Seattle put on quite a show for me Monday with an unbelievably blue and clear sky that apparently is quite unusual for March (the level of collective and very public joy and disbelief at the weather was both charming and amusing for a first-time visitor). I was lucky enough to be led around by friends to some of the best spots from which to photograph the Space Needle and took full advantage of the opportunity. I especially enjoyed seeing it perfectly situated next to Mount Ranier, which merely the day before had been completely invisible.

I’ll admit that I fell a little in love with this city of gray skies and great views and could easily understand why so many people I know and like happily make it their home. I’m looking forward to the day when I can bring my entire family to stroll along the waterfront and hike the hilly neighborhoods. I enjoyed my flying solo visit to Portland and Seattle (and was happy to add two more states to my tally, bringing me up to a total of 29 visited) but after three trips in as many weeks I’m looking forward to a little bit of time at home this weekend editing photos and documenting some of my stories. Before I do that though, I thought I’d share a few travel links I found this past week.

Did you see the special travel edition of the New York Times Magazine last Sunday? I especially loved Nathaniel Rich’s story of traveling on the train from New Orleans to Los Angeles – I’m in awe of his ability to extract stories from his fellow passengers. It inspired me to be more diligent about talking to people when I’m on the road.

If you’re a road trip maven, you should check out the new ebook from Terri Weeks of Travel 50 States With Kids. It includes itineraries and maps for 12 different journeys that will ultimately take you to all 50 states. Get the book for free by subscribing to her site.

I wasn’t the only mom traveling alone this week – check out this post from A King’s Life about a recent trip to Bangkok.

When we were in England two and a half years ago, we had the good fortune to stay in Bristol with Heather of Heather on Her Travels. Bristol is a great family destination and Heather is one of its biggest boosters so I was happy to see that she’s been tapped to write an insider’s guide for the CheapFlights website.

On Monday I wrote about my dream of visiting Hawaii; that dream was definitely fueled by the gorgeous photos of O’ahu taken by Melanie of Travels With Two. And speaking of my post about Hawaii, you have until midnight PST today to comment on it and enter to win a $100 Visa gift card.

Have a great weekend.