Does anybody know if there is an animal sanctuary in Washington? If not, what is the nearest one? thanks!

Hey Jeffrey, where ya from in AZ? Good to see im not the only person trying to escape the sun! 8)

Ive been out to Seattle twice now and the second I stepped off the plane I knew I was home finally. Between the music scene, the outdoor markets, great people and even better weather I cant wait to be out there!!!

Thanks for any help with the apartment situation!


That's how I felt when I first visited Seattle. I lived most of my life in Scottsdale when I lived in AZ. The only things I miss about it are the familiarity (I knew Scottsdale like the back of my hand), friends that I left behind, and some family. Other than that, I don't miss a thing.

I just got back from hiking Mt Townsend in the Olympic National Forest! It was incredible. For most of the hike the views were shrouded in cloud cover which was eerily beautiful in itself, then it started to clear up as I neared the top and I could finally see what it really looked like around me. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow.

I live in Auburn now (it's close to work), though I'm resigned to moving to the Capitol Hill area when my lease is up. I love downtown Seattle and the prices I've seen so far are within my range. It's about a half an hour from work, but the 150 bus line drops off right next to my work. Additionally, if I did need to drive now and then, I'd have the advantage of going against traffic.

You'll love it here, Nick, especially if you're "burnt" out on the sun like me. It was finally cloudy and rainy today after a long spell of bright shiny, days. My mood improved immediately. :up:

Winky, if I move up to Capitol Hill, we'll have to play Cranium so I can show you my superiority at board games. :shifty:

Jeffrey, thats pretty funny, I spent last couple of my teen years growing up in scottsdale and still live there now. Small world! I am definently burnt out on the sun, im just more of a clouds and rain type of guy to, a lot more fun when you running in the rain! Will kill a lot of my skateboarding but im sure theres a way around that lol

Thanks to everyone for all your helpful advide! I dont know as of yet where im working, its kind of a spur of the moment "what have i got to loose" type move! hehe But im hoping to finish school in the next 2 months and that might help with finding a job and locating where to live. I would love to live in the heart of the city but as we all know thats not easy on the wallet. But thanks much for the suggestions on the surrounding areas, that will help narrow down my search a lot! I dont think im going to take my car so the buses will be a must, and I do enjoy walking around that city so thats something I definently dont wont to lose.

Winking_Turtle, thats completly what im looking for, being able to walk everywhere is something I love about Seattle. Out here in AZ its very very hard to find that, I live in Old Scottsdale out here and its the most condensed
city type area in Scotts, and its still not very livable without a car! And hell who wants to walk in 115 degree heat hehe

But thanks much eveyone on the tips, they will help more than you know! Very nice to meet you all, hope to bump into you in a couple months under some grey clouds 8)

Thanks again!!

[QUOTE=XvegNickX]Jeffrey, thats pretty funny, I spent last couple of my teen years growing up in scottsdale and still live there now. Small world! I am definently burnt out on the sun, im just more of a clouds and rain type of guy to, a lot more fun when you running in the rain! Will kill a lot of my skateboarding but im sure theres a way around that lol

Thanks to everyone for all your helpful advide! I dont know as of yet where im working, its kind of a spur of the moment "what have i got to loose" type move! hehe But im hoping to finish school in the next 2 months and that might help with finding a job and locating where to live. I would love to live in the heart of the city but as we all know thats not easy on the wallet. But thanks much for the suggestions on the surrounding areas, that will help narrow down my search a lot! I dont think im going to take my car so the buses will be a must, and I do enjoy walking around that city so thats something I definently dont wont to lose.
[\QUOTE]

No worries! There's plenty of skating here. The weather doesn't mess with that, too much. I kind of moved up here on a whim, too. Things worked out great, almost. Finding a job was very frustrating for me, but that worked out, too. Like any major city, there's loads of temp agencies and such, but I don't trust them.

I live somewhere near Seattle, south a ways, I think. I'm moving closer, soon. I believe Jeffrey has some info on cheap studio apartments in Seattle. Maybe he'll post it, if you ask him nicely. There's some antique studios with private bathrooms for $385 in downtown Auburn. If you're going to college, you can always get into those places that you share with five other people.

Keep in touch, and let me know when you'll be in town. Good luck.

Hey everyon! Back again 8)

Been doing a lot of scouting on the net for places to live and it seems like Queen anne and Capitol hill have the most competative rents out there. So I guess one of my questions goes to everyone but mostly Winking_Turtle, I saw you live in Capitol hill, is it a pretty nice area? I have been out there an vaguely remember walking around down there but just cant seem to put my finger on certain places. Everytime I have gone to Seattle I stayed in a hotel right off of Pike (only because I work for a hotle that is partners with them) and that is more of my general frame of reference. I do remember walking up the hills to get to Cap hill im pretty sure though. Anyone have any info on Queen anne? I seem to remember that was very close to the middle of Seattle and a ncie area as well. Fremont seems to have some nice areas but its a bit north from where I would like to be, very cool place, spent some time up there last trip out.

