Travel Tuesday - Seattle

Welcome to Seattle! Seattle is a phenomenal city with a lot to see and do. I'm just going to tell you about a couple of my favorite things about the city. I suggest, if you've never been, to go yourself and discover all the wonderful things in the city.

The first thing I want to tell you about is the aquarium. Seattle has one of the largest aquariums in the Pacific Northwest. It has a large number of tanks and a plethora of aquatic life. It has seals and otters, and the dome. The dome is a way for you to see underwater in the Puget Sound. It's an incredible view. If you want to know more about the aquarium, you can always go here.

My other favorite place is Pike Place Market. It's nine acres of vendors and food, and it's all incredible. You can find fresh fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, handmade crafts, locally sourced products. It's amazing. It's open 362 days a year, and has over one hundred vendors peddling their wares. The sights, sounds, and smells are overwhelming. It's a great place for people watching, not to mention finding little treasures that you'd never think to find elsewhere. You can find out more about the market here.

If you go to Seattle, check out both of these locations. Then explore around a bit. See what else you can find that catches your fancy.

Travel Tuesday - Sequim, WA

I once lived in a small town called Sequim (Skwim) in Washington. It was a pretty little town, not too far from Port Angeles and Port Townsend. It was on the coast so you could go to the shore. It was a pretty little town that a lot of retirees found comfortable. Sequim is often called "Sunny Sequim". It's in a rain shadow, so while a good portion of Washington is rainy Sequim has more sun than rain.

One of the big draws to Sequim is the Olympic Game Farm. Here's their website. The Olympic Game Farm worked with the Walt Disney company for 28 years. When the Disney company moved away from the nature films, the owner of Olympic Game Farm got permission to open the gates of the farm to the public. You can take driving tours through 84 acres of the farm and get face to face with many animals.

The other big draw for Sequim is the Lavender Festival. Sequim is the lavender capital of the Pacific Northwest, possibly even in the U.S. Here's the link to the festival webpage. This year is the 17th year of the lavender festival. There is a lovely tour of the lavender farms in the area, and a very busy street fair. The scent of lavender perfumes the air, overriding even the salt smell from the ocean. It is a gorgeous sight and one that I would highly recommend you take in if you like lavender. This year, the festival is July 19-21.

In the summer, Sequim also has a regular farmer's market in downtown where you can get fresh vegetables, homemade soaps and candles, and various other handmade crafts. It has entertainers come and perform for the people shopping. It's a very popular destination for the locals and even those who have come from out of town to visit the town.