VASHON ISLAND, Wash. _ Vashon Island is 37 square miles of winding, woodsy roads dotted with adorable, honor-system farm stands. Its quiet beaches see more galoshes than shorts. A quaint, one-intersection town boasts a classic movie house and a Saturday farmers market. About the size of Manhattan, it's considerably less crowded, with a population of about 11,000 (not counting the deer, bald eagles, etc.). A paragon of all things Pacific Northwest _ bucolic, it feels as peaceful and is arguably just as lovely as the San Juan Islands, and it's only a 15-minute ferry ride from Seattle.
This was named the most liberal place in the United States last year, and while some dispute the statistics, the visitor's Vashon impression will have a crunchy edge. Witness the Vashon Intuitive Arts Center, the artisan fair-trade gift shop, or the fact that the island's most storied attraction might be a bicycle stuck in a tree. The Sheriff's Report in the Vashon Beachcomber chronicles mild island troubles: "A man was reported to be standing in the middle of the road in the 11900 block of Vashon Highway. Cars needed to swerve around him."
Offerings on Airbnb tend toward cabins tucked away in the shaggy moss, but with wealth encroaching here as in the rest of the region, newer waterfront manses are also for rent. (As a sign of the times, a recent ad for a Vashon real estate agent trumpeted, "If Seattle were San Francisco, Vashon would be Marin ... only better ... no bridge!") The latest among limited official lodgings, The Lodges on Vashon, seems airlifted from a much hipper place _ it opened last year, and each contemporary suite-style unit features details such as a wall-mounted wire sculpture of an antelope head, or an acoustic guitar propped expectantly on a stand in a pristine corner.
For activities, there's the Point Robinson lighthouse to explore, hiking and biking to be done, paddleboards and kayaks for rent, "social climbing!" on the bouldering wall at Vashon Recess Lab. The thirsty can wend their way to Nashi Orchards, a picturesque cidery with wizened fruit trees to wander through and an extremely cute, very sturdy dog named Franz. Dragon's Head Cider, two wineries (Vashon and Palouse), and Seattle Distilling also offer tastings.
