Potlatch 19: March 5-7, 2010


Progress Report 3

Welcome to the last progress report before the convention. We're going to give you late-breaking news and directions to the hotel by nearly every mode of transportation but TARDIS.

***** Late-breaking news

-- We congratulate panelist Cherie Priest on the Nebula nomination for her novel Boneshaker, which has also won a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association award.

-- We're trying something new this time: An online restaurant guide. You'll be able to look at it on your netbook, iPhone, or other portable device. You might even want to (gasp, shudder!) look at it now so you can make plans in advance. Steer your datapad to: Restaurant Guide.

-- To allow you to plan your auction spending, you can find a preview of the Potlatch auction catalog prominently linked from the Potlatch home page: http://www.potlatch-sf.org.

***** Getting to the convention

Your destination:

HOTEL DECA
4507 Brooklyn Avenue Northeast
Seattle, WA 98105
Hotel Deca.

Getting to the hotel by car

Via Interstate 5 - Take the NE 45th/50th Streets/Univ. of Washington Exit (#169)-- north or south bound. From southbound direction, turn left (eastbound) onto NE 45th Street from the leftmost turn lane; from northbound direction, turn right (also eastbound) onto 45th Street and get into the left lane.

The Hotel Deca, at the corner of NE 45th Street and Brooklyn NE, will be very visible on your left as it's 16 stories tall. Turn left onto Brooklyn; the hotel and parking lot entrance will be on your left.

From Highway 99/Aurora Avenue -- Northbound, turn right at 45th Street and proceed straight (eastbound) until you pass over I-5, then follow directions above. Southbound is trickier, as you have to turn right (westbound) as soon as you have finished passing through Woodland Park at N. 49th Street, if you can, proceed to Fremont Avenue and turn left (southbound), then turn left again onto N. 46th Street, and proceed on 46th which passes under 99 and banks into N. 45th Street (which will become NE 45th by and by). If you don't already know this route, it is far better to go east to I-5 at N. 85th Street and follow the instructions for Interstate 5 southbound.

Parking at the Hotel Deca:

Guests of the Deca can get a parking pass by requesting it at the front desk upon check in. Convention members not staying at the hotel may purchase a daily pass at the front desk for $8.00. The independently-operated parking lot contiguous to the west of the hotel lot also offers reasonable parking rates. There are several other nearby pay lots and some metered street parking, especially after 5 PM on Friday. On-street meter parking is free after 6 PM Mon.-Sat. and all day on Sundays.

Getting to the hotel from the airport

Shuttle Express: Shuttle Express

You can book your reservations in advance on-line.

The cost is $37 per person one way ($40 for two people RT if you book ahead) and will usually take about 30 minutes. Once you claim your luggage, cross a sky bridge and go to the 3rd floor of the parking garage. Follow the Ground Transportation signs-their booth is in the center of the 3rd floor, between the elevator banks 3 and 4 (next to the airport's ground transportation office). Their coordinators will help you or you may use our 24-hour check-in by phone hotline. For you to return to the airport, you will need to make an advance reservation a day before your departure or right there when you arrange your trip to the hotel; call them at 425-981-7000 or at 800-487-7433

Taxi: Yellow Cab

This will cost about $50-55 and a possible gas surcharge. For more info, call 206-622-6500.

Public transit

From the Airport - The Light Rail station at the airport is now open. Take light rail to the International District Station.

From the International District Station take the first available Metro Express Route 71, 72, or 73. All will take you to University Way and NE 45th Street, one block east of the Hotel.

Optimally, the trip should take just over an hour, but may take up to an hour and a half, depending on connections, time of day, and traffic.

If you plan to use public transit during your stay in Seattle you may wish to consider buying an ORCA smart card at the ticket machine in the light rail station. The ORCA card is valid on all local public transit, including light rail, ferries, and Sounder trains to Tacoma and Everett, whereas Metro Transit and Sound Transit/Link Light Rail no longer accept cash fare transfers from each other, requiring you to purchase a new fare with each change of carrier. Fares on Metro Bus lines vary between $2 and $2.75, depending on time of day. Light rail fares are $2.50.

Because there are a number of interlocking public transit systems in the Puget Sound area, you need to know about both Sound Transit (which operates the Light Rail lines) and King County Metro (which operates most of the Seattle buses).

The Sound Transit web site can be found at Sound Transit. For further Metro information, you can call 206-553-3000 or check out their Web site: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/ for the Trip Planner. Google Maps also provides an excellent trip planner for Seattle, often providing better suggestions than the Metro planner. To use, simply select "Public Transit" in the drop down menu of the "Get Directions" section, and Google will generate several route options.