Seattle

Seattle was an area of the country I was looking forward to seeing, and I got my first taste of the great Pacific Northwest when I stopped in Eugene Oregon on my way north for a rest and to check out the University of Oregon. I've always been partial to Oregon ever since Akili Smith was drafted to pull my Bengals out of the mire, and have stuck with the university despite that. Despite Joey Harrington as well. After an afternoon in the town, I am now a firm believer that the University of Oregon is one of the places that people should consider when applying for schools. Part fratty, part hippie, part Denveretian earthiness, it simply has a good feel to it.
As for Seattle, I was amazed by the astounding lack of Starbucks in the city. Additionally, the city had the most absurd parking arrangements yet, charging something close to the right arm of your firstborn's eternal soul. As such, I didn't make it down to the Piers of Seattle, where I think they throw fish and have ferries take you in circles on the water. It all seemed pretty inefficient to me. If the experience was anything like it looked like, or how the Marina in San Fran was, I'm guessing it was a whole bunch of nice restaurants that would simply mock my financial ineptness were I to have made it down there. At least that's how I'm rationalizing it.