Opinion: Welcome to the Snoqualmie Valley
Published 8:30 am Friday, May 27, 2016
This week, we present our annual Visitor’s Guide, a collection of maps, photos and information that tourists can use to orient themselves in the Valley and find their way to the area’s big attractions.
It’s my second favorite of all the special sections we do each year (after our Then & Now history extravaganza in the fall), but it’s also one of the most frustrating projects I work on in a year.
It’s because of the name.
This 40-page special section (really, an art project with all the scenic photos from readers) is called a visitor’s guide, and sure, it’s intended for tourists, but not just for tourists.
You, for instance, are probably reading this because it landed on your doorstep, which is most likely in the Valley. You’re the opposite of a visitor. This guide is for you, too. What makes me so sure? After living in the Valley for 16 years, I still learn something new in every edition of the visitor’s guide. I’m not making any guarantees, but I hope you will, too, if you take five minutes to flip through the pages.
Another frustration for me is how to describe each city in a new, haven’t-done-it-100-times-already way.
The cities speak for themselves once you get to them, so it’s just a matter of letting people know, subtly, why they should visit each city:
Why North Bend is not a pit stop on the way to and from the mountains or the malls but an actual destination;
Why Snoqualmie is more than just that city with the waterfall;
Why Fall City is a float traffic destination, but also a vibrant community of businesses and artists;
Why Carnation prides itself on its farming heritage.
To highlight one element of each city is to leave out a lot of other great stuff — the North Bend Farmers Market which opens in two weeks, the beautiful parks scattered across Snoqualmie, the history of Fall City, the future of Carnation.
It’s a bit of a jigsaw puzzle getting a select few pieces to fit into our little guide, and like a puzzle, it’s frustrating at times, but also fulfilling to see the finished product. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
