Mt. Rainier National Park
The first time I traveled to the Pacific Northwest, was last year visiting Vancouver. I had only been to the Seattle-Tacoma airport, prior to this trip.
For a while I deliberated on which National Park I wanted to visit for my culminating West Coast trip, and passed up Yosemite for Mt. Rainier.
I was not disappointed.
I probably said "wow" a hundred times that day.
I finished my first roll (Kodak Ultramax 400) at Mt. Rainier, however it was already probably a little expired and not well maintained from heat and airport transit; the quality of the photos can show that.
Once I changed rolls, and used a different film (a new canister of 400 ISO Fujifilm) the difference in quality is astounding. The vibrancy and fineness of grain in the Fujifilm makes such a shocking difference that I don't think I'll ever go back to using Kodak Ultramax after seeing these beautiful results.
As a very big Twin Peaks fan I had to visit the Great Northern to pay homage to one of my favorite shows. We were already staying in the area, so arriving early in the morning to the lodge was an exciting time, as well as one of the best brunches I ever had.
Seattle is an interesting city. Being someone from New York, it's always hard to consider the scope of other American cities since it's impossible to ever draw a real comparison. However, I enjoyed the metropolitan meets American hometown atmosphere that Seattle offered.
One thing I like to do when visiting other cities is to always visit their Chinatown. Having grown up in a Chinatown, seeing other city's versions of these diasporic neighborhoods gives me a peek into local life and also feels like a slice of home in a place I've never lived.
The same weekend we were visiting happened to align with Seattle's Maple Festival. It was quite serendipitous to have chosen the dates, since it was also peak fall foliage. I do miss being able to see foliage now that I don't live in the Northeast.
The colors of all the maple trees at the arboretum were mesmerizing and look even more dramatic on film.
