"Wahington State - Wilderness, Ocean, Mountains..." Washington State by claudia1975

Washington State belongs to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. This American state is very different from Callifornia, the east coast and the midwestern states. In my eyes it is one of the most beautiful American states and you should not be scared to visit it, just because rain is common (not more common than in e.g. Germany and the East of the state is exceptionally dry!).

There is a famous joke:
A tourist asks a school boy in Seattle: "damn, will it ever stop raining here?" - the boy: "How can I know, I am only seven years old!".

It is NOT like that. Many summers in this area are warm and sunny and the clear air, breezes from the Pacific, the good food and the breathtaking landscape will make up for a few rainy days. Actually Washinton has only about 4 Million inhabitants. The area of the state is about as big as germany. This means: On the same area where we have over 80 Million people they have only 4! The best country to compare Washington state to is probably Norway.

Washington ferry and Seattle skyline

Washington State has many harbours and ports. The second biggest one is Seattle, where many ferries leave on a hourly or daily bases to cities such as Vancouver (B.C., Canada) or the beautiful San Juan Islands as well as Vancouver island (Canada). Ferries transport cars, bikes and people and when lucky you can spot Orca Whales on the way to another destinations. Furthermore spotting harbour porpoises (look like dolphins) is quite common. Further famous harbours (including ferry terminals) are Tacoma , Anacortes and Bellingham (amongst others).

A anti-war demonstration in Portland, Oregon, 2003

People in the Pacific Northwest are often very liberal. Washington State voted mainly Democratic and during 2003 there were many peace ralleys and demonstrations against the war in Iraq. Many people are quite "outdoorsy" enjoy to hike, mountaineer, ski and bike. In Seattle all busses have bike racks and transport bycicles. You can find many alternative stores in cities like Seattle. Organic food, pottery, liberal book stores and art shops are commonplace.

• Pros:Friendly alternative people, breathtaking nature, good seafood, low population density, good public transport, many National Parks, great skiing, great hiking, great sailing
• Cons:you might experience some rainy days, dont go late fall or early spring
• In a nutshell:THE place to go, if you think you hate the USA (even though you have never been there) and want to be convinced that it is not bad at all ...