Getting Around From Uptown: Seattle Transit Guide

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE

One of the quiet advantages of living in Lower Queen Anne, the neighborhood Seattle also calls Uptown, is how little you need a car. From 201 Queen Anne Ave N you are two blocks from Seattle Center, a short ride from downtown on the monorail, and steps from some of the most frequent bus service in the city.

This guide walks through every realistic way to get around from this corner of Uptown: the monorail, the RapidRide D Line and the other buses, the nearest light rail, walking to South Lake Union and downtown, biking, car-share, and the Mercer Street and SR-99 connections if you do keep a car. Every fare, distance, and travel time below was checked against official sources, and distances are measured from Rejuvenate Apartments at 201 Queen Anne Ave N.

Why getting around Uptown is so easy

Geography does a lot of the work here. Seattle Center, with the monorail terminal and Climate Pledge Arena, is a two block walk north. Downtown’s retail core is roughly a mile south. South Lake Union, home to a large share of the city’s tech employers, is about a mile east. All three are flat or close to it, so you are not climbing the hill to reach them.

On top of that, Uptown is a transit hub in its own right. Queen Anne Ave N, 1st Ave N, and Mercer St each carry frequent bus service, and the monorail gives you a fast, weatherproof link to the downtown transit tunnel. For a closer look at what is within walking distance, see our neighborhood guide.

The Seattle Center Monorail to downtown

The monorail is the fastest way from Uptown into the heart of downtown. Its Seattle Center station is a short walk from the building, and it drops you inside Westlake Center, steps from department stores, the downtown transit tunnel, and Link light rail.

Fares, from the operator’s own information page, are $4.00 one-way or $8.00 round trip for adults. Youth ages 6 to 18 and reduced-rate riders (seniors 65 and older, people with disabilities, Medicare cardholders, military with ID, and ORCA LIFT) pay $2.00, and children under 5 ride free. You can tap an ORCA card, buy a mobile ticket, or use a vending machine at either station. Note that starting January 1, 2026, riders paying with an ORCA E-purse no longer receive a free transfer and pay the monorail fare for each trip.

Buses: the RapidRide D Line and routes serving Uptown

Uptown has some of the most frequent surface transit in Seattle. The anchor is King County Metro’s RapidRide D Line, which runs from Crown Hill through Ballard and Interbay, into Uptown along W Mercer St and Queen Anne Ave N / 1st Ave N, past Seattle Center, and south onto 3rd Ave through downtown.

The D Line is a frequent route, often arriving about every 8 to 15 minutes through the day and more often at peak, with less frequent service late at night. Because it ends up on 3rd Ave downtown, it also connects to Link light rail at Westlake, Symphony, and Pioneer Square stations. Check King County Metro’s Trip Planner for the live schedule.

Several other Metro routes stop in Uptown near Seattle Center, so you have options in most directions:

Reaching light rail from Uptown

Westlake is the closest Link station to the building. From there the 1 Line runs north through Capitol Hill, the University District, and on to Lynnwood, and south through the Rainier Valley to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, with service extended farther south to Federal Way as of December 2025.

Link fares are distance-based, so the cost depends on how far you ride; the current fare is posted on Sound Transit’s site. For most Uptown residents, the practical move is the monorail or a bus to Westlake, then light rail to wherever you are headed.

1. Start at Seattle CenterWalk to the monorail terminal and ride to Westlake, about two minutes, or take the D Line south on 3rd Ave.
2. Board Link at WestlakeHead downstairs to Westlake Station and catch the 1 Line southbound toward the airport.
3. Ride to SeaTac/Airport StationStay on to SeaTac/Airport Station, roughly 40 minutes from downtown, then follow the covered walkway to the terminal.

Walking to South Lake Union, downtown, and Seattle Center

Plenty of daily trips from Uptown do not need any vehicle at all. The ground here is mostly flat, and the big destinations are close.

Seattle Center is essentially next door, about a two to five minute walk, which puts the Space Needle, museums, festivals, and Climate Pledge Arena at your doorstep. Downtown’s retail core is about a mile south, a walk of roughly 20 to 25 minutes, or that quick monorail hop if the weather turns. South Lake Union, where many large employers including Amazon are based, is about a mile east, also close to a 20 minute walk, with Route 8 or the streetcar as a backup.

From Uptown, three of Seattle's biggest destinations are each about a mile away on flat ground.

The South Lake Union Streetcar adds another option on that east side. It runs from the Westlake Hub to Lake Union Park and Fairview Ave, about 1.3 miles with seven stops, at roughly 15 minute intervals, and a standard local fare applies with your ORCA card. It is a low-effort way to reach the shops, restaurants, and offices around the lake.

Biking around Uptown

Uptown is well placed for cycling because it sits below the steep part of Queen Anne hill rather than on it. The Mercer corridor improvements added a continuous bikeway running from Dexter Ave N across to Queen Anne Ave N, which gives you a protected east to west route toward South Lake Union and the regional trails.

Head west and you reach the Elliott Bay waterfront, where a paved trail runs along the shoreline toward the sculpture park and the piers. South Lake Union and downtown are both short, mostly flat rides. If you are climbing the hill, plan for a real workout or let an electric assist do the work.

Car-share and driving from Uptown

If you want a car only now and then, car-share covers most of the gap. Zipcar operates round-trip car-share across Seattle, bookable by the hour or the day, which suits the occasional grocery haul or weekend trip without the cost of owning a vehicle. Reserve a car, pick it up, and return it to the same spot.

For residents who do drive, Uptown has unusually direct highway access for a close-in neighborhood. Mercer St, two way between I-5 and 5th Ave W, is the main connector to Interstate 5 on the east and feeds the north portal of the SR-99 tunnel just east of Seattle Center near Harrison St. From there SR-99 carries you under downtown to the south end of the city, and I-5 handles longer trips north and south.

Is car-free living realistic in Uptown?

For many residents here, yes. The combination of a short monorail link to downtown, frequent buses on three sides, light rail a quick connection away, and flat walks to the city’s major job and shopping districts means you can handle most weeks without starting an engine.

That is part of what makes a car-light home in Uptown appealing. A building like Rejuvenate Apartments, with income-restricted homes available alongside market-rate ones, pairs a central, walkable location with the kind of transit access that keeps monthly costs down. You can see what is available on our availability page, review the affordable housing options, or look over the building’s amenities.

Frequently asked questions

Transit fares, hours, and routes change. The figures here were checked against official sources in October 2026; confirm current details with Sound Transit, King County Metro, and the Seattle Center Monorail before you travel.