social director - getting there and FAQs

The Social Director's picks for
Getting there and other FAQs

Location
The Intiman Playhouse is at 201 Mercer Street on the northwest corner of Seattle Center (in the Queen Anne neighborhood). The Theatre is between the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Seattle Repertory Theatre at the 2nd Avenue North and Mercer Street entrance to Seattle Center. The Ticket Office and lobby entrance is in the fountain courtyard on the north side of the building.

Transit Information

Metro Bus
Seattle Center has 15 bus routes with frequent connections to Downtown and several neighborhoods.
Click here for a link to bus line information and schedules to the Seattle Center Area.

Ferry
From Washington State Ferries (Colman Dock)
1.Head north on Alaskan Way and take a right (east) onto Broad Street for Seattle Center. 2.Take Metro bus #16 directly to Seattle Center
3.Ferry info: 1-888-808-7977 (voice), 1-800 84Ferry (automated) or ww.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries

Monorail
The Seattle Center Monorail provides daily service between Seattle Center and Westlake Center. Trains depart from each station every 10 minutes (minimum) during regular hours of operation. Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30AM -11:00PM Saturday-Sunday 9:00AM - 11:00PM

Bikes
Located between two major regional bike routes, Seattle Center is accessible from the Myrtle Edwards Bike Trail (which connects Ballard to West Seattle and the Duwamish River Trail) and the Dexter Ave Bike Trail (connecting Downtown to Fremont, Wallingford, Green Lake and the Burke-Gilman Trail). Seattle Center has many bike racks evenly spaced around the campus, and of course, bike parking is free.

Directions

Northbound or Southbound I-5: Take the Mercer Street exit and follow the signs to Seattle Center. Turn right on 5th Avenue and then left on Roy Street. Then turn left on 2nd Avenue.

Northbound Hwy 99: Take the Western Avenue exit, turn right on Wall Street, then left on 1st Avenue. Follow 1st Avenue to Mercer Street and turn right.

Southbound Hwy 99: Take the Seattle Center exit, turn left on 5th Avenue, right on Roy Street and then turn left on 2nd Avenue.

On nights when heavy traffic is expected to Seattle Center, we recommend that patrons consider using Highway 99 (Aurora Avenue). Click here to see the schedule of what else is going on at Seattle Center. Or you can call their traffic and parking recorded info line at 206-233-3989 where they tell you which nights will have heavier than normal traffic. (This isn't always updated, however.)

Parking

Mercer Street Garage
There are several garages at the Seattle Center. The Mercer Street Garage is the closest, plus it has the most parking available. The fee is $8.00 for 10 hours. The entrance is on Third Avenue, betwen Mercer and Roy. They have a covered skybridge which crosses over Mercer Street to the Opera House (most helpful when it's raining). Then the walk (again covered) from the Opera House down to the Intiman is less than 200 yards.

Disabled Parking
Paid parking spaces for the disabled are located in Lot 6, between Intiman and the Seattle Repertory Theatre. You can access the lot at the intersection of Mercer St. and Second Avenue North.

Street Parking
The city of Seattle has created residential parking zones in the Queen Anne neighborhood. Please read all parking signs carefully as many of the streets in the lower Queen Anne area are zoned for limited duration parking or for "No Parking after 6pm."

Where's The Cash Machine?
There are three Bank Of America ATM's nearby - on in the MarketPlace at Queen Anne, at First and Mercer (602 First Ave, North). There's another one in the middle of the Seattle Center, in the Info Center, and a third in the QFC on First Ave at Republican.
There are also ATM's at Larry's Market at 100 Mercer, and just outside the Intiman courtyard.

Should We Bring The Kids?
This is a great show for families with older kids (10 or 12 and up). The content is appropriate for families, but it's a one-man show, so it's really a question of the child's attention-span.
However, we do not allow infants or children under 8 years old in the theater for this show. The theater has great acoustics that make this show sound wonderful, but this also means that audience noise is also amplified. So infant and child noise is very, very noticeable to the audience and the performer.

Where is a Good Meeting Point?

Most people meet in the Intiman courtyard. Although the courtyard itself is not covered, all of the walkways leading up to it, and the perimeter of the courtyard are covered. So you could tell someone to meet you in the courtyard, just outside the theater main doors (see photo). Or meet in from of the ticket office, which also faces into the courtyard.

How Long Does the Show Last?
The show runs about 2 hours, plus there is a 15-minute intermission about half-way through. So with an 8pm curtain, the play is over about 10:15 pm.

Is there Disabled Access to the Theater?
Yes, the Intiman Playhouse provides two entrances for the disabled. A wheelchair ramp leads to the main lobby doors from the Mercer Street front entrance, and a special entrance on the side of the building adjacent to the disabled parking spaces in Lot 6 is also available. If you need assistance, ask for the House Management staff when you arrive at the theatre. If you will need wheelchair seating, please let the box office know when you call to order your tickets.