December isn’t always an easy month. It’s the start of colder weather, new challenges. I found that the best way to start this season is by adding a good adventure with friends.

The last two Decembers, I flew out to Seattle on an adventure. Both were excellent. The first time, I flew there, my friend picked me up around midnight and drove me down to his apartment on the hill, a few miles from the center.

University of Washington

The next day, my friend had school, so we went to the University District for coffee and to explore a bit. By far, the Suzzallo Library was spectacular with big arches that lined the ceiling of one section. As we departed-he to a class for his master’s degree and me, to explore, I hung around the campus for a bit and hiked up to the campus where you could see Mount Rainer except the sky was too cloudy to see beyond the campus.

Wandering

I took the bus from the campus to downtown. Oysters for $1 for Happy Hour caught my eye. Seattle was small compared to Los Angeles, but it was still a decent size with buildings made of glass windows. I found myself walking toward Lake Union Park.

From the park, you can see the giant, idyllic lake and the Space Needle is visible in the skyline. Since it was December, it was cold, windy, a little rainy, and the goose was out by the quiet lake.

Beyond the green grass was the wooden planks that made The Center for the Wooden Boats. There were activities like pulleys, a list of flags, and even an activity book to learn about boats. It was so relaxing to just be there that I didn’t notice it had started to rain.

I went underneath the awning of the wooden boathouse, underneath the evergreens and white Christmas light that hung on it. Inside was much warmer.

Space Needle

• 

Since I had an umbrella and a GPS on my phone, I wandered a little further and across a couple of bridges that were nice, but just not for tourists. I found that the bridge with the troll was further than I thought, and I stumbled into the richer neighborhood in Seattle. The hills were high, and the homes were just as big. Finally, my hike brought me closer to the Space Needle again.

I’m not here for tourist traps. I would have wanted to attend a concert or a show near there, but walking around the Space Needle park was everything. The majority of the tourist area was in that one part in downtown.

International District

After enjoying the Space Needle from the outside at a circular sculpture, the International fountain that played music, I waited underneath the Space Needle for my friend to pick me up.

The traffic was heavy, and the lanes of the road were really strange once we were underneath one of Seattle’s bridges. It seemed to converge or it did, and cars were packed and honking.

Finally, we made it to the International District area and Chinatown. It seemed like we traveled far but it was literally one mile away, and it must have taken us fifteen minutes and another five to find a metered parking. I never thought Seattle’s traffic was on the same level as LA’s, but it was.

Dinner

It was difficult to choose a place to eat, but after wandering down the street, we found a warm place with Asian cuisine. We had our choice of warm soup, meat, and rice. You can’t go wrong with warm food after a day out in the rain.

(To be continued…)