Natalie Compagno and Greg Freitas
Getaways & Gifts: Valentine’s Day & Lunar New Year
Seattle staycation ideas for gals, pals, and romance.
Valentine’s Day 2026 promises to be a long, merry weekend. Celebrate with loved ones, then tack on Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, and President’s Day as well. Sounds like a staycation to us—one that accommodates gals, pals, couples, and anyone motivated by indulgent dining and late checkout. Here’s the roundup, with site-specific gift ideas. Alexis…
The Wanderer’s Guide to Portland’s Pearl District
Expect the unexpected in this consistently rewarding urban art oasis.
The first sound we hear at ILY2 gallery is not reverent silence, but astonished, contagious laughter. As we enter the room, a giggling couple bends down to grab a fish from a basket and load it into a giant cannon. The (rubber) salmon rockets through the gallery, thuds loudly against the opposite wall, and drops…
Cozy Coastal Escapes
Who says the beach is only for summertime fun? These six spots, from British Columbia to California, highlight the beauty of the West Coast, all year round.
It all began with a simple scene: a roaring fire at San Ysidro Ranch, a glass of wine within reach, and a card game unfolding on the table. A quiet evening moment that sparked the notion of a coastal winter journey, where the season’s most alluring escapes share one element: the dancing flame. Whether it’s…
Edge of the Map, Center of the World
Greenland’s future is bright as its citizens lead this once-remote country forward. With a direct flight from New York, visiting is the easiest it’s been in years.
Greenland has always loomed large in the imagination—an oversized white shape has always at the top of the globe, the mythical Thule of ancient legends. But lately, the world has rediscovered just how real—and how vital—this country is. For better or for worse, the island has become a prize in the new Arctic chess match….
Bergen: Finding a Home, Abroad
A trip across western Norway reveals strikingly Northwest sensibilities.
A few months ago, we randomly walked into Wallingford’s Fat Cat Records. Greeting us, face-out by the cash register, was not Nirvana, not Soundgarden, but Peer Gynt Suite, by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Was this a Norse omen, a mischievous prank from Loki? For us, two Seattleites with a trip to Norway on the…
Yes, It’s OK to Travel to LA
Why a trip to the City of Angels matters now more than ever.
“In Los Angeles, it’s hard to tell if you’re dealing with the real true illusion or the false one.”—Eve Babitz Babitz was one of LA’s great muses, and her line rings especially true in the wake of the wildfires that swept through parts of the region last winter. Los Angeles has always been a city…
In the Mood for Missoula
An insider’s guide on how to spend the weekend in one of Montana’s most popular destinations.
Missoula is that rare mountain town where river surfers, indie filmmakers, ranch kids, and chefs all pack into the same bar—and somehow, it works. It’s wild, weird, and wonderful in equal measure, with enough soul and scenery to make you question why anyone would ever leave. As with most small towns, the best way to…
Desert Daydreams in Santa Fe
Take a trip across the creative canvas of Santa Fe, a southwestern city steeped in history, culture, and art.
Time doesn’t move in a straight line in Santa Fe. It’s more of a palette—one that the city draws from boldly. New Mexico’s quirky capital, nicknamed the City Different, offers visitors an experience that draws from multiple eras. Centuries pile on top of each other, enhancing, rarely erasing. The ancient Pueblo tribes and the frontier…
Dispatches from Greenland, Part Two: Nuuk
An insider’s guide to Greenland’s mysterious, overlooked, and charming capital.
Greenland is too vast to take in all at once. Yet a few days in Nuuk—the island’s compact, curious capital, just a four-hour flight from Newark—offer a surprisingly complete portrait. Nuuk changes like the weather that shapes it: by turns wild and polished; intimate and bold. To Northerners, it feels as hectic as Manhattan; to…
A Long Weekend in Singapore?
Seattle’s longest nonstop flight makes the case for (and against) chasing chili crab across the Pacific.
When Singapore Airlines recently added a new Friday nonstop option from Seattle to Singapore Changi Airport, we noticed the 16-hour-and-20-minute flight is the longest nonstop flight operating from Sea-Tac International Airport. And it made us wonder. In this court of frequent-flyer opinion, presided over by our self-appointed “travel tribunal,” the matter before us today is…
Woodinville’s Refined Escape: Wine, Relaxation, and the Perfect Score
Pair blissful Willows Lodge with the state’s finest wines for a weekend retreat just 30 minutes from Seattle.
When Chateau Ste. Michelle opened in 1976, Woodinville was little more than sleepy farmland. Nearly fifty years later the scene has exploded, with more than a hundred tasting rooms scattered across strip malls. But pull into Willows Lodge in the Hollywood District and the mood calms down considerably. Vineyards edge bustling multi-use paths, and visitors…
Dispatches from Greenland, Part One: Touching Down on the Edge of the Arctic
United Airlines offers the first new commercial flight from the U.S. to Greenland in nearly 20 years.
Icebergs drift past in improbable forms: a crouching sphinx, a Viking ship, a chess game abandoned by giants. Fog and midnight sun blur together until hours lose their meaning. From the deck of the MS Fridtjof Nansen, time hangs suspended—a mesmerizing, shifting stage set for whatever happens next. Suddenly, the voice of our expedition leader…
Resilience by the Sea: Return to Lahaina
As West Maui rebuilds, beauty and connection remain
West Maui has always held a magnetic allure — the scent of plumeria backlit by torches under a pale moon, or the way the sea breeze fills the lungs with total relaxation. But a visit now, in the wake of the 2023 wildfires, carries added meaning. Not out of obligation, but appreciation. The ocean views…
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