About a month ago in late October I had the pleasure of taking a weeklong vacation to the Pacific Northwest. I had yet to use a bulk of my vacation days from work, so I thought it appropriate to take a nice trip to get out of the Midwest. That is really my main goal when traveling: go somewhere that the eyes have yet to witness. I had a few friends from KU that moved out there after graduation, so I booked my trip to Seattle and spent some time two time zones away.
When I first arrived, my friend Daniel met me at the airport in Tacoma and took the “Link” rail to downtown Seattle. Daniel was gracious enough to let me stay at his place, which ended up being a perfect location for my tourist self. Here are some of the highlights in photos…
View from Daniel’s apartment: The Wheel and Puget Sound
Pike Place Fish Market throwers
Interactive fountain near Needle
Train station and city bus wires
CenturyLink Field (where Seahawks and Sounders play)
Seattle view atop Columbia Tower
College friend Joe and me on Halloween weekend
Overall, I loved Seattle. It has such different weather and a distinct culture compared to the Midwest.
If you go, definitely try the coffee! I went to Starbucks, Seattle Coffee Works and Cherry Street Coffee when I was there. Out of all I think Seattle Coffee Works was the best, but it’s the best I’ve had of any city.
The nightlife is relaxed and niche, as different areas/neighborhoods of the city have distinct bar cultures. Definitely worth asking around before you go out on the town.
I bought some Pacific Northwest Native American artwork that I just got framed. I’ll post pictures soon to my Twitter feed. It’s awesome!
Also, Google or Wikipedia the “Seattle Freeze.” It’s a phenomenon that Seattleites are flaky and independent. Apparently they are warm at first but are not long-term in regard to making plans. Interesting stuff.
It rained off and on, but not too much that it made the trip a mess. It was actually about right in sun-to-rain ratio.
It’s hilly. Chicago is completely flat, so my calves were a bit stressed after Day One.
Seattle is surrounded by water, as it is a peninsula. In the distance on a clear day, you can see Mount Rainier, a volcano that marks the highest point in Washington.
Let me know if you have any questions about the city, as I probably didn’t remember everything I did. Other than that, stay tuned for more blog posts in 2013 about my next destination!
Fee Spirited 
Cool pics! I’m dying to get to the west coast myself…namely San Francisco and Portland. Have you been to those places??
Brittany – I have not. They are on my list as well! People say Portland is just a bigger Lawrence. I’m excited to visit San Fran for the food. Let me know if you plan on going!
Next destination: Oregon. Also, isn’t Pike Place the best? My best friend works at the Steelhead Diner right there.
It’s pretty cool. And yes, you know I want to visit Portland/Eugene!