Seattle– It’s President’s Day , I love long weekends. It’s a chance to get away and my favorite escape is Seattle. A lot of people think it’s crazy to visit there in February, but as far as I’m concerned, anytime of year is a great time to visit The Emerald City.

Getting there: I live is the San Fernando Valley, so getting to Seattle is an easy two hour flight on Alaska Airlines from Burbank Airport. After arriving at Seattle’s Sea Tac Airport, I can take Link Light Rail into town which takes about a half hour. I always prefer to take public transportation. It lessens the impact I have as a traveler on the environment. Parking in Seattle also sucks.

http://www.soundtransit.org/Rider-Guide/link-light-rail

International District/Chinatown: This is usually my first stop since I’m hungry. One of my favorite places for cheap eats is the Uwajimaya Shopping Center, 600 5th Avenue South. If I’m in the mood for a bowl of Vietnamese Pho, a Hawaiian style breakfast or Chinese barbecue, I can get it here.

http://www.uwajimaya.com/

If you have the time be sure to visit the excellent Wing Luke Museum, 719 South King Street. It’s a museum dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Asian Pacific Americans in the Northwest.

http://www.wingluke.org/

Museums: Two other Seattle museums I’m very fond of are the Museum of Pop Culture or MOPOP  and the Museum of History and Industry or MOHAI. Designed by Frank Gehry, the architect who designed Los Angeles Disney Concert Hall, MOPOP is a museum, not only dedicated to popular culture, but also Seattle musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

http://www.mopop.org/

Located in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, MOHAI  is a wonderful place to learn about the history of Seattle and the northwest, including tech giants like Microsoft.

http://www.mohai.org/

Food Tours: I love walking tours. I love them even more when you have a chance to sample food and beverages. I’ve been on a number of them in different cities around the world, but by far the best walking tours I’ve been on are the ones led by Savor Seattle. They offer a variety of tours from the iconic Pike Place Market to the trendy Capital Hill District.

https://www.savorseattletours.com/our-tours

Nature/Outdoors: Perhaps the best thing of all about Seattle is its natural beauty. You can take a number of day trips outside the city to places like Mount Rainer or hop a ferry to one of the outer islands. So with amazing food and interesting things to do both indoors and outdoors, is there any wonder that Seattle is my favorite city for a long weekend escape.