The Pacific Northwest — or PNW — is the “upper left” part of the US; Washington State, Oregon, and Idaho. I generally throw lower British Columbia, Canada into that mix.
These are our articles pertainting to anything PNW — places to go, things to do and see, thoughts on the area, memories of years past…the list goes on.
Whether it’s Pi Day (in March) or Pie Day (in January) you’re likely to see a lot of posts about pie. But any day is a good day for Pie.
So we’re weighing in on our favorite go-to pie spots in Seattle, Western Washington State — and we’ll add some from the PNW in general.
We’re collecting poll responses for this post from readers, so give your suggestion for the best pie place in the PNW.
I had the chance to go to a media preview of this year’s Northwest Flower and Garden Festival. The gardens, as always were fabulous, there looks to be a promising lineup of speakers, but the real stars of the show were the “Fleurs de Villes.”
Sometimes referred to as “America’s Provence,” Sequim sits in the Olympic rain shadow, so it sees more days of sun that some other parts of western Washington State — and grows a LOT of lavender!
Here’s more about Sequim’s Lavender Festival that takes place each July, tips for visiting, information about a few of the farms, and a link to an interative map of area lavender farms you might want to visit.
This is a sponsored post from Greystone Castle. This place looks like a fabulous luxury vacation rental near Seattle that I would definitely consider for my next local getaway!
Guest author Mark Bennet discusses the best hiking trails at Mount Rainier National Park from the skyline trail at Paradise to the Summerland Trail.
Seattle is a literate city — Seattle tops many lists for things such as “most well-read population,” and “most literate city.” And in 2017 Seattle earned the UNESCO “City of Literature” designation. Yes, Seattle is home to Amazon — but Seattle is also home to some wonderful independent bookstoresl. Here are our favorite (independent) Seattle bookstores that we’ve visited — both new and used.
One Seattle Christmas memory was watching How the Grunge Stole Christmas on Almost Live, a Seattle TV comedy show. Here’s more.
This is a blog update post…but also a post about some retro Seattle t-shirts that I found online.
Are you a believer? It’s OK if you’re not. Ghost tours are fun, especially in October when the days are growing shorter and the leaves are falling. And good ones are also a bit of an (entertaining) history lesson. Here are three Haunted Tours in and (relatively) near Seattle to take this Autumn: Seattle, Port Gamble, and Port Townsend
If celebrity burials are your thing, the number of Seattle’s famous dead denizens does come close to rivaling many larger, and older, cities. But we do have a few here, and they’re worth visiting if you like cemeteries. Here’s more about where to find the graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee, Jimi Hendrix, and Chief Sealth (Seattle), along with a listing of a few others with a more local claim to fame.
I haven’t updated this post for 2021, and, at this point, am not sure if I will get around to it due to life events and changes on this website. Look for future posts with holiday event, though!
In Orondo, Washington, near the Columbia River Gorge, there exists a charming hobbit house built into the hillside. We finally got to stay there for a few nights! Here’s a review with a brief video, and some things to know before you go there.
We attended THING, Adam Zack’s (of Sasquatch! fame) new multidisciplinary music and arts festival at Fort Worden in Port Townsend. It included a varied lineup of entertainment and was worthwhile overall, with, we think a few learning experiences for next year if there is another THING coming.
Looking for info about days gone by in Seattle? Here are eight online resources to soothe your retro Seattle soul, including groups, archives of historic Seattle photos, and other resources.
I learned about the Japanese fish-shaped waffles from my daughter who loves Japanese sweets. But when our go-to Seattle taiyaki place disappeared, a search ensued to find out where to get the best taiyaki in Seattle.
Guillemot Cove Nature Preserve is one of my favorite Kitsap County day hikes, and great for kids (at least kids who will tolerate the uphill trek back from the beach). While you’re there, visit the Stump House which (legend has it) was a hideout for an outlaw in the 1800s and would have been my clubhouse as a kid if it had been in my neighborhood.
Obstruction Island just off the southeast part of Orcas Island is a good place for beginner-intermediate kayakers to paddle without being carried away by currents. Here’s more about this satisfying island circumnavigation paddle.
If you’re a city dweller who needs a brief escape but doesn’t have the time for an extended getaway, it’s possible to find little waterfront hideaways near Seattle that can allow you to get away from it all without getting too far away from it all. We stayed at this small cabin on Meydenbauer Bay in Medina (graciously loaned to us for an overnight). Read on about this cabin as well as some other near-city hideaways to add to my escape list from cabins to Seattle houseboats that you can rent.
If you want to explore times of yore (sorry about the rhyme), head to Port Townsend for their annual Victorian Festival. We did in 2018 and encountered many a thing, including frightening(ly beautiful) ball gowns, tintype photography, and ghost stories.
We visited the Nelson Treehouse Company’s B&B Treehouse point, along with a couple of other in-the-tree locations (the Forest House, Free Spirit Spheres, and — at least in spirit — the treehouse at Doe Bay) in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s a lowdown on getting high (up in the trees at least) along with a listing of other treehouses in the PNW you can rent.
You can only get to Blake Island in Washington State by boat (or seaplane, it turns out). It’s a fun kayaking adventure from Seattle or Kitsap County. Here’s more about kayaking and camping on Blake Island.
Pining for the Shire? Here are a few places to visit to quell your hobbity cravings in Washington State without visiting Middle Earth (or at least New Zealand).
Every year strange creations on wheels show up at the Fremont Fair in June. Here are favorite Seattle art cars from the 2018 event.
This beautiful mosaic labyrinth sits on a wooded park overlooking the water on Bainbridge Island, WA.
