- Take a Winter walk or hike
- Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula
- Attend a social distance festival, concert or theater production
- Visit Canada (when the border opens)
- Mount Rainier – re-visit it and see the renovated Paradise Inn
- Stay in a Yurt
- Golf, Fish, Ski, Snowshoe…somewhere
- Takeout from Deru Market in Kirkland, WA
- Take the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island for brunch outside
- Northwest Trek
- See Silver Falls in Oregon
- Spheres at the Amazon corporate office (when they re-open for tours)
- See the renovated Space Needle, glass floors
- Check out the updated Asian Art Museum
- See the movie Top Gun / Maverick (due out in July), especially if you loved the first one
- Take the portable fire pit out to the street and meet up with the neighbors for happy hour
- Travel outside of within 4 hours reach
- Go somewhere new; try something new
- Go somewhere that you haven’t been to in a number of years. Support the smaller businesses too.
- Go somewhere that you love, that makes you happy; one of your favorite places
- Do something notable EACH month of 2021 #mightnotsuck
Festivals & Events
Snoqualmie Winter Lights
So, it’s the holiday season and the last month of 2020. This year of COVID-19 has been rough for many. Keeping it low-key but festive, check out this fun event in Snoqualmie, WA. It’s the Snoqualmie Winter Lights! Shop. Feast. Move. Enjoy. #wearamask
Happenings 2019
What were some of my favorite things in 2019? Did you travel within four hours reach of the Seattle area? Check out the 19 highlights…
- California dreamin (by airplane) – Sonoma, Napa, St Helena, Sacramento, San Francisco, …and Russian River Brewery
- Snowmageddon in February in the Puget Sound area
- The Konmari Method – Does your ‘stuff’ spark joy?
- Poverty Bay Wine Festival in Des Moines, WA – an annual anniversary
- Seeing the snow geese in the La Conner, Conway, Mount Vernon area in early-mid March
- Eats – a few new eats in 2019 consisted of the Five Star Cellars wine dinner at the Magestic Hotel in Anacortes, Black Raven Brewery in Redmond, and Resonate Brewery in Bellevue. The Mongolia Wagyu Beef at Baron’s in Bellevue was tasty as well.
- Port Townsend – windy Spring day to tour the town, Saturday market, Point Hudson
- Seattle Pride Parade fun
- Deception Pass and Hellams Vineyard wine/dinner boat cruise via San Juan Cruises
- Walk the Cedar River Trail
- Pike Place Market – Mee Sum Pastry’s Pork Hom Bow; Sunset Supper in August
- Gary Clark Jr at Chateau St Michelle’s Summer Concert Series and Evil Dead the Musical
- Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich – so tasty!
- Cheering on the Seattle Seahawks, playing fantasy football (4th place in both leagues) and pickem – Go Hawks!
- Metallica S&M2 (the performance after the fact) – so fabulous!
- Salish Lodge and Snoqualmie Falls – breakfast, pics of the falls, shopping….one of my favorite places. Includes shopping in the smaller boutiques in Snoqualmie and North Bend
- Seattle Sounders win the MLS Cup vs Toronto – Way to Go!
- Leavenworth town and tree lighting
- Strangelove at Showbox at the Market – love, love, love!
What are you looking forward to in 2020? I am looking forward to the movie Top Gun/Maverick – oh yeah!
What were your 18 faves for 2018?
So, this list was skipped at the beginning of the year but now that we’re towards the end of it, what did you do in 2018 that you can recommend? what did you love? what do you want to do again ‘within 4 hours reach’ of the Puget Sound area? As I’m a list maker and a scheduler, I can contribute with a list of my own…
- Visit The Bay area via airplane, so it counts for this particular list
- Check out 21 Acres in Woodinville, your sustainable living heart will love it. http://21acres.org/
- Northwest Flower and Garden Show
- Jazz Brunch at Sorrento Hotel in Seattle
- Wine Tasting. Poverty Bay Wine Festival.
- See ‘Hamilton’ at Paramount Theatre
- Did you see your Market Charm or order one? visit Pike Place Market
- Check out live Sumo with Sumo + Sushi
- Youth. Equity. Access. to the Arts – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Seattle Symphony, Ciara and Russell Wilson. And see Candlebox rock their 25th Anniversary tour – oh yeah!
- Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge – hike it, pic it, eat it, shop it, massage it, love it
- Gig Harbor – visit downtown and walk Sehmel Homestead Park
- Walk 18 miles with EverWalk
- Seahawks Training Camp. Tailgate.
- Notable Restaurant? Meal? Movie? Theater? Concert? Sporting Event? Yes, please. Way to Go Seattle Storm!
