Slibocker.s World

Saturday October 16, 2010

The adventure begins! We drive (with the dog in tow) to my inlaws in Brooklyn, where we deposit the dog (he’ll be well taken care of for the week) and my father in-law takes us to JFK. We’re taking a 10:30 AM flight to Seattle on JetBlue. Of course this trip is a different one, the biggest thing being that my wife is 4 months pregnant with our first child, so we won’t be pushing ourselves as much as usual, as we gotta worry about the future one too. We’re taking JetBlue because of the good price, and the fact it’s a more comfortable experience. In fact, we splurged on the extra legroom seats, which turns out to be a good idea as A) There’s obviously the extra legroom thing, and there is quite a bit of extra space B) We get to board first, which makes things easier for the other half as she doesn’t have to wait in line as long and C) We lucked out and had no one sitting next to us so we had the whole set of 3 seats to ourselves. The flight leaves on time and arrives on time, proving that traveling on Saturdays is usually a good idea. We grab the rental when we arrive, a Nissan Rogue in a really cool shade of blue. The Rogue is a sort of mini SUV which also works well for this trip since we’ll be doing a lot of driving and this will give the other half more space to stretch out.

Leaving the airport, we make our way to the hotel for this first leg (two nights in Seattle). We booked two nights at the University Inn, which is (as one might cleverly surmise) near the University of Washington in the city of Seattle, but north of downtown. We head to the hotel, park, head to the desk and we’re offered a deal. Cool! I like deals. I’m offered a free night if we stay at their sister property, the Water Tower. I ask where it is. I’m told one block away, and that it’s a newer property. Since one block makes absolutely no difference to me, and there’s free parking there too. I go for it. It turns out to be a good idea. The room is nice, while it doesn’t have a spectacular view, you can see Mt. Rainer from the room. Plus it has a fridge, nice TV, safe, and it’s a decent size. We drop our bags off and decide to stay local for the night. Now, before we came out here, I did a little research of some things I wanted to check out. Since, we had been to Seattle before, we decided to do different things on this trip. One of the places I wanted to pass by was Archie McPhee’s (http://www.archiemcpheeseattle.com/) which is a shop full of oddities. It seemed right up my alley. In fact, I even got some coupons off their site for some free things. So, we head over to the store, which lives up to its name (they sell squirrel underpants! – I did NOT buy these). After I buy a few small things (a water bottle that has a tipsy squirrel on it) and get my free items (a postcard) and a Lil’ Edgar Allen Poe), we walk around the area. We grab dinner at a little place called the Blue Star Café and Pub (www.bluestarcafeandpub.com), and stop at a local supermarket, QFC (I even signed up for a discount card) to buy some food for the week since we’ll be going from place to place and it’s far cheaper to buy a case of water here than buy water as needed. We grab milk, snacks and water and then head back to the hotel.

When we get back, we learn why we were made that deal before. It seems like there’s a big game going on at the university and the hotels are packed (it turns out to be homecoming weekend). So, we have an adventure trying to find a spot to park the Rogue. After our first attempt doesn’t work, we go out to find local parking, have no luck there, so we head back to the hotel where we cram the car into a spot. Next time, rent a compact is the takeaway here. We kick back at the room and since we’re exhausted, go to sleep relatively early.

PS: Happy Birthday Dad!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

We’re up early, so we grab the free breakfast at the hotel and figure out what to do. We decide to head to the Boeing factory tour up in Everett . We head up there. About a 25 minute drive, and get there for just after the opening at 8:30. We buy tickets for the 9AM tour, and we’re in for quite a treat. We’re unable to take pictures during the tour, but you do get to see the factory floors for 747, 777 and 787 jets. It’s a really cool tour and you have to do it if you’re up here. You get to see a lot of stuff one normally never gets to see.

We ask a woman at the gift shop if she has any suggestions for anything in the area, and she recommends that one town over you can go right by Puget Sound. We drive the short drive over to Mukiteo and we’re in for a treat. We get a beautiful view and we walk around a bit noticing the massive line of cars for the ferry that goes across the sound.

Getting hungry, we decide to head back towards Seattle for lunch. We make our way to a place called Agua Verde (aguaverde.com) which is a nice little Mexican food place right on the water actually not far from our hotel.

After a very nice moderately priced lunch, we head for one of the other places we wanted to go to, Gas Works Park. This is a really cool park you should get to, it’s a converted industrial site that’s right on the Sound with some amazing views of Seattle.

We walk around for a bit, taking it easy before we figure out what to do next. We decide to head over to Discovery Park next, which is ANOTHER amazing park. Needless to say, Seattle has some really good parks. After walking around the park for a while, we get tired and decide to find dinner in a nice area called Fremont. We find the end of a street fair there and I buy some smoked bacon jerky. Yes kids, smoked bacon jerky. I’m in love! We grab dinner at a place called the Nickerson Street Saloon (www.nickersonstreetsaloon.net) which isn’t bad.

