I’m so excited for CreativePro Week this year! For all the usual reasons, of course, but also because everyone will be coming to my city. I’ve only been here 2 years, but I love it, and am excited to share it with old friends and new.
One of the great things about Seattle is the ease of getting around using public transit. So I thought I’d share some transit tips for getting to and around the city, to help make the most of your visit to Seattle.
Getting Downtown
If you’re flying in to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac) there are several easy ways to get to the Westin Seattle and the downtown core, including rideshare and the Light Rail.
Both Uber and Lyft rideshare services operate throughout the metro area. From the airport, this option will run you about $32–40 and the ride to downtown takes about 30 minutes. Catch your rideshare on the 3rd floor of the parking garage. Get there by exiting from the arrivals level and following the signs for rideshare pickup.
My favorite hassle-free way to get downtown is to take the light rail. It’s a whole lot cheaper ($3), takes about 40 minutes without any of the sometimes stressful traffic, and drops you two blocks from the hotel. Take the Sky Bridge (one level above baggage claim) to the parking garage and follow the signs to Link Light Rail. There’s even a handy video to explain it all.
There are ticket vending machines to easily grab a ticket and jump on the train headed towards “Seattle/U of Washington,” which come by every 10 minutes or so. If you don’t think you’ll be taking other public transit during your visit, just purchase your one-way ticket and be on your way. Otherwise, see the transit card options in the “Navigating the Transit Options” section below.
If you’re heading to the Westin (or another nearby hotel), exit at the Westlake Station, then head north on 5th or 6th Avenue. You’ll see the Westin’s double-barrel towers looming about two blocks away. The Sound Transit site has more info.
The Westin Seattle and the Seattle Monorail near Westlake Station
Venturing Further Afield
When you’re not at the conference and you want to see the sights that are further out, there are several transit options. The bus system is pretty decent and many buses run super late, or even all night. Fares are generally $2.75.
If you prefer to be in control of your transportation, there are several carshare programs: Car2Go, Reach Now, Zipcar, and Lime; as well as a couple of “free-roaming” bikeshare programs: Lime Bike and Jump. You’ll see the bikes parked all along the sidewalks. (Note that there is a technically a helmet law for everyone in Seattle, and that bikes can be ridden on the sidewalks.)
Free-roaming bike rentals are all over Seattle.
If you are going to check out the infamous Space Needle (and if you don’t, have you even really visited Seattle?) you can certainly walk there in under 20 minutes. Or, you can hop on the space-agey monorail that will take you right there! Catch the Seattle Monorail at Westlake Plaza, mere steps from the Westin (you can see the tracks right outside the hotel). Catch the monorail from within the Westlake Plaza (mall) or via the outside escalators on 5th Avenue. It’s only $2.50 each way and will zoom you from Westlake to the Seattle Center (also home to the Museum of Pop Culture and the Pacific Science Center) in under three minutes. It runs until 11pm.
Seattle also has a streetcar that runs a short distance, with the end of one line sitting right next to the Westin. The short trip runs out to Lake Union and back. After afternoon sessions, you could check out the lake—a favorite activity of mine is watching the seaplanes land on the lake—and still be back in time for that evening’s presentations.
A trip to the waterfront or out on to Puget Sound is also an easy outing. You can easily walk to Pike Place Market and the waterfront or you can catch the free waterfront shuttle. There are two downtown shuttle stops: one at 1st and Pine and one in front of the Sheraton on 6th and Pike. If you’re like me, you might walk down there and save the shuttle for the return ride back up. (Did I mention Seattle is super hilly? If you don’t have “biking calves” before you arrive, you will by the time you leave!)
The waterfront has lots to offer, including the Seattle Aquarium and shops and restaurants. If you want a little water-based sightseeing without spending a lot of money, jump on a ferry out to Bainbridge Island (35 minutes) or Bremerton (60 minutes) for $8.50. I like to jump on the Bainbridge ferry just before sunset: you get to watch a sunset over the evergreen trees along the shore and then return to the city all lit up after dark. The ferry terminal is located at Pier 52.
Navigating the Transit Options
The most confusing part of having all these transit options is that they are run by different agencies, each with their own ticketing and fare systems. If you are going to ride multiple modes (light rail to streetcar to bus, for example), know that you can’t transfer between these with individual paper tickets. In this case it’s best to buy an ORCA card (at the airport and other vending machines) and load up your ORCA “e-purse.” The card costs $5 and you can load from $5 to $300 onto it. It works on the buses, light rail, streetcar, and the ferries (though not the monorail). If you’re going to be using the card a lot, you can also buy a regional day pass for $8/day.
