We visited Seattle following the conclusion of our cruise in Alaska. Seattle itself is a nice city, but I didn’t find much of the metropolis to be particularly exciting. While attractions such as Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and Chihuly Garden were certainly cool, there wasn’t much else for us to see in the downtown. Add in the unrelenting downpour of rain, and you’re left with a picturesque city on the banks of the Puget Sound that lacks substance.

Two hours outside of Seattle is Mount Rainier National Park. With stunning mountainous vistas, glaciers, and groves of wildflowers and evergreens, Rainier brought us right back to Alaska’s coveted serenity.