By Karen Schaler

Karen Schaler （Author， “Travel Therapy” ）：When youre talking about getting 1）off the beaten path， its great to travel half way around the world. But dont forget those hidden gems that are right in your own backyard. I grew up in Washington State， and wanted to share three of my favorite finds thatll show you small-town charm.

When we talk about special small towns in Washington State， some of my favorite “off the beaten path” picks are right on the water， and it doesnt get much prettier than Port Orchard on a sunny day. And， yes， there are sunny days in Washington. Port Orchard has around 11，000 people， and the town is located right on the Puget Sound， 13 miles west of Seattle， with 2）ferries connecting the two cities.

凯伦·谢勒（《疗愈系旅行》作者）：当谈到远离常规热门路线，能够走遍半个地球当然不错，但是也别忘了隐藏在自家后院的风水宝地。我在华盛顿州长大，想跟你分享我最喜欢的三个地方，那里足以体现小镇的魅力所在。

当我们谈到华盛顿州的特别小镇，我最喜欢的一些远离常规路线的选择就在水上，没有比在奥查德港度过阳光明媚的一天更惬意的了。是的，华盛顿有不少阳光灿烂的日子。奥查德港人口大约有11000，就位于菩及特海湾上，距离西雅图西部13英里，通过渡船就可把两座城镇连接起来。

One of the things I love about Port Orchard， Washington， is just coming down to the 3）waterfront.

Thats because the waterfront is almost picture-perfect. Almost everywhere you look its like a postcard， so its no wonder this is a favorite place for locals to hang out.

Man 1： I actually like to come down and walk the waterfront， clear my head， and the salt air is amazing， and the Puget Sound area is…just smells great and looks great. Karen： Port Orchards main street is only a few blocks long， but here youll find some great little antique shops filled with all kinds of treasures. Youll also find some fun restaurants and my favorite sugar stop， an old-fashioned candy store with more than four dozen kinds of salt-water 4）taffy. And 5）movie buffs， youll love the Dragonfly Theater， where VIP tickets are just five bucks.

Woman： I love coming down to the old theater. They have old movies playing； old Bogart movies， etc. Love it.

Karen： Another thing to love is the decades-old 6）foot ferry.

Man 2： We like coming down here because theyve got a foot ferry that we can go over to our neighboring city in Bremerton to the nice restaurants， or we can have nice food at the local restaurants. Karen： Taking the foot ferry is also one of my favorite things to do. Just like its name， its a walk-ononly ferry. For two bucks it takes you across the water to the larger town of Bremerton， where theres a big 7）navy yard and 8）revitalized 9）marina. Whether you want to do a tour of an old 10）warship or just relax at the popular Anthonys restaurant， where， for happy hour， you can score a five-dollar drinks [sic] and seafood， youll get this amazing view of the waterfront for free.

To check out another of my favorite small towns in Washington， youll want to head north， almost to Canada to La Conner， a town of around 900 people， that the 11）Chamber of Commerce calls， “Washingtons hidden treasure”. Its on the water and its known for its famous rainbow bridge， built in 1957. My dad， an 12）avid boater， has always loved coming here， and introduced me when I was just a kid.

Man 3： Theres a variety of great restaurants， museums and its just an old town on the water. Across the 13）canal theres fishing boats， commercial fishing boats that go out for crab and salmon； a lot going on here all year long.

Karen： I love how this town 14）packs a cultural punch with cool art galleries， museums and shops， and some of the best seafood. Try the La Conner Pub 15）Tavern， where theyre known for their fish and chips and scenery like this. There are cute places to stay， like The Heron Waterside 16）Guest House and Channel 17）Lodge. And just about 15 miles north of La Conner， youll find some of the best Dungeness crabbing and salmon fishing in the entire northwest.

For my third favorite small Washington town youre going to have to leave the waterfront and drive over the Cascade Mountain Range to the town of Leavenworth. From the moment you arrive you feel like youve stepped back in time to a 18）quaint Bavarian village. And thats exactly the plan. In the 60s， when Leavenworth was almost a 19）ghost town， the locals decided to recreate the entire community of around 2，000 people as a Bavarian Village， hoping it would bring tourists. It worked， and the tourists are still coming today， charmed by the beautiful buildings painted with magnificent 20）murals and shops filled with unique collectibles. Even the pets that come to visit are cool.

Hungry？ You can fuel up for a day of sightseeing at Leavenworths legendary restaurant， Gustavs， where the sandwiches are always delicious. This towns incredible story and “can-do” spirit make it magical.

