ASTRONOMY DEPARTMENT

If we are providing you with any form of travel support, then you might want to know about some of the State of Washington regulations that constrain our planning and reimbursement:
- Seattle must be a point of arrival and departure for reimbursable travel. This must be documented on your airline tickets or receipts.
- If you buy your own airline tickets, our reimbursement cannot exceed certain rates prescribed by state law, which are fairly inexpensive. It's best to coordinate your reimbursable travel plans with Pat Taylor ahead of time.
- we can provide convenient hotel rooms at reasonable rates provided that we make the reservations for you and set up the billing directly to our accounts. Again, check with Pat Taylor before you plan your stay.
- to claim reimbursements, retain your airline ticket stubs, any receipts for car, boat, train, gasoline, hotels (unless the hotel directly bills us), etc.
- no U.W. or State employee is allowed to claim reimbursement for the local meals or other expenses of guests or themselves (with very minor exceptions). So pay your own way and claim reimbursement from the Univeristy.
- all reimbursement requests should be mailed to Pat Taylor, Astronomy, Box 351580 UW, Seattle WA 98195-1580 along with an appropriate form that he will send home with you during your visit here. Be sure to sign it.

ACCOMODATIONS

Guests are normally housed at the University Inn 4140 Roosevelt Way NE, 206-632-5055 (toll free: 1-800-733-3855) or the Best Western - University Tower Hotel (aka The Meany Tower), 4507 Brooklyn Ave N, 206-634-2000 (toll free: 800-899-0251). Both are fine older and recently refurbished hotels about 0.6 mile from our building (see local hotel map). If you prefer a modern motel, request the Silver Cloud Inn, 5036 25th Ave NE, 206-526-5200, 1.25 miles from the Dept (shuttle available). Other closer accomodations are possible too. Just ask, especially if you have special needs. By default we request a quiet non-smoking room.

Information about the local area and its ammenities can be found at this page. A useful www page of local information is seattle.yahoo.com. Interesting hotels and restaurants throughout the Northwest are listed in "Northwest Best Places" available at any bookstore.

AIR TRAVEL TO SEATTLE

By air: Seattle's Seatac Airport (airport code SEA) is served by all major airlines. United, Northwest, and Alaska are among the largest carriers in and out of the region.

Reimbursement for travel to U.W. is primarily governed by the laws of the State of Washington. The State has negotiated a set of "contract air fares" with specific carriers on many routes throughout the U.S. You need not necessarily fly these carriers; however, we cannot reimburse you for more than the round-trip "contract fare" between your home and Seattle no matter what arrangements you might make. These fares can change on timescales of just a few months. There are other subtle restrictions.

Consequently it is important to check with Pat Taylor (206.543.2888) or your colloquium contact before making any plans for air travel. As soon as you know when you would like to travel, they'll help you to find the appropriate carrier and they'll purchase and send you the tickets. If you have airline preferences then let us know and we will try hard to work with you.

GROUND TRANSPORTATION

The arriving passenger has many choices of conveyance to downtown and UW. See this regional map for a layout of the metropolitan region. Click this airport map to see the various passenger pickup/dropoff modes and locations of service. The campus map will help you to locate our building, and our office finding chart will guide you to our offices, all of which are on the third floor of the Physics-Astronomy Building. A local hotel map and list can also be useful.

By shuttle: If you're going to the Meany Tower or other University-area hotels, the cheapest (and sometimes one of the slowest and most confusing) ways is to use the airport Shuttle Express. You can call the shuttle ahead of time to make reservations at 206-981-7000 or 1-800-487-7433. There are two pickup locations at opposite ends of the baggage claim area. Save and return all receipts.

The system is far simpler for the return ride from the Meany Tower Hotel to the airport: the hotel clerk will arrange the trip to SeaTac for you. The shuttle costs about $20 per person.

By taxi: This is the simplest method of transportation by far. Taxis depart from the street at the baggage level (the company STITA has the sole license to serve SeaTac Airport). If you don't see a cab then use one of the marked phones along the sidewalk. Your destination is likely to be either the Meany Tower Hotel, N.E. 45th and Brooklyn N.E. in the University District (1/2 mile east of I-5 exit 169) or the Physics-Astronomy Building, N.E. Pacific St and 15th Ave N.E. (SW edge of campus). Expect to pay $40 cash or credit card. Save and submit all receipts.

Any cab company can take you back to the airport. Far West (206.622.1717) is reliable.

By bus: There's a hotel shuttle bus (called the Airporter) that leaves from either end of the street in front of the baggage claim area every 30 minutes ($8.50). You'll see booths at either end of the sidewalk outside the baggage claim area where you can get tickets and the schedule of departures. The drive to downtown is 20 minutes. Then the bus stops at all major hotels. Get off at the first stop and then take a cab from there ($10). For the return take a cab to the Westin Hotel downtown, and then catch the Airporter. Departures from the Westin are at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour except for very late at night. Save and sumbit all receipts.

There are city express busses (route 194 - see the Metro web pages). These do much the same thing as the more lavish "Airporter bus". Pay as you board, $1.25 ($2.00 at rush hour). Bus drivers do not make change. The ride normally takes 30 minutes. Add 5 minutes in rush hour.

The bus stop at the airport is on the street at the far south end of the baggage claim area (turn right as you exit the airport and walk 50 meters past the end of the building). Look for the sign on the curb that says 174/Seattle, 194/Seattle, etc. Be sure to take the 194; the 174 is a local route with lots of stops. Here's the route 194 bus schedule. Rides are $2 at rush hour, $1.25 otherwise (have exact change).

Exit downtown and walk 2 blocks to the Four Seasons/Olympic Hotel to get a cab to the campus or your hotel ($10).

On the return, get the 194 southbound in the bus tunnel either at Convention Place (closest to UW) or at Westlake Plaza/Nordstroms. These stops close at 7 P.M. After hours and weekends use the street-level bus stop at 3rd and Union. The bus makes a few stops and then goes nonstop down the freeway to the airport, 30 minutes total travel time (35 minutes at rush hour). Pay as you EXIT the bus.

ONCE YOU CHECK INTO THE HOTEL