"It will be towed around (Cape) Horn to Puget Sound, Washington, " Maus said.

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Albertson Professor of International Political Economy at the University of Puget Sound in Washington State and author of The Wine Economist blog, a few questions about the wine world in general.

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The self-styled Emerald City, which sits on a skinny isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington full of terrain obstructions, is normally a traffic sinkhole, anyway.

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You won't find any fjords, and a view of the Northern Lights is unlikely, but this hip hotel does sit in the thick of sundry dining and drinking establishments, and within walking distance of funky Fremont, the Ballard Locks (one of Washington's top tourist attractions) and scenic Golden Gardens Park, which offers splendid views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

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