In Seattle, see the Fulton St. Market, the warf area where there are a lot of great restaurants - or you can wander across the street for restaurants. There are a lot of great shops in the area as well. In Portland, if you are there during Saturday, check out the market - lots of great stuff.
I really like the Hoyt Arboretum and the International Rose Garden, and the zoo is near there as well - a nice zoo. There is a Japanese Garden as well. A walk along the river is nice.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.