There’s nothing better than summer in Seattle! Dry days (Seattle only had one day of measurable precipitation in July!), sunshine, warm temperatures and long daylight hours. There’s always something going on – fairs, festivals, concerts – not to mention just getting outside to enjoy the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Even with all that summer in Seattle has to offer, I found myself heading to Alaska in early July. The weather was amazing – sunny and 81 – and I had a fantastic time.
If Alaska is on your bucket list, I recommend a stop in Talkeetna where I went ziplining for the first time; thanks Denali Zipline. And the 4th of July parade in Talkeetna is truly a slice of small town Americana. Back in Anchorage, don’t miss the food and the views from 49th State Brewing Company.
Since I am staying in Seattle this summer and working three days a week, I have plenty of time to explore what’s in my own backyard. Seattle and it’s neighborhoods are growing and changing and I sometimes felt like I wasn’t quite sure where I was! Even though it’s an expensive place to live, Seattle has added 114,000 new residents since 2010! With 65 construction cranes around the city, Seattle is adding both commercial and residential buildings.
On my quest to find the Amazon Spheres, I learned a lot about this corporate giant. Standing on a corner and observing my surroundings I noticed a lot of lanyards, laptops and dogs! Amazonians were walking between the 30+ Amazon office buildings, carrying laptops, walking their dogs, sitting in the spheres, shopping at AmazonGo or talking/texting on their phones. When do they work?? One thing I also noticed, not everyone is happy about Amazon.
Did you know this about Amazon?
- Their campus consists of 30+ buildings named and themed after a piece of Amazon’s culture, history, or technology. For example, Fiona was the original code name for Kindle before it launched to customers. The Fiona building displays a collection of every version of Kindle. But can anybody visit and take a look??
- Amazon’s first dog on campus was a Welsh Corgi named Rufus who “launched” most, if not all, of the early web pages. Early team members would hold Rufus’ paw and use it to press down on the mouse. Maybe that’s why Amazonians bring their dogs to work!
- Amazon is the largest private employer in Seattle. I see over 6,500 job openings on their website! Maybe I should work here so I can afford to live here!
Another place in SLU that I haven’t been to in a very long time is MOHAI – the museum of history and industry. My friend, Yoko, and I visited the museum last week. What a great time capsule of old Seattle icons like the pink “toe” truck and the giant red “R” from the Rainier Brewery. A fantastic place to learn more about Boeing, Microsoft, early Seattle settlers (their names will sound familiar because we drive on streets named after them!), the 1962 World’s Fair and so much more Seattle history.
The Wallingford neighborhood is also adding many new apartments and condos. But you’ll still find the original Dick’s Drive-In which opened here in 1954. I do love their fries and milkshakes! And a visit to Wallingford is not complete without a stop at Archie McPhee’s to buy a rubber chicken, squirrel underpants or browse the fun and unusual novelty toy items.
When you leave the city behind and seek out the natural beauty of this area, you forget about the traffic, expenses and other frustrations of big city life. This was certainly the case when I visited Mt. Rainier, the University of Washington Arboretum and Waterfront Trail and the Pacific Ocean. Not all in one day!
In Seattle if someone refers to “the mountain being out” they are talking about Mt. Rainier. Every time I ride across the West Seattle Bridge I automatically look to the south to see if the mountain is out. Live here long enough and you can distinguish between clouds and the glacial ice at the top of the 14,411 foot tall volcano. It last erupted in 1894. And according to Wikipedia, In the lead-up to Super Bowl XLVIII, the Washington State Senate passed a resolution on Friday, January 31, 2014, temporarily renaming the mountain Mount Seattle Seahawks until the midnight after the Super Bowl, Monday, February 3, 2014. Go, Hawks!
So, what did you do in July?? You don’t have to travel far from home to see something interesting, find a new favorite place, experience the changes in your city or visit a place you haven’t been in awhile. Whatever you do, get out there and explore!
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