The View from a Drawbridge

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog entry, I had the privilege of tagging along with a friend to visit her parents in Port Townsend, Washington, and it was a fantastic two days indeed. Port Townsend is a charming, artsy, quirky, historic Victorian Seaport that is best reached by ferry. Whenever I ride a ferry I always feel as if I’m going on a grand adventure, and that was the perfect mindset to have.

The town itself is divided into two parts: Uptown and Downtown. Uptown, as you might expect, is higher up, and sits atop a crumbling bluff, along with a bunch of amazing Victorian houses that I’m sure enjoy a stunning view of the water in exchange for their precarious perches. Downtown is the more touristy area, with amazing brick buildings, delightful restaurants, and quirky shops.

It’s the home of the beautiful Palace Hotel, a former brothel, which merits a blog entry in and of itself, so stay tuned. And Port Townsend is also where the movie An Officer and a Gentleman was filmed. That kept me wondering if Richard Gere had touched the very same bit of pavement I was walking upon.

But this lovely town has some amazing natural beauty, too. There are rocky, seaweed-strewn beaches that are sprinkled with sea glass. I only found a handful myself, but my hosts generously provided me with a gallon sized bag of the stuff, and it’s beautiful. And there’s a lighthouse, and everywhere you go you see deer.

With a population of a little over 9000, mostly retirees, it’s a quiet, sleepy, romantic little mecca. If you every get a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it.