They make it really clear, if you're up and out of your seat. They also direct people into cars according to their destinations when they board, so you won't have to move when the train splits--so if you're in your assigned seat, you'll end up where you should be.

There is a Travelex currency exchange on the top level of Westlake Center. I believe that is your ONLY local option other than at SeaTac Airport.

Another source, the Associated Press:

http://www.ap.org/washington/pron.html

There is no mention of a store on the Our Lady of the Rock web site.

I visited Lopez Island late spring 2011 and remembering reading in a brochure on the ferry that the nuns had retired from running the store. Agree that it would have been very cool to buy beer from a nun, but alas, no longer possible, it seems.

Perhaps staying in the monastery and joining them in prayer would be an acceptable substitute for a cold beer -- check with the boyfriend.

Yes, I'd say the 101 is the NSA answer to your question -- it IS the least snowy route -and easiest for a truck and trailer with no traction- if all other considerations are secondary.
But it'll eat up time - becomes a 3 to 3 and a half day trip instead of 2. The lower speed works to your advantage with a trailer, depending on how unweildy it is. 101's almost always clear as far as snow goes -part of it being oceanside-- though mudslides and overturned logging trucks have the potential to ruin your whole damn week since it's so narrow. The key is to time your trip so you don't hit LA or SF at any rush hour times.

Jack's right that anything east is effectively in the rockies and therefor at altitude and a snow risk.

If speed of travel is a factor at all, I-5 is worth the gamble. Do you have an iPhone or mobile internet or GPS with traffic maps? You can always head up 5 and then make your call as you go, using googlemaps with the traffic filter on.

My mother-in-law lived there, so we visited a few times. Tucson has awesome thrift shopping, because old people move there with all their finery and winter clothes and then just live in Tommy Bahama. Seriously, minks and cashmere and good mens suits. I can't recall the name of the neighborhood with all the vintage shops, but if you ask around and find it, there are fun bars and restaurants around there. I don't recall any microbrews, but Google says there are some, so there you go.

The Arizona Desert Interpretive Museum is fun, and an medium/easy walk for seniors/olds. A great way to see and learn about the flora and fauna of the desert. You may just see a javelina - they smell terrible. The folks here would be good people to ask about hikes - where to go and what to bring with you.

Mission San Xavier de Bac is a 200+ year old Spanish mission church out on the 19. It's in the process of being restored, so check to see if it's open the public. We went one year at Christmas and it was very beautiful and with an interesting (colonial, troubling) history. It is an active mission for the Tohono O'odham people, so be respectful. You can buy frybread and Indian crafts in the parking lot.
http://www.sanxaviermission.org/

I've experienced enough snow and ice down there that it closed the Cajon and Soledad -and Tejon too -- that was one February. I had to take the 1 and then 101. So yes, that pass does get snow - though it's rare. Any reason not to take the 5 instead?

This week? Ouch -bad timing. For Cajon Ranger District -San Bern. National Forest-, there's a winter storm warning in effect right NOW and for the next day or two: day time is in the 40's and 50's but lows are in the 20s, so the rain that falls in daytime may turn it to an icerink. Snow levels are at 3500-4000' for monday night, and Cajon pass is 3700 or so.

Jack's Yucca valley plan isn't a bad idea, except that Lucerne Valley is expected to get snow, so you'd have a short stretch of shit there. If you can wait a week, might be better off.

Nothing is fucked, as long as he is flying into SeaTac and not Vancouver International Airport.

Passports are required to enter Canada by air, no ifs ands or buts. The rules for entering Canada by land or sea are a little looser.

Your friend should assemble everything he can to prove he is who he says he is. Driver's license, birth certificate, social security card, high school yearbook, draft card, voter registration card, etc etc and just go to the border.

The Canadian border guards will probably let him into Canada. Bear in mind that they have the discretion to refuse him or admit him, so he needs to be on good behavior (lots of "yes sir, yes ma'am's).