我喜欢华盛顿的奥查德港的原因之一，就是来到海滨一带游玩。

那是因为海滨一带拥有几乎无敌的美景。放眼看到的几乎任何地方都像一张明信片，所以它能成为当地人流连忘返的最佳地方就不足为奇了。

男游客1：我确实喜欢来到海边走走，理清我的思绪，带着咸味的空气很不错，菩及特海湾空气清新，风景宜人。

凯伦：奥查德港的主要街道只有几个街区那么长而已，但在这里，你会发现一些很棒的古董小店，那里琳琅满目地摆放着各种各样的宝物。你还会发现一些有趣的饭店，而我最喜欢的是一家糖果店，那是一间老式的糖果店，里面有超过48种盐水太妃糖。如果你是电影迷，那你就会喜欢蜻蜓电影院，那里的贵宾票价只需五美元。

女游客：我喜欢来这家古老的戏院，他们会播放老电影，比如鲍嘉主演的老片子等等，很喜欢。

凯伦：另一件喜欢的事情就是搭乘具有几十年历史的脚渡轮。

男游客2：我们喜欢来到这里因为这里有脚渡轮，我们可以去到布雷默顿跟我们邻近的城市找到不错的餐厅，或者我们就在当地的餐馆享受美食。凯伦：坐脚渡轮也是我最喜欢做的事情之一，顾名思义，脚渡轮就是只用脚驱动的渡船。只需两美元就可以带你跨越水域，到达布雷默顿更大的城镇，那里有个很大的海军船坞和新修的码头。无论你想参观旧军舰，或是在很受欢迎的安东尼餐厅休憩（欢乐时光期间，还可以在那里买到五美元一杯的饮料和海鲜），都可以免费欣赏到海边优美的景色。

为了找到华盛顿里我最喜欢的另一个小镇，你要一路北上，将近去到加拿大才能到达拉康纳镇，该镇人口大约有九百，商会称它为“华盛顿的隐藏宝藏”。该镇建于水上，因1957年建成的彩虹桥而闻名。我爸爸是个划船爱好者，他总是喜欢来到这里，并带当时还是小孩的我来过。

男游客3：拉康纳镇是个古老的水上小镇，这里有各种各样很棒的餐馆和博物馆。海峡对面都是渔船，那些商业渔船出海捕捉蟹和鲑鱼，很多船整年都待在这里。

凯伦：我喜欢这个小镇，因为它把一众很酷的艺术画廊、博物馆和商店，还有最好的海鲜强有力地融合在一起形成了自己的文化。到拉康纳酒馆品尝一下那里最出名的炸鱼和炸薯片，还有这样的美景。另外还有些很有趣的地方可以驻足停留，比如赫伦滨海旅馆和海峡小屋。就在拉康纳镇北面大约十五英里处，你会发现在西北地区可以捕捉到最好的邓杰内斯蟹和鲑鱼。

要去我最喜欢的第三个华盛顿小镇，你必须要离开海边，开车跨越喀斯喀特山脉，来到莱温芙丝镇。到达的那一刻，你就会感觉自己穿越到了一个精巧的巴伐利亚风格村庄（又叫德国村），这正是此行的目的。在上个世纪六十年代，莱温芙丝镇几乎成了被遗弃的小镇，当地居民决定重振整个社区，会聚人口大约两千形成巴伐利亚风格的德国村，希望能带旺旅游业。结果成功了，这里美丽的建筑描着精致的壁画，商店满是独特的收藏品，吸引游人络绎不绝地前来直到今天，连来观光的宠物都是那么酷。

肚子饿了吗？在莱温芙丝镇的传奇饭店——古斯塔夫餐厅，欣赏一整天风光的同时饱餐美食，那里的三明治总是很美味。小镇那令人难以置信的故事和“开拓进取”的精神让它自身充满了魔力。

凯伦·谢勒（Karen Schaler）是三座艾美奖得主，旅行过三十多个国家，寻找最有启发性的旅行疗愈地，著有《疗愈系旅行》（Travel Therapy）一书。她的作品在美国全国性电视台播放，除了美国境内还在国际上发行，拥有在线出版物。曾发表过的知名园地包括ABC电视网、《纽约客》（The New Yorker）杂志、《波士顿环球报》（Boston Globe）、《乡镇旅游》（Town & Country TRAVEL）杂志、《精英旅游》（Elite Traveler）杂志、《岛屿》（Islands）杂志、《高峰傲》（Gafencu）杂志、《车与旅游》（Road & Travel）杂志、《沙漠生活》（Desert Living）杂志、《美国航空》（US Airways Magazine）杂志、《南北半球》（Hemispheres）杂志、《我的中西部》（My Midwest）杂志。

电视新闻记者的背景，使得谢勒的写作笔调活泼犀利，带有流浪精神。2007年她曾随阿帕契攻击直升机小队深入阿富汗战场；1995年，她是第一位派驻波斯尼亚的随军记者。她曾以自由电视通讯记者身份为CNN工作，也曾担任美国ABC、NBC、CBS电视网的记者、主播，并且担任福斯（Fox）在全美各大市场的营销伙伴。

谢勒成长于美国华盛顿州西雅图外围，居住过十三个不同的州，她说现在她的家就是“我放下行李箱的地方”。