This weekend marks the first of three Seattle Sounders-OL Reign doubleheaders in 2022. But these will not be like the PNW Experience doubleheader from last year, which had a 2-hour break between games and music offerings. This year, the games have a much longer break between them and require separate tickets for entry to Lumen Field. With thousands of fans planning to see both matches, it’s time to think long and hard about how to spend all that time between games.

Know your kickoffs

OL Reign and the San Diego Wave kick off a little after noon on Sunday, which means that the final whistle will be at around 2 PM. And while the advertised kickoff for the Sounders-Charlotte may be 6:30 PM, the Sounders have been upfront this year about actual kickoff times, and kickoff is posted on soundersfc.com as 6:55 PM. You can thank the typical extended FS1 pre-game show for the late kickoff. That leaves nearly FIVE hours outside the stadium. While some may choose to cozy up to the nearest bar or restaurant and stay put, I wanted to present some other options, for your liver’s sake.

Know your transportation options

Assuming you found a good spot for parking for the OL Reign game, my guess is that you won’t want to move it before the Sounders game, and risk paying for stadium parking twice. However, now that you are down at Lumen Field already, there are plenty of ways to move around the city. Light Rail can quickly take you to Downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, University of Washington, or Northgate for the afternoon. Alternatively, this might be a great time to try out an electric bike, scooter, or seated scooter. There are always swarms of scooters parked around the stadium. They cost about $1 to unlock and between $.35-$.40 per minute and are really exhilarating traveling at speeds up to 15 MPH (8 MPH for first-time riders). A word of warning: they can be dangerous and a little scary, so follow all safety rules, keep your knees bent on those scooters, and be sure to use roads and bike lanes, not sidewalks. My favorite well-protected bike lanes near the stadium area are along 2nd Avenue.

Why not make it a triple-header?

If you are making it a day of sports, why stop at two games? One option is to go next door and watch the Mariners play the Astros. That game starts at 1:10 PM, so by the time OL Reign ends, you’ll probably walk in at the 3rd inning. You’ll still have two more hours to kill between the end of the Mariners game and the start of the Sounders game. On the other hand, if you want to make it a complete tripleheader, you can head over to Climate Pledge Arena to watch the Seattle Storm play the Liberty with tip-off at 3 PM. That’s three full games to take in on a Memorial Day Sunday with plenty of time to get between stadiums.

Traverse the Sound

The Bainbridge Island ferry is only a 15-minute walk from Lumen Field. Ferries to Bainbridge leave on Sunday at 2:10 PM and 3:05 PM and are a 35-minute trip. If you take the 3:05 PM ferry, you will arrive on Bainbridge at 3:40 PM with a 10-minute walk into town. Ferries return from Bainbridge at 4:40 PM and 5:35 PM with the later ferry scheduled to return to the Seattle port 45 minutes before kickoff. That leaves over 90 minutes to peruse the shops, bars, and restaurants before starting the walk back to the ferry. Round-trip ferry tickets for passengers are $9.25 for adults and $4.60 for seniors and youth.

Go on tilt or get cultured

Since you have plenty of time, how does unlimited pinball sound? The Seattle Pinball Museum can be found in the International District. Admission is $20 for adults and $17 for kids and includes unlimited pinball, open from noon to 6 PM. Drinks, snacks, beer and cider are all available to hold you over when it’s not your turn to play.

If you aren’t the pinball type, a more traditional museum is always an option. The Seattle Art Museum, Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Pacific Science Center, the Museum of Pop Culture, the Children’s Museum, and the Museum of History and Industry are all great options to enjoy the afternoon. For the introverts among us, I recommend the Seattle Public Library as a great free alternative. Whichever you choose, you will still have plenty of time for dinner and the short trip back to Lumen.