According to the law, he will need a passport to get BACK into the United States. Here's what will probably happen. You'll go the border. The US Customs & Border Protection Officer will scream bloody murder at him and read the riot act. You'll be pulled into a little room and interrogated with him. He'll be told to never, ever, ever do this again. And then, they'll probably let him back into the United States.

Absolute worst case scenario at this point, and this is highly unlikely, they will refuse him entry back into the United States and he will be referred to the United States Consulate in Vancouver. There, he will have immigration officials from the State Department view all those documents he brought with him to prove his identity, whereupon they will bark at him and tell him that he's a moron and he should never ever do this again... then they will charge him a steep fee $100 or $150 and print a passport while he waits.

American Embassies and Consulates abroad can print passports on the same day to get American citizens back home. The service is intended for people who lost their passport, they don't like it when people "game the system" like this, but at the end of the day, they're going to get you back to the United States.

Bottom line, just try it. The Canadians will probably let him in. If not, there's some cool bars in Bellingham he can hang out at. If he does get in to Canada, the US will probably let him come back, but if not, he can get an instant passport at the Consulate.

If you are on a domestic flight the most you can expect is free drinks and some sort of complimentary meal. You may also get free access to any in-flight entertainment system that is installed in the seats, if they have that installed. You might also get free Wi-Fi if the plane has inflight Wi-Fi.

In my opinion the best thing about first class is:

1. More room, the seats are comfortable and you don't leave the plane feeling like you have clots in your legs.

2. Closets for hanging up your jacket.

3. More attentive flight attendants (although this can be very hit or miss depending on the airline)

4. A bathroom dedicated to the first class cabin.

5. Express security line, you get to hop to the front!

6. You also get to board the plane after the pre-boarding types.

7. Free booze is fun but I put this last because I think it's the least important perk.

If you are flying international you can expect a much more plush experience but I have only flown first-class on domestic flights and will let others detail internal flight perks.

You should still check-in online and then use the first-class line to check your bags.

Is this the sort of tree you're talking about? I think they can grow in the northwest region: http://www.nurserytrees.com/Italian%20Cypress.htm

I bet you could introduce an Italian Cypress to the area if you want one. King 5 even did a report on adding one to your garden: http://www.king5.com/archive/60068182.html

If I had to guess, I would say they're not common in the northwest because there are so many types of evergreen to choose from. There are other types of cedar that are native to the NW region. I've seen those tall, skinny cypresses elsewhere in the country, so they do grow just fine in the US.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I know an expert who does. If you want to apply for resident alien status you should hire Greg Boos at Cascadia Cross Border Law. He is the best Canada/USA Immigration attorney around.

http://www.cascadiaimmigrationlaw.com/

Absolutely! Provided you are polite and friendly, and willing to butcher the language in your attempts to use a phrasebook, you should be fine. Honestly, your attitude is what will matter most. English is spoken, at least partially, by many folks. And everyone in the service industry is used to dealing with tourists...and dependent upon you for their wages, right...so even if they don't know english, most hostel, hotel, restaurant staff will be helpful.

I spent 2 weeks backpacking around Italy in 2003. On many occasions, I watched pushy/rude american tourists yelling "do you speak english?" This question will be MUCH BETTER received if you learn how to say "Parla Inglese?" I just found this site that lets you hear how to pronounce a few basic phrases. http://italian.about.com/library/children/blconversation01.htm In fact, on two occasions, I witnessed folks just begin speaking in English (to the train ticket station, and to a museum front desk) and the person responded in Italian that they didn't understand. So I didn't even bother asking "Parla inglese?" as I had just seen the answer, instead, in my terribly pronounced Italian, using the guidebook I tried to get two reservations for tomorrow's train. The ticket seller responded in beautiful english. Ha!!

Really, don't let the language scare you off. Bring a bit of politeness, a bit of patience, and a willingness to mime to help get your meaning across. Tour guides and tourist industry folks are used to this, and you'll get along just fine.

ESPECIALLY if you're looking to do a package tour, there should be a system to help guide you. But even without that, common sense and basic manners, and you'll be fine. Don't let the language scare you away from a great opportunity.

