Seattle
Scenes & Day Trips
Seattle is a truly civilized city, in a
region with incomparable beauty and a climate, while wet
at times, only adds to the charm. From almost anywhere in
Seattle, you can see the hills that rise above the city
in the West Seattle area. Queen Anne Hill and
Capitol Hill are the most notable; each with its
own network of parks and scenic viewpoints. Magnolia
Boulevard, on Queen Anne Hill leads to Discovery
Park, the city's largest and most varied piece of
parkland. A former army base, this park features groves
of trees, dunes, picnic areas, a museum, and a Native
cultural center. Queen Anne Hill has the Seattle
Center at its base.
Capitol Hill is mainly residential, with
Broadway as its main street. Here, you'll find cafes and
bars, the Cornish College of the Arts, and St. Mark's
Cathedral, on 10th Avenue East. Volunteer Park is
a 450-acre green space on the northern heights. It has a
circle drive and the Seattle Art Museum, with its
large Asian art collection is here. Some of Seattle's
oldest residences -- renovated and preserved -- are in
the area.
To the north of Downtown Seattle and the
hills is the Duwamish Waterway, which connects
Lake Washington to little Union Lake; and beside the
community of Ballard through the Hiram Chittenden Locks
(popularly called the Ballard Locks) to Elliot Bay and
Puget Sound.
The University of Washington campus
anchors Seattle's northern neighborhoods, and Lake
Washington provides a beautiful setting for several
residential communities. Woodland Park Zoo is at
the north end of Fremont Ave. Originally a private
estate, the zoo features plenty of room for animals to
roam, and an outstanding rain forest setting for the
resident gorillas. You'll also find the African Savanna
section, with lions, elephants, hippos, zebras, and
giraffes.
Woodland Park also includes a
children's theater, and an arboretum; the east side of
the park contains tennis courts, pitch and putt golf, and
a walking trail to Greenlake. The university was founded
in 1861, and is blessed with fine gardens, an arboretum
and several museums. The Thomas Burke Memorial
Museum, at the north entrance to the campus, has a
fine collection of native Indian art and artifacts. The
Henry Art Gallery has an extensive collection of
18th and 19th-century art, and also features traveling
exhibitions.
To the east of Lake Washington is the city
of Bellevue, part of a major (and still growing) suburban
area. The "Eastside" also includes the town of Kirkland,
Issaquah, and -- to the north -- Lynwood and Woodinville
(home of St. Michelle Winery, Washington's largest
winemaker, on a lovely country estate).
Day Trips from
Seattle
Seattle is in the midst of marvelous
landscape, with sea and mountains providing spectacular
vistas. Here are a few of many side-trips to enjoy, while
based in the Seattle area.
Mt. Rainier National Park
To the east of Seattle lie the Cascade
Mountains, dominated by Mt. Rainier, southeast of the
city. With a day's return drive, you can experience the
majesty of Rainier and the national park that bears its
name. To get there, take I-5 south, past Tacoma, and exit
to Highway 512, which runs east to the junction with 161.
Turn south on Highway 161 and drive through Eatonville
(26 miles), and turn left onto Highway 7. After 10 miles
(at Elbe) take Hwy. 706 to Ashford, and follow the
winding mountain road to the National Park Visitor Center
and Paradise Lodge.
This summer-only road continues along the
mountain base to join Hwy. 123, which leads north to the
Sunrise sideroad, and panoramic views from a visitor
center and viewpoint at the top of the road. This is the
highest spot on Rainier accessible by car. You can return
to Seattle by continuing north on Hwy. 123, and then
Highway 410, which leads to the Valley Freeway (to Kent,
south of Seattle), and also to I-5 just north of
Tacoma.
You may, of course, choose to do the trip
via the reverse route -- to arrive at Sunrise just before
sunrise. It's an unforgettable view.
The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad
takes a 40-mile excursion from the village of Elbe, and
on weekend evenings, it becomes a dinner train. For
information and reservations, call (206) 569-2588.
Snoqualmie
Snoqualmie is the small mountain town where
the cult TV series and film "Twin Peaks" were filmed.
With its dramatic waterfall, the town has long been a
tourist attraction. 25 miles due east of Seattle, via
Interstate 90, the Snoqualmie River cascades 268 feet
through the familiar gorge. Salish Lodge overlooks the
falls. This is one of the premier resort hotels in the
region, operated by the same company that owns and
operates the famed Salishan Lodge at Oregon's Gleneden
Beach. For information on Salish lodge, call (206)
888-2556 or 800-826-6124. Interstate 90 leads farther
east to winter ski slopes and recreation areas in the
Snoqualmie National Forest.
Mount St. Helens
The trip to Mt. Rainier, as well as this
drive to Mt. St. Helens, makes for an exciting weekend,
or a week's vacation. Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic
Monument is 90 minutes' drive south of Seattle, and a
shorter distance from Tacoma and Olympic. To begin, drive
south on Interstate 5, and turn east onto State Route
504, which provides access to the Spirit Lake Visitor
Center. From here you can peer at the blasted mountain
top through telescopes, and see exhibits of the great
eruption of May 18, 1980. The museum includes a walk-in
volcano. Along Route 504, you can see the Toutle River
and the flood damage it suffered following the explosion.
The highway leads through the middle of the Volcanic
Monument.
Continue up the mountain to the new visitor
center at Spirit Lake, to see the devastation from a
higher vantage point. This is the highest point
accessible by car, and the visitor center has displays on
the damage caused by the eruption. On the other hand, you
can see the devastation yourself. You can also witness
the restorative properties of nature, as the mountainside
recovers from the blast.
The best views of the volcano and the
aftermath of the eruption can be seen by taking Forest
Road 25, driving south of the town of Randle. The loop
trip around the mountain takes you to Ape Cave, a
two-mile lava tube, and a hike on the Trail of Two
Forests. This is an interpretive trail that provides
information on the ecology of the mountain. The roads
which form the loop drive around Mt. St. Helens are
closed from November to Memorial Day.
Snohomish to Wenatchee
The drive over Stevens Pass (4,061
feet) provides a fascinating look at the north Cascades,
and the chance to visit several charming towns. To begin,
drive north from, Seattle on Interstate 5, and turn east
onto Highway 97. On the way to the pass, you'll drive
through Snohomish, Monroe, Gold Bay, and Skyhomish.
Over the pass, Leavenworth seems
like a Bavarian transplant or clone. This theme town has
German and Austrian cafes, and available recreation
includes river rafting. The road continues to Wenatchee,
the apple capital of the state, and farther north to Lake
Chelan -- another resort area in the forested
mountains.
