Beautiful, Undiscovered Washington! (And A Flower That Smells Like A Dead Lumberjack’s Butt).

Listener Bruce in Lake Stevens noted the other day that we have lots of out of town 10’s coming in for The TBTL Prom, and being the helpful guy he is, he sent along this list of fun things for them to do and see while they’re here. Not one to be shown up by our listeners, I’ll be posting my “depressing ramshackle casinos of Aurora Avenue” tour next week.

1. Abandoned bunkers – Fort Worden, Port Townsend. One of several movie tie-ins…Ft. Warden and these bunkers were featured in An Officer and a Gentleman. They are spooky and almost forgotten.

2. Archie Mcphees – Ballard. Beloved toy/junk/curiosity store. Where else can you buy remote control zombies, abandoned medical supplies, and devil ducks!?

3. Lifesize replica of stonehenge – Maryhill Museum, Maryhill, WA. Did you know there was a lifesize replica of Stonehenge in Washington? There is. My dad took me out of school in the 7th grade, drove down to it, watched the solar eclipse while modern-day druids prayed at the neo-stonehenge. Check it out.

4. The Corpse Flower – Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle. This is a strange one… a 3 foot high flower that only blooms once every 2 or 3 years and smells like a rotting corpse. It’s beautiful and smelly and worth seeing. Blooming NOW!

5. Lynden, WA. Near the Canadian border. Can you see windmills in Lynden? Yes. Can you buy wooden shoes of just about any size in Lynden? Yes. Can you buy hard liquor within the city limits? No. Is there a sign that says “Welcome To Lynden” on the cemetery walls? Yes. Was Lynden loosely the basis fo the town in Footloose? YES!

6. Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe – Waterfront, Pier 54, Seattle Wa. Sure it’s a cheesy tourist trap, but how many gift shops in Washington can you name that also have shrunken human heads and mummified cowboys!?

7. Stadium High School, Tacoma, WA. More of a castle than a school. This appeared in 10 Things I Hate About You.

8. Bob’s Java Jive, Tacoma, WA. — One of the last remaining theme buildings in the State, the Java Jive is a dive bar of epic proportions. Although under new ownership, it still maintains much of it’s funky charm. In its heyday you could sit inside a bar shaped like a teapot, surrounded by monkey lights while the crazy owner (who live there) sang karaoke to the crowd. Good times!

9. EMP/SCI FI Museum – Seattle Center, Seattle, WA. Sure, most of us Puget Sounders have been to the EMP, but it’s still worth checking out. You can see Grandmaster Flash’s clothes, Jimi Hendrix’ guitar, and the handwritten lyrics to Smells Like Teen Spirit. Next door you can see the full-size Alien Queen from Aliens. Geek heaven.

10. Chuckanut Drive – Near Bellingham, WA. Beautiful, winding, and serene. A nice calming influence after all those mummies and aliens.

Thanks Bruce!

— Luke Burbank