3. Washington

Happy Canada Day!

When I was getting ready to choose which college I went to, I had a lot on my mind. I was about to go to a place that could very well become my home someday. I applied to 3 colleges in 3 states: Minnesota, Montana, and Washington. And there wasn’t really a doubt in mind which one I wanted to go to the most.

***View of Seattle from my college apartment***

The Pacific Northwest drew me. I don’t know if it was the environment, the cities, or the fresh sushi. I think it was the sushi. I had been to Seattle twice in preparation for my college application to University of Washington. Each time it felt like such a monumental moment to be there. So when I finally got that fateful acceptance letter, something just felt right. It wasn’t much of a decision.

I knew going into college I was a pretty awkward person, but I wanted to go to a big place so I always had an opportunity to make new friends. And maybe this is a bit of a college experience, because so many people feel the same way, but I couldn’t believe how many people reached out to me wanting to do something. It had always been the other way in high school if I wanted to be a part of anything. I feel like Seattle has a reputation of being filled with cold, introverted people who will never go out of their way to talk to anyone. Maybe that is true to some degree, but for me I never found a group so outgoing, so fun loving, so accepting. And these people are truly what makes Washington so special to me.

Washington state is a vibe that is so interesting and beautiful that it really makes it stand out above nearly all the rest. It’s a little damp to say the least. Seattle is known for its rain probably more than any city in the whole country. I think this is a bit overblown! It’s overcast nearly all winter, and there’s always at least a possibility of a drizzle, but it’s not really in a way that forces you to stay inside. But it really adds to what makes the area unique. It is as green as it gets all the way up the Cascades.

Oh the Cascades. There was a moment in my first couple days at UW (University of Washington), where I was walking back from classes at sunset. I got my first ever view of Mount Rainier. What a majesty. While Mount Rainier isn’t the tallest mountain in the US, it is the most prominent in the lower 48. So what this means is that it towers over you and the entire Puget Sound. So on any clear day when “the mountain is out”, it is such a deep experience because it’s like some higher power is looking over you.

The Puget Sound is what makes the area truly special. This deep calm water that goes down nearly 100 miles all the way down to Olympia. It’s scattered with islands, and no matter where you go you always get to see the land stick out on the other side. It’s like you’re looking out over a mini ocean. Topographically, the Puget Sound area is so hilly up until you get to the Cascades, so it gives the area an incredibly unique geography. Only the San Francisco Bay has really anything like it. You can go up hundreds of feet in elevation right from the coast line.

There’s so many incredible sights to see in Washington. Deception Pass is obviously a major highlight. That has to be the most stereotypical Northwest place in the country. There’s also Chuckanut Drive just south of Bellingham that offers some of the best coastal views. Whidbey Island of course is amazing. Somehow I haven’t been to the San Juans yet, but I know that will be a place to remember.

There’s Point Defiance in Tacoma. The Olympics, the Columbia River Gorge, the drives over Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass, Mount Saint Helens, the coast on the Olympic Peninsula. I can go on and on about how much there is to explore in Washington. I still feel like I have so much to see. And this is mostly only half the state.

Which brings me to my biggest gripe with the state, and it is that much of Eastern Washington is a drag from the Columbia River to Spokane. It is just so much drier than the rest of the state and in comparison it is pretty bland. Endless seas of farmland that aren’t much to look at. Yet even still, northern and southern Eastern Washington is really cool. So maybe I focus on it a little bit too much since I’ve driven it so much going to Montana. But even still it’s got stuff to appreciate.

Then of course we get to the cities. All of this scenery would be great, but we have so many great towns to go along with it. Bellingham is a true treasure where I could totally see living someday if I wanted to get away from the noise. Olympia is really cool for being such a small state capital. Port Angeles is gorgeous. Tacoma is such an amazing working class city that goes a bit unappreciated by Seattleites. Even the Seattle suburbs are cool because they are so much more public transit and walker friendly, and they are built into the forests. You often don’t even know they are there.

Seattle is of course the highlight. So many different neighborhoods that are all so special. Ballard, Capitol Hill, Fremont, the Central District, Columbia City, and who can forget the lovely Licton Springs. No matter where you live, you are a few blocks from a park or at most a mile or two from the water. It is such a great city to walk in, and I think it’s getting better. Seattle has its problems for sure, I got to see a lot of them during my previous job, but ultimately it is a city for the people. And it does this better than most places in the US.

Washington is the state where everything fits together just right for me. It’s such a wonderful life up there that it’s hard to envision living anywhere else now. There's a pretty good reason that nearly all my friends have ended up moving back if they moved away. And that makes it even more special because it is where so many people I love and care about are. And we chose it there for the same reason.

It’s comforting, it’s safe, it’s gorgeous, it’s interesting, it’s weird, it’s accepting, it’s loving. It’s my home.

2. Alaska

4. Maine

The Autumnal