I was born on the west coast in Seattle, Washington where I lived for the first couple years of my life before moving to Connecticut. Even after moving to the east coast, I still had the privilege of visiting the PNW, the Pacific Northwest, once or twice a year. When I was younger, I would spend up to six weeks in Seattle during the summer with my biological dad’s side of the family. I was able to explore everything from the Space Needle to the Woodland Park Zoo, to Lake Washington and Madison Park. We used to explore Pike Place Market and walk around the city, which now has a boardwalk and a ferris wheel overlooking the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier. When we felt like escaping concrete and buildings, we would go to Green Lake to play and cool down. One summer, we even took a drive to beaches along the west coast where I had my first camping trip. I would roll out of my sleeping bag to fog along the Pacific Ocean and logs laying across the beach. Most of my childhood summers consisted of adventures like these in Seattle and nearby towns, where we would go places and see things completely unique to the west coast.
Some people may not even think there’s a difference between east coast and west coast culture. Well, there’s a huge difference. Downtown fashion varies between professional businessmen and a variety of hippy, earthy types that are always open and friendly. The west coast is very progressive in its architecture, which includes anything from eco-friendly homes, to suburban type houses with square columns and big porches. These kinds of houses are very different from my neighborhood roads of colonial homes. Seattle is diverse in its collection of restaurants, museums, and public attractions. Any sports, music, food, fashion or nature lover would be able to find their calling here. Driving through Seattle streets and those outside of the city showed me a whole other type of living.
During my road trips through the Cascade Mountains, the dry, fresh air combined with the abundant scent of evergreen trees put my whole body at ease. The tall mountains, the long valleys, the free range animals frolicking in the fields: this was my fantasy. Through the speakers, different kinds of old folk music, like Johnny Cash, played on local radio stations that made me feel like I was in an old movie. West coast kids showed me unique contemporary music such as Chromeo and Phantogram — artists I would have never bothered to listen to at home. I loved nights sitting on our porch under a sky full of stars, jamming to "Wagon Wheel" and breathing in a breeze of pine.
Blessed with loving family members and friends, I was able to learn so much from spending time on the west coast. I recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to travel, do it. Whether it’s local, national or global, get to a different part of the world and learn from it. You never know what opportunities you may find.
