Seattle

For the last several days I’ve been in the Emerald City, Seattle. I’ve always heard about what a rainy city Seattle is, but from the day I arrived, I think there’s been sunny weather everyday, which makes it nice for sightseeing. The first thing that captivated me about this city is all the greenery—plants and flowers everywhere. Secondly, while Seattle has its own sights of the Space Needle, a monorail, distinct neighborhoods, the Pike Place Market (home of the first Starbucks), and sports arenas, the surrounding islands and parks are worthwhile visiting in and of themselves. One thing’s for sure, though, if you’re traveling on foot in the city, you’ll get a good workout for your quads and calves as the main section of the city is built on a slope ending at the wharf. And, speaking of the wharf, I’m told that Seattle has more ships than any other city in the continental U.S. However, I only boarded one, a ferry to Whidbey Island. While it’s been neat to check out some places, the best part of this visit was seeing people I knew (the first I’d encountered after about seven days on my trip).