Feb 3rd, 2012 at 1:00PM: Acclaimed Seattle-based adventure travel company and guide service Mountain Madness debuts its newest trip on February 4th: an excursion to Colombia's El Cocuy National Park. Although Colombia is often characterized as being mostly tropical jungle or coastline, the Andean Cordillera Oriental crosses a significant portion of the country. The El Cocuy trip will allow trekkers to explore glaciers, ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Seattle posts
Trek the Colombian Andes in El Cocuy National Park with Mountain Madness
Feb 3rd, 2012 at 1:00PM: Acclaimed Seattle-based adventure travel company and guide service Mountain Madness debuts its newest trip on February 4th: an excursion to Colombia's El Cocuy National Park. Although Colombia is often characterized as being mostly tropical jungle or coastline, the Andean Cordillera Oriental crosses a significant portion of the country. The El Cocuy trip will allow trekkers to explore glaciers, ...Gadling Gear Review: Winter hat and gloves
Jan 24th, 2012 at 9:00AM: Seattle was recently choked by the kind of snowstorm that we're not supposed to get. It was followed by an ice storm, something I've never had the joy and/or terror to experience. It was also great gear testing weather. I unpacked my snow gear and the big parka, the long underwear, and wrapped my hands and head in SmartWool's "Snowflake Pop" knits.
I like hats with earflaps because well, they ...Training shuttle to be displayed in Seattle's Museum of Flight
Jan 22nd, 2012 at 9:00AM:
It looks like the Space Shuttle, but it isn't. It's made of plywood, for one thing, and it can't fly.
Yet it's a piece of aeronautics history and will soon grace Seattle's Museum of Flight. This training shuttle, more properly called the Full Fuselage Trainer, is a full-scale mockup that astronauts have used for practice since the 1970s. The museum originally hoped to get one of the four ...RAD AND HUNGRY supplies lo-fi office goodies from around the world
Dec 15th, 2011 at 12:00PM:
When travel meets design meets a geeky-cool love for office supplies, you get RAD AND HUNGRY, a Seattle-based start-up that curates limited-edition collections of pencils, notebooks, and other goodies sourced from travels around the globe. I've never gotten quite as excited about a gum eraser as I did when recently browsing their collections.
The concept for RAD AND HUNGRY was born ...In winter, Seattle is mine again.
Nov 30th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
November, December, Seattle. Typically, it's raining and the temperatures hover around 40ºF. The sky is a dull, even gray that mutes all light and color. It's miserable, by most measures, not cold enough to snow, but too cold to enjoy being outside without performance attire. Perhaps it's the worst at the bus stop; cars roll by throwing water and wind, there is not enough protection in ...Video: 2011 National Parkour Summit competition
Nov 1st, 2011 at 2:30PM: The 2011 National Parkour Summit competition took place in Seattle, Washington. World class traceurs, including Levi Meeuwenberg, Frosti Zernow, Brian Orosco, and Tyson Cecka competed in speed competitions at Gasworks Park where two obstacle courses were set up. The first course was an Adult Open competition at Parkour Visions' brand new gym, while the second was an Adult Invitational. Each ...
Host and experience budget-friendly local tours all over the United States
Oct 20th, 2011 at 12:00PM: HipHost, a new "peer-to-peer marketplace for socially-hosted local tours", not only gives travelers a way to experience new cities from a local's point of view, but also gives people an opportunity to make extra cash.
Anyone who wants to share their local knowledge can be a HipHost and design a tour based on anything they find interesting. Some tour topics include art, culture, fitness, ...Labor Day island getaways from Wanderfly
Aug 24th, 2011 at 3:30PM: Labor Day is fast approaching along with the official end of summer. If you haven't had enough sun yet, maybe it's time for one more weekend of lying on the beach, fruity cocktail and fun book in hand? We asked our friends at Wanderfly.com, a web travel tool that helps you choose a vacation spot, for some Labor Day island getaways offering deals for the long weekend.
Domestic: Hilton Head ...Orcas, sea kayaking, and sea planes: a day trip to Washington's San Juan Island
Aug 16th, 2011 at 12:30PM: I woke up early one morning last week and realized that August 15th would mark two years since I arrived in Seattle. Normally I wouldn't take note of such a thing, given that I tend to move with the frequency of a fugitive. Staying in one place just isn't in my nature.
But here I was, 24 months into life in Seattle, and of the many things I'd yet to do, I hadn't: been to the San Juan Islands ...Kickstarter project wants to create a new tourism website for Washington State
Aug 10th, 2011 at 10:00AM: Washington State has plenty to offer the tourist, including incredible natural wonders, such as Mount Rainier and Puget Sound, and one of the coolest cities in the country in Seattle. Despite this, Washington is unable to afford a state-funded tourism board. In July, Washington State became the only state in the nation without a statewide tourism office.
