Portland, Seattle, Vancouver

Hi lil'k.... Sounds Great!!.... If nothing else, we'll all get together for a cup of coffee somewhere.... If you're heading up to Vancouver, you'll be going through Bellingham.... That's where I went to college.... my sister and her family live in Bellingham, and my Mom is living up there, too.... Bellingham is a high-energy little college town.... Lots of really great people living up there!!!

mmmm, wanna leave time to pull off the road between cities.

:-)
Hello littlek!
The Gracious, Vivacious and Loquacious Miss Doolittle alerted me to your thread and pending expedition, and I would be honored to be added to the list of benevolent Seattleites who would wish to extend a hand (or in my case a furry paw) of friendship while suggesting locations to visit or solicitations of any available tourguide opportunities.
Much of what I would want to recommend hinges upon your personal interests and the amount of time you intend to spend in the region. You mentioned an interest in culture and nature, and as far as the latter is concerned I would second Patiodog's recommendation of the Olympic Peninsula and the ocean beaches there

http://www.nps.gov/olym/

You can usually make a loop of the Olympic National Park in a day, while taking in such sights as Hurricane Ridge

http://www.ohwy.com/wa/h/hurrican.htm

although if you have more than just a day available, consider the San Juan Islands

http://www.guidetosanjuans.com/

The islands all have their own unique characters in terms of indigenous populations and landscape and such, so many days could easily be expended with various exploring activities. A couple of "not to be missed" area activities include whale watching

http://www.sanjuansafaris.com/

and a spectacular aerial tour via a gorgeous red 1929 biplane

http://www.magicair.com/

However, since you also indicated an interest in Canada, you MAY wish to consider taking the Washington State Ferries' Anacortes to Victoria ferry, which takes you winding through the San Juans

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/index.cfm?route=ana-sj-es

which allows you to see the natural grandeur of San Juan County from the deck of the ferry.
This ferry actually goes to Sydney, BC which is not far from Victoria, not Vancouver as you had mentioned. Victoria is a wonderful city with a much more "British" atmosphere than the Vancouver, and might be worth considering as an alternate unless there were specific things that you wanted to see or do in Vancouver.

Be advised that these suggestions are only the tip of the Northwest iceberg and I would be pleased to discuss these options or others in greater detail.

Customized StoatMobile tours are also available and are always without charge.

Please feel free to private-message me if any of this sounds like something you would like to discuss further.

Oh Stoat, I'm honored at your arrival. Thanks TerryDoo! Thanks for the offer and the advice. I'm not sure why we picked Vancouver, I guess I've heard a lot of things about it - none that I can really recall. Plus, my time in the NW is limited to just 4 or 5 days. This time. Hopefully my sister will continue to live in Portland and I can visit again.

I'd love to meet you if not for a tour, at least for a cuppa coffee. Between you and P&L I'll be all jacked up on caffeine!

<ahem> You forgot bodacious. Good to see you, oh furry one.

It seems as though your trip will be packed with activity, little k.

You're not kidding, oh bodacious one.

You folks had just better not send our nice little k back to Boston so overly caffeinated that she doesn't come down until Christmas.

Hello littleK,
Thank you for your kind words
4 days would provide you with ample opportunities for troublemaking in the area, with any of my previously-mentioned options being viable considerations.
Vancouver is a great city to visit although quite different from Victoria, and there's no equally scenic route there as the one I mentioned for Victoria. You may wish to look over various web pages for Vancouver and Victoria and decide which city seems most intriguing to you. It would certainly be possible to see both cities but it would involve a lot of travelling and this may limit your other activities in Washington.
You may also wish to consider the fact that parts of Washington State have some of the most spectacular scenery in the U.S, and I would hate for you to spend a great amount of your limited time in big cities, which, while they definitely have their benefits, are probably not so terribly different from what you are accustomed to at home.

To help put things in perspective, the drive from Seattle to the Anacortes ferry terminal is 1 1/2 hours, the drive from Seattle to Vancouver is about 2 1/2 - 3 hours , and the drive from Seattle to Mount Rainier National Park

http://www.nps.gov/mora/

a just a bit over an hour.

If any multi-day trips in the San Juan Islands sound interesting, please book accommodations well in advance. Although this is the off-season, most inns are small and people who come to the area regularly often book years in advance due to the comparatively secluded and unique nature of the area.
I lived in San Juan county for several years and I can make specific recommendations and introductions if you like.