Now, a quick note about the weather, it’s been great so far, and it projects for being perfect the entire week. It looks like we lucked out and found a week where there isn’t going to be much rain.

We make our way back to the hotel, as homecoming is over, parking is much much easier. We head to bed early as tomorrow is going to be a long day of driving and again we’re taking it cautiously due to the coming newbie.

Monday October 18, 2010

Up early, we check out (we did get that free night, cool, nice when you can save over a hundred bucks) and make our way to our next destination, Yachats, Oregon. We head out, not hitting any Seattle rush hour traffic luckily. First, we make a very important stop. Yes, of course, I’m talking about Cabelas! We discovered there is one literally on the way, and there’s not way we could pass up not stopping. I snag a cheap pair of jeans there as I packed one set short and of course, some of the really good fudge they got there. Of course, no blog of mine is complete unless I include a classic picture from Cabela's. Here ya go!

Leaving Cabela’s, we head down I5 towards Oregon. We know we want to ride down the Oregon coast along the Pacific Coast Highway, but we don’t know quite where to start. I do know that I’d like to cross the big bridge over the Columbia river, so I opt for taking Route 4 from Longview.

This turns out to be a great idea as the drive is literally magical, with some incredible views along the Columbia river. The Astoria Bridge itself over the Columbia river is kinda cool. Here's the tail end of it:

We stop for lunch at the Pier 11 Steakhouse (http://www.pier11steakhouse.com/), well frankly, because it's right on the water, and I thought that eating right on the water would be cool. It turns out to be a good idea, the food isn't bad and the view of the ships coming down the Columbia river is worth it.

From there, we stop at Seaside, which is a boardwalky type of town the shapes up as a cleaner version of the Jersey Shore. And a nifty Lewis and Clark statue:

As well as some cool views (get used to this, there's a lot of cool views coming up):

Shortly after our stop at Seaside, we make another stop over at Ecola State Park. Look, if you're going to do this trip, this is one of the places you MUST stop at. Here's why:

Here's why too:

This is kinda where I really started digging the whole Oregon coast thing. Heck, even the ride into the park itself was cool.

Realizing how long we've taken already, we decide to minimize the stops until we get to Yachats. Luckily, the 101 goes inland for 50 miles, so nothing is missed here. Unless you count the fact we skip the Tillamook Cheese factory, which, on any other trip, I'm sure we'd stop by, but, when you're traveling with a pregnant wife who is very sensitive to smells, you tend to want to skip to avoid any nasty unpleasantness that might occur with said smells. So, we amble along, until I notice something: The sun is setting! I was so not going to pass up a sunset on the Pacific, so we pull off right around Beverly Beach, and watch it. It turns out to be a good idea. Check this out:

You see why we stopped now? Anyway, we continue to Yachats, where we check in at the Overleaf Lodge (http://www.overleaflodge.com/), our location for the next two nights. Knowing in advance that this place is right on the water, I opt to spend a little more and get a room literally right on the water. Granted, as we check in, it's dark at the time we check in, but you can see how close it is. We dump our bags, then grab a dinner at The Drift Inn (http://www.the-drift-inn.com/). We also grab some milk and I buy some The Amazing Race scratch off tickets because I like the show and apparently, I'm easily hooked by marketing. Exhausted, we head to bed in a very nice and spacious room, complete with a tub overlooking the water:

Tuesday October 19, 2010

We decide that this is an official rest day, and that we won't go anywhere we can't walk to, with the exception of dinner. Breakfast is included at the hotel (I love that trend!) and we take advantage. So why do we decide not to go far? Well, here's what's literally outside our hotel and what we can see from our room:

We basically spend the whole day walking part of the Yachats 804 Trail which goes right along the beach. Here are some of things you'll find along the way:

You'll also find odd shaped buildings:

People like to play with rocks here too:

And here's our hotel from the outside. Our room is the one in the red box:

There was another cool sunset that we watched from our balcony too:

After sunset, we went and have dinner at the Luna Sea Fish House. It's good, but we make it an early night since Wednesday is going to be a long day (but not as long as Monday)....

Wednesday, October 20

We have breakfast at the hotel again, and get in one last walk along the water before we go. Back in the Rogue, (or "Big Blue" as I've been calling it all week), we make our way down the 101. The plan is to take it to Florence, then hang a left on 126 and make our way inland. Our first stop is another of the places you MUST stop at on a trip like this, Cape Pepetua (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/recreation/tripplanning/capeperpetua/index.shtml). Why you might ask? You know where this is going...

Because you can get views like that. And this:

From there, we head a few feet down the road to see a blow hole? What's a blow hole? This is:

Water + Rock erosion = Blow Hole. I climb around the path and rocks a bit, and then we head on. Next up, the Haceta Head lighthouse (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/recreation/tripplanning/newpflor/trails/lighthouse1370.shtml) where we see (obviously) a lighthouse:

And some more amazing views:

Our next stop is lunch in Florence, where we grab some food at The Bridgewater Restaurant, where we have a nice lunch. We then take a quick walk around the Old Town section of Florence.

