Went on a Sunday during the summer @11am and it was surprisingly not busy! You get to explore a…read morevery big area and the water is usually not too choppy. We got to see seaplanes and got pictures with beautiful views. Would recommend if you're in the area and looking for something fun to do with your family or friends!

Fun experience especially with Seattle city backdrop in the distance and availability to row over…read moreto gas works park. The process was simple: pay $18/hr, guides provide you jackets, how-to's if you've never kayaked before, and the kayak itself. The only thing I did not like was how expensive it is for this activity. To do this with a family, it's quite costly when it adds up especially if you go for a few hours. You can't really make this a half day event unless you have deep pockets. Overall, really fun photo opp experience, great initial date spot, and something to definitely try and do while living or visiting Seattle.

What can I say? I made it! :-P…read more This is my first and longest bike ride ever! Thank you, Cascade Bicycle Club for organizing such a great bike ride event! I can finally cross one more thing off my list. I rode 200 miles in two days. This event cost me about $180 including entry fee, parking, lodging, and return transportation for myself and bike, Andre. Since I was slow, I really didn't ride with anyone the first day. But, it's ok! Keep it in mind, there are 10,000 riders participating STP every year. You will never be alone. The best thing about the ride was there were rest stops, food stops every 20-30 miles and awesome volunteers cheering along the road. It was a great experience! Lesson and learned from this ride, be prepared. If possible, ride longer on the first day. My buddy, thrill the killer and I are going to ride it again next year! Enjoy us!

Update: I rode my…read more17th STP on July 13th. What happened to this event? I was able to register on July 11th without having to buy someone else's ticket. I remember a few years back it sold out in March and that was with a 10,000 rider maximum. I could tell there were fewer participants when I arrived Saturday morning. Normally there was a huge line to get into the UW parking lot. Not this year. I didn't have to slow down until I got to the actually parking area. As far as the ride went, great weather and good support. Kudos to the volunteers at the rest stops. Fewer bike shops participating and very few vendors at the finish line. I was hoping to see some bike equipment, but the only two there was the bike saddle company and the puncture proof tire company. The good thing about fewer participants is that there were fewer ill-prepared cyclists to avoid. Looks like the political activism of the Cascade leadership hurt membership.

It's been almost a year since I bought a steel Bandito from R&E Cycles, and I remain ecstatic about…read morethe purchase. Phenomenal bicycle, phenomenal staff. I have to share two quick stories. 1. I recently had the bicycle serviced at a local bicycle store for some fine tuning of the derailleur that was a little beyond my ability. When I went to pick up the bike, the owner of the shop said, "Sorry, Jay, we are not returning this bike." "What do you mean...?," I replied. "This bike is just so comfortable, so light, so effortless to ride...we are keeping it for ourselves." This is quite a compliment as it comes from a shop in a large city (Houston) that specializes in high end bicycles. But they are exactly right. The ride is just magical on this bicycle. 2. The bicycle has S&S couplers that enable me to travel effortlessly with it. I recently returned from the Five Boroughs Bicycle ride in New York City, and had a question while reassembling the bicycle about the placement of one of the bearings in the headset - it had slipped off in the travel case (my fault). Within a half hour of asking the question by email, I had my answer. Their mechanical guy, Alder, is super responsive and an encyclopedia of information. FYI, Smiley nailed my fit to a T, even though I did this at a distance (I'm in Texas, R&E is in Seattle). These guys are just terrific!

Live around the area and needed my electric bike inner tube replaced. I'm not too familiar with…read morerepairing bicycles so I decided to check out this local bike shop. I walked in and asked for an estimate of how much it would cost to have the inner tube of my tire replaced. A guy named Forest greeted me and described the procedure and mentioned it would cost around $15 for labor. I agreed and had them replace the inner tube for me thankfully. Since Forest was busy, another gentleman helped me replace it, probably took around 45 minutes. When he was finished, he rang me up and mentioned it would be $55 (not including the part I brought in). I mentioned to him that Forest said it would be around $15 or so. He went to the back and grabbed another gentleman (I'm assuming the manager or some guy that has been working here for a while, based on the pictures I saw on the wall in the shop). He came out and mentioned that it would be $55 due to them needing two people and not being able to get tire out then proceeds to say "we don't work on E-bikes". I told him I had the guy look at it prior to getting the work done and he proceeds to say "well we needed two people and we don't work on E- bikes. Normal bikes typically cost $15". This had me a little confused because I would've just walked out if that was the case, no big deal, but the fact that they still worked on it was very confusing. I told him $15 vs. $55 is a big difference, and I'm not trying to make a scene and understood that the work had already been done. The "manager" (guy with glasses, skinny, and big loop earrings) just stares at me and in my eyes tries to intimidate me from what I got out of it. I calmly tell him again what I was told from the beginning. He then proceeds to say "okay I'll do the $15 but do not come back." That felt really disrespectful from a customers perspective. Instead of speaking to his own co-worker, he takes a jab at me. None of this was my fault as I was told a price from the very beginning. Despite knowing that I am a first time customer, the guy with the glasses and earrings told me to never come back. I understand this is a long time business in the area, but treating a first time customer like this did not feel right. To be clear, none of this is Forest's fault or the guy that worked on my bikes fault. They did a great job working together as I watched them through the window for 45 minutes. The skinny "manager" guy with the black glasses made it hard to work with and was extremely rude. He was very friendly to everyone else that walked in and had meaningful conversations from what I heard. Just wanted to let everyone know this was my experience here as a first time customer. Not really a good way to run a business... I unfortunately did not get the "managers" name, but he's easy to spot just by the earrings and being on the skinny side. Overall two stars, mainly because he honored the price at the end. Obviously will not be coming back lol, as I was told by the worker himself.

