The boyfriend and I are heading out there in a few weeks for vacation and I'm scanning around online looking up things to do but it occurred to me that y'all here reading this are a precious resource - so so precious - that I should be taking advantage of. Any recommendations of things not to miss on the drive from Portland up to Seattle? Or in those cities themselves?
And yes, I know that Astoria is where this happened...
... and am planning accordingly. 'Ayyyy Yoooouuu Guyyyys!
.
.
Posts
10 comments:
Having lived here in Portland for 5 years now I have ideas up my sleeves and coming out my a%$.
Don't miss the amazing plethora of food carts Portland has to offer! I'd highly recommend checking out the blog http://www.foodcartsportland.com/ for more information. We here in Portland are leading the food cart revolution! get into it.
You also have to treat yourself to the famous Portland hotspot of Voodoo Donuts. http://voodoodoughnut.com/ Try the maple bacon bar or the Portland Cream.
Also try the best coffee the country has to offer. Stumptown. (yeah you can get it in NYC, but its best from the original stores) http://stumptowncoffee.com/
btw, LOVE, love, love your blog!
Burgerville! A PacNoWest tradition, they make a fine burger but the seasonal items are really where it's at. Right now, that means strawberry stuff, yum.
Hey, Astoria's also where Kindergarten Cop happened; be careful of toomahs.
You could stop in Olympia, too, commune with the spirits of riot grrls, check out the capitol building.
They pretty much covered the casual food in Portland. (We actually have some of the best restaurants in the nation so you can't go wrong.)
Cultural: Portland Museum; Washington Park - rose garden, zoo, Japanese Gardens; Chinese gardens; first Thursday in the Pearl; last Thursday in Alberta.
McMenamins - if you haven't been to one then you're missing out. Try The Kennedy School in NE.
Gar Bars - Silverado (strip club), CC Slaughters, Boxxes/Red Cap Garage, Scandals, Darcelle XV (cabaret/drag show)
Check out the Jupiter Hotel w/ its bars The Nines and Departure.
The drive between Portland and Seattle is pretty but straight and boring.
In Seattle - Pike Place Market, 13 Coins (best place for breakfast at 4am), Gay Bars - Neighbors, The Cuff. EMP (Experience Music Project) is right next to the Space Needle.
I've got so many more ideas, just ask if you need them.
You definitely have to go to the Goonies museum housed in the old Clatsop county jail building in Astoria. It's been open since December and it's very fun.
As far as Seattle goes, I hate suggesting "touristy" stuff, but Pike Place Market really is fabulous and a great way to spend a few hours.
Another of my favorite things to do in Seattle is to go to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. It's in one of the old Seattle neighborhoods called Ballard and they sit in the middle of Salmon Bay, part of Seattle's Lake Washington Ship Canal. Really fun.
One thing about Seattle gay bars - many are not very good AT ALL. No offense to Heather's advice, but I would avoid Neighbors, except if you want to dance, and then the Cuff is actually better for that (although a small dance floor).
Better bars are Lobby and Purr.
You guys are awesome! Seriously. I just wanna cuddle the life right outta ya!
And no need to go busting beer bottles on the counter and and threatening each other's bar advice with slashing motions. ;-) The boyfriend and I aren't really bar-goers... we're more the "buy a bottle of bourbon and lay on the hotel bed drinking it while watching some terrible movie starring Mo'Nique" types while on vacation. (Or while at home. Whatever.) But yeah neither of us wants to go dancing, possibly ever again. ;-)
But food! Food is something I plan to participate heavily in while out there. And the cultural stuff, and shopping probably. (Any good thrift stores? Me asking that will make the boyfriend very happy.) And we're spending two days in Olympic National Park, gettin' our nature on. Living in NYC I've almost forgotten what oxygen tastes like...
Portland has great local thrift stores, Red Light, Buffalo Exchange are the two biggest in town with a couple locations between the two of them.
skip the bars for dancing here in Portland, there are however some great movie theaters that serve some of the finest beer you'd ever want. Laurelhurst Theater comes to mind. also check out the Living Room theater, great food, full bar, great indie movies. If you have a chance go rent a bike and get some riding in, we love bikes in this city.
per the Goonies reference - i thought it was Goat Rock State Park between Bodega Bay and Jenner, the place where the ship came out of the cliff? it's all about the Rock with the arch in the middle...
example -http://www.flickr.com/photos/25530364@N07/4435999004/
and i do loooove your blog :)
The Ape Cave Lava Tube at Mt Saint Helens is a really cool hike, and doesn't take much time at all. All the fun of spelunking without all the planning and the gear. Its especially fun if you watch The Descent the night before.
In Seattle, I third Pike Place Market as a cool place to go and grab some food. Fremont is a pretty cool neighborhood with lots of great food and public art. The Seattle Art Museum and Sculpture Park downtown are pretty great as well.
The Archie McPhee store.
http://archiemcpheeseattle.com/
'nuff said.
Post a Comment