Travel Tips

If you’ve never experienced Seattle, Washington, now is as good a time as any to do so. Maybe now is the best time ever for a nice visit to Seattle. Whatever your interests, there is sure to be something here that you will find appealing. From the great cultural centers to the fabulous sporting events and the wonderfully mild climate, Seattle is a great place to visit.

In addition to the wonderful climate, there are plenty of indoor and outdoor activities that should keep you, and anyone traveling with you busy for quite some time. The biggest problem I foresee is finding there is too much to do and too little time in which to do it all. Such is the bane of vacations. Seattle is a town that has natural beauty and is surrounded not only by water, but by beautiful countryside as well. The views all around are nothing short of spectacular and I’m sure that you will find plenty to do to keep everyone in your party entertained and happy.

For those who love culture, there are many opportunities to soak up all the culture you can manage. From wine tours to museums and gourmet food, Seattle has plenty to offer the discerning tourists. Not to mention Benaroya Hall where the symphony performs and other cultural experiences such as the Seattle Opera or the Seattle Chamber Music Society. If this isn’t enough for your sophisticated demands there is the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

For those of us with more sophomoric pursuits there is plenty around to keep our minds and hearts entertained. In addition to the activities mentioned above, there are plenty of sights to see in Seattle. There are walking tours around the city, driving tours to outlying areas and even duck tours, which are sure to delight the little ones among us.

For those who have an interest in pop culture there is the Experience Music Project, which is truly unique and very much worth the hefty price tag that admission demands. If you are going to make one splurge during your trip to Seattle alone, this would be the one I recommend most strongly. If money is no object, then count yourself blessed and take a look at what this ‘experience’ has to offer. In addition to the Experience Music Project there is the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. As a science fiction enthusiast, this is a favorite of mine.

If you like animals, there is plenty to offer in Seattle. There is Cougar Mountain Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, the Seattle Aquarium, Northwest Trek, Wolf Haven, and the Woodland Park Zoo in addition to the many whale-watching tours that are available.

If you like studying about other cultures, perhaps you should visit the International District, take a tour to Tillicum Village, visit the Wing Lake Asian Museum, or Uwajimaya Village. Each of these places offers a glimpse into the lives of those from other cultures.

In addition to all of these really fun things there are professional sports for almost every season in Seattle. For basketball there are the Seattle Sonics (NBA) and the Seattle Storm (WNBA). If your interest lean toward football, you will be happy to know that the Seahawks call Qwest Field home and baseball fans will be delighted that the Seattle Mariners are still playing at Safeco Field. For the hockey fans around, there are Seattle Thunderbirds, which are part of the Western Hockey League and call the Key Arena home.

These are only a small sampling of the many great things to do and see while visiting Seattle Washington. Just remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and it is highly unlikely that even the fastest among us can enjoy all that this great city has to offer its visitors in a day either. Take your time and remember that it is very likely that if you didn’t get to one of your destinations today, it will be there tomorrow.

Seattle Center is the heartbeat of modern day Seattle and a must see for anyone visiting the Seattle Washington area. It is perhaps one of the most famous places in Seattle if for nothing else, for the Space Needle that is housed here. The Space Needle is one of if not the most easily recognized landmarks in the U.S. Northwest.

The Seattle Center has evolved over time and now hosts many cultural aspects of Seattle City life. Among these cultural centers is McCaw Hall, which is the home of the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. In addition to these establishments, Seattle Circle is also home to several theatres. Among them are: the Bagley-Wright Theatre, Leo Kreielsheimer Theatre, Poncho Theatre, and the Intiman Playhouse.

If theatre, opera, and ballet is a little too ‘high brow’ for you, then you will also be interested in knowing that Seattle Circle is home to Key Arena where the Seattle Sonics play as well as the Thunderbirds (Seattle’s Western Hockey League team).

If you enjoy music, you should be sure to check out the Experience Music Project while you are here. This is essentially a museum of rock memorabilia and multimedia displays. Seeing the building itself is almost worth the hefty admission price, but the actual exhibits makes it a good bargain. You can make your dollar go even further by purchasing combo tickets for the Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Both of these are located within Seattle Circle and they each offer a unique look at the cultures of today and the past. The Science Fiction Museum is one of my favorite places in Seattle to visit and I think even the stodgiest and most humorless among you would be hard pressed not to find something of interest in either of these museums.

