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Vacation Favorites, Part 1: Attractions and Activities

Published on August 15, 2011 By Emily. Updated on August 15, 2011

I do not like picking favorites.  I hate when people ask me my favorite food, drink, historical time period, color, musician or television show.  I like a lot of things.  I don’t like limiting myself.

But I have 2 choices: I can either highlight my favorite things from our recent trip to Oregon and Washington, or I can spend the better part of the next couple months posting about it.  The trip was that good, and we did that much stuff.

And so, here we are.  This is not a complete retelling of our vacation, but it hits some of the highlights that the first vacation post didn’t.  I’m sure the things I chose aren’t the “best” in many of their categories, but they were my favorites in our limited experience.  Even so, I had to split the post into 2 parts.

3seattle (160)favorite zoo animal: the gorillas

While in Seattle, Brian and I checked out the Woodland Park Zoo.  I’m a big fan of going to the zoo, even though they’re always overrun with small children.   I was really pleased with the Woodland Park Zoo and we took our time wandering around to all of the different animals.  I was especially taken by the gorillas, since the 3 of them were fairly active, close to the viewing area and very entertaining.  

2olympic (36)favorite sign: aggressive elk

This is the sign that met us when we entered the Hoh Rainforest in Olympia National Park.  I was pretty amused by it.  I also spent our entire hike looking all over for elk that might be inclined to attack me.  Luckily, we escaped unharmed.

2olympic (116)favorite sign, runner up: Welcome to Forks

Forks, Washington is the epicenter of the Twilight book mania that encompasses several parts of the Olympic Peninsula.  I hadn’t realized until we arrived at our hotel in Port Angeles that Twilight tourist sites also exist in Port Angeles, but the merchandise there is nothing like Forks.  We stopped in the small town in between national park sites.  Of all the stores, merchandise and signs, I enjoyed this one the most.

2olympic (145)favorite view: Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park 

There were so many great views during the course of this trip, it was hard to choose my favorite.  But I loved the morning Brian and I spent on Hurricane Ridge.  The wildflowers were in bloom, the deer were plentiful, the weather was pleasant and the clouds chose to burn off so we could see.  I was obsessed with pointing out snowcapped mountains wherever I saw them during the course of the trip, so the view was especially breathtaking.

3seattle (208)favorite view, runner up: Columbia Center, Seattle

When we met up with some friends for ice cream in Seattle, they let us in on a little secret.  The Columbia Center observation deck is higher than the Space Needle (as you can see in the photo above) and only costs $5 a person.  Brian and I were already planning to skip the Space Needle, so this information was awesome.  We stumbled upon the building the next day and thoroughly enjoyed our inexpensive, not nearly as popular view of the city.

3seattle (35)

3seattle (42)favorite “store”: Pike Place Market

True, Pike Place Market isn’t really a store, it’s a lot of different stores and vendors and booths.  But I could live there, if they’d let me.  I loved the wide variety of vendors and products, I loved the art work, I loved the restaurants, I loved how fresh everything was.  Pike Place Market was one of the very few “must do” places on the Seattle list and we managed to stop there several times.

1portland (24)favorite store, runner up: Powell’s City of Books, Portland

Poor Portland, it’s not getting a lot of play on this list.  I really did enjoy Portland, but we only spent 48 hours there and I just didn’t love it quite as much as Seattle.  But Powell’s City of Books was awesome (please note: bookstores in general are among my favorite places in the entire world.  My mother used to work as a librarian; I have had jobs in a bookstore and a high school library.  Books are wonderful.)  I knew the store was going to be big, but it surpassed my expectations.  Also, I managed to snag an older edition of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for a reasonable price.

3seattle (23)Picture of Brian and I, together: the ferry

Brian and I have a grand total of 1 photo together from our 2009 honeymoon.  Crazy, right?  I have a tendency to be much more interested in taking pictures of things instead of people.  Plus, you generally have to find someone else to take the picture for you.  But, early in our trip, I told Brian that we were going to have pictures with both of us.  So, thanks to remembering that I have a self-timer on my camera and the kindness of strangers, we have several good photos of the two of us.  This one, from the ferry ride into Seattle, is one of my favorites.

Stay tuned for part 2!

