The small village of

Langley, sitting on a high embankment overlooking the dark blue waters of the Saratoga Passage, oozes with antique charm. The shopkeepers and residents in this town of 1100 people are genuinely friendly when you step across their threshold and it’s easy to see why they’re so welcoming. From small parks atop the bluff you see vistas of yachts sailing the Passage, with the impressive cliffs of Camano Head looming across the channel. In the distance, panoramic views of Mount Baker towering over the snowcapped Cascade Mountains can be glimpsed across the calm seas of the Puget Sound—who wouldn’t love it here? All manner of magnificent

Northwest fauna abound in Langley. You’ll often see bald eagles dive for their breakfast while blue herons skim gracefully across the water. For two seasons each year you’ll see migrating gray whales cruising the Passage, blowing frothy geysers at paddling kayakers. Langley is one of the Puget Sound’s top 15 whale-watching spots designated by the “Whale Trail” organization. These behemoth marine mammals often frolic in the water just below the bluff, dining on ghost shrimp. A large brass “Whale Bell” hanging from a log of driftwood in a small, grassed seafront park summons the townspeople when whales are sighted offshore. Halfway along 1st

Street you can

walk down some stairs that lead to a promenade and public beach. A little further up 1st

bronze sculpture of a boy leaning on a railing gazing out to sea, his small dog lying beside him. Couple the natural beauty

surrounding Langley with its immaculately maintained century-old storefront houses, painted different pastels of pink and blue, with green ivy creeping up the occasional shop façade, and you’ve got a peaceful, idyllic setting that often draws first time visitors into settling here. The village’s shopping and

commercial area measures two blocks by two blocks and is easily walkable. Langley’s meandering, flowered

is the village’s iconic

The “Whale Bell” in the seafront park summons the townspeople when gray whales are sighted.

and tasting rooms, all featuring locally grown and baked food and wine. Langley has styled itself as

the Booktown by the Sea, with an eclectic grouping of four bookshops within a two-block radius. Browse for antiquarian books (Lowry-James Rare Prints

walkways are packed with art galleries, a glass blowing studio, four distinctive bookstores, a historical museum, antique shops, intriguing boutiques and souvenir shops, and an eclectic variety of specialty stores. It’s fun just to wander around Langley, window- shopping or popping into its cafés or bakery for refreshments. A performing arts center and

vintage movie theater provide evening entertainment for locals and visitors alike. And culinary aficionados will find plenty of delicious gourmet temptations in Langley: two aromatic coffee roasting houses, a chocolatier, a bakery, several restaurants, a winery

& Books), fine and rare books (Gregor Rare Books), used and collectible books (Words & Pictures Bookshop), and new and unusual books (Moonraker Books). Two unusual shops you must visit

are Music for the Eyes, and Langley Clock & Gallery. Music for the Eyes is a brightly colored kaleidoscope of Central Asian carpets, rugs and textiles acquired by Sharon and Fred Lundahl, who served as diplomats in the south of the former Soviet Union. I think you’ll find Fred as colorful as his wares. The store also displays sculptures in marble, wood and glass made by local artists. Check out the large wooden sculpture

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