ADRP Conferences

Seattle

Great Location

Experience Seattle Before, After and During the ADRP 2010 Conference: May 19-22

Puget Sound Blood Center looks forward to showcasing Seattle's rich culture, beautiful views and distinct history during the 2010 ADRP Conference.

Nicknamed the Emerald City by tourism officials, who were promoting Seattle in the mid-1980s, there isn't a more perfect description for a city that is surrounded by the lush, green forests of Washington and home to more than 6,000 acres of parks.

Seattle sits on the Pacific Rim with sweeping panorama views of Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, the Olympic mountain range and majestic Mount Rainier. Home to the University of Washington, Seattle is the nation's most educated city, with the highest percentage of college graduates. Seattle offers its residents a high quality of life and travelers a memorable time. Visitors can hike the mountains or take a fishing cruise, view the Space Needle, or stroll through Pike Place Market.

A trip to Seattle would not be complete without visiting the waterfront, not only are there plenty of opportunities to take a day cruise and see the beautiful views of Seattle from the water, but also shops, restaurants and other attractions. Every night visitors can here live music, whether at the opera, theatre, symphony, or any bar on the street.

After taking in the arts or learning about marine life at the Seattle Aquarium, visitors can stroll through the underground of the city on Bill Speidel's Underground Tour. This adventure will show parts of the original city before the Great Fire of 1889.

All this activity will be sure to make one hungry. The city offers many restaurants from an exhibition kitchen and live music at 13 Coins, an oyster bar at The Brooklyn Seafood, Steak & Oyster House, to a variety of organic and farm fresh restaurants, including Urbane, BOKA Kitchen and Bar, and Organic To Go.

To find out more about Seattle visit the following site: www.visitseattle.org.

Weather and Dress

Weather:
Seattle's weather in May has an average high of 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) and an average low of 48 degrees Fahrenheit (9 degrees Celsius). The average monthly rainfall is 1.5 inches (3.85 centimeters).

Conference attire is business casual; however, scholarship and award winners wear business attire for the Friday awards presentation. The host city event this year will be casual attire. We suggest attendees pack a sweater or jacket just in case the weather is cool.

Getting There

Airport Information:
Seattle - Tacoma International Airport (SEA), located about 15 miles from the downtown area (25 minutes) has many major airline terminals including Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways, Continental, Delta, Frontier Airlines, United and US Airways.

Directions:
From Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac)-16.5 miles from Sheraton
• Follow State Route 518 Eastbound to Interstate 5 Northbound (Seattle).
• Take the Seneca Street exit (exit will be on your left).
• Turn right immediately onto 6th Avenue.
• Drive north on 6th Avenue for two blocks.
• The hotel is on the right.
• Turn right into the entrance for valet parking and drop-off.

Transportation Information

Driving Times:
Mt. Rainier National Park, WA - 95 miles (152 kilometers); 2 hours and 40 minutes
Tacoma, WA - 32 miles (51 kilometers); 45 minutes
Vancouver, BC, Canada - 108 miles (174 kilometers); 3 hours
Portland, OR - 172 miles (275 kilometers); 3 hours

City Transportation Information:
Taxi Cabs
Orange Cab Company
206.522.8800

STITA Taxi
206.246.999

Yellow Cab
206.622.6500

Airport Transport
Downtown Airporter
(Reservations not required)
206.626.6088
800.544.0739

10 Things You MUST See & Do in Seattle...

You can't go to Paris without stopping by the Eiffel Tower, and you can't visit Seattle without checking out the view from the world-famous Space Needle. Here's a handy "must do" list for first-time visitors and those who want to be sure they've done everything.

The Space Needle
Seattle Center, 400 Broad St.; 206.905.2100;
www.spaceneedle.com
A 41-second elevator ride takes you up 520 feet to the observation deck of the Space Needle, built for the 1962 World's Fair. Enjoy a meal at SkyCity, the restaurant at the top that revolves 360° while you dine.

Pike Place Market
Between First Ave. and Western, from Pike to Virginia streets www.pikeplacemarket.org
Born in 1907, Seattle's Pike Place Market is the granddaddy of farmers' markets. Today, it's a major tourist attraction with 200 businesses operating year-round, 190 craftspeople and 120 farmer booths - plus street performers and musicians. Flowers by the bucketful, flying fish, fresh pastries and fruit, handmade cheeses, local honey, wine, an assortment of restaurants, import goods, antiques, collectibles and lots of surprises are around every corner.

Ferries
www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
Traveling by ferry is a state of mind as much as a means of transportation to some of the Puget Sound's most historic and scenic sites. Views of the Olympic and Cascade mountains, the Seattle cityscape and the green shorelines will draw you out onto the deck to feel the salt breeze on your face. The state ferry system takes passengers and their vehicles from Seattle and nearby departure points to Vashon Island, the Kitsap Peninsula, the San Juan Islands and Canada. For privately operated ferries, see the Sightseeing & Tours (page 35) and Visitors Services/Travel & Transportation (page 120) listings in this guide.

Seattle Aquarium
Pier 59
206.386.4300
www.seattleaquarium.org
Meet Alki, the sea otter pup born at the Aquarium. Walk under the water in a glass dome as bluntnose sixgill sharks and other Elliott Bay creatures swim all around you. Touch a sea anemone. Learn about the lives of salmon at the world's first aquarium-based salmon ladder. Marvel at the impossibly bright-colored coral reef fish. And don't forget to wave to the giant Pacific octopus.

The Seattle Waterfront
Piers 52 to 70 on Alaskan Way
ci.seattle.wa.us/tour/water.htm
A bustling collection of attractions, restaurants and shopping, as well as starting points for ferries, cruise ships, the Victoria Clipper and Argosy boat tours are located here. Feed the seagulls at the statue of Ivar Haglund in front of Ivar's Acres of Clams, stroll by the fountains on the wooden piers of Waterfront Park, admire the view or shop for souvenirs.

Woodland Park Zoo
South Gate: 750 N. 50th St
206.684.4800
www.zoo.org
See more than 1,000 animals of 300 different species, from elephants and gorillas to piranhas and penguins, in naturalistic exhibits at the Woodland Park Zoo. Drop by at scheduled feeding times and talk with the people who care for the animals.

Bill Speidel's Underground Tour
608 First Ave.
206.682.4646
www.undergroundtour.com
After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the city was rebuilt over the top of the ruins. This guided tour takes visitors through the hidden subterranean passages that once were the main roadways and storefronts of old downtown Seattle and tells stories of the frontier people who lived and worked there.

The Seattle Public Library
1000 Fourth Ave.
206.386.4636
www.spl.org
Designed by world-renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, the award-winning glass and steel structure of the new Central Library makes the building seem a little off-kilter and translucent - allowing passersby on the street to look in.

Tillicum Village (2010 Host City Event - Sponsored by Puget Sound Blood Center)
Blake Island
206.933.8600
www.tillicumvillage.com
A short, narrated cruise takes you to an island village, where you'll feast on salmon cooked in the authentic Native American way. A stage show of traditional dances and stories entertains and teaches you about the people who lived in the Northwest first.

Ride the Ducks of Seattle
516 Broad St, Seattle
206.441.DUCK (3825)
www.ridetheducksofseattle.com
Tour Seattle by land and water on a WWII amphibious landing craft. This 90-minute adventure tour will have you "quacking up" through the streets of Seattle. You'll see the major sights of the Emerald City on land before you head out to the funky Fremont neighborhood where you'll splash into Lake Union.

"10 Things You MUST See and Do in Seattle" from www.visitseattle.org/visitors/explore/