To use the ORCA Card, tap your card on the yellow card readers at light rail stations, at the front of the bus, or at the streetcar stops and certain bus stops. Using an ORCA card on the light rail also requires you to tap again as you exit the station…but if you forget, it just charges you the maximum fare difference (like, maybe 50 cents more). The nice thing about the card is that you have a 2-hour transfer window, which means you can board the streetcar to grab a quick coffee by Lake Union and jump back on within 2 hours and not pay an additional fare. Also, transferring between bus and light rail with a card automatically figures out any fare difference and pulls it off the card. Bottom line: If you’re going to use a lot of transit during your visit, it might be worth buying and loading up an ORCA card; if not, pay as you go might be the best option.
Also there is an app for buying tickets called TransitGO and the One Bus Away app for checking on upcoming buses, trains, streetcars, etc. is a must.
Whew! As you can see there are many ways to get around the city, the hardest part is actually navigating the system for buying tickets. Your next big task to figure out is, what to see when you’re not filling your head with all the great info at CreativePro Week!
I love to help people find cool stuff in Seattle, so if you’re coming to the conference, reach out to me on the Connect Forums.
Getting To and Around Seattle
/in Uncategorized /by Erica GametI’m so excited for CreativePro Week this year! For all the usual reasons, of course, but also because everyone will be coming to my city. I’ve only been here 2 years, but I love it, and am excited to share it with old friends and new.
One of the great things about Seattle is the ease of getting around using public transit. So I thought I’d share some transit tips for getting to and around the city, to help make the most of your visit to Seattle.
Getting Downtown
If you’re flying in to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac) there are several easy ways to get to the Westin Seattle and the downtown core, including rideshare and the Light Rail.
Both Uber and Lyft rideshare services operate throughout the metro area. From the airport, this option will run you about $32–40 and the ride to downtown takes about 30 minutes. Catch your rideshare on the 3rd floor of the parking garage. Get there by exiting from the arrivals level and following the signs for rideshare pickup.
My favorite hassle-free way to get downtown is to take the light rail. It’s a whole lot cheaper ($3), takes about 40 minutes without any of the sometimes stressful traffic, and drops you two blocks from the hotel. Take the Sky Bridge (one level above baggage claim) to the parking garage and follow the signs to Link Light Rail. There’s even a handy video to explain it all.
There are ticket vending machines to easily grab a ticket and jump on the train headed towards “Seattle/U of Washington,” which come by every 10 minutes or so. If you don’t think you’ll be taking other public transit during your visit, just purchase your one-way ticket and be on your way. Otherwise, see the transit card options in the “Navigating the Transit Options” section below.
If you’re heading to the Westin (or another nearby hotel), exit at the Westlake Station, then head north on 5th or 6th Avenue. You’ll see the Westin’s double-barrel towers looming about two blocks away. The Sound Transit site has more info.
The Westin Seattle and the Seattle Monorail near Westlake Station
Venturing Further Afield
When you’re not at the conference and you want to see the sights that are further out, there are several transit options. The bus system is pretty decent and many buses run super late, or even all night. Fares are generally $2.75.
If you prefer to be in control of your transportation, there are several carshare programs: Car2Go, Reach Now, Zipcar, and Lime; as well as a couple of “free-roaming” bikeshare programs: Lime Bike and Jump. You’ll see the bikes parked all along the sidewalks. (Note that there is a technically a helmet law for everyone in Seattle, and that bikes can be ridden on the sidewalks.)
Free-roaming bike rentals are all over Seattle.
If you are going to check out the infamous Space Needle (and if you don’t, have you even really visited Seattle?) you can certainly walk there in under 20 minutes. Or, you can hop on the space-agey monorail that will take you right there! Catch the Seattle Monorail at Westlake Plaza, mere steps from the Westin (you can see the tracks right outside the hotel). Catch the monorail from within the Westlake Plaza (mall) or via the outside escalators on 5th Avenue. It’s only $2.50 each way and will zoom you from Westlake to the Seattle Center (also home to the Museum of Pop Culture and the Pacific Science Center) in under three minutes. It runs until 11pm.
Seattle also has a streetcar that runs a short distance, with the end of one line sitting right next to the Westin. The short trip runs out to Lake Union and back. After afternoon sessions, you could check out the lake—a favorite activity of mine is watching the seaplanes land on the lake—and still be back in time for that evening’s presentations.
A trip to the waterfront or out on to Puget Sound is also an easy outing. You can easily walk to Pike Place Market and the waterfront or you can catch the free waterfront shuttle. There are two downtown shuttle stops: one at 1st and Pine and one in front of the Sheraton on 6th and Pike. If you’re like me, you might walk down there and save the shuttle for the return ride back up. (Did I mention Seattle is super hilly? If you don’t have “biking calves” before you arrive, you will by the time you leave!)
