Why York? York is an interesting walled medieval city. It’s cathedral is magnificent and has whimsical stone heads that inspired an early chapter in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It’s old medieval street, The Shambles, was said to have inspired Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, and it has lots of snickelways — alleys between buildings that you can use to navigate around the city. What’s not to love? This is a guide to places see and things to do in York and a list of related resources (including fiction set in York).

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 houseboats.

Ah, Spring! We’re starting to get some snippets of sun and come out of hibernation. And more festivals start to begin, in preparation for the busy summer festival season. Here are some of the area festivals and events on our radar.

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.

I won’t be seeing the Rolling Stones in Seattle this spring, but I DID finally get to visit the original STANDING stones last spring. Here are some highlights on my journey and some tips for visiting Stonehenge.

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).