And now, depending on what you're looking for in Italy, a high school friend and her NYC-chef sweetie are running what looks to be an amazing farm and cooking school in Italy, if interested. http://www.latavolamarche.com/html/

Pretty much any modern laptop's power cord includes an AC adapter that should work most anywhere in the world. Check that your adapter says it is good for 110 V - 240 V and 50-60 hz (pretty typical). All you need is an adapter for the plug itself so that it'll fit into a Thai outlet. I traveled around there a little this past year with an American-plugged laptop and used a Euro two-pin converter and did not have any difficulty with getting electric power into the laptop. I agree that surge protection is a good idea.

It's usually the day OF the holiday, and not any time before or after.

For example, Christmas day is supposed to be really cheap.

The peak window for larches varies year to year depending on weather / moisture, but is usually mid-October.

The best way to track the progress of larches is to keep an eye on hikers' trip reports at Washington Trails Association's website, wta.org: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports

There aren't any reports that I can see of larches yet; it's too early.

Larches are pretty high in elevation, so the best viewing is done by hiking up to them. The Enchantment Lakes Basin is one of the best hikes in the state for larches if you time it right. Carne Mountain st Stevens Pass has a big stand of larches. Lake Ann / Maple Pass Loop off the North Cascades Highway is one of the easier hikes to see larches.

See this piece on Fall Color Hikes at wta.org: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/seasonal-hikes/fall-destinations/copy_of_fall-hikes

Be sure and walk up and down Newbury Street in the Back Bay. Lots of shops, and it's its own little architectural tour -- about a decade per block, starting at the Gardens end.

Another great place to walk around is Beacon Hill. Here's what you do: get off the T at Park St -- oldest subway station in America. Walk up Tremont Street toward the State House, then left onto Beacon Street between the gorgeous bow-front houses -- many with original panes of purplish glass -- and Boston Common. Don't miss the memorial to Robert Shaw and the all-black 54th Regiment in the Civil War; it's an impressive work by Saint-Gaudens. Continue as far as Spruce Street and turn into Beacon Hill proper. Right on Chestnut, Left on Walnut, left again on Mt. Vernon. Go down the hill to Louisburg Square, where the REALLY rich people live. Right through the square, right on Pinckney, left on Anderson, left on Myrtle, which curves into Revere Street after a couple of blocks. Revere will take you to Charles Street, the main shopping drag; go left, and you'll end up back at Beacon Street at the dividing point between Boston Common and the Public Gardens. If you're pressed for time, just continue down Mt. Vernon to Charles -- downhill always takes you there if you get lost (bring a map).

If you go to the North End, which you should, make sure you start at the Blackstone Block near City Hall. It's not much -- a couple of tiny blocks behind the Union Oyster House, Scott Alley and Salt Lane, but it's the real old Boston street layout. You come out on Hanover Street, which is the main drag of the North End; turn right and cross the stupid wasteland where the elevated freeway used to be (and shiver at the prospect of doing this to Seattle, as many hope for), until you get to the North End proper on the other side. Be sure to check out some of the side streets. Here: up Hanover to Richmond, turn right and proceed to North Street, turn left and go past Paul Revere's House (1680), left onto Prince Street, then a short and a long block to Salem Street. Turn right on Salem to Hull Street, admire the Old North Church (lovely and plain inside), then left onto Hull Street up the hill to the Copp's Hill Burying Ground. Revolutionary War-era bulletholes in some of the gravestones. Note the 10-foot wide "narrowest house in Boston" across the street from the entrance at #44. Cruise back down Snow Hill Street, left onto Prince again but only for a second, then left onto Thacher Street, left on Cooper Street, which will take you to Salem Street again. Right on Salem past many shops to Cross Street and the former freeway again, where you can cross back into downtown Boston.

Another fascinating corner that few people ever see is Bay Village, a tiny little slice of Beacon Hill that drifted off south of Boston Common. Just a few streets -- Piedmont, Winchester, Melrose, Fayette -- the last two are the prettiest. Go south from Boylston Street Station (also the oldest in the US -- what's a subway without at least two stations?) on Tremont, left onto Stuart, past Charles, left again onto Church Street into Bay Village.

