Destinations are like lovers—ask any seasoned traveler and I’m sure they’d agree. When you first arrive in a new place, you feel that initial rush of wild excitement in the same way you do when you meet someone new. And like any introduction, although you’re uncertain how it will all turn out, the air still crackles with the electricity of potential.
Over the next few days or weeks, you try to get a feel for each other. What’s he like? What are his passions? As you learn more and more about your new lover that electric potential is either realized or it fizzles out. If the two of you don’t jibe, when your time together comes to an end, you’re happy to have spent time in their company but also ready to move on. But if the connection was deep, soulful, and meaningful, you feel the pangs of separation just as you would with any flesh-and-blood lover. And then the questions begin to haunt you in the corners of your mind—what if we never see each other again? What if we do meet again and the electric chemistry is gone?
I’ve had my fair share of lovers over the years. Destinations that were a nice distraction for several days. A few who, because the chemistry just wasn’t there, became like best friends. And one or two I just can’t stop thinking about.
And then there are the encounters where the potential was there but the circumstances just weren’t right. Like locking eyes with someone from across the room but you’re at a bar with your friends and you never get the chance to tear yourself away to go over and say hello. And before you know it, you turn around and just like that, the mystery man with the seductive stare has disappeared.
I once had a travel experience like that. If the “destinations-as-lovers” analogy holds true, then Seattle was the one that got away.
I arrived in Seattle, dusty and bedraggled after six long days on the road, driving a car across the country for friends who’d just moved to the West Coast and settled into a cozy suburb of Seattle. Over the next couple of days, they entertained me with a visit to a local grapparia, a bicycle ride along the Sammamish River Trail, and a leisurely breakfast at a local café, among other domestic pursuits.
But the time I enjoyed most were the few hours we spent in Seattle itself—driving into downtown, walking around the small shops, and perusing the stalls at Pike Place Market. The weather was not what most people expect from Seattle: the air was warm, the sky was blue and cloudless, with not a drop of rain in the forecast. I was in sheer heaven, flitting about from vendor to vendor in my open-toed sandals, breezy white cotton skirt, and bare legs.
Although I didn’t see much of the city itself, I felt like I could have stayed at Pike Place Market forever. The laid-back, artsy atmosphere of the vendors, their stalls spilling over with hand-crafted pieces and artisanal delicacies; the warm honeyed glow radiating from the sunlit street; the sweet fragrance wafting from the vibrant selection of peonies that had grown as big as my face. The colors. The snap. The movement. The life.
I liked what I saw and how I felt. In other words, I was diggin’ the vibe. It was like Seattle smiled at me with a flirty twinkle in his eye and I was thisclose to being completely and utterly smitten. And I wanted to know Seattle more. To get personal. To be intimate. To drink an iced-single-venti-caramel-macchiato-no-foam-extra-sweet in the very first Starbucks café across the street from the Market. To enjoy a lazy, contemplative stroll along the waterfront. To see the city from the top of the Space Needle, laid out like a visual banquet. And maybe just get good ol’ fashioned lost. But those few dynamic hours I spent at Pike Place Market were the first spark of a romance that was not to be.
During my last two days in Washington State, I kept promising myself that I’d sneak off for a few hours by myself to hang out with Seattle and do all of the things I’d been fantasizing about. But the hours and days slid quickly past, filled with errands and visits and such, and before long, I was packed up on an eastbound flight for home.
I often look back on those few short days in Seattle and wonder what if? Would that first spark of attraction have flamed into a grande passion? Had I missed the opportunity for a love affair? The attraction I feel is still strong and those brief days in Seattle continue to call to me like a siren whose song I am powerless to resist. I know I have to return.
Seattle, one of these days I’m going to get you alone. Just you and me. And we’ll make magic happen. I just know it.
What about you–is there a destination you felt an immediate connection to and you’d like to return to spend some more time there?
