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Thread: Washington State for vacation

  1. #1
    Registered User KGreene's Avatar
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    Default Washington State for vacation

    So, we're headed out to Washington for vacation. Any suggestions for shops or other mandolin related places to visit? We'll be on Whidbey Island but venturing to the mainland often.
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    Registered User slimt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    No shortage of Guitar Stores in Seattle.. Emerald Guitars, the trading post.. all sorts..

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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Whidbey is lovely. Enjoy!
    Check out Dusty Strings in Freemont

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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Seattle has a few good guitar stores, not many compared to LA/SF, only 1 for mandolin/banjo/dobro etc (Dusty). Very good stores for violin/cello if interested.

    There's a series of music camps on the peninsula thru summer, one for banjo, one for jazz, nothing mandolin specific that I can find. You can PM me any questions anytime

    BG calendar has mostly low key events but the one down in the Gorge (late July) might be interesting: http://washingtonbluegrassassociatio...dar_months.php

    I should mention one negative, you're going to have to drive carefully: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...ew-study-says/
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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    It's festival season.

    Centrum in Port Townsend hosts a fiddle tunes workshop (going on now), a jazz workshop (in a couple of weeks), and an acoustic blues workshop (end of July), each of which attracts nationally renowned artists to teach and perform: http://centrum.org/calendar/ Port Townsend is a short boat ride from Whidbey -- you take the boat that goes west from Coupeville.

    Whidbey itself hosts DjangoFest NW but that's not till September: https://www.djangofestnw.com/

    There's a bluegrass festival somewhere in the state or region three out of four weekends in July. The closest one is at Darrington, not hard to get to from Whidbey, July 20–22: http://www.darringtonbluegrass.com/

    Don't worry about traffic too much unless you go down into Seattle itself, then it gets ugly.

    Lots of cultural activity and several good mando pickers on Whidbey and the San Juan Islands, so other stuff might be happening locally. Langley and Coupeville are lovely little towns to stroll through.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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    Registered User KGreene's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Quote Originally Posted by gtani7 View Post
    I should mention one negative, you're going to have to drive carefully: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...ew-study-says/
    Wow...very surprising. We were in Seattle and Whidbey a couple of years ago and saw very few motor vehicle incidents. I've driven in all of the lower 48 and Canada....I would have had Washington WAY lower on the list! ... I'll take more notice this time out.
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  8. #7

    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    +1 for Dusty Strings, that's where I went earlier this year.

  9. #8
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Or Wait till 'wintergrass' and they'll all have a display there , I expect, in one hall.

    http://www.wintergrass.com/

    enjoy the natural beauty of the Olympic peninsula when it's so nice out, this time of year..


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    Registered User Marcus CA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Dusty Strings usually has a few Webers, Collings, and/or Gibsons to try out, including mandolas and OM’s. I’ve even played a used Duff and Gilchrist there. I can easily spend an hour just in the mandolin section. If you feel like branching out, they usually have a dozen harps and hammer dulcimers for sale, since the company builds both. The only negative: parking is tough in that neighborhood.

    Since you said “we’re headed out ...” I’ll add that the Fremont neighborhood commercial district is really fun to walk around, so if you’re with someone who has no musical instrument interest, he/she can easily have a great time there. You’ll find great coffee shops, restaurants, bakeries, bars, and miscellaneous shops within a few blocks of Dusty Strings. Also, the Theo chocolate factory is within walking distance. Just follow the scent. If you have kids with you, take them up to see the troll under the bridge.
    still trying to turn dreams into memories

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  13. #10
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    PS- No Mandolin Content but I highly recommend lunch at Piroshki Piroshki at Pike Place Market!
    https://www.piroshkybakery.com/menu.php

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    I may be old but I'm ugly billhay4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    I'd be hesitant to go into Seattle at all.
    Bill
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    Registered User Zissou Intern's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Definitely visit Dusty Strings in Fremont. And when you are in Seattle, don't miss the Museum of Flight, quite possibly the coolest museum on the planet.

    Oh Whidbey, you should check out Coupville. There are some quaint stores and restaurants, and great ice cream. Ebey's landing is really nice hiking beach about 10 minutes from Coupville. Double Bluff, south of Greenbank, is also a nice hiking and swimming beach. The water there is pretty warm. Of course you will want to go to Deception Pass State Park, both sides of the pass are beautiful with lots of hiking trails.

    If you get over onto the mainland, I'd suggest that you go to the town of La Conner. It's beautiful. It is home to the Museum of Northwest Art and the PNW Quilt Museum. The Nell Thorn is a nice restaurant on the channel and the brew pub across the street is good as well. Anelia's Kitchen serves a fantastic burger, and there is often live music. Ten minutes west of La Conner is Mount Vernon where you will find the Skagit River Brewery, another place to grab a burger or fish n chips. Il Granaio is a very nice Italian restaurant in Mount Vernon if you are looking for something fancier. Anthony's in Anacortes is also a more upscale eatery.

