My daughter had moved to Seattle many years ago, so she's used to the place, but like most large cities, it has it's own unique personality. The geography is amazing. Everyone describes where you're going as "at the top of the hill" or "the bottom of the hill", and when you get there, it really is. Three miles from here, at the top of this hill.
It's a great place to get lost, and you're going to, so relax and enjoy it. Being genetically pre-disposed to it, I bought maps when I got there. (Buy the nice plastic ones; they refold better and you can eat over them in the car and wipe them off.) It doesn't help. The streets all have just numbers, no names, and you think, "Isn't that nice, they number them so they can keep the same number when the street crosses into the next suburb, and you know where you are." Wrong. It gets a new number in the next town. And although the street goes on forever, it gets a new number in every town between Seattle and Puget Sound. And you still don't know where you are. This is not the opinion of an uneducated outsider. I asked the nurses, and they tell me it's the only place you have to give directions to the cab driver, because it's assumed he won't know. You'd think maybe they'd number them sequentially for your convenience, but it doesn't work that way. They tell me there is an intersection of 234th and 234th, somewhere.
Further complicating the issue, the state of Washington has a tendency towards amusing and/or incomprehensible street signs, conveying information that you must be able to live without, because they don't know what a lot of it means either. (Much of this information apparently has a lot to do with various kinds of truck brakes, and their applicability to the local terrain.) Some of it seems vital, but by the time you figure out what it means, you've missed the intersection. Washington has many interesting intersections. Be very careful of the ones leading to the "Bus/Carpool" lane, as those have no exits. My personal favorite is "watch for pedestrians, bicycles, and elk next 12 miles." Every time I left the hotel, I got lost both ways, but you're bound to end up somewhere incredibly photogenic, because everything is. Just leave early, and expect trouble.
On the other hand, the natives don't automatically assume you're going to mug them, so it's safe to ask for directions and they'll share what they know. The people are friendly, and you meet a lot of nice ones that way. Some of them are wearing jewelry in their face; it's just a local custom. I saw several beauty marks that turned out to be stainless steel. Remember it's their city; you're the stranger. Don't stare. I always stick on a temporary tattoo when I travel alone anyway, so we got along fine. (It worries people who are considering stealing your personal effects. They think you might be tougher than you look.)
You can buy espresso pretty much everywhere, gas stations, discount stores, video rental places. (There is no x in espresso, try to look cool when you say it.) Buy the stuff; it gives you a chance to ask for directions. Pour it out in the parking lot, because I suspect it destroys your stomach lining after about a week. It probably doesn't do the parking lot any good, either.
There's a road you must not miss. It's in the Olympics, called Hurricane Ridge. My daughter calls it "The Road of Death." It's a gravel road that runs along the top of the ridge, one lane wide, and if you're lucky, they put a blade through there within the last month. The sign says At Your Own Risk, and the risk is considerable. I knew we were in trouble when we had to cling to the outside of the mountain to allow passage by a VW microbus full of real hippies, who waved peace signs out the window as they passed. There are no guardrails, only your relationship with your Higher Power prevents mishap, in the sense that falling 2 or 3 thousand feet is a mishap. Don't worry about hitting the bottom, you'll be impaled on a pine tree taller than the hills you have at home long before that happens. Do this in a rental car. They have really good brakes.
Things to do while you're there:
- Remember Mt. Rainier is an active volcano. Wonder if today is the day.
- Predict the weather by looking at Mt. Rainier. If you can't see it, it's raining. If you can, it's going to rain later today. This is how the locals do it.
- Be sure to experience the outdoor facilities; Washington has some interesting ideas about places to go potty. Bring your own paper.
- The state flower is mildew; see how many kinds you can find. Start in your motel room shower.
- Marvel at some of the last living rain forest in the US. Notice that Spanish moss is not entirely a Southern phenomenon.
- Visit the ocean off the Olympic Peninsula. Remember that the Columbia-Pacific Bar (where the Columbia River dumps into the Pacific) is the most vicious stretch of ocean attached to the continental US. The Coast Guard uses it for training in ships designed to roll 180 degrees and recover.
- Visit Puget Sound. Admire the wildlife. Watch the sea otters crack lunch open with a rock on their chests. Take a ferry. If you get seasick, buy the little elastic things with bumps that go inside your wrists before you leave. (Sea-Bands.) You won't.
- Don't get out of the car above the treeline. Your footsteps can damage lichens that are older than you are, just a lot shorter.
- Washington is famous for slugs. See who can find the biggest. My personal best was about five inches, but you can do better. Try not to scream.
- Remember all of the "Unsolved Mysteries" you've ever seen as you pass through the forest at dusk. Wonder how many bodies they haven't found yet.
- Enjoy yourself! It's different than home, and isn't that the whole point?
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