Red Lion Bellevue Inn

Rolling into Seattle we were surprised to see such an urban city.  With Seattle being known for its ecofriendliness and the 'green' ideas that we had about the city we didn't expect the vast amount of concrete.  We did spend most of our time in the city centre, but oh well.  Regardless of the lack of greenery we saw, we thoroughly enjoyed the city.  We arrived about an hour earlier than expected so we headed out to check out the Fremont area of town.  It is known for ...

... with a bit of a price tag. Still, we'd happily stay there again. And there just aren't enough words to describe the beauty of diving in the Bunaken Marine Preserve! The diving and dive staff was truly world-class. Lembeh Resort was a little rough around the edges, but again their staff and service made up for any short comings. The accomodations were comfortable though not as luxurious as Minahasa, despite the ...

... we met a random on the bus who asked us where we were going, he said he lived in Edmonds and gave us a lift as far as the main shopping centre where we were met by Sheila. That evening, we hung out with Bruce and Sheila at their house and had dinner while we waited for Stacy and Travis to arrive from New Jersey. They did and we eventually got to bed in the early hours of the ...

... he could have made the choreography tighter to the music if he had tried. Please leave me a comment so I know who is looking at my Blog! Did you like the video? Did you like the fireworks? Where are you from? Photos Copyright 2008 Jackie Whedbee Jackie Whedbee

... de la ciudad. Quizás no sea justo juzgar América cuando sólo se ha visto una ciudad pero mis ideas han cambiado poco. Seattle es enorme pero se siente sin vida. Entre rascacielos y horrendas calles llenas de naves comerciales emergen cientos de Starbucks (ya que aquí se fundó) y de mendigos. No sé, quizá sea que Nueva Zelanda nos ha parecido como un mundo ideal que se nota más el contraste ...

... when I deleted Jeff from my expedia account, working on a multi million dollar party, riding naked in the solstice parade as the blue sky, running in 3 5ks, canoeing 18 miles, kayaking 12 miles, watching women in red panties play roller derby, being in row W at a seahawks game, dancing at virginia inn, crying at Frontier Room, going to Great Big Sea at the zoo with Nancy Ward, biking to redhook and watching dumb and dumber, laughing my ass off at Knocked Up ...

Scams and Thieves are in every country (some more than others) and nothing protects you better than knowing about them ahead of time as well as how to protect yourself. Rick Steves is great about listing scams in his European guidebooks which were a big help. Lonely Planet has a section on crime and scams in many of its guidebooks. We had many tried on us on the road. Luckily, with books and fellow travelers warning us ahead of ...

... a little crazy for him. After they played for while, Kelly took them on a field trip. They went to the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame and the Experience Music Project in downtown Seattle. Paul Allen(Microsoft) was the master mind behind the "worlds only hands on music museum." The boys loved both stops. Keegan has been reading all of the 'Star Wars' books, so he ...

... good that I got to the gate so early! After the 9+ hours flying from Amsterdam I finally arrived home just over an hour after I departed Amsterdam. What a strange phenomenon! I was so happy when I finally landed and got through customs and out to the baggage claim! I saw someone out of the corner of my eye with Newport (my high school) sweats on which made me smile since I finally recognized something from home. It ...

... of water, a restroom. I should be able to ask for that, at least. I should be able to read signs, calculate tips, say good morning, please, thank you. I should understand enough of the language to get a handle on the culture, the place, the people. Language is the foundation on which to build a better experience than "arrive, spend, depart." I'll call that simple premise Travel 101. Language. Second thing, The Savvies. Should the tour company ...