You can combine these walks easily; downtown Boston is really small.

You need to go to a passport issuing office, usually located in a federal facility of some sort (like a courthouse or post office).

From the state department: http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/DefaultForm.aspx

Yah, what everyone else said. I did it many years ago and my experience was the same. An advantage is that you are free to move about the train as much as you want (and the Empire Builder is pretty big). The seats are very roomy, much unlike any airline coach class seat. If the observation car is empty at night you can cat-nap there.

One disadvantage is the odd stops/slowdowns. Every train I've been on experienced odd stops or slowdowns (like slowing to a crawl), for up to an hour at a time, sometimes more. The crew did not inform us ever as to what was going on. Do not plan on arriving in Chicago anywhere near on time.

You will not regret it. Seeing so much of the Rockies at ground level is amazing.

Two words: Sod Farms. Oregon is the sod capitol of the world. If you are allergic to grass you shall be miserable periodically.

Is there a seasonal variation?

I know Everett has free parking, though you have to check in with security if you're going to leave a car there for longer than 72 hours. Edmonds also has free parking, but I think whether you can park there long-term is ambiguous. We always used to leave a car there for up to a week when we went hiking on the Olympic Peninsula, but that was back before the Sounder and Cascades services had really taken off.

I'm not familiar with the Tukwila station, but the website says it has free parking too.

Richard McIver recommends the Four Seas. Although I don't know if he is much of a Bloody Mary man.

Hrmmmm. I happen to know of a couple.

Compared to Seattle, not much, and especially this time of year. All the interesting things I can think of to do in the area tend to start with "leave Boise."

There's a place called Riverfront Park that I think has some pretty trails to walk on. There's a Thai restaurant downtown (Mai Thai) that's okay. You can gawk at the tiny capitol building and visit the Idaho Wheat Commission. The Boise Co-Op is awesome, but unimpressive if you already have a PCC back home. Farmers Markets are done for the year.

Sorry, I really thought about it pretty hard!

Aw, thanks for asking!

What I ended up having to do was this:

The flights were booked through BECU's travel rewards program, so Alaska had nothing to do with it. BECU warned that if we missed the flight and didn't cancel our reservation ahead of time, our tickets would be worthless, but if we did cancel, we could reschedule for $75 each. So, I got on an instant messenger program, and had my Mom in Seattle call BECU and pretend to be me while I fed her information through the IM.

The interesting thing is that BECU travel rewards never contracted with Southwest before, but suddenly, this time, Southwest flights came up as an option. So, we canceled the Alaska flight, and then booked a new flight for Saturday night on Southwest, because Southwest has no penalty fees.

We ended up being able to fly out to the frontcountry on Friday morning, an hour or so after my original flight took off, so it was good we canceled it. Then I was able to call SW and move my Saturday flight to Friday night with no fees, so we got to Seattle that night, only about 10 hours later than planned.

Flights from Boise to Seattle aren't terribly expensive, so being able to reschedule our original Alaska tickets for $75 apiece isn't that much of a savings. However, we can use them for up to a year, and as long as they're with Alaska and for the same two people, we can reschedule them for a different itinerary. So, we don't necessarily have to use them for the BOI-SEA run, and we'll likely use them for a more expensive flight in the next year where the $75 rescheduling fee would be better spent.

If I'd known that BECU had suddenly started letting people use travel points on SW, I would have done that to begin with! So from now on, I will ONLY use SW for those flights home, and if something goes wrong again, it will be far less of a headache.

Thanks again for your advice! We had a great Christmas home here in Seattle, and we're sad to be leaving tomorrow.

See some tips here:

http://questionland.com/questions/12724-whats-a-girl-about-san-francisco-to-do

Basically I like to walk around and enjoy the street vibe rather than head to specific destinations.

