Bird Rock Hotel – Friday Harbor Gay Friendly Hotel

Bird Rock Hotel - Friday Harbor Gay Friendly Hotel

Friday Harbor Gay Friendly Hotel Close to Everything

Located just three blocks from the Washington State Ferry terminal, our Friday Harbor gay friendly hotel, is the ideal San Juan Island base for the active adventurers, the bicyclists, the birders, the kayakers and travelers, who leave their horseless carriage on the mainland.

The Bird Rock Hotel lays in the heart of cute, bustling Friday Harbor, across the street from the acclaimed Friday Harbor Whale Museum, within easy walking distance of over 30 eateries, bistros, cafes and bars. Explore the shops and galleries, the Saturday Farmer’s Market, arts and music festivals and take our complimentary beach cruiser bikes for a spin to the nearest beach.

Our boutique hotel is an oasis of comfort and charm. Bird Rock Hotel is an invigorating combination of historic hotel exterior and stylishly modern interiors ranging from deluxe, harbor-view, king-jacuzzi suites to simple, European-style sleeping rooms. Our guest rooms feature comfy custom beds, locally sourced, luxurious body care products, free high-speed Wi-Fi, satellite HDTV, complimentary beach cruiser bikes and more. Each of the15 rooms is unique, making it a fun experience to come and stay again and again.

See the Bird Rock Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Friday Harbor Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Earthbox Inn & Spa – Friday Harbor Gay Friendly Motel

Earthbox Inn & Spa - Friday Harbor Gay Friendly Motel

Friday Harbor Gay Friendly Motel & Retro Motor Inn

Explore San Juan Island from this relaxed, retro motor inn!

Just four blocks away from the Friday Harbor ferry landing and in the heart of downtown, you’re not far away from anything.

Earthbox Inn & Spa is a Friday Harbor gay friendly motel, the only hotel on San Juan Island with an indoor pool and a classic retro chic. And it’s where you’ll find answers to all of your questions about the island. Ask us anything! We’re happy to connect you with the best San Juan Island has to offer—from dinner to kayak tours, spa dates to best hikes! Plus, we are right in completely walkable Friday Harbor so getting around is easy and fun!

A stay with us is super comfortable, too. All our rooms have simple designs and calming colors, inspired by the earth, sea, sun and sky so you can kick back and remember you’re on vacation.

See the Earthbox Inn & Spa Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Friday Harbor Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Pacific Northwest Kayaking – 2TravelDads

Pacific Northwest Kayaking

Pacific Northwest Kayaking, and more specifically kayaking in Washington State, is a fun and sustainable summer activity. Yeah, you could plan paddling in the Puget Sound area in the fall or spring too, but summer is the best time to experience the beautiful waters of Washington. We’ve picked our favorite places in Washington for kayaking, and we know you’ll love them.

The Seattle area is best seen from the water: sailing, on a ferry, or on a kayak. Just short drives from the city are countless islands and bays to explore. Across the Puget Sound are the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas, which are dotted with lakes and waterways, ready to be paddled. Kayaking in the Pacific Northwest is amazing.

The Best Places for Pacific Northwest Kayaking

When you visit the Seattle area, or even better, when you do a road trip around the Puget Sound region or to the south, you’ll be tempted to explore beyond the basic tourist sites and you should do it. Getting into a kayak is really the best way to experience the nature and views we’ve got. Kayaking in the Pacific Northwest will have you plotting to return again and again.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Puget Sound Gay Travel Resources

Explore Queer Seattle – Passport Magazine

When you lived in a city for many years, it’s weird to return as a tourist. Seattle was my home for high school, college, and my swinging 20s, until I journied east to New York City. Since then, I’ve returned only a handful of times. Each visit has reminded me how dynamic a city can be—especially one like Seattle, where the economy has been an unstoppable force ever since Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon, and other mega-companies sprung up there decades ago.

So on my recent homecoming, it wasn’t shocking that Seattle had evolved with shiny new towers, an expanded bus system, and slick restaurants. I still recognized the Emerald City’s forward thinking citizens and ever-hip vibes as the familiar metropolis where I came of age, and I still loved it. I just had to adjust to all of its incredible newness.

