Every city has a fringe, but Portland maintains an unusually visible odd streak. From a fiercely independent music scene to clowns riding tall bikes and marching bands on stilts, Portland prides itself on its quirky nature. Here are a few of the annual festivals that give the Rose City its unique atmosphere.

There's something different about San Francisco, and I'm not just talking about its Victorian architecture, its cable cars or the fact that the Golden Gate Bridge is painted orange. If anything, these are the end results of something that runs much deeper through the city's seven by seven mile area: its eccentric spirit.

2009 Travel Writing Contest
  2nd PLACE WINNER

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we only borrow it from our children”.

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.

When you hear the clip-clop of hooves, smell the syrupy sweet aroma of shoo-fly pie, spot colorful hex signs on the side of barns and observe men with long beards and black hats riding their horse-drawn buggies down rural roads, you'll know you're in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Lancaster County is the heart and soul of "Penn Dutch," as the home of the Amish people living in this region west of Philadelphia is commonly called, and over five million people every year visit towns in Penn Dutch whose strange names include Bird-in-Hand, Paradise and Intercourse.