Looks like my kind of place. I hope to get there when I fly to Seattle on my way to Vancouver in June.
All this talk about Vancouver has me thinking I really, really need to consider going and then pop down to Seattle for a while. Not exactly what I was planning but eh! Plans, schmans. Have a great time!
Wow… I think you put it in writing my exact feeling for Seattle much better than I could ever have. I fell in love with Seattle during my 2 year stay there. Moved to California and have never been back. I still day dream about my weekend haunting the alleys of the bottom floor of Pike Place market, and the walk along the pier. Sigh. Good times.
All this talk about Seattle is–I think–changing my travel plans for later on in the year.
I love this post!! I love with people fall in love with Seattle!!
I’m originally from Spokane (Eastern WA) but went to UW so spent 5 years in Seattle. I loved every second of it but it wasn’t until I came back from studying abroad that I really started appreciating what my own city had to offer. I spent a lot of the next 6 months exploring Pike Place and the best spots around the city. Now, I can’t wait to get back and show it all to my boyfriend!
I hope you get a chance to go back, and who knows maybe we’ll cross paths at the first-ever Starbucks! 🙂
I have never been to Seattle but I only hear wonderful things about it. I have a few friends that live up their and have plans to visit. If I had to say the place the got away from me it would be Myrtle Beach SC. I actually lived in SC and never took the time to explore only to move away and regret not going now I must go back.
I LOVED this post not only because you’re writing about my hometown (which I am SO homesick for sometimes, even here in sunny Spain!) but also because I love how you compared it to love and dating. So creative! Thankfully, I hear Seattle is pretty easy to pin down, so you might just get your way and make it back to “him” before you know it! 😉
In all of my travels, it’s still one of the most naturally stunning places I’ve laid eyes on! Hope you make it back soon.
Vancouver. That’s the one that got away for me. I was on a road trip with some friends, driving from Kelowna out to Tofino, where we were planning to camp. We had planned to spend a few days in Vancouver, but our car broke down en route, and by the time we reached Vancouver, we were well behind schedule and had to skip it if we were going to have time for any actual camping on the island. So, we did a whirlwind afternoon tour, driving through Stanley Park and downtown, and seeing the sites from behind a car window. I loved what I saw, but it was like that stranger across the bar you spoke of – we only got to catch one anothers’ eyes before I had to drive away, and we never got to intimately know eachother.
Bummer….sorry you didn’t have a chance to truly go exploring. I’m hearing so many lovely things about Vancouver. Here’s hoping we both have an opportunity to visit…. 🙂
Love this!
And, actually, as for my city that “got away,” it may also be Seattle! My family went on an Alaskan cruise last summer, and we had about 24 hours before our cruise and half a day after it to spend in Seattle. It was not NEARLY enough time. We hit up all the “major” attractions, but quickly. And even though we visited Pike Place twice, I could have easily spent days there, just looking and smelling and listening. Actually, I felt that way about a lot of Seattle. Despite it’s reputation for bad weather, I think it’s a city I could really, really love.
I guess I’ll just have to go back someday!
Yes! I’m so with you on that….so much to see at Pike Place, I think I’d have to schedule a few days to partake of everything that’s available. I seriously love Seattle and I’m dying to go back. Here’s hoping we both have a second chance at true love! 🙂
The one that got away from me was Paris. I got there and was sick and didn’t really get a chance to see/enjoy what I wanted to. But I don’t consider it a bad thing (well being sick wasn’t fun). It just means I get a chance to visit the city sometime in the future.
I’m sure you’ll fall in love with Seattle when you meet up again. I loved it there… although I never got to see Pike Place Market, it got away from me.
I feel incredibly lucky that I’ve never been sick while traveling (knock on wood) and oh! Paris of all places! Hopefully you get another chance to go back…and hopefully to visit Pike Place Market. Such a wonderful experience…. 🙂
Wow! Does Seattle have a sister? Hope you can get back out there soon!
LOL! Maybe….