For the younger members of your vacationing group, Seattle Center offers a great deal to do. First of all it is home to the Children’s Museum. This is an incredibly fun, interactive, hands on learning experience for big and little kids alike. You could easily spend an entire day at the Children’s museum without seeing the same thing twice. Even better is the knowledge that your kids will learn a lot and you can disguise their learning as fun. They will never know what is really happening.

Another point of interest for small children is Pacific Science Center, which is home to the Boeing IMAX Theater. The museum consists of eight buildings and houses not one, but two IMAX theaters, a tropical butterfly house, a planetarium, and several hands-on exhibits that are constantly changing and traveling around the country and to other museums.

In addition to all of these wonderful places, there are several fountains and gardens throughout the circle in addition to many restaurants that will appeal to all kinds of tastes and desires. But perhaps the most interesting feature of Seattle Center to the teen crowd is the skate park.

As I’ve said, you could very easily spend a day or even a week in the Seattle Center area and never run out of fun things to do. If you are planning a visit to Seattle Washington any time in the near future you will want to be sure that a stroll through Seattle Center is pretty high on your itinerary.

When you are planning your vacation it is good to know a little about the area so you can choose what suits your fancy. The locals refer to themselves as Ticos and they are warm and welcoming wherever you visit in Costa Rica. My friend and I plan to visit all areas of Costa Rica but you may have to consider what to put in your itinerary if you have only 7 days. The following is a list of the various regions and what they might offer in the way of entertainment. Pick and choose whatever combination you like.

San Jose
Most museums and art galleries in Costa Rica are found in San Jose. The central part of San Jose is noisy and crowed as the capital of any city will be. The airport is located outside of San Jose and you may come into Costa Rica via San Jose anyway, why not check it out while you are visiting. I have been told that you step of the curb carefully in Europe or get run over. Pedestrians do not have the right of way in San Jose either so watch yourself when you cross the street.

The Northwest
Arenal and Monteverde are located in the Northwest. Arenal is the Volcano located in this area and it is a game of wait-and-see to get the opportunity to view the cone of the volcano spew hot lava. Arenal is one of the only active volcanoes in the world that can be safely viewed by tourists without the threat of bodily harm. I live in the Pacific Northwest, also in the shadow of Mount Rainier so volcanoes don’t bother me.

The road to Monteverde runs from the small town of Santa Elena to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve with hotels, nightclubs and restaurants. This area is usually very dense with tourists. Originally settled by Quakers this area now has a thriving eclectic artist community. Quakers are also reported to be great cheese makers in this area. I just love cheese and Quakers are cool too so I gotta plan to visit the cheese farm. Although this is one of the busiest this region offers many day trips and interesting things to do.

Nicoya Peninsula
While the Costa Rican government would certainly welcome the revenue from more tourists, for the moment the beaches of Nicoya remain somewhat of a secret. Beaches are still relatively deserted. If golf is your thing the course at Playa Conchal is renowned. This would be the vacation for you if you have water sports in mind. There is snorkeling, swimming, diving, surfing, fishing, and even kayaking. The drive from Carrillo to Mal Pas by 4-wheel drive is simply amazing. This area is also surfer heaven. Horseback riding is also offered by most of the hotels.

Quepos & the Central Pacific
This area is known for beaches and water sports. There is an abundance of quiet beaches to choose from while you do see surfers frequently the beaches are not crowded and it is easy to relax. Along their Pacific Coast Highway there is a vast array of lodging anywhere from the seedy to the luxurious and in between. This area is a wonderland for any beach lover with diving, fishing, golf, and horseback riding, kayaking and even surfing. I want to try the Titi Canopy tours. A canopy tour is like a ski lift going from tree to tree like the monkeys. If you are afraid of heights this is not for you!

Osa Peninsula & Golfo Dulce
This area is much more remote, however there are several luxury hotels. Drake Bay has whale-watching tours and you can often spot dolphins playing around your boat. Corcovado National Park offers tours that are teaming with wildlife to see and take photos of. In Golfo Dulce the are 2 botanical gardens, Casa Orquideas Botanical Garden and Wilson Botanical Garden.

South Caribbean
Miles of banana plantations can be found here. Some believe these to be the most beautiful beaches in the country, although it is much more humid. The culture here is more Caribbean in it’s inhabitants. The usual water sports can be found here.