Region 3 is massive. It has the "Continental Divide" in the middle of it for crying out loud! As such, having the Regional Invitation in the Seattle area may present a unique opportunity to those coming from other states. Therefore, we have compiled the following information to help make your trip more enjoyable.
Seattle's two major north-south freeways run on either side of Lake Washington. Interstate 5, on the west side of the lake, runs through the center of Seattle. Interstate 405 lies east of the lake and goes through Bothell, Bellevue and Renton. The two major east-west freeways are Interstate 90 and State Route 520. I-90 begins just south of Safeco Field in Seattle and goes east, connecting I-5 to I-405. SR-520 begins a little north of downtown Seattle at I-5 and goes east, across the lake, to Redmond.
Be aware however, that Seattle is a city known for terrible traffic (third worst in the nation behind Los Angeles and New York!), especially around rush hour, so be ready for crawling along slowly as you enter the city. Allow extra driving time during morning and evening commute hours.
For those staying west of the tournament (Bellevue, Kirkland), you will be traveling against the commuter traffic, which is good. If you are staying north or south of the tournament, you will need to allow extra time, especially if traveling on I-405! .. . as one website states, “If you are driving alone, 405 is a nightmare...if you carpool it's still a bad dream.”
A cool website to calculate your “usual” travel times from a limited but useful choice of destinations can be found at the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Seattle is an area full of culture, neat places to go, and cool things to do. If you have the extra time built into your schedule, we recommend the following websites for touring information.
The best way to prepare for visiting Seattle is to layer -- the climate, with our hilly terrain's infamous "convergence zones", is unpredictable enough (just ask our long-suffering local weather people) that you never know when a rain storm, a dry spell, or a sudden drop in temperature might occur. On average, it rains in Seattle at least 50% of the time, with the heaviest rain periods between January and May and between October and December.
You'll notice many Seattleites who don't even use umbrellas -- after awhile, you just get used to the drizzle.
Rain jokes aside, Seattle has a milder climate than many other parts of the world, with less extreme variations in temperature, and a higher number of cloudy days with misty and damp weather. The average temperature in April hovers around the mid-50’s.