Trip to Washington(state)

[minkydog]

I'm so excited! My sister has lived in WA for about 7yrs and I have never been able to go visit, but we have just found out we can go in August. In fact we wanted to go in September but we found better pricing by going 2 wks earlier(about $200 less/per person!)

Laura lives in the Olympic peninsula, near the Puget Sound. We'll be there about 6-7 days. She has promised to take us camping for about 4 days. What are some not-to-be-missed activities? I know nothing about Washington!

 

[Meriweather]

Pike Place Market

Go down to the waterfront in Seattle and walk around. Lots of fun there.

Always fun to take a ferry ride.

Where are you going camping? Mt. Rainier is good.

Try to get out whale watching. That is a great time.

Take a duck boat trip....that is fun and you get to see a lot of downtown without driving

 

[cardaway]

Was the pricing difference with plane tickets?

I agree with the Pike Place Market and the Duck boats. There is also some great road trips you could make in the North end of the peninsula.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

I'm so excited! My sister has lived in WA for about 7yrs and I have never been able to go visit, but we have just found out we can go in August. In fact we wanted to go in September but we found better pricing by going 2 wks earlier(about $200 less/per person!)

Laura lives in the Olympic peninsula, near the Puget Sound. We'll be there about 6-7 days. She has promised to take us camping for about 4 days. What are some not-to-be-missed activities? I know nothing about Washington!

If your sister lives on the peninsula and you're going camping, make sure you go to:

• Hoh River Valley (the only temperate rain forest in north america, although the best time of year to go is spring when it's POURING and the spanish moss is literally dripping and the moss bottomed streams run clear clear clear)
• Hurricane Ridge (on a clear day you can see to Vancouver Island)
• Hot springs (either Sol Duc or Olympic)
• Port Townsend (historic Victorian town)
• Port Gamble (historic company mill town...the working class version of Port Townsend)
• Poulsbo (settled by Swedes, lots of interesting shops on the main street by the marina)
• Sequim (if you're here in the August, some of the lavender fields shouldn't be harvested yet)
• Ocean beaches (Many people say Ruby Beach is there favorite)

I assume you'll be arriving in Seattle. You'll probably want to take one or two days. My places to take visitors (some already mentioned)

• Pike Place Market
• Pioneer Square
• Kerry Park (on south slope of Queen Anne...best view of the city skyline/harbor with Mt. Rainier in the background. This is the money shot!)
• Ballard Locks (aka Hiram A. Chittenden Locks)
• International District (specifically Chinese restaurants and Uwajimaya, a large Japanese market/department store)
• Public art in Fremont (Waiting for the InterUrban, Troll, Lenin, Rocket) as well as funky shopping and some good restaurants
• UW (because I happen to work there). Suzzallo Library Reading Room is the second most beautiful room in the state (after the state capitol rotunda) and the world's largest book is on display. Also the Burke museum has an excellent local history/culture collection incl. native american stuff
• Alki Beach (West Seattle) more view of the skyline and people watching along the promenade. good restaurants along the beach as well.

In addition, Victoria, BC is a 1 1/2 ferry ride from Port Angeles and if you're staying on the peninsula, it's very easy to include as a day trip or an overnight. Except for Butchart Gardens (which is the model for the gardens at the EPCOT Canada pavillion) all the main sights (Provincial Parliament, BC Museum, high tea at the Empress Hotel, shopping (Murchies tea and Roger's chocolate YUM!) are downtown around the Inner Harbor (where the ferry docks). Butchart Gardens is about a 1/2 hr north of downtown, but many many buses so very easy to get to without a car.

So there's a start. Do you have specific things you like to do on vacation (might give me a better sense of what to recommend). Let me know if you make it to the UW, I'd be happy to show you around.

 

[minkydog]

If your sister lives on the peninsula and you're going camping, make sure you go to:

• Hoh River Valley (the only temperate rain forest in north america, although the best time of year to go is spring when it's POURING and the spanish moss is literally dripping and the moss bottomed streams run clear clear clear)
• Hurricane Ridge (on a clear day you can see to Vancouver Island)
• Hot springs (either Sol Duc or Olympic)
• Port Townsend (historic Victorian town)
• Port Gamble (historic company mill town...the working class version of Port Townsend)
• Poulsbo (settled by Swedes, lots of interesting shops on the main street by the marina)
• Sequim (if you're here in the August, some of the lavender fields shouldn't be harvested yet)
• Ocean beaches (Many people say Ruby Beach is there favorite)

I assume you'll be arriving in Seattle. You'll probably want to take one or two days. My places to take visitors (some already mentioned)

• Pike Place Market
• Pioneer Square
• Kerry Park (on south slope of Queen Anne...best view of the city skyline/harbor with Mt. Rainier in the background. This is the money shot!)
• Ballard Locks (aka Hiram A. Chittenden Locks)
• International District (specifically Chinese restaurants and Uwajimaya, a large Japanese market/department store)
• Public art in Fremont (Waiting for the InterUrban, Troll, Lenin, Rocket) as well as funky shopping and some good restaurants
• UW (because I happen to work there). Suzzallo Library Reading Room is the second most beautiful room in the state (after the state capitol rotunda) and the world's largest book is on display. Also the Burke museum has an excellent local history/culture collection incl. native american stuff
• Alki Beach (West Seattle) more view of the skyline and people watching along the promenade. good restaurants along the beach as well.

