State of Washington was named after President George Washington in 1853 and is the only state to be named after a president.
It is nicknamed the ‘Evergreen State’ because of its many forests, amounting to more than half of its land mass.
It is the northwestern-most state of contiguous United States (non-contiguous states notably including Hawaii and Alaska), bordered by Canada to the north.
Olympia is its state capital; Seattle its largest city.
Washington is one of the seven states in the United States that does not levy a personal income tax.
Due to its rugged terrain, Washington is a leading lumber and plywood producer.
It also produces more apples than any other state.
Washington is home to Boeing, and its final assembly plant in Everett is apparently attributed to be the world’s largest building.
Microsoft Corporation is located in Redmond.
Starbucks was founded in Seattle, and the first store near Pike Place Market still stands today, bearing the original design of the coffee chain’s logo, which is different from the one we are used to seeing.
In more ways than one, this was a trip that kept giving. Being in the aviation industry for both my first and now, second job meant that a planned trip to the private non-profit Museum of Flight in Seattle was such a treat. The fact that I had nothing to do with the decision-making process indicated that I was in the company of like-minded colleagues. Being employees of an aviation-related company meant that we also scored discounted entrance tickets. What a treat!
I really enjoyed strolling through the museum at my own pace, not being hurried at all. Guess it helped that my companions were also fellow aviation enthusiasts. On top of that, they were much more shutter-happy than I was, so that made up for the extra time I took to read the exhibits in detail.
We finally made it to the outdoor exhibit area, where we got to see retired aircraft/prototypes. The first B747-400 was just standing right there, in front of me. We also saw the very first Air Force One and the feeling was decidedly different from seeing the radar blip of its current incarnation flying in my airspace but that’s an entirely different story to tell.
When we were finally done with the museum, we drove down to Seattle for dinner. In specific, a Taiwanese cuisine restaurant. Having been away from home for almost half a month, I was starting to miss authentic Asian food and the guys decided to bring me to their favourite haunt.
Wayfaring: Still 