My first stop is always Capitol Hill. It’s Seattle’s LGBT zone, and home to endless restaurants, bars, shops, and cafés, plus sprawling Cal Anderson Park, home to open lawns, public art, and all-gender restrooms. Most of the action happens on the “Pike/Pine corridor,” two parallel boulevards that cross Broadway, which is itself a great walking strip. At the corner of Broadway and Pine, a Jimi Hendrix statue rocks out for eternity in his hometown. His full-throttle stage posture embodies the spirit of Seattle’s musical history, where the 1990’s grunge era unleashed bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden.

Capitol Hill was my ’hood. I lived there and knew every corner. Thankfully, a lot of my favorite places are still around and kicking. Number one is the Wildrose (1021 E. Pike St. Tel: 206-324-9210. www.thewildrosebar.com), one of the oldest lesbian bars in the country, where Seattle dykes and their gay boyfriends have drank, played pool, and danced the night away since 1984.

By Kelsy Chauvin – Full Story at Passport Magazine

Seattle Gay Travel Resources

On the Water in Puget Sound

Puget Sound - Dolly Travels

Hello!

I have had a busy couple of weeks or more. First, Frank and I spent a week in Puerto Vallarta, where it was hot and humid. As soon as we returned, I came up her to the Seattle area, to visit some of my family who have the good fortune to live in such a beautiful area as the Pacific Northwest, and where the weather could not be more perfect. Sunshine, temperatures in the 70’s all week.

Puget Sound - Dolly TravelsI have actually had a quiet week here in Anacortes, one of my favorite places to visit, at any time. On the day of the eclipse, one of the residents of this Skyline area in Anacortes, arranged an eclipse viewing party in a local park. Patrick brought solar viewing glasses for everyone, and gave us a little talk on the eclipse: statistics from previous years, when to expect the next one, things like that. He and his wife had also brought champagne and orange juice, so that we could celebrate after the eclipse.

Up here, we got about an 85% eclipse. It was very strange; we did not get total darkness. In fact, I could not see that the sky got very dark at all, but one of the ladies present said that she watched how the eclipse was progressing by watching my eye glasses. I wear progressive lenses, that turn into sun glasses as the light increases. She said that the lenses of my glasses gradually became lighter and lighter, until the time that we had the maximum eclipse, then my lenses were clear. However, the air got cooler and cooler, with the temperature dropping ten degrees during that eclipse. I was glad that I got to experience that phenomenon, for I doubt that I will see another.

Puget Sound - Dolly TravelsToday, we had a special treat. My brother and his wife, Lee and Rosey, had owned the boat, the Helen Marie, for many years. Last year, the boat was sold to their next-door neighbors. I had met this couple a few days ago, and enjoyed their company very much. Today, Dave invited us to go on the Helen Marie for a day trip.

We made a picnic lunch and joined Dave down at the Flounder Harbor. Dave was very generous, and insisted that Lee pilot the boat, and Dave would be the Deck Hand.

On two different occasions, I had the opportunity to travel with Lee and Rosey on this boat; once, a three week trip in Alaska and another three-week trip in British Columbia. Lee told me I was to be the ship’s cook, so this area was my domain. I don’t know if you can see the clamps around the tea kettle, placed so that the cook can secure the pans to the stove, if the boat is rocking and rolling. It is a very efficient galley, not much different than cooking in my own kitchen at home.

The water was very calm today. This is an amazing area of the country; water, islands, trees all around as we cruised quietly along. The sky was a bit hazy to the north and to the east, as smoke from fires in British Columbia are still drifting down this way.

After we had cruised for about two hours, Lee stopped the boat and it sat still in the water while we consumed our picnic lunch. There were a quite a few other boats out today, but when we decided to stop for lunch, no one was around. We spent about a half hour just idle, watching the water, the sea birds and I saw one little seal poke his head out of the water, to see what we were doing.

