What's the best way to travel between Seattle and Portland?
I travel from Portland to Seattle frequently. Driving it is long and boring. Flying takes just as long so there isn't much point. I've never tried the Greyhound. Greyhound runs another service called the "Bolt Bus". I've done this once, the price is nice but I'm 6' 1" tall and the seat was *even more cramped* than flying coach on a budget airline. If you're a smaller person it's probably fine.If I can get away without needing to drive in Seattle, Amtrak is the best way to go. It's a 3-hr ride. You can sleep, read, work. You can walk around and stretch your legs. There's restrooms and a snack bar - yes, you can even drink alcohol while you travel. Other than not having a car when you arrive (you can bring your bike!) the biggest downsides to Amtrak is you have to travel on their schedule, which isn't much of a problem. The big one is the trains can be delayed, sometimes by an hour or more. Of course, accidents on I-5 mean you can be delayed by that much as well if you drive. As they say, YMMV.Happy travels!
What are some must-sees for a 3 day trip to Portland, Oregon?
Im a lifelong Oregonian that has hosted many relatives that come from out of town. Here is my list of must sees:Drive up the gorge to Multnonah Falls and take the scenic Columbia River Highway.http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/S...Visit Washington Park. http://www.portlandoregon.gov/pa...Powells City of Books on Burnsidehttp://www.powells.com/One must try at least one of the foodie places on the following list. My favorites are Pok Pok, Podnah's, Olympic Provisions and Lardo. http://pdx.eater.com/maps/best-p...We are Beervana so one must taste some of our local brews. https://www.thrillist.com/drink/...
Pros and cons of living in kirkland, Bellvue and Redmond?
If you are looking to rent, there are a number of apartment complexes in Redmond that are near to the one of Microsoft's Redmond campuses. There are a lot of apartments on 148th that are basically right next to the campus on 148th and not too far from the one on 156th. Biking or walking are def easy possibilities. I bike into Redmond from Edmonds, so from around Redmond/Kirkland/Bellevue, it shouldn't be too bad. Redmond has a few good trails around, too, to make biking easier! The downtown areas: Downtown Bellevue is kind of business and trying to become more of a high-end shopping/retail area. It is succeeding in accomplishing this. Downtown Kirkland is a pretty nice area for a number of different restaurants, little shops, and a beautiful waterfront. Downtown Redmond is sort of a small town center-meets-modern day. There is still a feeling of some of the smaller aspects of older Redmond times, but there's been so much new developing, such as the Redmond Town Center, a huge shopping complex that opened up a few years ago that has all sorts of shopping, dining, movies and such. As the developing continues, more of the older aspects are getting wiped out and replaced by more modern development. All in all, all of the areas are nice places to live, with low crime and good schools. You should kind of visit the areas to see if any of the 3 give you a better vibe while spending time around.
How much does it generally cost to hold a party by renting out clubs or bars?
If you throw your launch party on a weeknight, you’re likely to get a better deal. Venues like clubs and bars want people in their seats and feet on their dance floors.Try to negotiate with the owners. Go to a venue that’s usually dead on a Monday night and tell them the number of people you’re expecting. See if they can work out a deal to give you the venue for free if your attendees spend a certain amount of money.For example, if you can guarantee $4k in food & drink sales, and they usually only make $1k in that time slot, you may be able to only pay the different (so if your attendees only spend $3k, you’d owe the venue $1k… if your attendees meet or exceed the minimum, you get it for free).