There are many who decry the “Starbucks on every corner” dominance of the Seattle-based coffee shop chain, but I would submit that they’ve sure done a great job of elevating the average American’s sophistication about coffee.

I mean, Folger’s, anyone? Maxwell House?

I didn’t think so.

So, in homage to their influence, after a divine salmon taco lunch I visit the original Starbucks store (established in 1971) in Seattle’s Pike Place Market.

It looks much less perfect and corporate than the average franchise shop, with dark, worn wooden floors, a big wooden counter/bar and older light fixtures suspended from the ceiling.

I liked it a lot, but on the day we stopped in it was totally mobbed with Japanese tourists buying souvenir brown mugs with the store original logo.

Since I was a tourist….I bought one, too.

Make sure you go to the correct one – there is yet another Starbucks across the street from Pike Place (on 1st Avenue, I think) with the same brown sign, but it is NOT the more cramped, older-looking original. Accept no substitutes.

If you’re in doubt, tweet @SeattleMaven who is Ann Peavey from the city’s Tourism office.  She’ll be happy to guide you to the original (and she’ll hook you up with all sorts of other cool Seattle ideas and tips – just ask!)

Two professional conferences, two different climates (Seattle WA and Tulsa OK) for six full days.

I’ve written here before about how my husband was a Suitcase Swami by getting everything into a carry-on for one of his conferences – could I do it myself?

You bet, because these days, it’s me versus the airlines.

No way will I pay American Airlines to check my luggage, only to have it possibly lost or abused when I really need to look well-dressed (and I was giving a keynote presentation and workshop at the second conference.)

The video below was filmed with my Flip camera as I unpacked the suitcase from the trip. Here’s what I took:

• 3 pair of trousers
• 2 skirts
• 6 tops
• 4 cardigan sweaters (rather than stiffer, hard-to-pack suit jackets)
• 1 jersey knit blazer-style jacket
• 3 pair of shoes
• 1 lined windbreaker
• 1 T-shirt to sleep in
• scarves, jewelry, spare glasses, toiletries kit, quart-sized bag for liquids

Light, light, light. Pare down the shoes.  Pay for a light, well-constructed suitcase (I use a Travelpro Rollaboard.)

Here’s the URL of the how to pack video if you’re an RSS reader or can’t see the box below.

I’m in the middle of my first visit to Seattle, Washington (I don’t count going up in the Space Needle as a six-year-old) and today was an afternoon pilgrimage to Pike Place Market in the company of friend, writer and wonderful photographer Pam Mandel.

What a delightful spot, especially without the summer crowds, which Pam says are fairly insane.

A city on the water, with mountains in the background, has such a running head start on being beautiful that it’s almost unfair. Seattle is like that.

OK, so it rained for about 40 minutes this afternoon. Big whoop. Carry an umbrella (er, don’t leave it in your hotel room like me, the Doofus Tourist, who said, “But, the sun’s out right now! I won’t need this thing.”)

Pike Place had $10-15 fresh flower arrangements that were huge works of art.

It had a pasta place that sold noodles with names like Lemon Chive Angel Hair.

The fresh seafood looked absolutely divine.

The street musicians were well worth a generous tip.

And the photo you see was my lunch inside the Market at Lowell’s (one of Pam’s favorite places) with views of the bay to die for, a nice chilled bottle of local beer and salmon tacos with freshly-made tortillas.

More than once I contemplated how fast I could load up my household goods and move here to the “Emerald City.”

Fall is calling me to take a road trip, but my schedule isn’t opening up enough to allow many long stretches of highway blacktop bliss.

Well, I can either pout about it or blog about it, and we all know how that’s going to end….

Herewith, some of my favorite US scenic highways and byways, for those of you with a bit more automotive freedom than me:

• Virginia – The Colonial Parkway connects historic Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown through lush, quiet woods and pretty views of the James and York Rivers. Unfortunately it’s closed right now between Williamsburg and Jamestown (a boater crunched the Powhatan Creek bridge) but other parts are open.  The annual Yorktown Victory Weekend celebration is this month (October 17 and 18, 2009) with special walking tours and musket demonstrations.

• Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee – I wouldn’t take the Natchez Trace Parkway if you’re in any kind of a hurry; the speed limit is 50 mph for most of it, and the whole point is to gaze at scenery (along with a large number of waddling RVs who have the same idea) Native American mound-builders may have trod this path as long as 2,000 years ago, and you can still see part of that original trail at the Sunken Trace, milepost 41.5 in Mississippi. Let me tell you, that spot is kinda spooky at dusk, and the un-bug-sprayed will be chewed alive by voracious Southern mosquitoes.  You’ll swear you can hear them laughing derisively at your feeble use of DEET.

