Category: The Seattle Times

National Palace Museum, Taipei Children’s Amusement Park, Tamsui.

If your goal is to make your kids fall in love with your birth country, take them to an amusement park! Leofoo Village is part zoo, part amusement park, a whole lot of fun. Leofoo Village is split off into different themed areas. The big waterpark was closed for the season, but there was more…

Literally the beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life. Qixingtan faces the Pacific Ocean, with turquoise water and the prettiest smooth stones. The waves were legit Little Mermaid-style crashing into the rocks. Paul stacking rock sculptures. This guy was taking photos of the waves… then a big one surprised him and he got…

The breathtaking Taroko Gorge is a must-see. We took an early express train out of Taipei Main Station to Hualien. The beautiful Yilan countryside, seen from the train. The weird thing about Taiwan is that public trash cans are few and far in between! BUT there is hardly ever litter on the ground. The few…

We took an early train to Jiaoxi in Yilan County to try our hand at shrimp fishing and soak in the hot springs. The train ride featured views of the Pacific Ocean on one side, and rice fields on the other. Ok, it’s a bit of stretch to claim we were shrimp “fishing” because it’s…

A trip 14 years in the making. I have been waiting literally the boys’ entire lives to take them for their first visit to Taiwan. Over 16 fulfilling days, we explored Taipei, Jiaoxi, Hualien, Taroko, Kenting, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Chiayi, Alishan and Jiufen, returning to the U.S. just in time for Christmas. The trip was a…

Peaceful, laid-back, inspiring. Taking the ferry over to Bainbridge Island never fails to feel magical.

My other husband’s new movie is now out in theaters, so we went to see the related “Boys in the Boat” exhibit at MOHAI. It’s small, just three glass display cases of memorabilia. Definitely worth heading over to MOHAI to check out. Here’s a link to my story for Seattle’s Child. I thought it was…

These are the only pools where Paul doesn’t get shivery and blue, because it’s hard to have fun when you’re freezing! Part I: McMenamins North Shore Lagoon Swimming Pool 18709 Bothell Way NE, BothellBIG shallow end. Each open swim session starts at the top of the hour, so the schedule is super flexible all day.$6…

The Fremont Troll got a major glow-up! New concrete steps and lovely landscaping all around.