Valencia Street is in the Mission -- loads of coffeeshops, bookshops, restaurants, etc. Have breakfast at Boogaloo (corner of 22nd) (if you don't mind waiting). Mission has loads of trendy white hipster bars now but still has plenty of old Chicano flair. Eat tacos here, or the burritos for which the Mission is famous.

Haight is in the Haight-Ashbury and is a bit grisly BUT it has Amoeba Records if you like records. If you don't, skip the Haight. Fat Slice pizza is a good classic punk rock pizza joint.

Another place you should definitely go if you like records but probably not otherwise is Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. For out-of-towners the fun sci-fi BART ride under the Bay might be attraction enough.

One place you MUST go is Caffe Trieste, at the corner of Vallejo and Grant just off Columbus in North Beach (just to the NE of Chinatown). Not only is it the best coffeehouse in America but it has been since the beatniks were unironic. Buy coffee beans to take home, too. If you end up in Caffe Greco on Columbus instead you won't be sorry, either. While you're there be sure to stroll around the corner to Columbus and Broadway, to laugh at the wonderfully ridiculous neon signs of the strip clubs.

Another place that will blow your mind and make you realize how bland and boring Seattle is is Swan Oyster Depot, on one of my favorite streets and very off the tourist track, at California and Polk. You can take the cable car there and not feel like a tourist gomer -- it's an actual transit line used almost entirely by locals (in other words, it doesn't go to Fisherman's Wharf). Get off at Polk, and go in and have the best clam chowder in the city. Get crazy and do it at 8 AM. Go ahead, have the oysters too -- best in the city. You sit at the counter and watch the guy slice the lox freehand thin enough to read the newspaper through. This may not sound that fascinating but it IS -- it's like living history. Polk Street is a wonderful stroll, too, with shops and neighborhoody stuff. Royal Ground Coffee up past Vallejo is a good spot.

If you're more of a bookstore person than a record store person, run out to Clement Street out in the Richmond district, which has turned into a new Chinatown now but still has many holdovers, making for a fascinating mix. The bookstore is called Green Apple, at 6th, and it's great.

As far as crabbing goes, life is pretty dry without a boat. If you can beg, borrow or steal your way into being invited onboard a boat, you'll do a lot better than you will from shore or a pier.

But, if you're unable to get out on the water, there are some piers around that are better than nothing. I wouldn't eat anything out of Elliott Bay, you need to leave the city for this.

To the south, there is a good public fishing pier in Des Moines. To the North, Taylor Street Pier in Bellingham offers some good over-water access as well. I'm sure there are other points in between, but I see people crabbing on these two frequently.

You'll also need a pot or a ring. They are different. A Pot goes in the water, and stays in, for hours or days at a time. It traps the crab so they can only be released when you pull it up and open the door. A ring, on the other hand, sits flat on the bottom so crab can come and go, you tie it off on the pier and yank it up fast periodically to check - when it is being pulled up, the crab get stuck in it like a net. Pots cost $50-$100, Rings cost about $30 usually.

Let's talk about bait. Contrary to popular belief, rotting fish guts don't work that well. They want fresh fish pieces. Go to your local market and ask at the fish counter if you can have some fillet scraps. Most stores will give you these for free. If you are an avid crabber, you can get on a program at a fish market where they'll sell you a whole bucket of fish scraps for $5 or $10 on a regular basis. If you can't get ahold of fish scraps, meat works, I've caught them with pork chops before but it's not ideal.

You'll need a license, and a catch record card. When you land crab, you need to record your catch right away. Dungeness need to be male (skinny triangle shape on the underside, females have a fat triangle shape under), and they must be 6 1/4 inches. Spend $1 at an outdoor store to get a crab measuring device. Estimating is a bad idea, tickets for keeping illegal crab range from $119 to $500.

