Built between the Cascade Mountain range and the Pacific Ocean, Bellingham is a hidden beauty among the trees, waterfront, and sketchy mountain roads. This town is full of it's own character, street performers downtown on Saturdays near the farmer's market, full blown works of art on the sides of businesses, beautiful and historical walks around the older parts of the city in Fairhaven and downtown.
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If you're looking for a place to walk in solitude, clear your head, and find yourself lost in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest then you have a lot of choices. Whatcom Falls Park, in the Western part of town just below the foothills is a beautiful park of weaving trails along a beautiful creek including series of gorgeous waterfalls. Many of my best days have been spent sitting on the rocks creekside and walking the trails, soaking the nature and simply thinking. Larrabee State Park, past the Southern Part of town is a great place to go as well with access to the beach and many trails. At the end of the day though, you definitely must end up at Boulevard Park. This is the park of parks in Bellingham, right on the waterfront with a 2 mile boardwalk to walk along. There is only one word to explain why you need to be there at the end of the day: Sunset. Boulevard Park is the ultimate place to see the nature light up with the sun's final rays that turn the clouds hot pink and orange as they fade away.
When in Bellingham, there are two mandatory things to do on a Saturday to truly understand the unique city of Bellingham. On Saturday morning, in the heart of downtown you will feel the true qualities of Bellingham as you are met by street musicians, sellers of beautiful handmade goods at the market, great food and people enjoying themselves throughout the day as they walk from store to strore downtown. As things begin to calm down in the afternoon, it rightly appears to be a great time to head into Fairhaven. Just a 5 minute drive from downtown, you get into the historical part of town where the fishing business began and created this gem. You are welcomed by old brick buildings, small shops, fancy restaurants, and small spurts of fun historical facts on signs. While there, you must me "Dirty Dan Harris", a statue of the man who started it all, that sits in the "Fairhaven Village Green", a cute rectangle of grass with benches surrounding it that is a very popular place in Bellingham.
To get even more historic, City Hall is on your way back to the residental area of Bellingham. A wall, red building right near the Whatcom Museum and the Whatcom Art Museum. The Whatcom Museum constantly displays a beautiful, historical display about the Native Americans from the area and cycles other exhibits about various other artworks.
I hope you enjoyed your short guide to Bellingham, we only had time to skim the surface but there is much more time to explore the city and discover your interests. There is so many more great things about Bellingham left to discover, to get the chance to feel the character and join the expression of the city.
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