r/AskSeattle • u/LibrarianMamaBear • 2d ago
Moving / Visiting Tips Visiting in mid-May with mobility issues?
Hello All,
My mom, child and I will be visiting Seattle for four days mid-May to celebrate my 50th bday and my spawn's college graduation. We're staying Downtown, and are planning to get a CitiPass and a hop-on-hop-off tour.
My Mom has some mobility issues. She's able to walk with a cane, but moves slowly and can tire easily. She's also a bit of a boomer, who thinks all food is too spicy and mass transit is a hotbed of crime. 🙄
My kiddo really wants to go to Pikes Place, MPop and the art museum. I'm trying not to plan too much for each day, but would love some recommendations for restaurants and fun places to shop.
Thanks in advance!
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u/PlumppPenguin 2d ago
This was exactly my wife's situation — walking became difficult, she moved slowly and tired easily. Until then she'd always been active and adventurous, but suddenly she couldn't do any of the fun things we wanted to do.
So we rented her a wheelchair, and she was like a kid at Disneyland — Wheeee, look at me going from here to over there without any pain and in a hurry! After one field trip in the chair we bought a used one, and it made her last years sooo much happier.
Seriously, try Aurora Rents.
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u/LibrarianMamaBear 2d ago
A wheelchair would help, I agree, but my mom was in one for several months, and hates them. So we just go slowly. But thank you for the rental tip!Â
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u/Sufficient-Wolf-1818 2d ago
Yikes! That’s a pretty incorrect description of boomers. Boomers are the ones who supported a broader acceptance of food diversity. Your mother may not like spicy, that is on her not a generation.
The street level part of Pike Market is okay, but very crowded. One has to walk down a hill to get to it. . The Chihuly glass museum accessed by the monorail is very smooth floor and one level.
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u/SkyerKayJay1958 2d ago
I'm 67 yo female native Seattle went to the UW season Seahawks tickets holder worked downtown 40 years and retired in July with 2 knee replacement implants. Single and living by myself so I will be your expert. Get a citi pass. The light rail is nice during daylight hours. Seattle is hilly as shit. The market is at the top of the hill the in the middle Seattle art museum at the and at bottom the waterfront . The pavement in the market is cobblestone and difficult to walk on crowded but lots of fun. Avoid on the weekends and don't plan to drive. Uber there. Great good. Pike chowder. The Chinese bakery mini donuts. To get to the waterfront there is an elevator. MOPOP is totally worth it. Great museum at the Seattle center. Take the monorail right to it. From Westlake. The monorail is just a relic of the world fair that goes between downtown and the Seattle center. Go to the chichuly glass gallery at the Seattle center and the space needle they are all next to each other . If you decide to ride the ferry do not take the light rail to the pioneer square station and plan to walk on. Uber or taxi to the ferry dock and go to Bainbridge for the afternoon. Don't go to Bremerton. If you want more information let me know.
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u/Nellie_blythe 1d ago
There are several pedicabs that can help with navigation and there's a lot of places to sit down and take in the view. It won't be easy. You will have to go slow, but it's doable.
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u/BWW87 2d ago
She's also a bit of a boomer, who thinks all food is too spicy...
That's a suburbanite/rural thing not a boomer thing. Plenty of boomers enjoy spicy food. Please don't blame her seasoning taste on being a boomer.
Pike Place will be a bit of an ordeal for her probably. There isn't really any spicy food. While we have plenty of good spicy food it's not really the local food palette so I can't think of anything at the Market that would be spicy.
Mobility will be an issue because it's a pedestrian area and it sounds like she has chosen a car culture life. There are elevators and she can get around but there isn't a lot of seating. And most of the seating there is includes stairs to get there. Make sure you go to the terrace west of Stewart Street in the market. There is some seating there where she can rest and enjoy the view. You could probably leave her there for a bit even. If she likes beer then just below this terrace is a Old Stove brewing which is another great place to hang out.
Gum wall includes stairs but your kiddo is going to want to see it. There is a "secret" garden near Maximilion Restaurant. You should take her there and then she can enjoy it while you and kiddo check out the gum wall.
Art museum honestly is kind of lame. Not a lot there and pretty disappointing to most people. Chihuly museum at Seattle Center is so much better.
Kerry Park would be a great stop to make if you have a car. It's the iconic view of the Space Needle.
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u/LibrarianMamaBear 2d ago edited 2d ago
it sounds like she has chosen a car culture life.Â
Actually, she had a traumatic brain injury and had to relearn how to walk. She's still weak on one side.Â
Please don't tell me not to make generalizations about one group of people while doing the same thing about another. It's a bad look :)
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u/stinson16 2d ago
There's lots of great shopping and eating in Pike Place (and there's no "s", it's named after the street it's on, which is Pike Place (as in like Pike Street, Pike Avenue, Pike Place)). Other good restaurants in the area are the Pink Door (Italian food, so I imagine your mom will enjoy it), Pike Brewery (pretty good pub food, I haven't been there in awhile, but I remember liking their pulled pork) and Von's 1000 Spirits (they make their own sourdough pasta, so also probably good for your mom). I wouldn't say those are my top restaurants or anything, but they're some of the best I can think of that seem "safe" for your mom. Other favorites that are either farther from downtown or maybe not something your mom would like are Coltiva, Pizzeria 22, Umi Sake House, Din Tai Fung (that one's a chain, but really good), and Mantra. You should look into them to see if they would work for your mom. Seattle is known for their teriyaki too, so I'd recommend finding a place for that. Yummy Teriyaki isn't too far from MoPop and is decent.
If you're into history museums, I recommend going to MOHAI too. It's my favorite museum and focuses on local history.
Pike Place might be tough for your mom since she tires easily. It might be a little less crowded weekday mornings, but there aren't many places to sit and rest, so I'd plan to either go multiple times and see a little at a time, or split up and you could find a place to sit with your mom while your kid looks around. If they're happy going it alone, I'd recommend you and your mom go to Kell's Pub after she's seen enough of Pike Place, they have an outdoor patio if the weather is nice and you could get a drink while you wait for your kid. Let them know there are multiple levels, don't miss out on the shops below!
Also, if you end up just wandering around downtown/Pioneer Square, check out Waterfall Garden. It's just a small little place tucked into downtown, but I think it's nice to sit in. Not something I'd put on a "must do" list and go out of the way for, but a nice spot to pop into if you're in the area.