Do you remember that scene in My Fair Lady when Rex Harrison’s character Professor Higgins sings “Why Can’t The English Learn to Speak?” It’s one of my favorite movies, so I remember it very well. I think about that movie a lot when people ask me about the Pacific Northwest accent or if there even …
If there’s one thing everyone knows, it’s that it rains constantly in Seattle. That and the fact that Seattle-ites love their coffee. However, just because “everybody knows something” doesn’t make it anywhere near true. Despite many people considering Seattle to be one of the wettest cities on the West Coast, its level of raininess is …
I like to go hiking a lot, so my friends often call me up when they have a hiking-related question. However, I got a call last week which…let’s just say it wasn’t quite up my alley. My friend who called told me that he was in Europe a week ago and some of the other …
My wife grew up in Washington and told me it was literally impossible for a hurricane to hit the Washington coast. I was pretty confused, then, when we were looking to move to Oregon and she was emphatic that we stay away from flood and tsunami zones. Wait, what? Isn’t a tsunami and a hurricane …
In my opinion, Washington State is one of the best vacation destinations in the contiguous United States. I mean, not for me since I live here, but for people who come from the dry and dreary areas that make up the rest of the United States. However, for many people, Washington is one of those …
Portland is full of weirdos. Or, at least, that’s what everyone says. However, with all of the draws that Oregon has, it’s not unusual for every type of person to have their eye on the Beaver State. The reputation of Oregon, and Portland, in particular, has grown to such a gargantuan level that many conservatives …
A friend of mine recently told me that he bought some property in Washington and asked me to help him move. I was feeling pretty generous, so I agreed and I told him that I would help him load up his U-Haul. After we moved the couch, we decided to take a break. I asked …
If you’ve seen many art prints (or even bumper stickers) of Washington and Oregon you’ll know that the lighthouses are the poster boys for the entire PNW Region. And I’m not even mad about it. By their very nature, lighthouses are often placed in the most rugged and picturesque areas which makes them some of …
If you’re anything like me you probably remember the zoos of your youth with fondness. The problem is, that fondness probably turned to sadness when you realized that most zoos are really just cement cages for animals to while away their lives in. The zoos in the PNW are from a different mold. I remember …