While this sad set of circumstances ...Needling replaces planking as the new meme in Seattle
Aug 2nd, 2011 at 11:30AM: Planking is so early 2011.
At least that's the case in Seattle where locals and tourists have moved on to "needling," i.e., posing like the Space Needle. Started about two weeks ago by a few bored PR folks who wanted to "disrupt Seattle's weather doldrums with a little fun," the needling meme now has its own Tumblr website Do the Needle, where anyone can submit needling photos. So far, Do the ...Summer travel: best U.S. cities for localized food lovers
Jul 14th, 2011 at 3:00PM: What's that you say? Summer's half over? Those of us living here in the Pacific Northwest had no idea, given the lack of sun in these parts. But even if you're getting slapped by the mother of all heat waves, it's still early in the season for the best produce summer has to offer. As for where to get great food featuring locally-sourced ingredients? Allow me.
Some cities are inextricably linked ...Five trekking options for adventurers with bad backs
Jun 3rd, 2011 at 1:30PM: If you've got a bad back or neck--and many of us do--it can make certain aspects of travel challenging, especially if you're otherwise healthy and active. Perhaps the most frustrating issue for adventure travelers such as myself is being limited to day hikes, unless there are overnight options that don't involve humping a 50-pound-plus backpack into the wilderness.
I suffered a moderately ...Best ice cream in America not just from a shop
May 30th, 2011 at 4:30PM: Since Memorial Day is past, I think it's safe to say we've officially entered ice cream season (National Ice Cream Day is July 17) Unless you live in Seattle, in which case, it's still winter, but never mind. We still have great ice cream.
What makes for acclaim-worthy ice cream? Food writers like me tend to look for an emphasis on local/seasonal ingredients, including dairy. I love high ...Nine groovy retro flight attendant uniforms
May 23rd, 2011 at 3:30PM: Good looks never go out of style, but (thankfully, in some instances) "air hostess" uniforms do. The Los Angeles Times travel section has published this great photo gallery of swinging stews from the "Style in the Aisle" exhibit at Seattle's Museum of Flight.
The exhibit, which runs through May 30th, features flight attendant uniforms from the 1930's through the '70's. Couture designers of the ...Ten iconic foods of summer, and where to find them
May 20th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Aah, summer. A time for the beach, pool parties, lazy days...and sheep cheese? While many foods are undeniably the essence of summer--watermelon, peaches, and anything grilled come to mind--there are plenty of edibles not identified as seasonal foods.
Most of my favorite things to eat just happen to peak in summer, so I decided to compile a list of both the obvious and not-so. Even the most ...Pop-up restaurants: dining for a new decade
Apr 28th, 2011 at 1:30PM: First, it was underground supper clubs. Now, everything's coming up pop-ups. As with food trucks, this form of guerrilla cheffing borne of economic need has become a global phenomenon. Equal parts dinner party and dinner theater, a pop-up refers to a dining establishment that is open anywhere from one to several nights, usually in an existing restaurant or other commercial food establishment.
...Ten great food co-ops in the western U.S.
Apr 22nd, 2011 at 1:30PM: If the concept of food cooperatives conjures up images of burning bras and withered, wormy produce, hear me out. The times they have a'changed, and today's co-ops (about 500 nationwide) can be the hometown equivalent of a certain high-end, multi-billion-dollar, national green grocery chain. As with farmers markets, all are not created equal, but when you hit upon a good one, it's easy to see why ...Seattle's Safeco Field gets food concession with local ingredients, menus by award-winning chefs
Mar 21st, 2011 at 4:30PM: Buh-bye, limp hot dogs in soggy buns. Baseball season starts April 1st, and Seattle's Safeco Field--go, Mariners--is celebrating its first home game on the 8th with some serious food.
Centerplate, the leading hospitality provider to North America's premier sports stadiums, has developed a partnership with award-winning Seattle chef Ethan Stowell, as well as chefs Roberto Santibañez, owner ...Coast to coast: Best hotels for Oscar viewing parties
Feb 24th, 2011 at 1:30PM:
Want to live it up like an A-lister? You don't have to hit the red carpet in Los Angeles to make like the stars of The Social Network, The King's Speech, True Grit or Black Swan. Hotel bars, particularly at luxe properties, have long been beloved by the see-and-be seen set. But if what you really want to see is the annual Oscars / Academy Awards ... you're in luck at these great Oscar viewing ...