Capitol hill seems pretty awesome, have found some very cheap rents out there, expecially coming from AZ where living close to anything even a grocery store will throw your rent through the roof hehe. Seems like there is a lot going on in Cap hill and that is definently what im looking for, plus the Vegan freindly stores/restuarants is a big plus!!

But again, thanks much for any help! I really do appreciate it!

I love Capitol Hill - definitely an easy place to be a vegetarian...and lots of life there too! Not too bad of a walk to downtown either. :)

Alright, so what's going on in Washington? Anyone going to Bumbershoot? I was planning on going as many lovely bands will be playing, but moms and pops are going to be in town to visit me for that weekend. So we'll probably be doing other things. :cry:

There's a good question. Any ideas on where I should take my parents for the long weekend? They are in their early 60s, very conservative, and enjoy tours with guides. They aren't very active, unfortunately. I think they'd rather sit in a car, bus, boat, etc. I'm thinking the Underground Tour might a good stop. Also, the Locks would be grand. I'm sure some ferry rides might be in order. Any other suggestions?

J the whale watches are a good all day boat ride. You have to bring your own vegan food and snacks. Sometimes you'll stop in Friday Harbor for a couple of hours sometimes not.

Your folks may actually enjoy Bumbershoot but not for the same reasons you are looking forward to it.

A bit closer to home you could catch the ferry to Winslow. It is nice for lunch. You should be able to find a place you both can eat (I am assuming they are omni). There is a bistro at up the hill and to the left as you leave the ferry that was able to assure me that they would not fudge on vegan when I asked.

J the whale watches are a good all day boat ride. You have to bring your own vegan food and snacks. Sometimes you'll stop in Friday Harbor for a couple of hours sometimes not.

Your folks may actually enjoy Bumbershoot but not for the same reasons you are looking forward to it.

A bit closer to home you could catch the ferry to Winslow. It is nice for lunch. You should be able to find a place you both can eat (I am assuming they are omni). There is a bistro at up the hill and to the left as you leave the ferry that was able to assure me that they would not fudge on vegan when I asked.

Excellent ideas, Kamila. There's almost too much to do in Washington. Certainly too much for a weekend, of course. They do like ferry rides, whale watching, and eating so they should enjoy those ideas. Hmmm, since I love beer, maybe they'd join me in a tour of a brewery! Maybe Red Hook. yum.

Thanks for the ideas!

Can't let this thread hit the second page!

So my parents have come and gone. Since I'm new here, much of what we did was explore together. A VERY brief recap of our weekend: friday night dinner on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. Saturday time was had at the Undergound Tour in Seattle, followed by fantastic food at Flavor of India (a place I plan on eating at quite often should I move to Seattle), a visit to Pike's Place Farmer's Market, and finished off with dinner at Ivar's Salmon House. Yes, not a perfect place for a veggie, but in my experience, nice, semi-expensive to expensive restaurants will go out of their way to accommodate diners with special needs. They did so, providing me with a fantastic pasta dish to which our waiter exclaimed he planned on ordering for himself at the end of the night. Sunday was spent on a cruise of Lakes Union and Washington via the ship canal. Before the cruise, in the half an hour we had before boarding the ship, we quickly visited the Fremont Farmer's Market (I plan on making this a regular trip) and I showed them the Fremont Troll. After the cruise, we played around the Locks and Salmon ladders.

Despite all that, I think we did about 2% of all Washington has to offer. I love this place.

Alright, who wants to organize a veggie meetup trip to Victoria? Eh? Anyone? Bueller? I swear I'll buy the first round of drinks. :sweat:

Have you gotten up to BC yet? Vancouver & Victoria are sooo pretty. And if you go to Victoria and are up there on Sunday night, check out Steamers pub. There is a great live band (Velvet) that has played there for years. They play some amazing stuff. I've gotten lost in their music on more than one occasion. Last I heard (early this year) they were still rocking the Sunday nights.

Wish I had more time to journey, but it looks like my schedule is free in 2007. I was fortunate to get away for *one* weekend in the mountains this year and *one* to the ocean. Not nearly enough. Who's brilliant ideer was it to go send me back to skool? Gah.

On another NW note, it has been fun watching Mt. St. Helens rumbling of late. It's so cool to watch nature do her thing. The mountains, the water, the green, ahhhhh. Now if the rain would only take root.

I'm kind of ready for the rain to begin also...only drawback to that is, everytime it rains, I want to take a nap...so I end up walking around sleepy-eyed during the rainy season.

I've enjoyed the afternoon sunshine these past couple of days. The nice weather is giving me and my one-year-old a chance to get out of the house. He loves to collect the fallen leaves. :)

Jeffrey ~ I'll take you up on that round of drinks offer! :beer: (I love an excuse to use the beer smiley)

Jeffrey ~ I'll take you up on that round of drinks offer! :beer: (I love an excuse to use the beer smiley)

I'm surprised you're the only one so far. :)

On another note, gotta say, I love the Vegan Burrito at Taco del Mar. For "fast food" goodness, it's like finding gold when you're panning for it.

mmm...vegan burritos :)

If you haven't been there already, you should go to Araya's in the U District in Seattle. They have awesome vegan thai food. I love it! It's a bit of a drive, (well, for me it is) but it's sooooo worth it!

