I need help quick!
 

I will be in Seattle Feb 18-22 visiting my son who is stationed @ Ft. Lewis. I'm not sure about what to see. I've heard the weather has been worse than usual. Besides downtown, would Olympia National be worth it? Is Snoqualmie Falls under 10 ft of snow? Mt Ranier? Thanks.

Hi, Bob, <BR>The weather has been, to quote an Irishman I drank too much beer with once, chronic. Normal rainfall (i.e., a lot), lots of snow in the mountains, but knock wood not much lowland flooding, yet. <BR>Snoqualmie Falls is in the Cascade foothills, so usually no snow, but LOTS of water going over, quite spectacular. <BR>Olympic NP is really quite enjoyable in the winter, but extremely wet in most parts; good wildlife viewing possible in some of the lowland rain forest (like Hoh Valley) areas, spooky walks through the moss and trees. <BR>Mt. Rainier is very snowy, good skiing nearby. There's also lots to do in Seattle itself (Pike market, ferry rides, etc.) and if you're in the Tacoma area some good museums. An enjoyable way of getting from Tacoma to Seattle is by ferry to the south end of Vashon Island, then a picturesque drive up the island to the north-end ferry into Seattle. Also recommended would be a day trip to Washington's beautiful capitol building in Olympia, a half hour or so from Ft. Lewis. You'll find lots to do. <BR>

Olympic National Park is definitely worth a trip from Seattle--the rainforest, Hurricane Ridge and the beaches are all magnificent. However, I'm not sure about accessibility in the winter. If they're accessible, Olympic is definitely worth at least two days.

Why not do what the natives do? Go to the Public Market, the museum, China town, snoqualmie falls (no, it's not under snow), go to some of the parks that are on the sound, the zoo, the aquarium, etc., . The Rain forest and the ocean is a three hour drive from Seattle. Yes, we are socked in (today) but Sunday and Monday were beautiful.

Jules, <BR> Thanks for the reply. I really need something that will keep the interests of two ( 19 and 14) yr old boys. Is the aquarium nice? Iv'e ben to aquariums in Montreal, New Orleans and Chicago but something with a Northwest theme might be nice. Any help of suggestions would help. Thanks! <BR>

<BR>I really should proof read before I post. Sorry.

Boys...hmm. ? How about taking them to the Museum of Flight? This has all the stuff about Boeing airplanes, and is a great place. Take them to the Public Market and let them try to catch a flying salmon. Take them out on a tour boat in the bay to see the city from the water..to the Zoo? To west Seattle, walk along the waterfront, (where many young go to see and be seen), to Capitol Hill (where the action was during WTO and some very down to earth types live, to the SAM (Seattle Art Museum) where they have one of the most astounding collections of jade in the world, to Snoqualimie falls, where they can hike from the bottom up (I think you can still do that!). Go to the ferry terminal and "walk on" a ferry to Banbridge Island, then walk about the little town of Winslow, then ferry back, (all very reasonable). I could go on and on. If you really want to have a blast, and have a day to do it, get up early and take them to Snoqualimie Pass, let them rent skis for the day, and have a day on the slopes (one hour drive from Seattle). How's that for suggestions.

Dear Bob: <BR>If your son is stationed at Fort Lewis, you can skip Seattle and concentrate on Tacoma, which is a lot closer to the base. Tacoma's Point Defiance Park is one of the great urban parks in the country. The park has a zoo, an aquarium, a reconstructed logging camp with lots of antique machinery, a reconstructed Hudson's Bay Company Fort, with some of the oldest buildings in Washington State (moved here from their original sites), trails, beaches, and more. <BR>Downtown Tacoma has a great art museum, the State History Museum, an interesting waterfront, and lots of good restaurants. You could take a drive south to the State Capital of Olympia. The capitol alone is worth a visit; so are the funky old downtown and the waterfront. <BR>From Olympia it's a short drive to the Pacific Ocean at Grays Harbor (there's great bird watching at Bowerman Basin west of Hoquiam, Markham has an oyster farm, and Westport has ocean sport fishing). <BR>From Hoquiam, you can drive north to the rain forests of the Olympic Peninsula, or you drive the hundred miles south to Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River (in the city of Vancouver, WA), a beautifully done reconstruction of the oldest settlement in what is now Washington State. If you drive this far south, you might plan to have dinner and stay in Portland, OR, for one night). <BR>You could also drive to Mount Rainier, but it'll probably be pretty snowed in. <BR>Actually, the problem with this glorious state is that there's just too much to do, too many ways to have fun--and you only have a few days. <BR>You better plan on a return visit! <BR>

<BR>John &Julie, <BR> My son is stationed at Ft Lewis for the next three years so I will definitely be back, probably in Sept. I want to go to the market and area for one day. Will pick the nicest day for Olympia National Forest. You both had quite a few suggestions. Might try a Huskies basketball game. Any festivals that you know of? Maybe not in February. If you can think of anything else, let me know! Thanks.

Bob: <BR>There are quite a few festivals. Here's a handful to get you started: <BR> <BR>The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival will run this year from the last week in March through the second week in April. <BR> <BR> In late April, Wenatchee has its Apple Blossom Festival. <BR> <BR>Bellingham holds its Ski-t-Sea festival on the Sunday before Memorial Day. It's a mad-dash multimedia race (cross-country skiers, downhill skiers, runners, bike racers, canoeists, mountain bikers, and kayakers) starting at the Mount Baker Ski Area and ending (with the kayakers) on the Fairhaven (south Bellingham) waterfront. <BR> <BR>Seattle holds its Folk life Festival on the Memorial Day weekend, Seafair in July (with hydroplane races on Lake Washington), and the Bumbershoot arts festival over the Labor Day weekend. <BR>

Hi again, Bob, <BR>Timing's off a little. You're here Presidents' Day weekend, but you probably knew that. Fat Tuesday, Seattle's Mardi Gras celebration, is the first week in March. The Huskies (playing this year at Key Arena at Seattle Center) are out of town that weekend (men), home (women). (If you're in Eugene OR, though, the UW/UO game at MacArthur Court is great, if hard on the ears and the heart.) The Sonics are at home at the Key. <BR>A longish day trip, but an OK chance of dry conditions, is a drive from Tacoma up the Olympic Peninsula to Port Townsend, then a ferry over to Whidbey Island, drive south to the Mukilteo ferry, then back down the freeway to Tacoma. Sort of a one-day immersion in the Puget Sound region. Maybe you'll see something worth returning to later.