Blogs from Seattle, Washington, United States, North America - page 19

I knew I would like Seattle after I had taken a 5 minute walk downtown and immediately spotted a shop specializing in maps in all shapes and sizes, and a shop specializing in colorful umbrellas. After we arrived in the city, I had had to leave Leo sitting in Starbucks and go shopping by myself, as I had to take care of some shady businesses I could not let him see (= his birthday present). The impression I got on that first walk downtown was enforced the next day as we walked around together - we found many more cute shops and cafés (even though most of them seemed to be Starbucks, home to which Seattle is). It wasn't all cute and idyllic, though. In the evening of our arrival to Seattle we went to a ... read more

Up early again today as we we're going to a tour of the Boeing Factory in Everett - about a 40 minute drive from where we are staying. The factory is so huge is difficult to put into prospective but the guide told us that 7 Taj Mahals could fit inside the factory, or the whole of Disneyland with a 12 acre parking lot would be equal to the size of Boeing so that gives you an idea of the magnitude of the place. The tour is 90 minutes long and you get a bus to different parts of the factory to see the workings of the place. Boeing employs 42,000 staff at the plant. It is virtually a city within a city and has its own fire brigade, air strip, control tower, restaurants, coffee shops, ... read more

Well we have arrived at our first destination after a 12 hour flight from Brisbane to LAX, then 3.5 hour stopover before boarding an air alaska flight to Seattle. The flight from Brisbane went smooth although it is always way too long for those of us sitting in economy. Food and service is great on Virgin Australia. Today we experienced what american folks call normal when boarding a domestic flight in the USA. It is a long process to get through all the security checks and I am grateful to be living in Australia where the threat of terrorism is not near as bad as over here. Having said that I am also grateful that the border security are doing their utmost to keep everyone safe! The flight from LAX to Seattle was just over 2 ... read more

This was one of the longest drive days scheduled for the trip with an estimated 11 hours to get from East Glacier Village to Seattle. So, we stopped in at Brownies the local deli for some breakfast, and hit the road early. I thought I’d be adventurous with my coffee - error - and ordered the huckleberry flavoured kind. Ick. I should know better. We decided to take US-2 west instead of going back through the park again today. What an amazing road! This definitely ranks as one of the most beautiful drives we’ve done. The mist hanging low over the trees, the mountains, the forests, the historic railroad along side of us - it was magical. That is until we nearly hit a dear gamboling across the road. I wasn’t paying attention to the road ... read more

Geo: 47.6353, -122.302An interesting day it was. Our plan today was to go sightseeing on Puget Sound in the morning then visit Pike Market in the afternoon. We left the hotel at 9 AM, 64 degrees, and headed north on I-5. The first thing I saw when we hit the road was a long chain of mountains to the east, with those now familiar trails of snow bleeding down the sides. Since the sky was blue today and the sun was shining brightly, we could see them clearly in their majestic splendor. I can't explain why, but there is something about mountains that makes my heart skip a beat. Someday, perhaps, I will get to lay my eyes on the big one…Everest. That would be sweet. Soon I spotted a mountain, far off in the distance, ... read more