• California – The Pacific Coast Highway. Like, duh, dude! Spectacular especially along Big Sur on California 1, near San Francisco (you’d better pay attention at the wheel, because for heaven’s sake, no one else is) but there are plenty of other gorgeous sections.  Don’t miss our detailed guest post about the PCH from Jamie Jensen, author of the Road Trip USA guidebook:  highlights of the Pacific Coast Highway.

• New Mexico – Did you miss this year’s Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque? No matter; there’s still a good excuse to travel to this part of New Mexico, and that’s the Jemez Mountain Trail.  It goes very roughly in a circle through stunning mountain country between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and if you start in Santa Fe, you can end the day in funky Jemez Springs, soaking in the town’s bathhouse or eating at one of the restaurants. I’ve written here on PT Blog about Valles Caldera and Bandelier National Monument, both on the Trail.

• Florida – The Interstate running down the middle of Florida (I-75) is, of course, a crashing bore most of the way, but between Gainesville and Ocala you can travel the parallel Highway 441, the “Old Florida Heritage Highway” and actually have something to look at.  Check for gators and bison at Paynes Prairie State Preserve, stroll the shops of old town Micanopy and get literary at author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ Cracker home in Cross Creek (in town there’s a restaurant serving gator tail, frog legs, cooter/turtle and live blues music.)  In Florida, you go north to see the South.

• Texas – Indulge me while I plug a local Austin area/Hill Country drive that starts a few blocks from where I live;  Ranch Road 1431.  Heading west from just north of Austin in Round Rock/Cedar Park, you escape the ‘burbs into open country with pretty views and quick detours for Flat Creek Estate Winery (I’m partial to their “Super Texan” Sangiovese,) birdwatching in the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge and Pie Happy Hour 3-5 pm at the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls.  To head back towards Austin, take Highway 71 out of Marble Falls and work in a stop at Poodie’s Hilltop honky tonk in Spicewood, where there are “no bad days.”

If you pull up into my driveway real quick and don’t beep the horn, we can sneak off and get going before anyone notices, right?

Looking for a low-key event on the pretty green Hawaiian island of Kauai, especially one that draws plenty of locals?

I found it – the weekly Friday Art Night in the tiny southern Kauai village of Hanapepe (supposedly the town was the “setting” for the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch.)

If you are not into staying in a resort bubble and like to be out and about when you travel, Hanapepe is a wonderful way to explore a laid-back small town that has a special vibe.  No overpriced goop here – pick up a lovely, fresh plumeria flower lei for a mere $5 from a street vendor and join the mellow crowds.

Art Night starts at about 6 pm, and the galleries along the town’s main street stay open late for leisurely wandering until about 9 or 10.

My son and I had a delicious dinner at the Hanapepe Cafe and Bakery – seared ono fish, green beans, a hunk of fresh pineapple and purple Okinawa sweet potatoes that somehow tasted vaguely of coconut.

Okay, I had that and son had your basic kid cheesy pasta. It worked for both of us. His loss for not trying the purple sweet potatoes.

We looked into a few galleries and places like Keiki Kovers children’s clothing and Kamaaina Cabinets/Koa Wood Gallery with colorful Robin McCoy paintings and our personal favorite, the Talk Story Bookstore.

Talk Story was full of used books, but special extras included local products and goodies made in Hawaii and an imperious bookstore cat.

The owner, Ed, was Web-savvy and very proud of his Talk Story Amazon store, which is apparently doing quite well for him despite the economic downturn and the inherent difficulties of maintaining a bookstore that’s a bit off the beaten path.

Although really, the brick-and-mortar store isn’t too far off, because the checkout counter guest book was signed by visitors from Japan, Germany, Virginia, Alaska, New Mexico and Pennsylvania.

Pay the town of Hanapepe a visit, on Friday night or anytime you need some Hawaiian relaxation and good company.

Related posts:

• How to enjoy historic Waikiki hotels even if you can’t afford to stay there
• Barren Haleakala holds a silver treasure
• Travel Green in Hawaii

Just So You Know Disclaimer:  The state Hawaii Tourism Authority through Cilantro Media paid my way to Hawaii for the So Much More Hawaii bloggers press trip, and also paid most of my expenses while I was there, including later reimbursement for the dinner mentioned here.