Seattle

For my money, if I had one place in the United States to visit and wanted to enjoy a totally different scene, I would recommend 2 places. The first is Seattle. I’ve been to Seattle maybe 4 times, and every time I’ve gone, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself.  

http://www.visitseattle.org/visitors/default.asp

The first thing you have to know about The Emerald City is it’s built on a hill. So if you are planning on doing any walking, ya better bring your tennis shoes. Seattle is not for the high-heeled! It’s also not for someone who prefers to hang in their hotel room. And so when I go to Seattle, I gotta go outdoors.n> 

One thing I have to note right out of the gate is that I have friends in Seattle. So whenever I’m there, I get to visit with people who know their way around. Most of these cities that I visit, I don’t know anyone, so I’m stuck walking around by myself and I have to kind of judge things from that standpoint.

Here’s the thing about Seattle…it’s about as diverse as you can get. Rich and poor, young and old. It adds to the flavor of the city. It also has a lot of tourists. So if you go to the Market, or to the Needle, or to one of the many museums or hiking trails, you can expect to see a lot of people. And some of em are kinda weird (like the girl at the Needle wearing butterfly wings?). But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 

 

The truth is, there IS a coffee shop on every corner. It DOES rain there a lot. What is NOT true is that all of the gloomy weather makes people there suicidal. Seattle folks are just cranky after a long winter of crappy weather. But…that still doesn’t stop me from loving it! Let it rain! And then when it stops, go check out Mt. Rainer or go walk in the Olympic Scultpure Park and admire all the unique artwork. 

There are so many little shops and unique stores, I couldn’t even begin to see them all! But there is something for everyone…including sports enthusiasts! The baseball and football stadiums are 2 of the best in the country to watch each sport!  

As for me, I’ve been hiking there, I’ve been in the Needle twice, I’ve been to the Market, I’ve seen concerts there (Social Distortion, Bright Eyes, The Bravery), I’ve walked all over the city…and I’ve loved every minute of it! There are so many things to see and do! I’ve never been to the Warhol museum. I’ve never actually been to Mt. Rainer. I’ve never sat at one of the endless book stores and read through old novels. I got a lot to do there yet!

 

So, if you have some extra sky miles and wanna blow them on an impromptu trip, I totally recommend Seattle. It’s got everything you want in a city. It’s diverse, it’s got personality. And it’s the birthplace of grunge! How can you NOT go???