If you don't want to invest in a pot, you can always try your hand at raking. You need an old firm metal rake, not the kind with little tines, but the big thick iron kind. Put on some waders and walk out from the beach into the water at low tide. You'll do best on a beach with lots of eelgrass or similar vegetation. They're not stupid, they hang out where there's some cover to hide in. It's quite the manual dexterity skill to be able to snag a crab with the rake and flip it into your bucket without it getting away, but you'll get the hang of it. Poking the crab to kill it first is extremely ill-advised, as you need to sex and measure a crab to determine if it is a keeper before you end its life, both for good environmental management, and for avoiding tickets.

Most people will tell you that the best crabbing in Puget Sound is in Marine Area 7, which stretches basically from Bellingham to Anacortes and encompasses all of the San Juans.

The best fishing website around if you want to research more in-depth what people are hitting, and where, this year is bloodydecks.com - a word of caution though, fishermen are an ornery bunch, and it can be tricky to get somebody to tell you their secret catch spot.

I've been catching my limit almost every day this year, so I can tell you from experience, it's a good year to be out on the water crabbing. If you have any other questions, let me know, I'll be happy to help you figure it out.

Good luck, and have fun!

Is "BPL" bonneville powerline?

Rent a wreck, Handy Andy, Penske - all maybes that will tag you for damages and mileage.
If you need a camping truck, why not rent a camper or winnebago??
If you need an offroader, rent a jeep or 4x4 - maybe from Express4x4truckrental.com

But if you need a truck you can just beat the shit out of, buy one from craigslist, dude: much easier and likely cheaper:

I mean, here's a mazda 4x4 for only $1500, with a new engine!
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/2520978897.html (If I don't beat you to it)

There's an earlier thread about visiting Hawaii.

I recommend "Lonely Planet" guide books. They seem to be kept up to date, and have extrodinary detail about each of the islands. Most folks who come back hae a guidebook to spare or loan, and tales of getting off the beaten path.

When we've visited, we did a three island tour, and I understand your aversion to Honolulu. Unfortunatley, I think you MUST fly into Honolulu, but can Island hop from there on Aloha airlines. You should plan on visitng the Big Island to see the Volcano National Park (free!) and Macadamia Nut farm (free!) with samples and tourist shirts, nuts, sweets for sale, and an orchid farm (free!) on the Big Island.

I LOVE the big island and it's mix of hotels, resorts, lush green, parched grasses, volcanos, agriculture, farms, and blue skies, sand beaches, and variety of land forms.

I could spend my days exploring that island and not get bored. May I suggest renting a car and poking about, including the artist colony on the northwest corner ("H'wai" I think) and driving north not along the west shoreline, but across the center of the island.

Stop at the black sand beach on the SE corner, where turtles come up to sun and lay eggs. Theres the southern-most bakery on the island with sweet bread.

Turtle scuba near KONA, an Ironman competition bar (Drysdales II?) in the KONA shoping center, and numerous little whale watching beaches up the western coastline (though Nov. is NOT the whale watching season.)

Never been to Kuaii nor the leper colony, but would love to explore more than tourist driven Maui and Oahu.

There's also a Sunday night drumming circle on the clothing optional beach at Little Man Beach on Maui's SW corner. Hear that it's a great counter-cultural time, not to be missed, if you're into that vibe.

Just a few ideas for you...

If tent camping is fine, I recommend taking the ferry up Lake Chelan, and camping right on the lake. My favorite is Refrigerator Harbor, which is a 15-minute hike from the Lucerne stop. You may also be able to get the boat to drop you off at Prince Creek; there's plenty of camping there as well.

If you want a roof over your head, there's no need to pay $300/night. There are inexpensive inns, B&B's with value-priced rooms, and last-minute deals to be found on Craigslist.

http://riverwalkinnchelan.com/?page_id=2
http://www.thewellmadebedandbreakfast.com/rooms/

Even assuming the passport becomes your primary ID, you will only look at this photo for like *two seconds* on those occasions when you fly, or cross a border, or go to a bar.

Actually, someone else will look at it so you won't even have to.

If you're really worried about having a flattering photo, you could get glamour shots done separately and then tuck a print into the ID page of your passport.

But really, you shouldn't worry because everybody will already know just from meeting you that you are awesome and attractive. Just bite the bullet and get the picture over with.