- Play Croquet in the summer heat
- Camano Island waterfront
- Autumn Leaf Festival in Leavenworth
- Anacortes Bier on the Pier
- Extra: the holiday season…put out your outdoor Christmas lights early
Experiencing the holiday season 2018
Wondering what to check out during the Thanksgiving holiday and last few weeks of November 2018 in the Puget Sound Area? Here are a few ideas for the holiday season:
- http://www.seattleandsound.com/november.html
- Seattle Art Museum – the ‘Peacock in the Desert’ exhibit http://www.seattleartmuseum.org
- Enchant Christmas – “Safeco” Field https://enchantchristmas.com/seattle/
- Check out the ornaments and decor at Molbak’s in Woodinville
- Ride the Santa Train in Snoqualmie https://www.trainmuseum.org/index.php/programs-events/santa-train
- via The Seattle Times…
https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/events/holiday-events-guide-2018-festive-fairs-markets-and-bazaars/ - the Seattle Seahawks are in town this December
- Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker http://verlaineandmccann.com/shows-and-tickets/land-of-the-sweets-the-burlesque-nutcracker
- Snowflake Lane in Bellevue http://snowflakelane.com/
- and much more..
You may find me at a number of these.
Happy Holidays!
National Park Service – Senior Pass $ increase
Those of you age 62 and over, the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands lifetime senior pass will increase from $10 to $80 on August 27, 2017. Now is a great time to get your pass. Anytime and any amount is always beneficial to our beautiful parks and land. For more information…
https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm#CP_JUMP_5088578
17 for 2017
What to do in 2017? Anything that will calm your heart and bring you peace, laughter, and joy. In other words, Rock it! Below are 17 options within four hours reach of the Seattle area.
- Hike the waterfall trails along the Historic Columbia River Highway Scenic Byway. It just celebrated its 100-year anniversary.
- Try one (1) new restaurant each month of the year
- Walk along the sandy, rocky beaches of Dungeness Spit, view lighthouse
- Visit and buy from a local farmers market
- Whidbey Island…stay at the Inn at Langley #pnw
- Attend four (4) fairs or festivals that you didn’t last year
- Lake Chelan ~ wine tasting #wawine
- Celebrate someone’s 50th – bingo karaoke? sky dive? trip to Paris?
- North Cascades Highway ~ the most beautiful place on earth
- Take the ‘Mount Rainier’ Gondola at Crystal Mountain ~ think ‘this year’s holiday card photo’
- Spa treatment at Whistler BC
- Port Ludlow and Fort Worden State Park. Try the Ludlow Falls Interpretative Trail, Around-the-Bay Trail, Murhut Falls Trail
- Go Mariners, Rainiers, Aquasox and Bells!
- Visit Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve
- Run or walk a 5K or 15K ~ support a cause important to you or your like-minded friends
- See La Traviata, Luzia, or other to bring a little culture #hallelujah
- Hike the Washington State coast ~ http://www.outdoorproject.com/blog-news/16-best-hikes-washington-coast #outdoorproject
Whistler is Calling!
If you are blue (and even if you’re not) and are looking to get away, it’s a good time to schedule it. Whistler and Canada is calling. Best rates for ski and lodging packages ends November 15th. Let’s Go! Winter activities galore. Relax. Explore. Thrill.
Beauty of June
June is a month of many…
- Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival, June 17-19
- Fleur de Lis Festival & Art in the Vines, Westport, June 26
- Inspiring Beauty: 50 years of Ebony Fashion Fair, Bellevue Art Museum, through August 14th
- See the Afrodisiacs perform at Tulalip Resort Casino, Thursday evenings
- Farmers Markets abound
- Posing Beauty in African American Culture, Northwest African American Museum, through September 4th
- Drive Hwy 20 and beauty surrounding the North Cascades National Park
- Seattle PrideFest, June 26
- Atoms + Bytes: Redefining Craft in the Digital Age, Bellevue Art Museum, through June 26th
- River Rafting in eastern Washington
- Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration, Leavenworth, June 16-19
- America’s Classic Jazz Festival, Lacey, June 23-26
- Cool Desert Nights, Richland, June 23-26
- Taste of Tacoma, Tacoma, June 24-26
- Explore the many cuisines, specialty restaurants, bakeries and bars on Capitol Hill, Seattle. Too many to name. Someday.
Summer Guide
The Seattle Times does a great job of compiling their annual Summer Guide that showcases the many things to do in the Puget Sound area . Whether it be a favorite picnic spot, weekend-by-weekend events, festivals, concerts, farmers markets, 4th of July events, and more… you’ll be sure to find a variety of fun events that support your local community or are ‘within 4 hours reach’. Check out the sampling here: http://www.seattletimes.com/category/summer-guide/
