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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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It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it t It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it to our second annual strawberry picking at @mountainviewfarm413, which included E's first tractor ride (she was very excited). We picked about 9 pounds of strawberries and I'm looking forward to eating them! 🍓
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Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shir Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shiredonuts, Poseidon Coffee, the Ashwillticook Rail Trail, St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Adams Free Library and beautiful flowers.
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I don't have clear words to express my feelings ab I don't have clear words to express my feelings about the state of the world lately. As a teacher and a mother, it has been extra difficult this week to be fully present in my roles without thinking about innocent lives that should have had longer on Earth. How what has happened in each of the many mass shootings this year can happen anywhere. If you are feeling sad and frustrated too, you are not alone.

I don't have answers, but I'm trying to take care of myself and my biological and school families. I'm saying "I love you" a lot to my children and my students. I'm closely following and sharing the work of @everytown while contacting my state and federal representatives and the president. I'm going for walks and getting fresh air and trying not to overload on news. I'm sharing good resources in my stories as I see them.
UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @aloh UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @alohr3!

 @thelazygenius' second book, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, is finally here and I'm so excited! I don't purchase many books, but I pre-ordered this last July because I knew it would be right up my alley and then I pre-ordered a second copy because I knew that I'd want to give one away.

Author Kendra Adachi has been one of my favorite voices in recent years. Her principles (shared through her first book, The Lazy Genius Podcast and her Instagram) have helped me focus my priorities and give myself more grace. 

This book is NOT a cookbook (it has just 2 recipes), it is a kitchen guide - to help you "have what you need, use what you have, and enjoy it like never before". It is beautiful (full color!) and thoughtful.

I'm very excited to send this book to one of you.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with one of your greatest kitchen struggles. 
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This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berk This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berkshire Teacher and Social Worker Appreciation Day free admission. After enjoying the student Art Invitational exhibit, the 4 of us took in several of the other galleries. Mass MoCA always impresses and it was delightful to be able to be out in the world with my kids.
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My January and early February menu plans for my @m My January and early February menu plans for my @mightyfoodfarm vegetables are finally up on the blog. See how we're making use of these beautiful items, as well as the items from the other pick up we made in the past month. 
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One of my favorite things to do is bake from scrat One of my favorite things to do is bake from scratch.
But, in the interest of full transparency, this pie was made with Pillsbury pie crusts and a $5 bag of Walmart Granny Smiths. I used the recipe on the pie crust box.
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