In addition, Victoria, BC is a 1 1/2 ferry ride from Port Angeles and if you're staying on the peninsula, it's very easy to include as a day trip or an overnight. Except for Butchart Gardens (which is the model for the gardens at the EPCOT Canada pavillion) all the main sights (Provincial Parliament, BC Museum, high tea at the Empress Hotel, shopping (Murchies tea and Roger's chocolate YUM!) are downtown around the Inner Harbor (where the ferry docks). Butchart Gardens is about a 1/2 hr north of downtown, but many many buses so very easy to get to without a car.

So there's a start. Do you have specific things you like to do on vacation (might give me a better sense of what to recommend). Let me know if you make it to the UW, I'd be happy to show you around.

Wow! You are a wealth of information! I can see that we will need to plan another trip to fit all this in. My sister lives in Poulsbo, so I imagine we will stay in that area somewhat. We all love to camp (the kids will be with us, too) so we're hoping to see some things we've never seen here in Georgia. No bears, i hope. Let me talk it over with Sis and I may get back with you for more ideas. She is as excited as I am!

 

[Cool-Beans]

Not much help, as I went less as a tourist and more to visit my sister.

There is an island - I forget what it was called - where we went shopping all day long. I had the best day there, but maybe that is because I was with sister. Bought some funky stuff, had lunch. The original Post Office was there. Other stuff I enjoyed, too - just don't remember, except that I enjoyed it. Every single time I turned around, someone was selling popcorn on the street. It might have been Fort Something or Port Something. I dunno.

She took me to the fish-throwing thing...I didn't think it was all that impressive and could happily have skipped Seattle all the way around. We also went into the Sky Needle or whatever it is called. Yawn. (But that's my opinion - that and $3.00 will let you ride around the city today. )

Enjoyed hinking - they've got great hiking! - but that's something I enjoy anywhere.

Mostly what I like about the Pacific Northwest is that you can breathe. The air is different. Clean.

Have a great trip!

 

[barkley]

i like the underground city tour (always thought it was cool after seeing it in the old darin mcgavin movie 'kolchak-the night stalker, was'nt disappointed when i took the toor myself). dh liked the museum (sci-fi i believe) down by the space needle (kids liked the little rides ).

i liked wandering around down town seattle-dh and i both agree it's like a clean non threatening san francisco.

not sure if the monorail is working these days (was'nt when we did our trip a couple of summers ago).

 

[Meriweather]

Monorail is down Probably won't be back.

 

[barkley]

i like the underground city tour (always thought it was cool after seeing it in the old darin mcgavin movie 'kolchak-the night stalker, was'nt disappointed when i took the toor myself). dh liked the museum (sci-fi i believe) down by the space needle (kids liked the little rides ).

i liked wandering around down town seattle-dh and i both agree it's like a clean non threatening san francisco.

not sure if the monorail is working these days (was'nt when we did our trip a couple of summers ago).

they do a cool (and very impressive to the kids) dessert at the space needle-they take a shrimp cocktail cup (the metal type kind of double boiler style) and put dry ice in the bottom, ice cream on top-then when they bring it to your table they pour water in the bottom-it ends up creating your own 'fog bank' (the kid's called it the 'adams family' dessert). even if you go into the restaurant for just a quick snack or dessert and coffee-it is a neat way to see the whole city scape as you go round and round....

 

[minkydog]

i
they do a cool (and very impressive to the kids) dessert at the space needle-they take a shrimp cocktail cup (the metal type kind of double boiler style) and put dry ice in the bottom, ice cream on top-then when they bring it to your table they pour water in the bottom-it ends up creating your own 'fog bank' (the kid's called it the 'adams family' dessert). even if you go into the restaurant for just a quick snack or dessert and coffee-it is a neat way to see the whole city scape as you go round and round....

My kids would love this!

 

[FreshTressa]

You can get to victoria and see buchart gardens really easily from the peninsula. There is a wildlife park out there, but it is pretty sad as the animals have little space.

Hiking/Camping is always fun here, Port Townsend has the fort where you can explore the WWII military forts and the place where an officer and a gentleman was filmed. They also have fun shopping.

I never really got the pike place market, but most people love it. I'd take a drive up to Mt. Rainier. On a clear day, it is amazing.

PM me if you have any questions!

 

[disykat]

There really is a lot to see close to Poulsbo. You'll enjoy downtown Poulsbo, be sure to go to the bakery.

Port Townsend is fun. We're not big shoppers so we usually spend our time at the State Parks. I love wandering around Fort Warden, going to the beach and then hiking through the hills finding all the old batteries. You'll recognize it from the movie "Officer and a Gentleman". I think Fort Warden/Fort Flagler (nice big camping spots)/ and Fort Casey (on Whidbey Island) are all worth seeing, but you can pick one and get the flavor. They are the three Forts built in the late 1800's to keep the Puget Sound safe from attack - very interesting.

I have also camped at Dungenous Spit for several days and spent one day going into Pt Angeles early to catch the ferry to Victoria, coming back late at night to the campground. Hurricane Ridge is also an easy drive from there.

There are so many ways to go. You could go out to the ocean beaches or stick closer by in the sound. I'm sure your Sister has ideas of what she would like to show you, so I'd just let her lead!

It'll be easy to take a ferry over to Seattle for a day.