[nagdu] Re Travel Advice

[Elizabeth Rene]

Hi Kolby,

Are you coming to Western Washington?

I've lived in Seattle and Olympia, Washington, for many years, and am 
familiar with a couple of the Olympia hotels and with Seattle Tacoma 
International Airport (SEATAC).

Both Olympia and Seattle are good places to be with a guide dog, and the 
hotels and  restaurants are welcoming.

My two cents: there are two two and a half/three-star hotels in Olympia, an 
Extended Stay (tm) Hotel that welcomes all dogs, and the Governor House, a 
local, older,  small hotel that sits across the street from Oly's downtown 
gathering place, Sylvester Park.  Sylvester park is a good place to do 
obedience, relax on a bench with a latte from Starbucks, and absorb 
compliments for your dog, and to relieve your dog in a secluded corner 
during daylight.  The Governor House is in transition these days, but it has 
been so for a long time, and the staff is still courteous and helpful, and 
you can get a nice continental breakfast as part of your rate.

Seattle's main hotels are all downtown, and it would be best to advise the 
hotel about your dog's needs when making your reservation and checking in, 
so they can help you find good relieving areas and maybe send someone there 
with you late at night, just to be safe.

Seatac has relieving areas for dogs, but they're at the end of a long 
baggage concourse, unless the location has changed due to remodeling.  When 
in doubt or traveling to a new airport, I ask for help when checkikng in or 
from flight staff or at the gate when deplaning.

I have my seventh guide dog now, and have never had a bad hotel experience, 
and very, very few awkward moments with airport security staff.

Cheryl Echevarria, one of our list contributors, is a travel agent.  She'll 
have excellent tips for you if the rest of us have left anything out.

Bon voyage.

Elizabeth