Seattle and Traveler Tips

Totem poles created by First Nation communities reflect Seattle's heritage.

 I recently returned from a three-week trip to the Seattle, Washington area.  Seattle is a beautiful, magical city when you can catch her on a sunny day without a cloud in the sky.  Similar to her sister city of Portland (notoriously dubbed 'City of the Weird'), Seattle's quirky character gives her a certain charm.  Seattle, I suppose, could be called 'City of the Liberal Salmon,' 'Land of Starbucks and Mountains,' or, in a fit of California envy, 'Rain, rain, go away.'  But really, Seattle is a great city.  I love all of the small antique and art shops downtown interspersed with a cornucopia of coffee houses, cheese shops, specialty food marts and bike
shops, yarn havens, and seafood-centered restaurants.

Pike Place is a typical tourist trap, though well worth the while for the giant ten-dollar bouquets of flowers and gift-style foodstuffs.  When my husband and I go, he always gets the Chinese-Vietnamese pork rolls (pronounced Hum-Bow or Banh-Bao) that reflect the French influence and obsession with bread and South Vietnam's love for pork.  There are also a few scattered comic, used book, and photo shops that have surprising finds tucked away, if you take the time to look.

View of the Harbor from Bainbridge Island

I talk with market and shop vendors to get their take on the lay of the land.  On one of my first Seattle trips I was planning to go on the underground tour of the city reflecting its early tumultuous history as a frontier town.  Tunnels, underground hideaways and passages are all around the city.  After talking with an African mask dealer about dream states (of all things), we were shown the underground passages directly parallel to his basement-stationed shop.  Very cool, indeed.  (And no, we didn't find anything spooky or old in there, but I did find the remnants of chicken wings consumed and partially petrified...woohahhaha!)  But it was a fun experience and I wouldn't have had it were I to have not struck up an interesting conversation with a perfect stranger.

Let your wings be your compass!

That is what I love about traveling... you never know who you are going to meet or what you'll come by once you jump off the designated tour circle.  And mostly, I've found over the years that people are generally nice.  (I know--surprising right?)  It's amazing what you can learn when you are willing to listen and sit and ask a few questions.  People LIKE to exchange ideas and thoughts.  And people for the most part ENJOY telling you what they have gleaned from years of daily habits and experience residing, working, and eating in a place.  It makes them feel helpful, important, needed.  And it's a great way to strike up new relationships.  Take note, dear friends, take note.  The best tour guides are often those rare individuals who genuinely desire for your experience to be a great one even if they won't remember your name or get anything out of it other than knowing they've been kind to another human being.  Finding people like that who are willing to share their knowledge is TRAVELER's GOLD.

More coming soon on THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA.  Ciao for now!