Travel
Getaways & Gifts: Valentine’s Day & Lunar New Year
Seattle staycation ideas for gals, pals, and romance.
Valentine’s Day 2026 promises to be a long, merry weekend. Celebrate with loved ones, then tack on Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, and President’s Day as well. Sounds like a staycation to us—one that accommodates gals, pals, couples, and anyone motivated by indulgent dining and late checkout. Here’s the roundup, with site-specific gift ideas. Alexis…
The Wanderer’s Guide to Portland’s Pearl District
Expect the unexpected in this consistently rewarding urban art oasis.
The first sound we hear at ILY2 gallery is not reverent silence, but astonished, contagious laughter. As we enter the room, a giggling couple bends down to grab a fish from a basket and load it into a giant cannon. The (rubber) salmon rockets through the gallery, thuds loudly against the opposite wall, and drops…
The Rise of the Experience Economy
REI brings back guided travel, betting that memories matter more than stuff.
In my household, with two young boys under the age of five, we often have to remind them to take things back. Did you really mean to tell dad that his dinner isn’t good? You might want to take that back. Did your brother deserve to be hit? Let’s rethink that one. Extreme analogies aside,…
Bellevue Is Treating Accessibility Like Infrastructure
A partnership with Wheel the World makes it easier to plan travel with verified details.
For a lot of people, the hardest part of travel planning isn’t arranging flights or booking a hotel. It’s figuring out whether a place will actually work for your needs once you get there. Bellevue has partnered with Wheel the World, a travel platform used worldwide, to verify accessibility details for hotels, attractions, restaurants, and…
Cozy Coastal Escapes
Who says the beach is only for summertime fun? These six spots, from British Columbia to California, highlight the beauty of the West Coast, all year round.
It all began with a simple scene: a roaring fire at San Ysidro Ranch, a glass of wine within reach, and a card game unfolding on the table. A quiet evening moment that sparked the notion of a coastal winter journey, where the season’s most alluring escapes share one element: the dancing flame. Whether it’s…
Northwest Enters Winter After Warmest Fall on Record
Unseasonably high temperatures and rain instead of snow have pushed regional snowpack to record lows for this point in the season.
Across the Northwest, a record-warm fall and lack of snowpack going into the winter is putting more drought pressure on Oregon, Idaho, Washington and western Montana. Despite record rain in western Washington recently, and earlier this year in central and southern Oregon, the showers are filling up already overdrawn reservoirs in many areas, scientists said…
Renew Yourself in Bellingham, Washington
Images courtesy of Visit Bellingham Unwind and reset in 2026 with a trip to peaceful Bellingham, Washington. Located between the stunning Cascade Mountains and the tranquil Salish Sea, there’s no better place for a trip packed with quiet moments in nature combined with the amenities of a culturally rich college town. Bellingham is known for…
Edge of the Map, Center of the World
Greenland’s future is bright as its citizens lead this once-remote country forward. With a direct flight from New York, visiting is the easiest it’s been in years.
Greenland has always loomed large in the imagination—an oversized white shape has always at the top of the globe, the mythical Thule of ancient legends. But lately, the world has rediscovered just how real—and how vital—this country is. For better or for worse, the island has become a prize in the new Arctic chess match….
Seattle’s Call to Protect the Endangered Species Act
A key wildlife law faces major rollbacks as the public comment period ticks down.
There’s plenty to do this season—lights, shows, markets, food—but here’s one more important thing worth putting on your list. The Endangered Species Act (ESA), the federal law that helped bring back the bald eagle and gray wolf, is now facing changes that could weaken its protections. The Trump administration has proposed updates to four ESA…
A New Place to Ice Skate by the Water
Hyatt Regency Lake Washington’s dockside rink offers lake views and eco-friendly synthetic ice.
Skating season has officially arrived. There’s a particular joy in gliding—or trying to—on cold days. I always go for the outdoor rinks, especially the ones strung with twinkling lights. It can be so romantic. And this year, there’s a new place to lace up. A 71-foot by 38-foot covered Glice rink is up and running…
Bergen: Finding a Home, Abroad
A trip across western Norway reveals strikingly Northwest sensibilities.
A few months ago, we randomly walked into Wallingford’s Fat Cat Records. Greeting us, face-out by the cash register, was not Nirvana, not Soundgarden, but Peer Gynt Suite, by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Was this a Norse omen, a mischievous prank from Loki? For us, two Seattleites with a trip to Norway on the…
Best Road Trip: Chuckanut Drive
A little less than two hours north of Seattle, depending on traffic, Chuckanut Drive (also known as WA State Highway 11) is 20 miles of postcard-worthy scenery with plenty of places to stop and things to do along the way. It’s a pretty straight shot heading along I-5 North; just take Exit 231 in Burlington…
Yes, It’s OK to Travel to LA
Why a trip to the City of Angels matters now more than ever.
“In Los Angeles, it’s hard to tell if you’re dealing with the real true illusion or the false one.”—Eve Babitz Babitz was one of LA’s great muses, and her line rings especially true in the wake of the wildfires that swept through parts of the region last winter. Los Angeles has always been a city…
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