A chick at my school is looking for a veggie roommate in Auburn. I would take her up on it, but I like my little place. If any of you are interested, I can hook you up. $400/month plus utilities. Own room. Kind of a fancy place.

:worried: Friday after Thanksgiving we went to the Olympic Peninsula for the day. To get there we took two ferries, the first one between Mukilteo and Clinton beach had bomb-sniffing dogs checking out the cars. A State patrolman talked to the driver of every car in the waiting area as he eyeballed the occupants. When we got on the boat we noticed a little Coast Guard gunboat floating off to port. As the ferry left the dock the gunboat fired up its engines and then stayed within about thirty feet of the ferry the whole trip across the sea. I have never seen anything like this before, and I have ridden the ferry for most of my life including just after 9/11 and during Orange alerts.

The spookiest part was when that 50 caliber gun was aimed right at our truck as the boat spun around. I was really hoping that it actually was the Coast Guard as I was looking down the barrel of that big ol' gun.

I'm surprised you're the only one so far. :)

On another note, gotta say, I love the Vegan Burrito at Taco del Mar. For "fast food" goodness, it's like finding gold when you're panning for it.

What I love is that the veggie burrito is cheaper than the meat burritos, and the vegan burrito is cheaper than all of them! Makes sense, as meat and cheese are some of the most pricey ingredients! I wish other places would do this. Like ordering pizza...sometimes the veggie pizza is even more expensive than the pepperoni pizza. silly people. And wouldn't it be great to get a discount for ordering cheeseless?

mmm...vegan burritos :)

If you haven't been there already, you should go to Araya's in the U District in Seattle. They have awesome vegan thai food. I love it! It's a bit of a drive, (well, for me it is) but it's sooooo worth it!

YES. Best vegan restaurant in town. Hands down. I love the black rice pudding w/ coconut milk. :lick:

YES. Best vegan restaurant in town. Hands down. I love the black rice pudding w/ coconut milk. :lick:

Is there a time to go to Araya's that isn't busy? I've eaten there once (heavenly), and walked by a few other times. Every time it's been packed like pickles. The owners must be doing very well for themselves.

I live in the South Sound (So anything Puyallup/Sumner/Olympia-ish) and need ideas for restaurants with Veg items/options on the menu... My Husband and one daughter are NOT vegetarian and since I won't COOK the stuff, we compromise and when we go out, they get their "meat fix" (ugh) so we have to go places that satisfy THEM and my other two (Veg. ) daughters and myself...
So - Ideas? "A salad and baked potato" gets old after a while...I'm not totally vegan but try to lean that direction. I already know most of the Thai/Chinese/Italian options... but am interested in anything you all might know of...

I live in the South Sound (So anything Puyallup/Sumner/Olympia-ish) and need ideas for restaurants with Veg items/options on the menu... My Husband and one daughter are NOT vegetarian and since I won't COOK the stuff, we compromise and when we go out, they get their "meat fix" (ugh) so we have to go places that satisfy THEM and my other two (Veg. ) daughters and myself...
So - Ideas? "A salad and baked potato" gets old after a while...I'm not totally vegan but try to lean that direction. I already know most of the Thai/Chinese/Italian options... but am interested in anything you all might know of...

I don't know about Puyallup or Sumer. I don't go out to eat much. On top of that, I've only been vegan since about a month ago. Not a good resume: I'm in training.

I just know a couple Thai place in Olympia and the Olive Garden without cheese and meat, but you don't want that.

I'm almost sure on 4th Ave. Olympia there are places. It's more or less the Evergreen College street. How about Chinese? The Panda Inn by Tumwater Costo or...if you dare go to the food court of the Olympia mall there's another one.

Any one else? I've got to go.

Good luck on your mighty mission!

Hello Washingtonians.

Since I posted a reply, I thought I might as well say I'm here.

I live in Centralia, 20 miles south of Olympia. It's the place people stop to pee driving from Seattle to Portland.

We also are the overnight stop for the Seattle to Portland bike (STP) event/semi-race. This is an exciting event for our town. We put up a couple one year. So far Lance Armstrong hasn't knocked on the door. I'd give him shelter if he did.

I lived in Seattle for 4 years in the late 70's - 80'. There was this little place, Starbucks, at Pike Place Market. My then boyfriend and I used to buy coffee there sometimes. If I'm remembering correctly, we thought it tasted like the kind we'd had in Amsterdam. And it was such a tiny store! I saw one right smack next to the ancient gate entry to Canterbury Catherdal a couple years ago. Instict was yuk. I can't figure out exactly how I feel about it. Medieval cathedrals did have people selling all sorts of trinkets and crap, like rodeos do, or so I'm told.

Anyway, rock on Washington.

I have peed in Centrailia many many times. :D You forgot to mention your town's other main attraction...outlet malls!

There's a Thai restaurant on the south exit of the South Hill mall in Puyallup, I'm sure they'd have vegetarian options. I used to catch my shuttle there, at the transit center across the street, but never got the chance to go in and try it. If they're like Seattle Thai restaurants, they'll at least have something! I had vegetarian phad thai in Seattle once that was just awesome!!