Departures
Issue: July/August 2009
The Shore Thing
Seabrook offers serenity by the sea
Seabrook may only be five years old, but its growing collection of Craftsman-inspired houses and cottages allow Washington state’s youngest “little place by the sea” to capture the essence of the great American small towns of yesteryear.
The remote village overlooks the ocean from a bluff about a mile south of Pacific Beach and currently consists of 122 vacation homes and rentals (the community’s master plan calls for up to 400 units). Inviting porches, narrow streets and bicycles lent to visitors encourage residents and guests to get to know each other, while the beach calls out to surfers and walkers.
Summer activities include day trips to Olympic National Park, building sand castles and evenings by the fire pit. Modern kitchens and a small market provide the ingredients for feasting, while the town’s café dishes out tasty food and good cheer.
A Parisian Scent-Sation
Discover the Art of Fragrance at Le Musée du Parfum
Just a block from the Paris Opéra Garnier, Le Musée du Parfum offers a mélange of sensory delights in luxurious surroundings. Both an interactive exhibition and an architectural gem, the facility, operated by Fragonard Parfumeur, sits in an 1850 townhouse designed in Rococo styles similar to those of the painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, for whom the company is named. Scents of lavender, mint and jasmine linger in elegant rooms where battered copper stills stand adjacent to displays of crystal perfume flacons, elaborate toilette chests and whimsical atomizers. Test your nose at the antique orgue à parfum—featuring 200 vials of concentrates arranged in tiers, like an organ console. The museum offers free guided tours in English, 365 days a year. www.fragonard.com.
Make Family Travel a Breeze {smart travel}
esides serving as a public affairs manager for the Transportation Security Administration, Nico Melendez also regularly travels with his wife and their five children, all younger than 9 years old. Since his family gets screened at the airport like everybody else, he knows a few things about getting through security lines with the young ones.
“The whole family prepares before we leave home,” he says. “We travel with only one carry-on bag each, and we pack each bag so that the screeners can easily see the contents. We each wear sandals, so taking off shoes for inspection is a breeze.”
He also recommends choosing the family screening lanes, now in place at all domestic airports, so you can take your time without worrying about holding others up. Here are other tips for getting through the airport with the young ones:
Select an umbrella-style stroller that’s light and easily inspected, and be aware that, under the latest security regulations, nursing mothers can carry on food, breast milk and formula in quantities greater than the three ounces allowed for other liquids. You should, however, check for updates before you leave home at www.tsa.gov.
Strap your infant into his or her own seat. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows children younger than 2 to sit on your lap, but your baby can bounce from your arms in turbulence and be injured. For this reason, the FAA advises parents to buy separate tickets for their children and strap them into FAA-approved child restraint systems designed specifically for airlines. Remember to get advance seat assignments so your family can sit together. Learn more at www.faa.gov.
Ride of the Century
Vintage autos commemorate a Seattle milestone
Although most local history buffs know that the Alaska-Yukon-
Pacific Exposition of 1909 helped put Seattle on the map, few are aware that it also helped Henry Ford publicize the Model T (right). The manufacturing magnate gained an edge over the competition when one of his cars won a cross-country race held in conjunction with the event (even though race officials overturned the victory months later). The Manhattan-to-Seattle race returns this year as part of Seattle’s centennial celebration of the exposition. The 34-day, 54-car antique road rally, which began on June 14, retraces the original race’s route as closely as possible and finishes at Drumheller Fountain on the University of Washington campus on July 12, between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. The drivers begin the final day of the journey in Issaquah and pass Renton Municipal Airport before arriving at UW. There will be less suspense this time around since it’s not really a race—and it’s an all-Model T event. (206) 615-1878, www.ayp100.org.
Our world in Numbers
112.5 Average speed, in miles per hour, reached by top finisher Bill Muncy in the 1963 Seafair hydroplane races. The speed was a record that stood for several years.
134.6Average speed, in miles per hour, achieved by winner Dave Willcock in the 2008 Chevrolet Cup at Seafair. This summer’s hydro races take place July 24–26 on the Columbia River in the Tri-Cities and July 31–Aug. 2 on Seattle’s Lake Washington.
400 Number of workers Gutzon Borglum employed in carving the 60-foot-tall sculptures of presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt on Mount Rushmore.
14 Time, in years, that it took to complete the monument. Borglum died from an embolism about seven months before its completion.
270 Height, in feet, of Snoqualmie Falls.
176Height, in feet, of American Falls and Bridal Falls. The two, along with the 167-foot-tall Horseshoe Falls, comprise Niagara Falls.
