Seattle

So, I started thinking about vacations, and realized that it has been over 10 years since my daughter and I have been out of this state. Don't get me wrong, Minnesota is a lovely place to live, but I really love traveling, and have not had any chance, with all the changes I have gone through the last decade.

So now that things have finally settled down, and there is steady income again, I decided a vacation was in order. I have been to most corners of the US- from the East Coast, to the South, to the West (not the Southwest- doesn't hold much appeal for me), but I have never been to the Pacific Northwest. Lately I have been feeling a need for a big change, and I have been dreaming of moving to another part of the country. My whole life I have lived in the Midwest (Wisconsin and Minnesota) and there is so much more to see and experience out there. So one night, I hopped on Expedia and impulsively booked a vacation to Seattle. Had no ideas about areas of the city, but that is why the internets is so great. I spent the next couple of weeks researching so that by the time we left, we had a whole list of things we wanted to see and do. Trouble was, we only had 4 days there. Not nearly enough time.


Here is the hotel where we stayed. The Red Lion Hotel on 5th Avenue. It was wonderful- right in the heart of downtown. We opted not to rent a car (parking is ridiculously expensive there- $30 a night at the hotel) and just hoofed it all around the city. The public transportation there is fabulous. Free in the downtown area.

Minneapolis is somewhat smaller than Seattle in population, but there is a hugh difference in the pace and bustle of the city. The streets and sidewalks were crowded from sunup to long after dark. We were amazed by how much foot traffic there was on the sidewalks. Everyone drives here, and after 5, when the office workers go home, downtown pretty much turns into a ghost town. Not so in Seattle. And the weather made it very amenable to walking both during the day and at night.

All in all, a great place to visit (and I bet, a good place to live). More posts and pics on the Seattle trip to come.