Seattle, WA

Seattle’s prominent performing arts center

Wouldn’t it be great if you could travel through Cascadia, Australia, China, Chile and New Zealand all in one day? In the Washington Park Arboretum’s Pacific Connections Garden, you can!

https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/for-100-years-lynnwoods-petosa-accordions-has-squeezed-out-the-competition-and-critics-with-its-custom-instruments/

Green Park with sweeping skyline view of Seattle

Fans of fall foliage gather along the road at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park in Renton, shooting photos of the blazing red maple trees. The 57-acre park is one of the best spots in the region for leaf-peeping. The park will also host a holiday lights display starting Dec. 2.

This is where you start your West Seattle loop walk

The King County Water Taxi dock ushers folks to the park from the Seattle waterfront every hour.

Round Duwamish Head at Luna Park, where on a recent Saturday a group of dapper high schoolers took prom photos framed by the Seattle skyline. A tip of my cap to the young man dressed in all black, complete with a cowboy hat.

There are public bathrooms at Alki Beach, and plenty of spaces to stop for a break — grab a bite at a beachfront restaurant or plop down on a bench or in the sand.

About a quarter-mile before the Alki Point Lighthouse, you’ll be forced off the beach and onto Alki Avenue. Don’t break your path — follow the southbound curve until Alki turns into Beach Drive Southwest just south of the lighthouse. Stick on the beach and you risk trespassing on someone’s sandy “lawn.”

At Constellation Park, you can walk onto the beach to skip smooth stones or walk across the driftwood like a tightrope. You didn’t hear this from me, but you can backtrack on the rocky beach, turning around toward the lighthouse to share a romantic moment with your sweetheart on the driftwood there. Just don’t go beyond Alki Point — you’ll hit the aforementioned private property.

The road leads to Hamilton Viewpoint Park, another prime vantage point for watching the boats push by on Elliott Bay. Don’t fret it if the lighting isn’t right on first glance; you’ll get another crack at that skyline selfie in just a moment.