It’s summer vacation time! This year we decided to take Sam to Alaska. We thought this would be the least accessible of the states we have left, so we should get there sooner rather than later.
On the way we had an 8 hour layover in Seattle, which allowed us to head into town and tick off state number 45 for Sam.
Once we arrived at the airport we headed for the taxi rank, we generally don’t bother looking for public transportation options because they are usually not easy with a wheelchair. The man at the taxi stand was able to call us a taxi with a ramp in the back so we could get Sam in and out without getting him out of the wheelchair.
We had the taxi take us straight to the Space Needle. There is a courtesy elevator for disabled guests from the gift shop so you don’t have to wait in line. We didn’t know about this because we bought our tickets in a kiosk and only found out after we waited in the line to get in so I would advise using it!
The Space Needle would have been fully accessible but the lift to the viewing platform was broken (it was the kind of open lift that is often broken – wheelchair users know what I am talking about). It was only a few stairs down to the platform so we carried Sam in his wheelchair down the stairs to get there. To get between floors and to exit, there is a separate line for disabled passengers giving you priority access to the elevator which made everything a little easier.
After the Space Needle, we walked over to the Monorail (which is next door) to head to Pike Place Market. The Monorail was very easy to use as there was only one stop, and fully accessible, though once you got to the Westlake Mall stop the elevator was a little tricky to find (it is in Nordstrom Rack!)
Actually getting to Pike Place Market was a different story. All of the roads leading down to it are exceptionally steep, we made it down but would hesitate to try it again if Sam was much heavier. Once we got to the market we found the crowds so thick that it was impossible to push the wheelchair through, so we gave up and left. There is some parking down by the market so if you were visiting with a car I advise driving down or taking a taxi.
We did manage to at least see the market and find the first Starbucks before heading back up the hill and back to the airport for our next adventure.
Sam vs. VWM 