I just attended the Live Your Bliss retreat at Haramara Retreat Center in Sayulita, Mexico. I've…read morebeen a lot of places and participated in many different trip styles, and this has been one of my favorites by far. The location was serene, magical, and beautiful. The food that was included in the trip price (!) was delicious, healthful, and satisfying. Every activity during the week was carefully planned and extremely purposeful, however, there was no feeling of pressure to do things that were not of interest to you. The yoga was great. As beginner yogi I felt welcomed and confident even though advanced yogis seemed to be enjoying the classes and flows as much as I did. The yoga also varied daily. It was always interesting and I was consistently benefiting in various ways from the classes. Best of all, Silvia and Malia assisted in so much besides just yoga. There were chakra talks, happiness coachings, astrology readings, dancing, meditating, photo shoots, game playing and scavenger hunts. The days I spent in Mexico flew by faster and more enjoyably than I could have ever anticipated. Whether you are a hard-core yogi and spiritualist, or someone just looking to get away from the stresses of life I would recommend you to Alchemy Tours. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I will definitely be booking with them again!!

Last month I attended Alchemy Tours' yoga retreat in Bali, and I can honestly say it was the most…read morefulfilling travel experience I've ever had. It was hard to come back to reality, and not just in the typical "I've taken much needed time off to relax and it's hard to get back in my routine" sort of way... But more, going on this trip made me understand that there was a much greater disparity between the potential for happiness in my life and what I considered to be my "normal" state than I had realized - and that they were further apart than they ever should be. To me, the experience with Alchemy Tours can be divided into two categories: vacation and personal reflection. As a vacation, it was amazing. White water rafting through a jungle ravine, a relaxing bike tour through Balinese rice patties, beaches, exposure to local culture, great restaurants and a gorgeous place to stay that our group had all to ourselves. It was just organized enough to feel active without feeling too busy. Previously, I wouldn't have asked for more than that in a trip, and it was awesome in that way. But the part that really surprised me was the way Silvia's constant positivity, enthusiasm and no-pressure encouragement would really make me reflect on the person I am, and I began to conceptualize the things I could change to improve my life as a whole. To put this in perspective, I should say that prior to this trip I had not only never participated in a yoga class, but also had absolutely no idea what to expect in terms of the ideologies involved, and may even have dismissed any discussion centering around the word "energy." It's been over a month since the trip, and a day has yet to go by in which I haven't thought about my personal learnings from this experience, and I can't say enough to recommend a trip with Jake and Sylvia of Alchemy Tours.

Service and pricing was great! Standup paddle boarding is not easy, but it was super fun for my…read morebuddies and I! Great way to admire the views of Seattle! It was super warm in the middle of October! The water felt great

The place is great but I overheard the owner Ray being so verbally abusive to his employees that I…read morewould never return. It's sad to see a business owner treat people this was.

Love these local guys! They do Bike/Ski/Outdoor trips, which…read moreI've never done, but they sound really fun. I use them almost exclusively for Airport transfers--they're cheaper than a cab, usually pick me up in a nice SUV, communication and punctuality is perfect. Highly recommended--go local!

From the owner: Airport transfers, private sightseeing and customized tours, vehicle charters, cycling, hiking,…read moresnow skiing tours and sports equipment rental with a delivery and pick up service.

I loved Recycle Cycles!!!…read more I was participating in the STP this past weekend and rented a bike from Recycled Cycles. The reservation system was super easy to use and quick to reserve. When I picked up the bikes, the staff were all super nice and helpful with getting bike ready to go. They don't rush in getting all the paperwork done and made sure I was comfortable with the hike before I rode to back to my hotel. Highly recommended for any rentals and they have a lot of decently priced parts if you need to replace anything.

Recycled Cycles were very busy when we went in. I was able to get service and the sales person…read moreunderstood our needs. The bike we discovered fit right and we are biking all over Everett now. Thank you. 100% recommend.

UPDATE: After posting this review, it somehow got worse. On a later visit, an employee -- who I…read moreunderstand may be a part-owner -- confronted me about the review, followed me out of the store, and called me a "chicken shit" on my way out, blaming me yet again for the entire situation. I'll let that speak for itself. A business that responds to honest, factual feedback by chasing a paying customer out the door and throwing insults has told you everything you need to know about how it treats people. This update wasn't something I went looking for -- it just confirms the exact pattern I described above. REVIEW: I'll stick to the facts. I spent over $6,000 at this shop -- and apparently that doesn't buy you even baseline customer service. I bought my bike here, and after a front wheel/tire failure caused a crash, I went through a Giant warranty claim with Montlake. The product side eventually got resolved, but dealing with them was frustrating from start to finish -- and the real problem wasn't the logistics, it was the attitude. From the beginning, I got the clear sense the shop saw me as an inconvenience rather than a customer. Communication was poor across essentially everyone I dealt with: no timely updates, no callbacks, no straight answers, and I was the one chasing them at every step. More than the delays, it was the tone -- dismissive, condescending, and openly impatient any time I asked a reasonable question about my own bike. One phone call summed up the whole experience. A staff member told me to "chill out dude, you got a new bike even though it was your fault you crashed it," and to stop "beating a dead horse." Talked down to, blamed, and brushed off in a single call. It's also just wrong -- it reflects a basic misunderstanding of how Giant's warranty and crash-replacement programs actually work. I don't expect a shop to agree with me on everything, but I do expect basic respect -- especially as a customer who put thousands of dollars into this place. The product issue got sorted out eventually; the attitude is why I won't be back, and why I'd point other riders elsewhere.

I'm just getting back into bike commuting, and I've been very happy with my experience at Montlake…read moreBike Shop. They've been very patient with my questions, and have had a really quick turnaround time with service. I will continue to recommend them to my friends.