The Seattle Traveler

Start off the New Year’s on a happy note with adults toys from Seattle’s very own Babeland. 
This highly regarded store is known for being a women-friendly sex toy shop.  Founded here in Seattle in 1993, the store serves up information and fun to thousands of satisfied customers.  You’ll find toys, books, videos, along with personal advice and recommendations from the helpful staff.
Babeland’s Annual New Year’s Sale (one of only two sales the store has) runs January 1st –4th, with nearly everything in the store marked down 25-40%.  This looks to be one of the biggest sales they’ve ever …read more

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Details:  The Victorian Village and train set at Seattle Center’s Winterfest. 
The festival enters its final days.  Check out the full schedule to take in some of the remaining events.  Through December 31st at the Center House at the Seattle Center.
 

Photo credit:  personal collection
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Now that Christmas is behind us, have you made your plans for New Year’s Eve?  The options narrow with each passing day, but even if you’ve waited till the last minute, here are some ideas to help you ring in 2009.

Make reservations for dinner out.  Ok, all the really great spots may be booked up (or maybe not given the economy right now).  I’d suggest taking a look at Open Table and see what is available.  (This is a great site for reservations any time of year.)
Fireworks at the Space Needle.  You may still be able to get …read more

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If all the Seattle snow kept your from finishing up (or starting) your holiday shopping, you have roughly 24 hours to pull it together and look like a hero.  Then you can smugly say, “Why yes, I did finish all my holiday shopping early this year!”
Going to the mall is probably going to make you crazy, and you’ll wind up buying something that you don’t really want just to get out of there.  Instead, consider these local Seattle-area businesses that can offer really wonderful, and thoughtful, local gifts:

Starbuck’s gift card – You can find one on every street corner, …read more

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Given the snowy Seattle weather, it seems a little silly to post about all the fun holiday things that you can do, because many people are without power or can’t even get our of their driveway or neighborhood.
But, on the off chance that this snow melts quickly, put the Fantasy Lights at Spanaway Park (Tacoma) on your must-see holiday lights list.  The two mile lighting display along Spanaway Lake is the the largest drive-through holiday lights display in the Pacific Northwest.
With over 300 displays, including animation, the bring a smile to light up even the coldest moment.
Tune the car …read more

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Much of the greater Seattle area enjoyed a snow today, with many businesses, governmental offices, and school closed.
Flying into Sea-Tac Airport mid-day wasn’t too bad.  In fact, it took me nearly as long to drive home from the airport as it did to fly from San Francisco to Seattle!
No snow when I left home a few days ago.  This is what was waiting when I arrived home this afternoon.  There were lots of kids with sleds, and various boards sliding down the hill having a great school-free day.
 

 
More on the way tonight!  FUN!!!
 
Photos:  personal collection
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The Sound of Music, the much loved movie set in the Austrian Alps, was released over 43 years ago, yet still gains new fans with each generation.
Who hasn’t found themselves humming one along to the title theme song, or Do, A Deer, or even Edelweiss? 
Celebrate the New Year with a special showing of the movie at the 5th Avenue Theatre, as they present Sing-A-Long Sound of Music.
This is participatory theater at its finest, with moviegoers encouraged to come in costume.  Cheer for the Von Trapp’s, Boo the Nazi’s, and sing-a-long to all your favorite tunes.  Don’t know the words?  …read more

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Details:  A fall day on the deck outside the Edgewater Hotel.  It was too cold to be sitting outside (at least it wasn’t snowing, though), but I found the starkness of the landscape appealing.
 
Image credit:  personal collection
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Lucy’s Legacy:  The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia was a celebration of a culture that I knew nothing about, as well as a thought provoking exhibit of what might be the missing link in evolution from ape to man.
But now I’m getting ahead of myself, so let’s go back to the beginning and I’ll take you along with me through the exhibit.
Back in 1974, Dr. Donald Johanson discovered fossils in Hadar, Ethiopia. The fossils weren’t human, but they weren’t really an ape either, leading to the theory that Lucy could be the link between the two.
The fossil discovery was called …read more

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Fans of David Sedaris’ irreverent sense of humor will find The Santaland Diaries a hilarious escape from the warm fuzziness of the holiday season.
The one-man play tells the story of a man’s experience working as an elf at the New York’s Macy’s Santaland, and the crazy behavior of people under the spell of the Christmas Spirit.  If you’ve read any Sedaris books, you have to know that this story is going to be full of unpredictable twists and turns.
The Santaland Diaries was originally aired on NPR with Sedaris reading this essay.  From that first broadcast, Sedaris parlayed his …read more

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