Seattle Area Getaway

Seattle is a gorgeous city surrounded by the outdoor enthusiasts dream, the cascade mountains. Compared to the Rockies and Appalachian mountains, the Cascades look a lot different. They seem more like tall hills or short mountains. They are less than 1 million years old as compared to the 60 million years old Rockies, and 300 million years old Appalachians.

While staying in Seattle, please make sure to visit:

For hiking, Mt. Ranier National Park offers many trails. There are waterfalls, too. We visited Shoqualmie Falls which was close to the Twin Peaks Lodge. Speaking of Twin Peaks, try the world's best cherry pie at Tweed's Cafe. Tweed's was in the TV show Twin Peaks and was in the town the show was filmed. Go to a Salmon area, and watch Salmon jump up the rapids. Go to Cape Flattery and see the Northwestern-most point of the Continental United States. Hike the Hall of Mosses at the Hoh Rainforest.

In the city, visit Pike Place Market and watch the famous fish-throwers. Here you can also visit the world's very first Starbucks. It is world's different from the one around the corner from where you live. Learn about Seattle's history by going on the Underground Seattle tour. Take a trip up the Space Needle to see a different perspective of Seattle. Finally, get some culture back at the Seattle Art Museum.

There are also some great places to see live shows, I was too exhausted to do that on this trip, though. Research some of that information before you go.

Quick Tips:

If you plan to spend most of your time in nature, look into some of the cabin rental options available. Although I loved staying in the city, you might find a good deal closer to where you plan on staying.

There are many festivals in Seattle, be sure to check before you leave.

Bring an umbrella and hiking boots.

Keep in mind that some vendors are closed on Sundays at Pike Place Market.

There is a large Asian population in Seattle. Go to a Chinese restaurant and order something different off the menu.

Best Way To Get Around:

We rented a car and had no problem driving around, or finding parking.

The Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers is centrally located and priced on the higher scale of the price-range for Seattle Hotels. It is on the corner of 6th and Pike. This means it is within blocks of Pike Place Market. There are also major shopping areas and restaurants nearby. (We could see FAO Schwartz from our room!)

The room was beautiful. It was taste-fully decorated with large windows overlooking the city, a television and a desk. There were four of us in this 2 doubles room and we were all very comfortable. The beds were a dream and the perfect end for the active-Seattle day. We had a standard room and it also included a small seating area near the window. The bathroom was clean and large.

The service was exceptional. Because we were in and out of the hotel so much, we were unable to take advantage of the following features:

-Sauna
-Fitness Room
-Indoor Heated Pool
-Indoor Whirlpool
-Shops

We travelled around the outskirts of this city a lot. I felt it was so convenient and accessible, that I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted to get away from the city during the day. I'm sure there are also great hotels closer to nature, but Sheraton in Seattle has so many luxuries to take advantage of when your day is over. I also recommend this hotel to anyone who wants to be centrally located within Seattle. It is in the heart of everything. It is beautiful and friendly. In other words, anyone visiting Washington State should stay at the Sheraton.

Our trip to Mt. Ranier National Park consisted of a 5.2 mile trail called the Sunrise Rim Trail. I am not an athletic person, but I think there might be a little more strength in me than I ever imagined. I wanted to quit after the first mile (which I think everyone that was there that day wanted to do) but I persevered and it was worth it.

We started at Sunrise then hiked to Frozen Lake. We saw a lot of chipmunks that looked like really tiny squirrels. They might have been only 6 inches, quite possibly smaller. We then walked over to the First Burrough. At this point, we were pretty much the only people hiking. Before entering this area you are warned by a sign that reads something along the lines of: This area can only be compared to the Arctic Tundra. I don't know what that means, but the trail was very rocky and cold. We saw about 5 mountain goats that came up from the side of the very steep and rocky mountain. We walked over to an area known as Glacier Overlook. I couldn't tell if we were looking at Glaciers and we continued walking. At this time fear filled me. The mountain was steep (I'm from Florida, everything is steep) and rocky. The path was thin and I just kept imagining falling down the side of the mountain. I had no choice but to keep walking, so I did. We left the arctic tundra and met the green grass I forgot I missed. Here we saw some beautiful deer and gorgeous yellow flowers.

We ended where we began, except slightly changed. The trek was really a lot more challenging than anything I have done in the recent past. I was so glad I was able to accomplish it. The scenery was breath-taking. The 5 miles went by so quickly, yet at the time seemed like forever. I would do it again and I would hope that anyone else in the Seattle area would take advantage of the natural beauty so close to home.