# Kirkland

Kirkland is a charming city of 93,000 (2019) in King County, Washington, across from Seattle on the east side of Lake Washington.

## Understand

Kirkland was established in 1888 by Peter Kirk with a vision of being the "Pittsburgh of the West". Today, it is the home of Northwest University, and one of two summer training camps for the Seattle Seahawks. It is perhaps most widely known as the former corporate headquarters of Costco, from when they launched their "Kirkland Signature" brand.

## Get in
### By car

Like many American suburbs, by far the most convenient approach is by car:
* State Route (SR) 520 connects Kirkland to Seattle, via the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (the world's largest floating bridge) on Lake Washington. SR-520 serves as the southern border between Kirkland and Bellevue. The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge is tolled; see details below.
* Interstate 405 (I-405) is the outer loop of Interstate 5 that runs from Lynnwood to Tukwila (and the airport), through Bellevue. Keep in mind that rush hour traffic can be very daunting: expect a 45 minute to 1 hour drive from both ends of the freeway to Kirkland.
There are tolls for the SR-520 floating bridge and the express lanes of I-405, with rates that vary by time of day and traffic levels. There are no toll booths. If the vehicle has a "Good to Go" sticker on the windshield, the toll is deducted from a prepaid account. Otherwise, transponders take a picture of the license plates, front and back, and mail the bill to the registered owner.

### By bus

Intercity bus services from beyond the region stop in Seattle.

## Get around

The downtown area is small and very walkable.

### By public transit

The transportation hubs (bus stations) in Kirkland are the 47.6766-122.20341 Kirkland Transit Center on 3rd St at Central Way; 47.71448-122.180372 Totem Lake Transit Center; and the 47.71532-122.185513 Totem Lake Freeway Station at NE 128th St & I-405. The Kirkland TC offers routes with service to Downtown Seattle (*255 & Link); Univ of Washington in the U-District (255); Bellevue (245, 250); Redmond (250); Woodinville (230, 231); and other surrounding cities while the Totem Lake Freeway Station offers bus connections to Everett (532); Lynnwood (535); Snohomish via Monroe (424 in PM); Downtown Seattle (311 & 424 in AM); Bellevue (237, 342, 532, 535) and Woodinville (237, 311, 342 & 424).
* King County Metro, ☏ +1 206-553-3000. Operates bus, streetcar, and monorail routes in King County. Communities within the county served by this operator's routes include Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Mercer Island, North Bend, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, Vashon Island, White Center, and Woodinville. (updated Jun 2023)
* Sound Transit (routes 532, 535)

## See

* The Seattle skyline and Olympic Mountains from one of the many waterfront parks.

## Do

* Check out the many art galleries in downtown Kirkland near the waterfront.
* 47.6543-122.205881 Yarrow Bay Marina, 5207 Lake Washington Blvd. N.E., ☏ +1 425-822-6066. Hourly powerboat rentals. Hours vary.
* 47.67605-122.207312 Flatstick Pub, 15 Lake St. Suite 100, ☏ +1 425 242 1618. Su-Th noon-midnight, F Sa noon-2AM. Minigolf bar with local beers on tap. Happy hour M-F 3PM-6PM. Yappy hour M-F 6PM-7PM, all day Su. (updated Mar 2019)

### Parks

* 47.69878-122.211083 Juanita Bay Park, 2201 Market St. Wetland park on the shore of Lake Washington; features some short and relaxing wetlands boardwalk trails and picnic areas.
* 47.67544-122.208154 Marina Park. Located in the pedestrian friendly downtown area, it hosts many small art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants. (updated Feb 2025)

## Buy

* 47.7125-122.1811 The Village at Totem Lake, 12520 Totem Lake Blvd NE, ☏ +1 425-820-9268. M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-8PM. (updated Aug 2021)

## Eat

* 47.67725-122.205411 Lynn's Bistro, 212 Central Way. Excellent Sunday brunch.
* 47.67616-122.20582 Cactus, 121 Park Ln.
* 47.6767-122.208023 Santorini Greek Grill, 106 Central Way, ☏ +1 425-822-0555. Excellent gyros and other Greek food.
* 47.66733-122.196834 Sarducci's, 955 6th St S. Hometown favorite sub shop; autographs on wall attest to its frequent patronage by Seahawks players when training camp was nearby
* 47.70536-122.212845 Spud Fish and Chips, 9702 N.E. Juanita Dr, ☏ +1 425 823-0607. Local tradition in the Jaunita neighborhood, right across the street from a pleasant lake beach park. Very greasy but delicious.

## Drink

* 47.6766-122.205411 Thruline Coffee, 136 Park Ln. 6:30AM - 9PM (Last call at 8:30PM). The flagship coffee shop for Thruline Coffee, who provide coffee beans to numerous local businesses and coffee bars in the area. Friendly, relaxed, atmosphere, internet is always free, and you can stay for as long as you like.
* 47.6759-122.207062 The Grape Choice, 9 Lakeshore Plaza. This favorite local wine shop has monthly selections at their tasting bar, and any wine can be bought by the bottle for drinking in the store or on the patio. Every Wednesday, they host a different, usually local, winery for a $5 flight of their top wines.
* 47.67848-122.19823 Chainline Brewing Co, 503 6th St S, ☏ +1 (425) 242-0923, info@chainlinebrewing.com. M-Th 4PM-10PM, F 2PM-10PM, Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-8PM. The first brewery to open along the Cross Kirkland Corridor Trail. (updated Mar 2019)

## Sleep

* 47.71107-122.19131 Courtyard Seattle Kirkland, 11215 NE 124th St, ☏ +1 425 602-3200, fax: +1 425 602-3220.
* 47.67601-122.20372 Heathman Kirkland, 220 Kirkland Ave, ☏ +1 425-284-5800.
* 47.70815-122.179683 Motel 6 Kirkland North, 12010 120th Pl, ☏ +1 425 821-5618, fax: +1 425 821-7459.
* 47.65703-122.207254 Woodmark Hotel Yacht Club and Spa, 1200 Carillon Point, ☏ +1 425 822-3700. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. $200.