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RENTING A CAR
To rent a car, I logged on to our very own CarRentalNumbers.com page. The great part about the site is that it allows you to price out many of the car rental companies like Avis, Enterprise and Hertz without having to keep entering your cities and dates in. The bad news is that all the prices were way too high. So I logged on to BiddingForTravel.com's Seattle car rental page and read on their forum that users were getting successful bids on Priceline for just $20 a day! I gave it a shot since over the phone and on the Internet I was being quoted $85 a day. My bid was indeed immediately accepted and with taxes and fees, the two-day rental was $67. Now that's what I'm talking about! NOTE: If you do use Priceline, please go through JohnnyJet.com because they pay us a small commission. Thank you!

RENTING FROM ALAMO
Alamo Rent a Car was the company that took my bid. To get to the rental car area in the airport, it's a bit of a hike from the gates. That's okay because Seattle's new airport sure is nice. To get there, I took the Sky Bridge to the parking lot, then an elevator down, then walked to the Alamo office. The lineup was six people deep but it moved really slowly. It felt like an hour but it was just 15 minutes. I pre-ordered a compact car but the agent asked if I wanted to upgrade to a SUV for free? With gas prices so high these days, I said no way. I guess everyone else felt the same because I was told that there was a wait to get a compact car. I didn't even bother asking how long and took the SUV, a Toyota Highlander. I should have bargained and got him to throw in the $12.95-a-day Garman GPS but I caved too early. TIP: Always reserve a compact (unless you really need a SUV) because chances are they won't have one on the lot and will be forced to upgrade you for free anyways.

ARCTIC CLUB HOTEL
A friend who frequently visits Seattle suggested I check out the newly reopened and furnished Arctic Club Hotel downtown at Cherry and 3rd Avenues. I asked my local friends about it and none of them had even heard of it so I didn't really know what to expect. It turns out it has some history. The few adventurers who found their fortune in the Alaska gold rush established the original Arctic Club in 1908 and since Seattle is a jumping off point to the last frontier, they formed a men's club in Seattle. Like their website boasts the hotel really does combine the history and grandeur of an early 20th century men's club with contemporary design and first-class amenities for business and leisure travelers. It also doesn't hurt to have the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places -- it was designed by one of Seattle's most prominent architects, A. Warren Gould and has 27 molded walrus heads wrapping around the third floor exterior.

MY ROOM
I pulled up to the valet and at $44 a day it just destroyed my budget … ouch! But I did spot a parking lot right next door when I was leaving and I believe it was much cheaper but it's not open all night. The foyer of the hotel is lined with Alaskan marble and there are framed pictures all over the walls of who I believe are the club's original members. Inside the lobby and the room are artifacts inspired by the Alaska-Yukon Pacific Exposition and original art. The hotel has 120 guestrooms and suites and my room came with a whirlpool tub. The room was large, with high ceilings and a really comfy wood framed bed that had a brown wool bedspread at the bottom of it. The huge working desk had a faux croc ice tray and bucket and there was free wireless, which made me partially forgive the $44 a day parking. On the dresser was an enormous flat screen TV in the middle of the room so it can be swiveled whichever way you like. The bathroom must have been designed by a woman with its flower wallpaper and tiled flower floor. It also came with swanky Kiehl's amenities -- woo hoo! At night, the maids tidied up nicely, replenished the stolen Kiehl's products and left a packet of flower seeds (for growing) on the pillow. If I had one complaint, it's that I could hear some traffic below but it didn't bother me nor did the ongoing construction in the hotel. Rates begin at $199. Arctic Club Hotel, 700 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA; tel.: 800-600-7775.

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