Plan Your Travel
The hoedown officially starts with an afternoon social in the Hospitality Suite on Thursday afternoon, with a dance on Thursday night. Workshops will be scheduled from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon, and evening dances occur Friday and Saturday across three rooms: country couples, line, and swing.
If you are coming from out of town, we recommend arriving at least by dinner time on Thursday if you can, earlier for any tourist opportunities. If you are travelling from other than the West Coast, fortunately you don’t lose as much time travelling west because of time zone shifts. But the reverse occurs when travelling east — due to time lost when flying to the Midwest and East Coast, crossing time zones, we highly recommend that you not leave until Sunday evening or even Monday if you can, to take advantage of the full suite of hoedown events. (Seriously: to arrive home on Sunday evening, you might have to leave before the first workshop!)
The hotel will honor the hoedown rate for a couple days before and after the hoedown dates, so you can stay at the hotel longer and extend your stay into a longer vacation.
Getting to SeattleSeattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac, code SEA) is served by all major air carriers, many with direct or single-hop flights. SeaTac is also the home base for Alaska Airlines, which flies direct between Seattle and many IAGLCWDC member club cities, and it is now a West Coast hub for Delta as well. If you will be spending additional time in the Northwest beyond the hoedown, you may also want to check options for Portland (3 hours south), Bellingham (90 minutes north), and Vancouver (3 hours north, possibly a good option with a car rental or train for Canadian attendees). Amtrak may also be an option for your travel needs, with about a 4-hour trip from Portland or Vancouver and 24 hours from San Francisco. The Amtrak depot is about a mile from the host hotel. | Getting to the Hotel from SEA Airport
| Getting to the Hotel from Paine Field (Everett)
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Driving to the Hotel
Driving from the South: take exit 164A (Dearborn/James/Madison) off I-5, but stay on the exit ramp to the I-90 bypass (do not take the exit for I-90). Take the Madison St./Convention Place exit, and turn left on Madison. The hotel is at Madison and 6th Ave., just across the freeway.
Driving from the North: take exit 165A (James St.) off I-5 and merge onto 6th Ave. Turn left on Cherry St., left on 7th Ave., and then left on Madison St. The hotel is at Madison and 6th Ave.
Please note: parking at the hotel is very limited and not cheap; we do not recommend renting a car just for getting to and from the hoedown, not unless you will be doing other driving during the weekend.
Getting Around Seattle
Limited on-site parking is available at the Renaissance Hotel, but it can be expensive and may be limited to hotel guests only. Affordable surface pay lots are located just a couple blocks away, on the other side of the freeway at 7th & Marion, and some nearby parking garages also have reasonable daytime rates, but may not be accessible after dark. To check out available parking options and prices, visit http://seattle.bestparking.com (or download the Best Parking app for your smartphone). For the evening dances, street parking within a couple blocks from the hotel should be reasonably available, in addition to these lots.
Parking in downtown Seattle’s shopping district and on Capitol Hill can be a challenge on a good night. Consider using light rail (which now goes all the way to Northgate, including stopping on Capitol Hill, and will continue to expand; watch the time for the last train if you go out at night, since it stops running before the bars close). the bus system, use a car share, or taking a taxi or Uber/Lyft; bike rentals may also be a good option, despite the hills. (Or even walk, if the weather is nice! The hotel is 1.1 miles or less from the various gay bars.) Most locations you want to go to are only a few dollars ride away from each other.
For bus information in Seattle and King County, visit the Metro Transit website.
Getting to know Seattle
Seattle was founded in the 1860s and saw major timber industry in its early days — the term “Skid Row” comes from Seattle, originally Yesler Way, the road that trees were pulled down from the hills to the lumber mills — as well as being a major step-off point for the Alaskan gold rush. Today, it is noted for its beautiful landscapes and outdoor tourist activities, plus noted sports teams (Seahawks, Mariners, Sounders, and Storm), software and online shopping companies (Microsoft, Amazon, Zillow, and many more), and of course, coffee (Starbucks) and microbrews.
The architecturally unique Seattle Public Library is just a block away from the host hotel. Two blocks away is the 5th Avenue Theater, which presents plays and Broadway-style musicals year round; the Paramount Theatre is also in walking distance. Three blocks north is the edge of Seattle’s downtown shopping core, with major stores and a huge selection of lunch and dinner options. (Many dining options are within just a couple blocks of the hotel as well, although lunch options may be sparse on Saturday.) The Seattle Art Museum is just a few blocks away, and the Seattle Center (with the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and MOPOP, the Museum of Popular Culture) is a short ride share away (or walk to Westlake Center and ride the 1960s-era monorail from there!).
A fun tourist option is the viewing platforms in various buildings. The Sky Tower at Columbia Center — Seattle’s tallest building — and the top of Smith Tower are both in walking distance. The Space Needle is further away, at the Seatle Center, but is worth the trip with its recent refurbishment, including the entire floor being made of glass now!
Seattle’s Gayborhood, Capitol Hill
The gay neighborhood in Seattle is centered on Capitol Hill, one-half to one mile up Madison from the hotel — walkable in nice weather, or a short ride share trip. On Capitol Hill, you will find several gay bars (and many happening straight bars as well), gift shops, leather stores, funky thrift shops, and food of all sorts (from cupcakes to phở). And check out the new rainbow crosswalks, installed in June 2015.
Rain Country’s home base is Century Ballroom, located in Capitol Hill across from Call Anderson Park. We dance there every Friday.
Seattle has a large and diverse LGBTQ+ population, including prominent gay sports teams, many gay and lesbian elected officials on the state and city levels, and the second highest percentage of queer couples in the country. In November 2012, Washington was one of three states to formally approve same-sex marriage rights at the ballot box, and the first to enact those marriages. (We were also one of two states in that election to legalize recreational marijuana use, and there are numerous recreational pot shops open around the city.)
Around the Northwest
Beyond Seattle itself, the Pacific Northwest is an outdoor tourist’s dream, with the glacial-carved and island-dotted Puget Sound right at hand, several national parks close by, and even an active volcano (Mt. St. Helens). A few hours to the south is Portland, to the north is Vancouver, British Columbia, and across the Cascades to the east is the high desert of Eastern Washington, full of apple orchards, wheat fields, deep river canyons (coulees), and massive hydroelectric dams.