The Seattle Traveler

Every once in awhile, you need to get off the beaten path, slow things down a bit, and just take life as it comes.  When you’re in that kind of mood, get off of I-5 and try taking Route 11, also known as Chuckanut Drive
To get to Chuckanut Drive, head north on I-5, getting off the freeway just north of Burlington at exit #231.  Follow signs to Route 11, a traditional two-lane highway that connect the Skagit Valley to Bellingham.  As you continue north through the fields and farms, you’ll see spectacular views of both water (in photo) and …read more

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Yeah, yeah, I hear the rain jokes and comments all the time —
How many Seattle-ites does it take to change a light bulb?
Two.  One to change the bulb and one to hold the umbrella.

Ha!  Ha! 
After my return from Paris last week, a non-local friend asked if I was lamenting my return to the rainy weather of Seattle.  While I was lamenting leaving Paris, the weather on the day I got back into Seattle was a very pleasant 82 degrees.  Nothing to lament there!
Okay, it’s raining today (and was yesterday, too), but Seattle is NOT the rain-soaked city that you may think it …read more

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Seattle has been home to a number of outstanding musicians over the years, although people tend to focus more on the grunge and indy scene, forgetting about the rich blues and jazz scene of earlier decades.
Jazz artist Ernestine Anderson is a Garfield High School alum, and a part of Seattle’s Jackson Street era that gave a substantial boost to not only her career, but also the careers of Ray Charles and Quincy Jones. 
Her career went to the top in the 1950’s, followed by some time touring in Europe during the 60’s.  After gathering international following, she took a brief hiatus from the limelight, …read more

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If you’ll be driving a car in Seattle, you’ll need to be prepared for parking expenses.  While free on-street parking is possible, it’s growing increasingly harder to find, and during peak commute times, many streets prohibit parking altogether.  
Metered parking, where available, is metered Monday – Friday, 8 am – 6 pm, at a cost of $1.50 hour, broken down into increments of 10 minutes for 25 cents.
Additionally,the downtown area still has a fair number of off-street parking lots and parking garages.  Parking rates at these sites range from about $3-10 per hour, and about $10-30 per day.  Rates depend on location …read more

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I’m not sure if these motels were rent-by-the-hour establishments, or just places that are well past their prime, but there’s a slew of motels set for destruction around the city, making way for new and beautiful things.
To mourn the passing of the venerable institutions (or celebrate progress — it all depends on your point of view), you can take one last trip down memory lane with Motel, a performance art based group conducting one last hurrah before the walls come tumbling down.
The current performance can be seen at the Ambassador Motel through Friday, September 28th.   
What’s to see?
These are endurance performances …read more

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Details:  A great way to spend some quiet time is walking through the Rose Garden at the Woodland Park Zoo.  Admission is free, and there’s lots more besides roses.
Photo:  personal collection
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Technorati Tags: b5media, The Seattle Traveler, travel, vacation, Seattle Traveler, Seattle, Washington, Washington State, Seattle tourism, travel information, city blogs, destination blogs, Woodland Park Zoo, gardens, zoos, roses, rose gardens

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I missed posting earlier about the opening night of the 2007-08 Seattle Symphony Season.  (It must have been because I was too wrapped up in my Paris experience.)
Opening night is tonight, with a performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma.  He’s one of my favorites on my iPod play list, and it’s a shame I’m out of town for this sold-out event.
The Symphony has a lot of great performances scheduled this season, from the traditional to the concerts for young people, so whether your a classical music fan, or new to the genre, you’ll find something that all audiences will enjoy.
Here’s …read more

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b5media, today adds on two new destination blogs to our growing channel of great Travel & Culture blogs.
Heading south of the Mason-Dixon line, you’ll find Chloe, blogging at The Atlanta Traveler.  It’s been awhile since I’ve visited this city, and her posts have been a fun reminder of how much the city has to offer.
Next, we head south of the equator, to find Lauren blogging at The Sydney Traveler.  To me, Sydney has always seemed an interesting and exotic place, so I’ve enjoyed learning how right and how wrong that opinion is.
We’re always looking for a few good bloggers, so …read more

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It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.  Why, because they do us no harm; the only thing they do is sing their hearts out for us.

That innocence of right and wrong set the tone for Harper Lee’s magnificent novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
The novel is a very thinly disguised autobiography, with Harper Lee as the narrator Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and her dear childhood friend, Truman Capote, as Charles Baker “Dill” Harris, as it tells a coming of age story in the deep south.  Although the novel was not predicted to do well in sales, it won a Pulitzer …read more

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The Las Vegas Convention Center will be the location for BlogWorld & New Media Expo, November 8th – 9th, and it’s the perfect excuse to arrange a short little getaway from Seattle.
b5media is a proud sponsor of this blogging event, and we’re putting together a big community meet-up.  More details on that to come, but first, we need to talk you into going.
The conference bills itself as the biggest blogging conferene in the world, and starts off with an Executive & Entrepreneur Conference track on Wednesday (November 7th), and then moves into the full Conference event on Thursday and Friday.  A …read more

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