If you’ve got some time to spend on vacation, say a week or so, make a city your base – and then do day trips from there. Seattle is a beautiful base, a great launch pad for the wonders of the startling Pacific Northwest. The Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau has some suggestions for quick forays beyond the Emerald City:
- Make tracks to Mount Rainier. At 14,411 feet, looming as it does just south of Seattle, you can’t miss the volcanic mountain. In winter you can cross-country ski, sled and snowmobile – maybe even take a walk through the Paradise area. The best place to start your adventure is at the Park Ranger’s office.
- From mountain to idyllic island, that’s the sort of diversity the Seattle area offers. Bainbridge Island may be the most popular. It’s a mere ferry-ride away, and the view of the Seattle Skyline from the bow of the boat alone is worth the price of admission. Stroll around downtown and smell the coffee. Lose yourself in the island’s amber ambience.
- Bainbridge too busy for you? Sojourn to the San Juan Islands, lush, green gems scattered upon the sea. Find a good B&B, a book that you’ve wanted to read for ages and settle in. You’ll be hard-pressed to leave.
- This reporter’s favorite land-bound Seattle-esque pursuit is to sit with a nice glass of Washington State wine at a table in Salish Lodge & Spa and watch the water tumble over 270-foot Snoqualmie Falls. This is the place, folks, where they filmed Twin Peaks.
- Spend some time in Leavenworth. No, that that one. This one’s a replica of a Bavarian village. It’s a great place for shopping and noshing. If you’re on a diet, you might want to skip this stop.
(Image: .Bala)
