Seattle TravelGram

Incredible Seattle aerial video by Red Bull Air Force.

“GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!” screamed the banner headline of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer  on July 17, 1897.  Gold Fever took the nation by storm as the news spread of the gold strike on the Klondike River in northwestern Canada, near the border with Alaska. Fortune seekers booked berths on steam ships to Alaska and then headed by riverboat up the Yukon to Dawson City. Seattle was the gateway to gold and miners would provision themselves here before they left to find riches.

The American riverboats were designed for shallow water so they were idea for transportation up and down the untamed Klondike and Yukon rivers.  A number of sternwheelers were built around the turn of the century, in part due to the gold rush. The boats were powered by twin double-acting pistons which drive a large paddlewheel at the stern of the boat churning up foam as it moves through the water.

Now you can be part of Seattle’s history on the Queen of Seattle’s Paddle Wheel Cruises.

In November 2009 the newly named “Queen of Seattle” was moved to Seattle to provide private and public cruises of Lake Union and the Ship Canal waterways. She was built in the early 1980’s in Rancho Cordova, California and was originally christened the “Elizabeth Louise”. The vessel operated sightseeing cruises along the Sacramento River for 20 years before being sold and moved to Ketchikan, Alaska. Here she was renamed the “Alaska Queen” and operated narrated excursions in the harbor and channel areas of Ketchikan.

On the steam powered Queen of Seattle you will enjoy a scenic and relaxing trip cruising the freshwaters of Lake Union and the Ship Canal areas.  Learn fun and historical information about Seattle during the Yukon Gold Rush days, along with fascinating facts about the sights you will be seeing. Our period costumed staff will also entertain you with a live “Klondike Cabaret Show” during your adventure.

Special offer: receive a 2 for 1 discount by booking online at http://www.queenofseattle.com or by calling reservations at 877-783-3616.  When booking online please enter the promo code TOUR SAVER in the promotion code box.  Reservations are required.  Not combinable with any other promotions, offers or discounts.

Recently Washington State was asked to participate by voting for their favorite historical site so they could win a grant for preservation. $1 million in preservation grants was awarded to 11 Seattle-Puget Sound Area historic sites to help support their preservation efforts. Congratulations to the Schooner Adventuress who was the winner by popular vote.

While I knew about some of these places listed below, others I’d never heard of and certainly wanted to learn more about. Here are links to each site below so you can learn more also.

The Seattle TravelGram blog has written stories on the Schooner Adventuress, Point No Point Light House and the Train Museum which can all be found in past stories on the blog if you would like  more information.

•    Schooner Adventuress

•    Town Hall Seattle

•    Point No Point Lighthouse 

•    Washington Hall

•    Skansie Brothers Net Shed

•    Japanese Cultural & Community Center

•    Orting Soldiers Home

•    Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks

•    Ferry House at Ebey’s Landing

•    Chapel Car 5 “Messenger of Peace”

•    University Heights Community Center

Visit the Partners in Preservation site to learn more about each of these projects. To learn more about how the National Trust for Historic Preservation protects places that matter all across the country, please visit thier site.

Take me out to the ball game with all my friends – facebook friends that is.  I’m giving this a one thumb up!

Mariners Facebook Fest
Royals vs. Mariners
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 – 7:10 p.m.

“Tag” up with other Facebook fans that “Like” the Mariners at our first-ever Mariners Facebook Fest on July 7th. View Reserved tickets are $11 (normally $20) and include your free Mariners Facebook Fest T-shirt. Join the Mariners for an exclusive Facebook Fest pre-game happy hour. Facebook fans, friends and family will sit in their own section of the ballpark and be welcomed on the big screen during the game.

Highlights:

• Join them for a  pre-game Facebook Fest Happy Hour in the Outside Corner (located on the 300-level behind home plate)!
• Cash bar will be available for drinks and snacks
• Pick up your FREE Mariners Facebook Fest t-shirt (when you purchase through this special offer only)! Distribution will be in the Outside Corner from 5:10-7pm, then will be available outside Section 320 from game time until the 4th inning.
• DEADLINE TO PURCHASE: Tuesday, July 6 at NOON.
• Game Date: Wednesday, July 7, 2010 – 7:10 p.m.
• Pricing: $11 View Reserved (normally $20)

If you are looking to get away from the hustle of the city, try a lake that is way off the beaten path. Remote and beautiful, Priest Lake “Idaho’s Crown Jewel”,  is located just over the Washington border if you drive to the very northeast part of the state. Priest Lake sits in the Kaniksu National Forest of Idaho’s panhandle.

There are plenty of campgrounds for those who like to rough it however vacation rentals homes are also available for those who love rustic beauty but also hot water and indoor plumbing.

Stunning natural beauty surrounds you in every direction. There is something going on for the adventure seaker year round.  Enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, camping, snowmobiling, hunting, cross-country skiing, or simply relaxing to the sounds of nature. 

A popular suggestion is a short yet brisk hike up the Upper Cougar River Falls trail to Cougar Rock. You will be rewarded with a pristine and undisturbed view of a rushing waterfall and a gorgeous panoramic view of the lake below.