    About 20 minutes from La Conner and Mount Vernon is the Conway Muse. It's an old barn turned music venue/restaurant. They often have some surprisingly great acts come through on their way between Vancouver and Seattle.

  16. #13
    Registered User KGreene's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    We've done the Coupville, Townsend, Deception Pass, etc. (and will visit again this year)... But will definitely check out Dusty Strings and Conway Muse.

    Many Thanks!
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  17. #14

    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    When are you going to be in Washington? Darrington Bluegrass festival is the weekend of July 20. The Stevenson BG fest is the following weekend. In Seattle is Dusty Strings.

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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Had a nice trip to Portland and Seattle a couple of years ago. Don’t recall horrendous traffic, but we pretty much parked at our hotel and walked or took cabs while in town. Did the typical touristy stuff, but regret not hitting the music scene. Will have to venture back again...
    Chuck

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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    I'm up here in Vancouver BC and yeah ...there seems to be a dearth of options in terms of shops with mandolin stock.Reading comments here in the Cafe over the years tells me this is not an uncommon scenario even in the large centers .

    Our shops stock Eastman and Epiphone and that's about it unless you special order or come across a trade-in . There are shops like Dusty Strings ( Seattle ) which carry high end instruments ,according to website .....but I've always been mystified by the large numbers of mandolin players I see online , or hear in concerts or recordings and the lack of product availability ...at least here in Canada. Even many of the online shops seem to have less inventory of late.

  20. #17
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Quote Originally Posted by roysboy View Post
    I'm up here in Vancouver BC and yeah ... ...even in the large centers .

    Our shops stock Eastman and Epiphone and that's about it unless you special order.
    Vancouver's not a large centre?

    At Tom Lee in Langley, if I just mention an instrument they offer to bring it in if they can for me to try it out.

    Basone guitar always has something interesting, mostly bowlbacks, but mandolas, the odd mandocello and had a mando-bass a while ago. None of the bigger high volume producers as I recall, except a couple lower end brands.

    I've never been to Blue Dog (out of my price range) but they might be worth checking out.

    Rufus carry Collings.

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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Quote Originally Posted by AndyV View Post
    Vancouver's not a large centre?

    At Tom Lee in Langley, if I just mention an instrument they offer to bring it in if they can for me to try it out.

    Basone guitar always has something interesting, mostly bowlbacks, but mandolas, the odd mandocello and had a mando-bass a while ago. None of the bigger high volume producers as I recall, except a couple lower end brands.

    I've never been to Blue Dog (out of my price range) but they might be worth checking out.

    Rufus carry Collings.
    Yes ...you can special order a lot of products from Tom Lee or L and M , as I pointed out . BUT if its not something that works for you , L and M will charge you a shipping / re-stocking fee and it isn't significant ( 75 $ on a Kentucky mando for instance ). If I wanted to purchase a mandolin sight unseen , I'd want to play 2 or 3 to determine which works best for me playing-wise and tone-wise . Paying that ' test drive' fee is not an option for most .

    In any case , I have always found it interesting that mandolins seem popular enough that you wouldn't think they'd be that hard to come by ...at least the 'under-1000 dollar' models .

  22. #19
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Roysboy, I've only taken Tom Lee up on the offer once; no shipping etc. They're happy to bring an instrument in if someone is interested. If it turns out the interested party doesn't buy it, they know someone else will. That's at the Langley store anyway.

    I do agree, you'd think there'd be more in-store selection.

  23. #20
    Registered User Jim Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Is there much of a regular local jamming scene in Port Townsend?

  24. #21
    Registered User foldedpath's Avatar
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Roberts View Post
    Is there much of a regular local jamming scene in Port Townsend?
    There is a mid-level Irish/Scottish session every Sunday afternoon at "Better Living Through Coffee" downtown. Sometimes a bit of OldTime at that session depending on who shows up. Also a higher-level Irish session at "Sirens" pub most Tuesday evenings.

    There may be some other OldTime jams I'm not aware of, I'm no longer much in touch with that community, but I do know the local chapter of the Washington OldTime Fiddlers Assoc. holds a jam every 4th Saturday of the month at Tri Area Community Center in nearby Chimacum. You could try contacting them for info on other local OldTime jams.

    For uke players, there is a local organization called "Ukuleles Unite!" with regular jams and workshops. Check out that web site for schedules.

    I don't know of any Bluegrass here in PT, it's more of a fiddle-heavy Irish/OldTime zone. Oh, and ukuleles too.

  25. #22
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    Default Re: Washington State for vacation

    If you go to 'old time open jams' they have a facebook page with jams around the world. They keep it up to date with times and info. If you know of a jam, or festival let them know and they will add it.
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