OT - Seattle hotel recommendation needed

I'm flying to Seattle next week to attend a memorial service and would appreciate recommendations for a place to stay (under $200/night). I will be with the family for the first day but probably have a day or two on my own. I'll be renting a car so distance isn't a major issue (both my friend and the church are in North Seattle though). Any suggestions? Any places to avoid? Thanks! Caeli

Hi Caeli: I live in Seattle area and I might be able to help you out....but when you say North Seattle....that is a big area to cover....as usual...there are your chains of Holiday Inn Express....Best Western etc....and then there are a few that are actually downtown near the shopping and tourist district if you want to see the sites....a good one is the Red Lion Inn....it is near the Pike Place Market...the Convention Center and the Piers and SpaceNeedle. I am not sure the prices...but if you google it....am sure you would find it. Other than that....I would need to know more of an exact area you were wanting to stay in. But as a rule of thumb...if you stay north of town you are pretty much okay. Good luck and welcome to some nice weather this week! Enjoy your stay. Karen

I've stayed at a couple of hotels in the Seattle area (Seatac -- stay away from the Doubletree...). In April we decided to splurge (I needed some pampering and I primarily get around via wheelchair so I wanted a view). We found a room at the Grand Hyatt Seattle. It was absolutely incredible. We were on the 28th floor in a jr. suite room (more than the $200 you indicated but definately worth it). We had a view of Elliot Bay, Lake Washington, the Space Needle and Pike Place all from our room. I think we might have even had a view of Mt. Ranier but it was (typical) cloudy. We were treated with more respect and dignity that I've ever been treated. We'll definately be going back. http://grandseattle.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp The other place I was looking into was the Edgewater Hotel (http://www.edgewaterhotel.com/). Unfortunately they couldn't accommodate my wheelchair but they have a beautiful site and were very helpful answering my questions when I was trying to figure out where I'd be staying.. I'm sorry to hear you'll be going to Seattle for a memorial service. I hope you are able to have a pleasant time with the rest of your trip. Lori