u/sirotan88

Hello, I’m visiting Prague and would like to explore more of the city by bike. I’d like to avoid cobblestone streets and stay on paved cycling lanes as much as possible. I found a section of bike path on the riverfront at the base of Letná Park, however it stopped very abruptly once I got close to the west end of Letna park and I couldn’t figure out how to get back on the riverside trail further west of there. I didn’t really go further east - is the trail fully paved and protected going east past Letna?

Open to any suggestions, doesn’t have to be a long ride, maybe 30-45 mins total is good!

Would anyone be able to point me to a map or recommended route that is paved and scenic?

I have an upcoming flight from USA to Munich and transfer to Prague. I booked a Basic Economy ticket.

From what I’ve read online on Lufthansa’s bag policy, it seems like the carry on suitcase is free for the US-Munich long haul flight, but not for the transfer to domestic flight between Munich and Prague?

Is that true and do I need to pay extra fee for the carry on suitcase for Munich-Prague, on Basic Economy?

My husband and I recently got into cycling, he has an endurance road bike and I have an ebike. We have good access to the local urban trail system (520 trail, Burke Gilman, Cross Kirkland Corridor, Sammamish River and Redmond Connector) and can cycle up to 30-40 miles, working on longer rides eventually. We’ve also done I-90 bridge, Elliot Bay trail, Mercer Island Loop, East Lake Sammamish, Lake Washington blvd & Seward Park. At this point I think the next step would be to explore the Lake Washington Loop and maybe some more of the local bike lanes on car shared routes that are low traffic.

We just spent a lot of money on the bikes so are not sure if we’re ready to invest in adding a tow hitch to the car and a bike rack. I think getting it would open up more scenic cycling options like Olympic Discovery Trail, Snoqualmie Valley Trail, San Juan Islands, and maybe weekend trips to Vancouver or Portland.

For those who do have a bike hitch rack, is it worth it? Where do you like to go cycling around here or on weekend trips? Anything you wish you’d known before buying one?

Curious what they’re building in the plaza and also what business is moving into the retail space on the ground level, near Cafe Hagen?

We’ve been saving up to invest in some quality outdoor furniture, but I really am not sure long term if it’s better to go with a patio couch set with cushions or get several adirondack chairs. Our space is fully exposed to sun and rain and wind, and lots of cobwebs, and somewhat frequent bird poop. We’d like to use it for chilling outdoors and also hosting guests. Location in PNW so most of the use will be from spring through fall.

It seems like it comes down to the trade off of comfort vs ease of maintenance. If we got a couch set, I’m thinking we’d need to buy the covers to go with it, and leave them on most of the time.

Which patio furniture setup do you have and why did you pick it?

I’m hoping take my bike on the light rail from Symphony station back to the Eastside.

I think Symphony station seems like the closest option, but I remember there’s a huge hill (and stairs) going from the waterfront back up

Is there a better way to get my bike from the waterfront trail to Symphony station? I’m ok with walking it up the hill but I recall there might be some elevators for ADA access around that area too

I want to avoid cycling in the downtown streets, prefer to walk my bike on sidewalks between Elliot bay trail and the station, just for safety

I plan to visit the Ballard Locks and National Nordic Museum this weekend, and would need to leave my ebike locked somewhere for maybe 2 hours while I explore the area.

What would be the safest spot(s) to lock my bike?

I do have a very heavy duty Ulock, just wondering what the best bike racks are in that general area. Thanks!

Visited Portland and used the Edit credit + IHG credit stacked for a 2 night stay. Sharing our experience; overall, pretty good option for a cheaper getaway.

The hotel is located on the Willamette riverfront, next to a park and trail, and still close to downtown. It’s a quiet and peaceful area. The hotel has a cozy PNW nature inspired rustic lodge vibe. We mostly walked everywhere and also walked along the river everyday.

Welcome amenity is a small reusable canvas tote bag. Our room was upgraded to a river view room. Spacious room, comfy bed, quiet at night, but the room is getting old and has more of a historic hotel feel to it.

$100 credit can be used for the restaurant or valet parking. Parking with valet is $60/night. We opted to self park in the next door garage which was $25/night. Breakfast credit is $30 per person per morning. The food at King Tide Fish and Shell was above average but not amazing. I did find the breakfast service to be kind of slow. But the vibe of the restaurant is kind of like that, just having a slow day enjoying views of the river.

The best perk of the hotel is the free bicycle rental. We did an 11 mile bike ride around the waterfront loop which was a wonderful way to see the area. Passed by the Portland Saturday Market, OMSI, an amusement park, wildlife refuge area, several parks, Portland aerial tram. That was easily a highlight of our trip.

They also have a free wine hour from 5-6pm. It was nice to sit outside by the river and sip on wine.

Checkout was smooth and there were no additional surprise charges.

Overall I recommend this hotel if you’re looking for a quieter and more relaxed place to stay, but still with easy access to tourist sights around Portland!

We did consider the Kimpton Vintage but personally prefer nature over city/urban environment so picked the Kimpton RiverPlace and was happy with our choice.

I’m visiting Portland this weekend from Seattle and missed the permit reservation for Dog mountain. Current backup is McCall Point trail but that adds quite a bit more driving on top of the 4 hr drive to Portland, so I’m wondering if there are any other alternatives to consider?

Hello, I know this is the Seattle sub but I’d love recommendations on favorite things to eat or do in Portland, OR that you can’t get in Seattle, and is worth driving down for. Or just things that you always do when visiting (e.g. for us we always get Blue Star donuts)

We are an early 30s couple and interested in biking, hiking, nature, parks, art, food. Favorite cuisines are Japanese/Korean/French but also open to trying something new - particularly if there is a restaurant worth reserving in advance. Also interested in shopping for some things like kitchenware ceramics, Scandinavian decor and furniture, art prints.

We’ll be driving down. Have done most of the touristy stuff so mainly looking for more off the beaten path things to explore!

Edit to add: love bakeries and desserts as well, and stationery or art supply stores

I’m searching for a bike panniers for commuting but it’s hard to compare the size, material, latch mechanism etc just from online photos. I’ve already been to REI (had a few options) and my local bike shop (only had one option in store)

Which stores do you recommend checking out to look at bike panniers in person?

I know Ortleib is the recommended brand but I’m hoping to find something a bit more stylish and less bulky looking, and I need to test what’s the smallest size I can get away with and still fit my 16” laptop.

Thanks!