtyard is located 2 or 3 miles from the airport but provided transportation to and from the airport. The location was great because there were restaurants and a mall within walking distance. The staff was helpful in anything we needed and our room was very good for $79 per night!
The other five nights were at the Warwick downtown: We really were lucky and received a room on the top floor (19th) with a beautiful view of the Space Needle! The location of the Warwick is absolutely perfect, half way between the space needle and Pike’s Market and only 2 blocks away from really great shopping! The staff was extremely helpful in answering my continuous questions. My only complaint would be the price for parking and internet access but I knew about these before booking.

Weather:
It was mild for December, with day and night temps in the 40’s and low 50's. A little drizzle here and there until Friday – then it rained. Heard that it was supposed to snow on Saturday, but saw none before we flew out.

Transportation:
We only rented a car for one day during the trip. With our limited time, there was plenty to do within walking distance.
We used the Downtown Airporter Bus (Greyline) to go from the airport to downtown. They are very dependable, running promptly every half hour and was only $18 each for the roundtrip. There are 5 or 6 stops on their route and Warwick is one of them!
Rode the monorail back to the hotel from the Space Needle but mainly for entertainment because it was really close enough to walk.

Entertainment:
Did not get to do half of what I had planned. Danny’s work time took more than we had hoped, but we still covered a lot of territory. We went to Pike’s Market, Seattle Center, and had a glass of wine at the top of the Space Needle. We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. We walked the waterfront shopping and sight-seeing. And I did a little Christmas shopping at Macy’s, Nordstroms, and a few other stores downtown. Got to see the “snow” at Pacific Place. I also bought a good bit of Seattle apparel and trinkets for my daughter and son-in-law at the Southcenter Mall.

Food:
Near Southcenter Mall: Bahama Breeze , Outback
Downtown: Ivars (twice), Pike’s Chowder (twice), PF Changs , Top Pots Doughnuts
I would recommend all of them!

Summary:
I did not like the shorter days, but loved the sights and the excitement of the city! I really want to go back because we needed to have so much more time to go to the many places that were on my list. Neat city!!