You have seen  Seattle neighborhoods featured in recent movies and primetime television shows.   They feature charming, Craftsman style homes with broad porches set along tree lined streets.  Busy locals wearing soft fleece against the chill of fall dart into their favorite local coffee house and connect with friends.   Runners trace a daily path through the corner park while young families follow slowly, stopping often to greet friends.  Restaurants abound and couples silently deliberate, shuffling down the “main” street, studying the menus one after another.  Choices range from pizza to tapas, Indian to Thai and always include fresh, local seafood.    A lucky few stopped by the local farmers market early and are busy in their kitchens, wine glasses full, creating dinner from a variety of products, all fresh, local and organic.     If you have ever wanted to live like a local in Seattle, then consider staying at a bed and breakfast tucked away on a quiet street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.    Steps from Volunteer Park and some of the finest dining in Seattle are two turn of the century mansions both with friendly, knowledgeable innkeepers and modern amenities.    Behind the well clipped hedges and surrounded by beautiful wrought iron gates, are the stately homes on the hill, including the mansions of Millionaires Row.  Here you can enjoy king beds, flat screen televisions, wireless access, private baths and spectacular views of Seattle’s Space Needle.  Stay in your very own carriage house and enjoy breakfast on a shaded patio.  Fall asleep with the view of the Seattle Skyline framed in your bedroom window.   These inns offer the perfect balance of modern amenities, gracious service, turn of the century charm and access to a little slice of Seattle living that tourists only dream about.

This week I am traveling across Washington, visiting a variety of bed and breakfasts, talking to innkeepers and enjoying some of the most beautiful scenery this country has to offer.  Tomorrow I reluctantly leave the charm of Capitol Hill and am traveling the Mountain to Sound Greenway to Washington Wine Country.  More later as I travel Inn Washington!

Find these and other great places to stay at the Washington Bed & Breakfast Guild Web site.