TMZ: Seattle Bound

This coming week I’ll be driving from Los Angeles to Seattle, with pit stops in San Francisco, Portland, and a magical redwood forest. Why am I doing this, you ask?

Why not? I figure if I only live once, I should live. And since Hans Christian Anderson said, “To travel is to live,” well, there ya go. Never argue with a man named Hans.

But even though I’ll rarely employ my laptop as I traverse the entire Pacific coast, posts will still magically appear here throughout the week. Isn’t the internet great? And you can bet that when I return to LA, I’ll have a stockpile of shiny new Wandering Wednesdays to share with y’all.

And to think, this grand trip will only include one single Wednesday. Isn’t manipulation great?

I’ve always wanted to see Seattle, have always heard it’s the greatest most beautiful most bestest city ever, and soon I shall experience it for myself.

Ever been? What’s a must-do, must-see in Seattle? What about Portland? Ever hug a redwood?

6 Comments
Adam Stück 31 January 2012
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Indeed, it is folly and madness to argue with anyone named Hans.

MLYaksh 31 January 2012
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Seattle is pretty nice- a little cold for my tastes, but I’d love tro visit again.

You can check out the original Starbucks across from the fish market. Fyi, it’s not quite like the other Starbucks. And of course, the Space Needle is fun to see. But everyone goes there.

You’re gonna love this trip for sure man!

MR 30 January 2012
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In late January 2008 after losing my job, I drove from Seattle to Orlando, Florida. Since there were too many closed mountain passes to use the direct route, I drove down the coastal route through Portland, the redwood forest, San Francisco and LA.

Definitely take highway 101 through Santa Barbara, SF, the redwood forest, and all the way up the Oregon coast. Much of the way I was driving on the top of cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean or through redwoods – beautiful! If you take the 5 through the Grapevine and Mount Shasta to Portland, you risk closed mountain passes, but I heard it was also worth seeing.

In Seattle I appreciated the views on a clear day, which is somewhat rare in the winter. From the higher hills in town I could look East to the Cascade Mountains , West to the Olympic range, and south to Mount Rainier. I recommend driving east from Seattle to see the Douglas Fir-covered Cascade Mountains and Snoqualmie pass. Um, it can be scary driving, especially if you are going downhill and hit a patch of ice on a sharp curve. Definitely see Mount Rainier, a huge snow-covered volcano. When I drove in Seattle I had to deliberately look away from Mt Rainier to avoid staring and crashing my car. It was that beautiful.

I recommend a visit to Mark Driscoll’s church, Mars Hill Church, in the Ballard section of Seattle. Many in the church are new believers and under 30.

Kevin Stetter 30 January 2012
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be sure to stop off at crater lake np in oregon. it’s the state’s only national park. if it’s not out of the way, also go to olymic np in wa wa washington. it’s the us’ only rain forest. boom.