The waterfront has lots to offer, including the Seattle Aquarium and shops and restaurants. If you want a little water-based sightseeing without spending a lot of money, jump on a ferry out to Bainbridge Island (35 minutes) or Bremerton (60 minutes) for $8.50. I like to jump on the Bainbridge ferry just before sunset: you get to watch a sunset over the evergreen trees along the shore and then return to the city all lit up after dark. The ferry terminal is located at Pier 52.
Navigating the Transit Options
The most confusing part of having all these transit options is that they are run by different agencies, each with their own ticketing and fare systems. If you are going to ride multiple modes (light rail to streetcar to bus, for example), know that you can’t transfer between these with individual paper tickets. In this case it’s best to buy an ORCA card (at the airport and other vending machines) and load up your ORCA “e-purse.” The card costs $5 and you can load from $5 to $300 onto it. It works on the buses, light rail, streetcar, and the ferries (though not the monorail). If you’re going to be using the card a lot, you can also buy a regional day pass for $8/day.
To use the ORCA Card, tap your card on the yellow card readers at light rail stations, at the front of the bus, or at the streetcar stops and certain bus stops. Using an ORCA card on the light rail also requires you to tap again as you exit the station…but if you forget, it just charges you the maximum fare difference (like, maybe 50 cents more). The nice thing about the card is that you have a 2-hour transfer window, which means you can board the streetcar to grab a quick coffee by Lake Union and jump back on within 2 hours and not pay an additional fare. Also, transferring between bus and light rail with a card automatically figures out any fare difference and pulls it off the card. Bottom line: If you’re going to use a lot of transit during your visit, it might be worth buying and loading up an ORCA card; if not, pay as you go might be the best option.
Also there is an app for buying tickets called TransitGO and the One Bus Away app for checking on upcoming buses, trains, streetcars, etc. is a must.
Whew! As you can see there are many ways to get around the city, the hardest part is actually navigating the system for buying tickets. Your next big task to figure out is, what to see when you’re not filling your head with all the great info at CreativePro Week!
I love to help people find cool stuff in Seattle, so if you’re coming to the conference, reach out to me on the Connect Forums.
2019 Virtual Pass Now Available
/in News /by David BlatnerAsk The Expert: Laurie Ruhlin – Thursday, April 11th at 10am PT
/in News /by Brad MillerJoin us this Thursday, April 11th at 10 am Pacific for another “Ask the Expert Live!” CreativePro Week speaker Laurie Ruhlin will be joining David Blatner for this live event.
Laurie has been teaching, creating and speaking about Adobe software for over 20 years. She is an Adobe Certified Instructor in InDesign and Illustrator. Laurie provides classroom and custom training both live and online as a consultant in the Chicagoland area and beyond.
If you have questions for Laurie, send them to asktheexpert@creativepro.com and then join us here, live on Thursday!
Tune in on the CreativePro Week Facebook Page or watch below!
Visit These Awesome Spots While in Seattle
/in News /by David BlatnerComing to CreativePro Week 2019? We’ve got you covered with some awesome activities you can do this June in Seattle!
Take a ride on the iconic Seattle Great Wheel on Pier 57 and see the city of Seattle like never before. Each gondola can fit 8 people and provide an amazing ride that lights up the sky at night. Learn more
Seattle Center Monorail is the nation’s first full-scale commercial monorail system and a beloved Seattle landmark. The Monorail provides a fun, quick, and convenient link between downtown Seattle and Seattle Center, home to the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, Museum of Pop Culture, KeyArena, The Children’s Museum, and a host of theatrical and cultural experiences. Learn more
Seattle’s “must see” is now a “must do” following the Space Needle’s multimillion-dollar renovation. Glide onto The Loupe, the world’s first and only rotating glass floor, for never-before-seen views of the structure and the city. Lean into tilting glass walls on the open-air deck and float over Seattle on one of 24 angled Skyriser glass benches. Sip and sample the Pacific Northwest’s best while savoring the thrilling views. Learn more
Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo is a 92-acre oasis featuring 300 animal species. Noted for its cutting-edge exhibits and expansive horticultural collection, this top award-winning zoo is hailed as one of the finest in the world. Plan your visit to watch cheetahs, ride the historic carousel, and more! Woodland Park Zoo saves animals and their habitats through conservation leadership, inspiring people to learn, care and act. Learn more
Experience something new every day at Pacific Science Center In Seattle WA. A Planetarium, Laser Dome, and two IMAX Theaters. Learn more
The heartbeat of hands-on marine experience and preservation education in the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Aquarium offers fun, exciting ways to discover more about the amazing Puget Sound that surrounds you! Learn more
