Some of us visit Seattle to hike for books.
Photo credit: L. Tripoli
Thinking of a place as a city of environmentalists certainly isn’t a bad thing. I was reminded of my own first visit to Seattle as I was reading Allison Winn Scotch’s The Theory of Opposites, a thoroughly entertaining and amusing read about a too-timid New York woman who might just finally make a bold decision—but she has to get to Seattle first.
The first time I went to Seattle I did so just because it was there. I’d just quit practicing law, was taking a cross-country train trip, and was going to all sorts of places I’d never been before. In my mind, Seattle was full of outdoorsy hikers and bikers. It was. Would there be anything for the bashful librarian-types?
There was. Whether I’m visiting Seattle high-end or low- (on that first visit, I stayed at the Y; on my last, I was at the Kimpton Vintage Park), I get around to traveling the same route: I head to Pike’s Market, hit Left Bank Books, score some coffee along the way, and eventually head to Pioneer Square for browsing and too much buying (these bookstores ship!). If I hike anywhere, it’ll be in the concrete jungle, and this certainly is a good one to chose.
—Lori Tripoli