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Filed Under: travel Tagged With: favorite places, lists, oregon, travel, vacation, washington

« On the Lack of Highlights
Vacation Favorites, Part 2: Seattle Food »

Comments

  1. Carol Pious says

    August 16, 2011 at 12:22 pm

    GREAT PHOTO – you two look happy and relaxed! Loved hearing about your vacation.

  2. Michelle @ The Cooking Life says

    August 17, 2011 at 9:52 am

    Ahhh, Seattle! We have family that live near downtown and we’ve gotten to fly up there 4x in the last two years – what a blessing. I’m so glad you guys got to visit the northwest. LOVE your pictures! 2 summers ago, we drove to the Olympic Peninsula, stayed in Port Angeles and drove to Second Beach and La Push and Lake Crescent. It was so beautiful!

    • Emily says

      August 17, 2011 at 8:38 pm

      I am so glad we took the time to do the Olympic Peninsula and not just Portland and Seattle. I got to see the Pacific for the first time!

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photo of EmilyWelcome to Relishments! Follow along with my adventures in cooking and eating in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

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Emily
Despite the cool temperatures and wet weather, we Despite the cool temperatures and wet weather, we had another fantastic year at @freshgrassfestival. I can never get over how, in addition to all the incredible music, the event features a great venue (@massmoca), delicious food from mostly local vendors, a great local beer tent and bar stocked with @berkshiremtdist and a kid-friendly atmosphere including a @kidspacemm art tent.
Shout-out to some of my favorite acts of the day @ajleebluesummit, @cj_field with @gregcaproni and @theblacklegacyproject.

Looking forward to next year!
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#WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #FreshGrass #FreshGrassFestival #bluegrass #MassMoCA
I am literally weeks behind in my work life and my I am literally weeks behind in my work life and my blog posts, but I just hit publish on my end of August/beginning of September meal plans! Some blogging progress is better than none! Click the link below or visit my profile to see how we used these 2 CSA pick ups from @mightyfoodfarm.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/august-slipped-away-csa-meal-plan-153/
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
It's always a beautiful day at the @coastalmainebo It's always a beautiful day at the @coastalmainebotanicalgardens.
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#Maine #CoastalMaineBotanticalGardens #Boothbay
We made our annual trip to @thebistrobox in Great We made our annual trip to @thebistrobox in Great Barrington today, bringing along our 6 year old for the first time. 
Pictured: onion rings, pressed Cubano, BOX burger, raspberry mint iced tea/ (huge) side of fries, grilled hot dog, strawberry lemonade. Everything was delicious and my daughter especially enjoyed trying out the lawn games.
Until next year!
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#igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #GreatBarrington #TheBistroBox
New on the blog: a list of everything I made for d New on the blog: a list of everything I made for dinner this week. A double @mightyfoodfarm CSA pick up plus hosting my in-laws for dinner resulted in me actually planning quality meals.
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Get the recipe links at https://www.relishments.com/blog/twice-as-good-csa-meal-plan-152/ or click the link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
I had the opportunity to visit the Bridge of Flowe I had the opportunity to visit the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls this morning. It was as beautiful as I remembered and a great morning for hanging out with some friends.
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#igers413 #ShelbourneFalls #BridgeOfFlowers #WesternMass #WesternMA
Brian and I finally made it to @ the week before w Brian and I finally made it to @ the week before we went on vacation. I loved the atmosphere, decor, location and, of course, the beer. All eight beers we tasted were delicious and I'm looking forward to going back soon. 
More thoughts on the blog at the link in my profile or at https://www.relishments.com/blog/hot-plate-brewing-in-pittsfield/
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#PittsfieldMA #MassachusettsBrewery #igers413_food #igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #DrinkLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires
I made my first ever trip to @seconddropfarm in La I made my first ever trip to @seconddropfarm in Lanesborough this morning to pick blueberries with my daughter. We had a lovely time at the farm, and especially enjoyed the short walk to the lush blueberry bushes, and the beautiful flower and lavender fields. We didn't participate in pick-your-own flowers today, but it's definitely on my radar for the future.
We are looking forward to some muffin baking soon! 🫐
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#igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #LanesboroughMA #SecondDropFarm #PickYourOwnBlueberries
It's good to be home, but we had a great time with It's good to be home, but we had a great time with Brian's side of the family in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina last week.
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#WrightsvilleBeach #NorthCarolina #WilmingtonNC
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