Pike Place Market is Seattle’s epicenter of fresh produce, specialty foods and independent businesses. Established in 1907 to connect citizens and farmers, the Market continues its “Meet the Producer” tradition with a year-round farmers market, owner-operated bakeries, fish markets, butcher shops, produce stands and specialty food stores. Within the nine-acre historic district you’ll discover dozens of farmers, a bustling crafts market, and more than 200 unique owner-operated shops. There are more than 80 restaurants to tempt you, from take-out counters specializing in donuts to fine dining establishments. Bring your appetite and enjoy exploring Pike Place Market. Learn more
From the smell of the wood burning grill, to the swirl of world-class wine in the glass, to the first bite from the fresh northwest sea bar, Dahlia Lounge is the quintessential Seattle restaurant experience. Learn more
Along the quaint Post Alley at Seattle’s Pike Place Market awaits one of the city’s most beloved restaurant destinations since 1981: The Pink Door. Equal parts Italian-American dining, eclectic entertainment and warm, spirited service, we welcome you! Learn more
This corner store is at the gateway to Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market & a location of rich history and vital importance to both Starbucks and the Emerald City. It was, after all, in the Market that the original Starbucks opened in 1971. Learn more
The Underground Tour is Seattle’s most unusual attraction, a humorous stroll through intriguing subterranean storefronts and sidewalks entombed when the city rebuilt on top of itself after the Great Fire of 1889. The 75-minute guided walking tour begins beneath Doc Maynard’s Public House, then spills into historic Pioneer Square, Seattle’s birthplace, before plunging underground for an exclusive, time-capsule view of the buried city. Learn more
Enjoy the wonder of flight in one of Seattle’s most spectacular settings. This 15-acre campus includes over 160 air and spacecraft, the original Boeing Aircraft factory, flight simulators, and dozens of fun, interactive exhibits and family activities. From the world’s oldest fighter plane to the supersonic Concorde, the only full-scale NASA Space Shuttle Trainer and the beautiful Boeing 787 Dreamliner, you’ll see the machines and experience the stories of those who flew them. The unique, 3-acre Aviation Pavilion offers the dramatic development of large aircraft in an open-air gallery with a cafe and children’s playground. Learn more
Click here to register now!
Company names and descriptions courtesy of their respective companies.
Ask The Expert: David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepción – Thursday, March 28th at 10am PT
/in News /by Brad MillerJoin us Thursday, March 28th for a fun, fast-paced session on Facebook Live – David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepcion will share some of their favorite InDesign tips and tricks (and tell you where you can learn even more).
Send your questions for David and Anne-Marie to asktheexpert@creativepro.com or ask live this Thursday!
Tune in on the CreativePro Week Facebook Page or watch below!
Ask The Expert: Thomas Phinney – Thursday, March 14th at 10am PT
/in News /by Brad MillerJoin us this Thursday, March 14th at 10 am Pacific for another “Ask the Expert Live!” Thomas Phinney will be joining David Blatner for this live event.
Thomas Phinney—known as the Font Detective—is a font designer, consultant, and all-around typography expert. You have typography questions? This is your chance to get them answered!
Send your questions for Thomas to asktheexpert@creativepro.com or ask live this Thursday!
Tune in on the CreativePro Week Facebook Page or watch below!
Ask The Expert: Jole Simmons – Thursday, February 21 at 10am PT
/in News /by Brad MillerJoin us Thursday, February 21st at 10 am Pacific as CreativePro Week co-host Anne-Marie Concepción chats with presentation designer Jole Simmons. He has a background in graphic design, marketing, and advertising, so be sure to come ready to ask him questions about his work in these fields.
Send us your questions for Jole in advance to: asktheexpert@creativepro.com or ask a question live next Thursday!
Tune in on the CreativePro Week Facebook Page or watch below!
CreativePro Week 2019 Agenda Announced
/in News /by Brad MillerWe’re excited to announce the release of the full agenda for CreativePro Week 2019. If you use InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, PowerPoint, or other creative tools this is one event you do not want to miss.
Check out these great “how-to” sessions:
Plus, internationally renowned font designer Laura Worthington’s half-day Fonts and Lettering: A Creative Design Deep Dive and David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepcion’s session The Best of InDesign Secrets.
One week, one city, four premier conferences, with dozens of expert presenters and hundreds of design professionals from around the world! CreativePro Week 2019 includes:
Register for one conference, two, or get a Platinum pass for access to every conference session and tutorial. You’ll receive a set of in-depth session handouts and access to the videos of the days you register for, to continue learning long after the event is over.
Register Now!
2019 Poster Contest Announced!
/in Events /by Brad MillerTHE GRAND PRIZE:
Click here to learn more and to enter now!
Ask The Expert: Lisa Carney – Thursday, January 31 at 10am PT
/in News /by Brad MillerJoin us this Thursday, January 31st at 10 am pacific for another “Ask the Expert Live” Lisa Carney will be joining David Blatner for this live event. Lisa is a retoucher extraordinaire who has spent over two decades working with the most dynamic players in the print, motion picture, and television industries.
Send your questions for Lisa to asktheexpert@creativepro.com and then join us live on Thursday!
Tune in on the CreativePro Week Facebook Page or watch below!