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From Mountaintops To Ferry Rides: Hosting Visitors In The Pacific Northwest

Eric Shea
/
Flickr
A visit to Tacoma's Museum of Glass is one of many options for entertaining visitors.

Summertime in the Pacific Northwest means many of us are hosting relatives or friends from out of town. But how do you do that here? There are plenty of options, from outdoor adventures, to fine dining, to riding the ferry (seriously, if you don’t live here, it’s a pretty unusual thing to do).

This week in our “Going Places” travel segment – or maybe this week, “Staying Places” – KPLU travel expert Matthew Brumley offers some advice on how to entertain visitors.

Matthew’s Advice

Know your audience. Do your guests want outdoor adventures, or hours wandering through a museum? Or both? Matthew made the mistake of assuming two visitors from Cuba would want to see the great outdoors. (“They wanted to go to Walmart and Costco,” he said.) Float a list of ideas to them before they come, and take their temperature on the things they might want to do. That will also help them pack.

What’s ordinary to you might not be to them. Getting on a ferry might be something you do on a regular basis. Not so if you’re from an inland city. Taking a short ferry ride to another town, having lunch, seeing some sights and coming back can make for a fun day trip.

Try places you don’t know. You’ve lived here five years, and have never been inside the Museum of Glass, or up to the top of the Space Needle? Now’s your chance. Discovering something together can enhance the experience for both of you.

Don’t try to do too much. Have a range of options, but let your guests decide how busy they want to be. You might be eager to show off your hometown, but allow some time to relax. Some of the nicest moments on a vacation can be a picnic in a park, or an evening making dinner at home.

Nature comes in many forms. A visit to Mt. Rainier will always be memorable, but if you can’t make it out there, you can find plenty of opportunities to spend time outdoors. Point Defiance Park in Tacoma is a good choice. So is Discovery Park in Seattle. Even just a quick drive out to Snoqualmie Falls can give out-of-towners a nice dose of the environment. (Ed is partial to visiting Roslyn, which is a fun destination for fans of the TV show Northern Exposure, and includes a beautiful trip over Snoqualmie Pass.)

See things through their eyes. Hosting visitors is a great opportunity to gain new appreciation for the place you live. What did they find special? Take a moment to enjoy the fact that you live in a place exciting enough to attract visitors.

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"Going Places" is KPLU's weekly exploration of travel topics. Matthew Brumley is the co-founder of Earthbound Expeditions, which provides small group travel to clients including KPLU. Have a good idea for hosting out-of-towners? Tell us in the comments below.

Ed Ronco is a former KNKX producer and reporter and hosted All Things Considered for seven years.