Back in the car, we make our way along 126. We luck out and have a very picturesque ride back too:

We essentially make a left at Eugene, and make our way up I-5 towards Portland. Interstates are fast, but generally boring, and this trip is one of the quieter ones as we make our way towards Portland. We arrive in Portland and check in at the RiverPlace Hotel (http://www.larkspurhotels.com/collection/riverplace). Checking in, I snag an offer to upgrade to a larger room for a little more. Since my wife and I are working on different sleep schedules due to the newbie coming, I opt for it. It pays off in the form of a nice room. We drop off our bags and since we're there early enough (around 4PM) we decide to walk around a bit and walk off the long trip. We walk up a nice path on the Willamette River (there are a LOT of bikes here!):

And make our way towards Powell's bookstore, the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. But first, we make an important stop, Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade (http://groundkontrol.com/) where we drop a bunch of quarters playing some classic arcade and pinball machines. From there, we make it to Powell's (http://www.powells.com/) and, get this, I only buy one book! (Future fatherhood is changing me!) After, my wife is beat (understandably) so we grab a ride on Portland's Streetcar, which has a free loop through downtown. This saves us a ton of walking. I decide we should grab dinner at the hotel (it was on our list of places to eat anyway), and we call it a night.

Thursday, October 21

Awake and conscious, we grab breakfast at a little place along the river, and then go back into the city. We take the Streetcar into downtown, and walk through Pioneer Square and wander around a bit. Aside from a stop at a mall, nothing of note really happens. We grab the Streetcar back towards the hotel, and grab a quick slice of pizza. We decide to hop in the car and head over to the Portland Rose Gardens:

And then over to the Pittock Mansion which isn't too far.

And offers some great views too:

We follow this with a futile attempt at finding the Portland Tram (http://www.portlandtram.org/), but my wife is getting tired (so am I!), so we head back to the room. She takes a nap, and I do some exploring along the river. I find I'm able to walk out onto a public boat dock and get some unique views of the city:

I also find some paths which go right down to the river too:

Oh, here's the tram I was talking about before too:

I get back to the room and my wife has just woken up, we decide to have dinner at McCormick and Schmick's (http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/) which, even though it's a chain, actually has some of the better food we've had on this trip. (The food hasn't been spectacular, just middin'). We then head back to the room and call it a night. Tomorrow is the decent trip back to Seattle as we start to wrap this thing up.

Friday, October 22

Up at a decent hour, we grab breakfast at the hotel, check out and hop in Big Blue to make our way back towards Seattle. The plan is to stay at a hotel near SeaTac airport since we have an 8:30 AM flight, and the proximity will make travel easier. Plus, I'm able to use my piddling amount of hotel points with Hilton to snag a free room at the Hilton Garden Inn in Renton, WA.

The trip up I-5 is nowhere near as cool at the Oregon Coast Highway was. But there were two signs I had to get pix of:

Yes, apparently the Dark Lord of Sith has a town in Washington, and last name and the state of Pennsylvania got together and made a state park.

We stop hit a few outlet shops in Centralia (my wife went to Coach, I opted for Eddie Bauer) where we both got some good deals.

A stop at a McDonald's for lunch near a military base where we saw a lot of military folks with their families put life in perspective for a bit.

Next, we make our way up I-5 towards Seattle. Our last major stop on this trip is at the Museum of Flight (http://www.museumofflight.org/) in the southern end of Seattle. This, like the Boeing turned out to be a must stop. While there are plenty of planes and all that there, the two things that stand out are these folks:

And:

What's really cool about them is that you can go in them:

And you can make goofy faces as you leave them:

The museum has plenty of planes from World War I:

And World War II:

And more modern times:

We finish up at the museum and check in at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Renton, WA. It's a free night, since I used my hotel points to get us the room. We make it a quick and early night and get dinner at New Zen Sushi (newzensushi.com) a little place that has some good sushi and a good community feel to it. Off to sleep as we have an early day and long day of travel.

Saturday, October 23

Our flight leaves at 8:30AM, so we're up early. I'm really thankful for the hotel we stay at as the bed isn't bad (a note about this trip, the three other hotels we stayed at ALL had harder beds than my back was used to, oddly the beds got better as we went along from place to place with the Hilton having the best one of the trip), and it's literally 10 minutes from the airport. We check in, grab breakfast, and take our flight back to JFK. The flight is uneventful, and those extra legroom seats are still a godsend. We finish up watching Season 5 of the Amazing Race (which we've been slowly watching over the year) and make it home. This was a good trip, but was just about the right length as my wife is exhausted carrying the future one. One last thing we discover when we go home and unpack: