Johnscarroll's VirtualTourist Home Page

Seattle is a wonderful city that is warm and welcoming to all people including gay and lesbian travelers.

The target audience for this page is middle aged travelers like myself. I love history, culture, arts, and the outdoors.

I'm amazed by architecture and the wonders of mother nature's creation leave me in awe. The stereotype for some, is that gay men travel so they can party, dance, and get laid. How far from the truth that is. Like most gay guys, I'm just a boring average 40 year old that wants to learn about people, places, history, and art. If that describes you, then these pages may be of help.

My partner of 13 years and I LOVE to travel - ALOT! In order to do that, we must travel on a budget so we can do it as much as possible. We are far more likely to stay in a motel or a little inn than a big tower. We prefer to eat picnics and visit neighborhood restaurants rather than fork over the cash for an incredible meal in a four star eatery.

We collect travel mileage points as though they will guarantee our trip to heaven. We travel 2-4 times each year. Somtimes it's a month in Europe. Other times it's a week in San Francisco or Orlando. We enjoy the museums and shows in New York. We love the relaxing and accepting atmosphere in Hawaii and Puerto Vallarta.

If you are interested in our travel destinations, or especially in Seattle - read on.

I am always happy to answer questions about visiting Seattle.

Never have I seen a town in the US that is oriented more toward outdoor activity than Seattle. This is even more remarkable when you consider our reputation for rain and clouds. But within a two hour drive or less, there are an astounding variety of activities and sights available to Seattleites and visitors alike.

We have Puget Sound and its myriad islands at our front door. Then there are the Cascade mountains one hour away for hiking, skiing, and backpacking.

Two hours east is the high desert of the Columbia Plateau. River boating, fishing, and horseback riding are all available.

To the south are Mt. Rainer National Park and Mt. Saint Helens Volcanic Monument. Witness the power of nature here.

On the Olympic Peninsula is Olympic National Park. Included here are the spectacular views from Hurricane Ridge. Also, the Hoh Rainforest . Yes! Seattle is near the largest temperate rainforest in the world!

The San Juan Islands are heaven for boaters. And North Cascades National Park is one of the most remote and untouched hiking spots in the country.

Finally, even within the city of Seattle are sandy beaches, lakeside parks, boating in quiet coves, water skiing next to masions, hikes through old growth forest, tidepools, and climbs up the tallest skyscraper in the Western US with 76 floors. If the real thing isn't for you, try the climbing wall at REI's flagship store.

Seattle's setting is without equal. Puget Sound is at our doorstep. From our hills there are plentiful views to the Olympic Mountians, the youngest mountain range in the US. Out the back door is 20 mile long Lake Washington and its smaller sister Lake Sammamish.

Life can't be any better than this. I love to travel, and even more - I love to come home.

Seattle is a city of strong and vital neighborhoods. Some of the most interesting include:
Pioneer Square - the historic heart
Downtown - Vital and busy
Belltown - Newer, urban, and hip
Capitol Hill - Gays, cafes, & art
Alki - Seattle's beach neighborhood
Madison Park - quiet lakefront
Greenlake - our busiest public park
Seattle Center - the civic heart
Queen Anne - DINK's and coffee
Chinatown/ID - asian neighborhood
SODO - warehouse, stadiums, and lofts

"I never left my home town until I was 45," she said. My 10 year old mouth dropped to the concrete floor of the patio. Now, 30 years later, I still list that statement as one of the most shocking things I have ever heard in my life.

It was made by a family friend during a summer party at my childhood home. Mind you, I was no great world traveler! But I had been through the Midwest, and up and down the Pacific coast during family vacations. My experiences were as diverse as backpacking in the Sierra Nevada, a wealthy aunt's home on Russian Hill in San Francisco, a lakeside cabin in Minnesota, and RV trekking through British Columbia, not to mention visits to what is my current home on Puget Sound.

There are far too many American's who have never seen the world. I never want to be listed among those who are happy to stay at home. Even when I return from a vacation, ready and hoping for the comforts of home, I immediately begin planning the next escape.

I travel because I love history, architecture, different cultures, unfamiliar languages, and new traditions. In other words - I love learning about new people and places.

I honestly believe I would be less of a person if I did not do all I can to meet and learn about the ways that other people think and live. Those who choose to stay home, or even those who don't want to leave North America are puzzling people.

I have traveled extensively in the US and western Canada. I've been to a couple places in Mexico as well. So far I've also been to England, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.

As I build my pages and travel tips, I will go into more detail about the places I've already visited. Just by looking at my list of upcoming pages you will get an idea about the extent of my travels through cities in North America and Europe. I've traveled more than most, but less than many. It is only now, in my 40s and reaching some level of financial security that I am ready to travel long distances to places on different continents.

Here is a short list of the places I still want to visit during my lifetime. This doesn't include places I've already seen but to which I would like to return.

Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Bosnia, Greece, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Japan, Egypt, South Aftrica, Kenya, Liberia, Brazil, Costa Rica, and much more. There are places in the US and Canada I have yet to see like Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Chicago, Toronto, Quebec, Montreal, Atlanta, Pittsburg, Santa Fe and Niagra Falls. I have my work cut out for me, don't I?