I'll have to send some of this info to my sister. Remember, I have to 'do' Oregon as well. I haven't even begun to look through the links, will do tomorrow..... thanks again!

Caution





Stoat on Board

'bout time, little feller!

:-)
Hello Miss Doolittle
Please forgive my mangling of your title....bodacious is of course entirely appropriate (as, perhaps, are tenacious and flirtatious)

Hello roger, it's nice to see you too!

<<< handing roger and Miss Doolittle (as well as littlek of course) each a big frothy mug

http://seattle.about.com/cs/beernw/

http://www.botros.at/images/munich/beer.jpg

mmmmmm beer....

Yay, Lil K

You and Terry... were the ones to winkle out the Great Stoat! A wonderful sighting!!!!


Sooo privileged!

shall Little k see the legendary Stoatmobile?

Well, I figured if one flighty, flirtatious female can't finagle a face to face with a fuzzy, furry friend, perhaps two might.

<passing stoat a glass of Bushmills> Welcome aboard.

Forgive me!@!! Somewhere I never realized STOAT was a fellow Washingtonian - LOL

geesh hope I spelled that right, that's ok I'm from the eastside of the state - right Stoat??? LOL

I'm sure we'd all be honored by little K's presence. What fun!!! :wink:

I wrote a looonnnng detailed post here last night and then lost it with my stupid !@@$# computer which desperately needs a tuneup or something, it's an All Stall model. I was trying to find a website to the Portland rose gardens. Ta-Da... Would be wonderful, except, of course, it is March. However we're hitting Spring already, the birds are in full spring breeding colors, they say, and that it is odd. So, maybe you'll have a flower or two. (Portland runs its famous Rose Parade in May.)

http://www.parks.ci.portland.or.us/Parks/IntRoseTestGarden.htm

Let's see.... so I mentioned the weather.. I can't remember all my lost thoughts, but let's see... in Portland, just across the street from the rose gardens -- which will, as I say, not be at their best, is a wonderful Japanese garden. I read or heard that it was one of the five best in the country, though I have no idea how that is determined. It surely is wonderful, not one really but five gardens of different designs, all Japanese, all amazing. We were there in a rainstorm and it was fabulous. I think they offered us umbrellas, but we had some large golf umbrellas and strolled along absolutely serene. I hope you can go visit. It is high on a hill and there are views across Portland.

Multnomah Falls is another amazing place... in fact, the entire Columbia Gorge would be a great way to see how the landscape here changes from wet, hilly and maritime to dry, rolling prairie-type hills. Quite surprising. It would be a daytrip from Portland to the Sam Hill Museum east about 90 miles or so, on the Washington side of the Columbia. Here's a website for this area... bring your long lens, there are fabulous views all the way!

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/

The Maryhill Museum is nicely described here, except they didn't mention the incredible doll collection nor the amazing chess sets. Expect nothing from the restaurant and you will not be disappointed:

http://away.com/primedia/arts_arch/sam_hill_1.html

and here are some pictures. The estate has the unfortuanate claim to havng a full size replica of Stonehenge as it was with all (concrete) stones upright, EXCEPT they didn't align it properly. sigh

http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/about.htm

It is a great daytrip, maybe the best. Other cool spots in Portland... the riverfront walk, the Peace Plaza, Rose's Deli (good Jewish contingent in Portland), all the confusing bridges, the many one-way streets and the Oregon Coast.

Omigod. The Oregon Coast. I must find a website about THAT!!!

http://members.tripod.com/~WTompkins/index-10.html
(OK -- he was goofy... but aren't you glad to know about the tunnel?)

http://www.visittheoregoncoast.com/



Best in the mist, gorgeous even in full sun!

Hi Stoat!!! Good to see you here!!! I'm really hoping that we can all gather together for coffee or beer or dinner or whatever while lil'k is in Seattle. It would be great fun!!

lil'k... I'm really looking forward to your visit!!!

Peace and Love
Sandra

Okay, first of all, I'd like to point out that the Anchor brewery is in San Francisco, and Washington, Oregon, and Northern California all have a wide array of fine beers -- but speaking as a Calif. native, please don't attribute ours to the folks up here. Sheesh... (Pint of Steam used to be my drink, down there where and when the price was reasonable...)

And for Lenin -- does the fact that he's frequently festooned with silly costumes and adornments on holidays soften the blow for the housemate any?

(Good luck on the trip. I'll be in Wisconsin around that time, so I won't ask if Bootsie can come and play with Otis and Molly at one of our many spectacular dog runs...)

What spectacular dog runs???