While in Seattle, Brian and I checked out the Woodland Park Zoo. I\u2019m a big fan of going to the zoo, even though they\u2019re always overrun with small children. I was really pleased with the Woodland Park Zoo<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n This is the sign that met us when we entered the Hoh Rainforest in Olympia National Park<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n Forks, Washington<\/a> is the epicenter of the Twilight book mania that encompasses several parts of the Olympic Peninsula. I hadn\u2019t 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.<\/font><\/p>\n 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<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n When we met up with some friends for ice cream in Seattle, they let us in on a little secret. The Columbia Center<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n True, Pike Place Market<\/a> isn\u2019t really a store, it\u2019s a lot of different stores and vendors and booths. But I could live there, if they\u2019d 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 \u201cmust do\u201d places on the Seattle list and we managed to stop there several times.<\/p>\n Poor Portland, it\u2019s 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\u2019t love it quite as much as Seattle. But Powell\u2019s City of Books<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n![\"3seattle](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/3seattle-160_thumb.jpg\" "\\"3seattle")
<\/a>favorite zoo animal: the gorillas<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"2olympic](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/2olympic-36_thumb.jpg\" "\\"2olympic")
<\/a>favorite sign: aggressive elk<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n![\"2olympic](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/2olympic-116_thumb.jpg\" "\\"2olympic")
<\/a>favorite sign, runner up:<\/font> Welcome to Forks<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"2olympic](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/2olympic-145_thumb.jpg\" "\\"2olympic")
<\/a>favorite view: Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park<\/font><\/strong> <\/p>\n![\"3seattle](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/3seattle-208_thumb.jpg\" "\\"3seattle")
<\/a>favorite view, runner up: Columbia Center, Seattle<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"3seattle](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/3seattle-35_thumb.jpg\" "\\"3seattle")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"3seattle](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/3seattle-42_thumb1.jpg\" "\\"3seattle")
<\/a>favorite \u201cstore\u201d: Pike Place Market<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"1portland](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/1portland-24_thumb.jpg\" "\\"1portland")
<\/a>favorite store, runner up: Powell\u2019s City of Books, Portland<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"3seattle](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/3seattle-23_thumb1.jpg\" "\\"3seattle")
<\/a>Picture of Brian and I, together: the ferry<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n