After we started up again, it was Dave’s turn to be captain, and Lee had to be Deck Hand.

When we got to the side of Cypress Island, we saw a damaged fish farm.

Puget Sound - Dolly TravelsThe dust is from workers trying to repair damage to the farm. Apparently, somehow the enclosures for the fish broke, and over 300,000 farmed Atlantic salmon escaped into the waters of Puget Sound. This incident has certainly caused a great deal of distress among the citizens of this area, for now all those foreign fish are out in the Sound with the native fish. There are so many of them that the people of the area are concerned about pollution of the water, for most of these fish will die. Those fish do not know how to get their own food; they have been fed pellets for their entire life. Also, they do not reproduce as normal salmon do, so they are doomed. The Fish and Game Department has encouraged anyone who wants to fish to catch them and take as many as they want…no limit. However, most people up here will not eat farmed salmon, so this is another dilemma. To read on this further, check out the Spokesman-Review Outdoor Blog, of August 28, 2017, to get more information.

Finally, we made our way back to Flounder Harbor. By then, Lee was back at the wheel. He brought the Helen Marie back into her slip in the marina, just like a pro.

We had a delightful day, and I was so happy that Dave invited us for this excursion. It brought back a lot of good memories for me. Rosey and I spent some time sharing some of the good times we had enjoyed together on the boat.

Thank you, again, Dave, for a wonderful day on the water.

Green Cat Guest House B&B – Gay Friendly Olympic Peninsula Bed and Breakfast

Green Cat Guest House B&B

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:

Welcome to the Green Cat Guest House, in Poulsbo, Washington just one hour west of Seattle via the Bainbridge and Kingston ferries, on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula.

Our Scandinavian-style chalet is surrounded by three acres of herb gardens and cedar groves, set in the midst of a peaceful rural valley of horse and llama farms, with the majestic backdrop of Olympic National Park and the untouched waterways of Puget Sound around us.

The Green Cat Guest House is ideal for weddings, reunions, or retreats – or even a romantic weekend getaway with your partner. You’ll enjoy a beautifully decorated guest room with private bath and full breakfast included.

At our Olympic Peninsula retreat, all of our guests have access to our fully equipped kitchen, large deck with jacuzzi, a large cedar steam/dry sauna, and three acres of lovely gardens, mystic cedar groves, and meandering trails.

The Green Cat Guest House is close to world class shopping, fine dining, marinas, golf courses, arts & crafts, art galleries, performing arts. If you’re looking for the perfect Olympic Peninsula getaway, come stay with us at the Green Cat – our area has it all!

See the Green Cat Guest House B&B Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Gay Friendly Olympic Peninsula Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Lesbian Tacoma – Globetrotter Girls

lesbian Tacoma

I knew that during my month in Seattle, I wanted to explore Washington beyond the ‘Emerald City’ and the first place on my list was lesbian Tacoma, which shares the international airport SEA-TAC with Seattle. The cities do not only share an airport, but a stunning location right on the shores of Puget Sound, one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the Pacific Northwest.

While I found that most Seattleites tend to look down on Tacoma, I found the city to be surprisingly charming with lots of things to offer visitors – so many that I returned several times. So if you are visiting Seattle or the surrounding region, or road tripping around the Pacific Northwest, I’d recommend stopping in Tacoma. And since Tacoma is less than one hour from downtown Seattle, you may even consider booking your accommodation here – hotels in Tacoma are much cheaper than a Seattle hotel.

Here are five reasons why Tacoma is well worth a visit:

1 THE BRIDGE OF GLASS AND GLASS ART

What Tacoma is best known for is its glass art, and if you are not a fan of glass art already, you will be after a visit to the Museum of Glass. The famous glass sculptor Dale Chihuly was born here, and his remarkable glass blown sculptures can be seen all over the world. If you are planning to visit the Chihuly Gardens in Seattle, you also have to add the Tacoma Museum of Glass to your itinerary. In addition to installations by Chihuly, glass blown pieces from other glass artists around the world are displayed here, and there is a glassblowing studio on site.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

Tacoma Gay Travel Resources