Get Thee to a Beach!

Seattlest grew up in a tiny town you've never heard of in Central Florida, where a real sandy ocean beach (on which you could drive) was 20 minutes in one direction, and a crystalline gulf beach was an hour and a half in the other. Now that we live in the Land of the Rain, we wait all year for weeks like these, when the sun is high and hot, the breeze is soft and frequent and there are enough daytime hours to book it to the lake beach after work.

It may have taken us a little while to cotton to the idea of lying on a grassy lawn as "being at the beach," but as the weather warms up to that scenario, so do we (har har).

So let's get to the point: tomorrow, you're going to be "sick," followed by a day of "recovering from being sick." We understand, and your employer will eventually come around. Nothing cures the "sick" and "recovery" better than a day at the beach, and in this lake-ified town, there are plenty of places to get your beach on. Here are a few of our favorites:

1. Golden Gardens. This shouldn't be news to anyone. It's the only passable sandy beach in town, without crossing the dreaded West Seattle bridge. Get there early on this weekend, though, if you expect to be bonfiring anytime in the evening.

2. Alki Beach. You can't really surf there, but you can almost feel like you're at a real beach. Besides, the fish n' chips over there is TDF.

3. Madison Beach. This is that grassy knoll beach we were talking about. Occasionally there are teeny tiny waves breaking ashore, thanks to the people speeding by on their motorbikes. Gays to the left, teenagers to the right, thank you.

4. Magnuson Park. There is plenty of room to sunbathe or have a picnic. Lots of boats load out here, so hang on to the kiddies and the dog.

5. Clarke Beach (Mercer Island). This was a pretty, nice and quiet swimming hole when we were there late in the day last August. If it's teeming with screaming kids when you go, don't blame us. You have to hike quite a ways downhill (and then back up again, of course) between your car and the beach, so plan your beach-going equipment accordingly.

Now get out there and tan your so-white-it's-almost-translucent ass.