Often referred to by its full title, Washington State, to distinguish it from Washington, D.C. Washington offers rugged coastline, mountains, volcanoes, and hundreds of coastal islands to explore. The Cascade Mountains bisect the state, with the damp forested coastal areas to the west, and pine forests, deserts and irrigated farmland to the east.
Regions
Puget Sound, with Seattle, the state's largest city; filled with the Seattle metropolitan area; and the islands and waters between Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula
San Juan Islands, a scattering of forested islands in the serene waters adjacent to British Columbia. Ferries, private boats, kayaks, and orca (whales) criss-cross the waters, while float planes and bald eagles soar overhead
Olympic Peninsula on the west coast, with rain forests against a spine of dramatic mountains
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail - Between May 1804 and September 1806, 32 men, one woman, and a baby traveled from the plains of the Midwest to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. They called themselves the Corps of Discovery
Mount Rainier National Park - 14,410 feet volcano. Contains more snow and ice than all other Cascade range volcanos combined
Nez Perce National Historical Park - Since time immemorial, the Nimiipuu or Nez Perce have lived among the rivers, canyons and prairies of the inland northwest
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, (IATA: SEA), called "SeaTac" by locals, connects Seattle to all regions of the world, with especially frequent transpacific routes. Alaska Airlines provides something approximating discount air fare to and from the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.
Spokane International Airport, (IATA: GEG). Most flights go to Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Boise, Oakland (across from Sand Francisco), Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix and Minneapolis.
Portland International Airport, (IATA: PDX) is just one mile across the state line in Oregon. For SW Washington this is the nearest major airport.
Vancouver International Airport (IATA: YVR) is in Canada 27 miles (44 km) from the border. You will have to go through US customs at Blaine, Washington. For US residents, going through customs twice probably isn't worth it, unless you want to see the Vancouver area also. For Canadians wanting to go to the San Juan Islands, it's the best choice. Also has lots of international flights.
Yakima Air Terminal (IATA: YKM) is a commuter airport with turboprop aircraft, but the largest in the center of the state. Connections are via Seattle-Tacoma.
Bellingham International Airport (IATA: BLI) is a commuter airport with mostly turboprop aircraft about 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, Canada.
By train
Amtrak has 3 routes into Seattle's King Street Station. These routed are Amtrak Cascades, Coast Starlight and Empire Builder
By car
From British Columbia
Interstate 5 and the Peace Arch crossing [2] is the main port-of-entry to Washington from Canada, though expect to be in queue for awhile when crossing here. An alternative to crossing at the Peace Arch, is to take the Pacific Highway Crossing [3] via British Columbia Provincial Route 15, which typically has much shorter queues, and is the commercial truck crossing. It continues on as Washington State Route 543, and runs right onto Interstate 5. Both crossings are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
From Oregon
Interstate 5 (and Interstate 205) provide access from the greater Portland area. Interstate 82 / US 395 provides access from eastern Oregon to the tri-cities area of Eastern Washington. For a more scenic entry, try taking US Route 101 along the Washington and Oregon coast, but be aware for the numerous speed traps in the small cities.
From Idaho
Interstate 90 is the main route in via Coeur D'Alene, but US 2 provides access to the northern parts of Idaho and Washington.
By bus
Greyhound BusCompany[4] has the largest bus route system in the state, mostly along the Interstates 5 and 90.
Specialty coffee (high quality Arabica coffee beans roasted with greater emphasis on taste and freshness, brewed with dripped water or "espresso" steam) arguably has its birthplace here. Starbucks and Tully's are apparent brands that most associate specialty coffee with Seattle. However, many small local companies are the ones that have paved the way (and continue to do so) in pioneering the specialty coffee industry. When you visit Seattle, be sure to check out these renowned coffee roasters (in no particular order):
Washington is also the home to well-crafted local wines and "microbrewery" beers.
Stay safe
Much like any state in the United States, Washington is generally very safe. The chance of you running into any trouble is very, very unlikely.
The police number in Washington (and the entire United States) is 911.
Avoid being out alone very late at night. This is especially true in dark and unlit places where you are an easy target for any crime or other illegal activity.
Always be confident, or at least fake confidence. Obviously, pick pockets and such tend to target people who look vulnerable.
Avoid wearing excessive amounts of jewelry and other expensive items which might catch a robber's eye.
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Often referred to by its full title, Washington State, to distinguish it from Washington, D.C. Washington offers rugged coastline, mountains, volcanoes, and hundreds of coastal islands to explore. The Cascade Mountains bisect the state, with the damp forested coastal areas to the west, and pine forests, deserts and irrigated farmland to the east.