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Seattle? Weird? The home of pocket protectors and black, horn rimmed glasses? Well, yes. Don’t forget this is the very same Seattle that produced Jimi Hendrix, the Grunge movement and Kurt Cobain. Sure, there are enough geeks to fill the busses every morning on the way to Redmond but there are still plenty of ex Hippies and apathetic, flannel clad guitar players to keep Seattle interesting. Welcome to Weird Seattle.
As you cruise up and down I-5 in Washington you may ask yourself, ‘what’s happening in Tacoma?’—the answer is a lot. No longer the ugly step child of Seattle, Tacoma has cleaned up its formally blemished downtown and has set itself up to be a true destination for Washington visitors and the place to start is the Museum District.
As a resident of Portland, Oregon I have no excuse that I have never visited Seattle. I have always wanted to go but have never taken the time to plan the trip. Having only lived in the Pacific Northwest for four years I guess it’s reasonable, but I am embarrassed to admit it.
Edmonds perches on the edge of Puget Sound just 15 miles north of Seattle. The ambiance of a beach town combined with a vibrant local culture offers many opportunities for a perfect day. You’ll find plenty to do browsing the shops, exploring the beach, or hiking in the park.
Remember Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare? A hare in a race with a tortoise that got so far ahead he became over confident and stopped for a nap. While he was sleeping, the tortoise plodded past and won the race.
Today, our lifestyles push us so fast we feel like the hare, and our ancestors feel like the tortoise. But there’s a link between throttling down and living a richer life. A trip through Washington’s rural Clark County will reacquaint you with the past and a sensible pace of living.
A visit to Seattle, a city famous for coffee, the grunge music scene and rain would not be complete without a thorough exploration of the waterfront. This coastal city and major seaport, sits on an isthmus between Puget Sound-an arm of the Pacific Ocean-and Lake Washington on Elliott Bay. With a myriad of piers, markets, aquariums, vendors and live music this is certainly a fun way to navigate a day especially if you have kids in tow.
One drive through Seattle’s rush hour traffic will tell you that this is a fast-paced, busy city. Locals are constantly coming and going from their office jobs to the gym, happy hour and Mariners games, while making plenty of Starbucks runs in between.
Fortunately, Seattle offers plenty of places to unwind from the stress of the daily grind. The next time you need a break from reality, grab some equally-stressed friends and take a day for yourselves.
Everything about Seattle is tall– from the 607-foot Space Needle and snow-capped 14,410-foot Mt. Rainier that fills the skyline, to the lattés and mochas found on every street corner. If you’re looking for a not-too-far-away weekend trip with big city flavor, Washington’s Emerald City is just the place. Being the corporate home of Starbucks, there’s no shortage of great coffee either. And if you prefer a different brew, there is… Read More