Photos and story by: Sara Palmer

Our country celebrates its independence is a big way. From small town parades to huge city fireworks everyone loves to celebrate this wonderful and loud holiday.

For the last few years my husband and I have sailed over to the historic Norwegian town of Poulsbo for their  3^rd of July fireworks. Ya sure you bet ya, they celebrate the holiday a day early with fantastic fireworks on their usually calm and peaceful harbor. Poulsbo velkommens 100’s of boats that drop their hooks in the shallow bay and 1000’s of people that line shore and completely transform this quaint town into party central. On the 4^th the town once again settles back to their laid back quaint selves.

For those of you wanting to celebrate on the 4^th of July, here are just some of the towns small and large where you can get your fix if Ohhhhs and Ahhhhs!

Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Sammamish, Carnation, Burien, Fort Dent Park, Des Moines, Renton, Auburn, Federal Way, Enumclaw, Oak Harbor, Anacortes, Kingston, LaConner, Point Robers, Port Angeles, Westport, Aberdeen, Long Beach, Grand Coulee Dam, Leavenworth, Pasco, Yakima, Zilla and Orcas Island. Have a blast!

Pike Place Market is a fun and interesting place to explore during the day for art, crafts, flowers, restaurants, food stalls, fish and produce. The market is Seattle’s top visitor destination and local Seattle residents know that it’s a great place to go to year round. Not that many people know that in the evening Pike Place Market comes alive because of the restaurant and bar crowd.  From fine dining to pub food you’ll find everything your taste buds desire here.

A group of Post Alley establishments put together a Thursday night Wine Hop. This is quite the line up: Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub, Post Restaurant & Lounge, The Tasting Room and White Horse Tavern. Hop over from 5pm-7pm to find out which wine choices are being served. Each location offers a $4 glass of wine which might be a chilled Rose, a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, a spicy Syrah and so on. They pick them and you drink them.

Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub-  open 11:30 daily

Post Restaurant & Lounge- open 11:30 daily

The Tasting Room Seattle – open Sunday-Thursday 12pm-8pm and showcases a collection of Washington’s most celebrated wines.

White Horse Tavern- open Monday-Saturday 4pm

The Tasting Room Seattle is part of the 2010 Seattle TourSaver where every offer is 2-for-1, with over $8,000 in deals on museums, attractions, hotels, tours and more.

Spinakopita

In the past the Eastside used to be almost void of good restaurant choices but now you can pick from steak houses, Mexican, Asian, Sushi, good old American and so much more. Downtown Bellevue has become a great destination for dining.

I went to a new restaurant on Bellevue Way called the Mediterranean Kitchen. They had outdoor dining and it was a beautiful evening so bonus points for that. There was a line out the door waiting to get a seat which is always a really good sign for any restaurant these days. All the plates of food that went by looked amazing, smelled fantastic and this really got me excited to sample the menu.

My friend and I ordered a glass of wine each and appetizers of spinakopita and hummus. Our waiter also brought out soup and warm pita bread to go with our choices. Everything was very tasty and the portions were generous. We were full so we just decided to call it an evening and asked for our check.

WELL- we were informed by the waiter that ordering just appetizers wasn’t allowed at the restaurant. WHAT? We hadn’t read the menu where it stated that they didn’t serve appetizers without ordering main courses so our waiter actually pointed out on the menu where it was written. Again- I say WHAT! It was explained to us that their huge food portions and extras (soup & pita bread) make it hard for them to make money if it was allowed to just order sides. Really?

We were mortified because we didn’t read the menu cover to cover.  Are you kidding me? Anyway, we were “let” off the hook and told that because we had ordered wine, it was OK so our check was given to us. The experience was a buzz kill however I have to say the food was really good and we did have a wonderful evening until the incident. Note to self, read the menu cover to cover.

Step back in time and stay at the oldest resort hotel in Washington. Established in 1858,The Tokeland Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places and is located on Willapa Bay overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The city of Tokeland is on the Long Beach Peninsula in beautiful Grays Harbor County.

Delicious homemade meals are served in their restaurant overlooking a peaceful garden with views of the bay in the background. All-desserts are homemade, so save room for blackberry cobbler or specialty pies and cinnamon rolls.

Every room in the Tokeland Hotel is filled with warmth and character. Each guest room is unique and appointed with beautiful antique furniture and has wonderful views from every window.

Family owned and operated you’ll feel like you are part of history. Step into a world gone by, and share in a wonderful view of what the Washington’s coast has to offer.

How would you like to try something new for the 4^th of July?  Avoid the traffic snarls and huge crowds around Seattle firework displays and drive southwest to Westport on the on the Pacific Ocean instead.  

While many of the urban cities have bans on individual fireworks, in Westport on the 4^th you are allowed to set off fireworks while you are on the beach. Danger - Danger!!  YUP, you can pass by the Indian Reservation in Tokeland, pick up all of the fireworks that are banned in the Seattle area, then drive ONTO the beach and create your own fireworks show.

The city of  Westport also offers a 4^th of July festival including live bands, a huge bake sale all centrally located in down town in front of the Westport Maritime Museum.