How to do the Pacific Northwest in One Week
I've just come back from a wonderful land of lush forests, hip coffee shops and gentle people who love plaid. I'm talking, of course, about the great Pacific Northwest!
Rather than writing this post as a direct narrative of my week-long trip with friends, I think it would be fun to turn this into a mini travel guide on how to see this beautiful part of the country in a week. I understand, of course, that it’s impossible to see and do everything worthwhile in a whole geographic region in just seven days—or even seven months, for that matter! Those with seemingly unlimited resources and leisure time will doubtless be able to see and do much more than my friends and I were able to experience in our humble one-week trip. Thus, this guide is written more for those who, like yours truly, have only a few vacation days and a small purse of money at their disposal. It’s a guide on how to pack as much as you can of this beautiful region into seven action-filled days.
Day One: Travel from the Bay Area to Portland
Begin your travels aboard
. Aside from its delightfully whimsical name, it offers miles of breathtaking ocean and forest views along its route between Los Angeles and Seattle. My friends and I boarded near the halfway point, at Emeryville station in Oakland. We took the night train and splurged for a superliner roommette, a sleeper compartment for two. A sleeper ticket costs considerably more than the coach fare ($251 vs. $178 from Emeryville to Portland), but it's well worth it. Other than the luxury of being able to lie down for a good night's rest, a sleeper fare includes three meals a day, a wine/cheese tasting and access to an exclusive lounge car.
If you’re short on vacation days, like my friends and I were, board the Coast Starlight in California in the evening. That way, you can sleep through about eight or nine hours of the nearly 18-hour trip and wake up just in time to catch the best scenery in the morning.
The Coast Starlight's Parlour Car. It's the only way to travel in style!
Day Two: Portland
Enjoy the meals and activities offered aboard the train. It’s a great chance to catch up on reading or just enjoy the scenery. You’ll arrive in Portland by about 4 p.m.
Check into your hotel and freshen up. Try the
Crowne Plaza Hotel Portland-Downtown Convention Center
. It’s close to the train station and downtown. The rooms are modern, spacious and clean. The hotel even offers cute cruiser bicycles that you can borrow for free.
Have dinner at one of the great breweries and gastropubs in town.
has great food and beer. Be warned though: If you try one of their beer flights, make sure you share it with a friend—unless you’re a heavy drinker. You get six beers for about $8. Make a stop by
at some point. It’s open 24/7 and there’s always a long line for their wacky-flavored donuts. Even if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, you should check out Voodoo for the sheer novelty of ordering donuts with amusing names like Dirty Old Bastard and Marshall Mathers (thankfully covered with M&Ms, not Eminem).
Deschute Brewery beer flights
.
Day Three: Portland to Seattle
Before you catch an afternoon train to Seattle, have a kale croissant and latte at
. Instead of taking those to go, sneak over to the adjacent super-chic
and enjoy your treats in their trendy second-floor loft. It looks like the kind of low-key room that Will and Kate would have if they shopped at Restoration Hardware.
Don’t miss the chance to stop by the legendary
, aka City of Books—allegedly the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. They have several locations in Oregon, but their flagship store is so large that it has its own smart phone map app to keep customers from getting too lost. To be honest though, it’s pretty fun getting lost among the maze of bookshelves and displays. Bibliophiles should set aside at
least
an hour to do a quick browse. If you spend any less time there, you’ll find it painful to tear yourself away.
Cool people at the Ace Hotel.
Onward to Seattle! Catch your three-hour train ride to “The Emerald City”—headquarters of many major international companies including Starbucks. Drop off your baggage to your hotel (
, which is actually a Best Western, is a decent option). Head down to
and enjoy the market. Be warned that most of the stands in the market close at 6 p.m. This is also where you’ll find the original Starbucks.
Yes, this is very "Sleepless in Seattle."
Leave your goodies and souvenirs at the hotel before you go out for the evening. Have dinner at
and order their farro burger. It changed my life! I won’t say any more than that so you can experience it for yourself. While you’re in Capitol Hill, check out one of the cool bars.
is an offbeat, but fun bar. It’s like stepping into the hunting lodge of a psychedelic carnival fetishist. Expect fake animal heads mounted on the walls, neon lights and a mini arcade of vintage video games downstairs. Patrons are cool and friendly people. It’s very likely that the stranger you chat up at the bar works for Microsoft.
Day Four: Seattle
No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to the iconic
. It costs about $21 to ride the elevator to the viewing deck. Insider tip: Make reservations to have brunch at the Space Needle’s Sky City restaurant. For $46, you get a three-course brunch in an eatery that slowly revolves to give you 360-degree views of the city. Plus, the elevator ride up is included in the price! Essentially, it’s a $25 brunch and a $21 elevator ticket—a terrific deal!
Next to the Space Needle is the marvelous
museum, showcasing the works of famed glass blower
. The $19 admission is a small price to pay for an unforgettable experience.
Glass art at Chihuly.
If you have two hours to spare in the afternoon, make reservations for
Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour
. FYI:
Present-day Seattle is built two stories above the original 19
th
century settlement that was destroyed by a fire. This guided tour lasts about 75 minutes and costs $17 for adults. It’s a great way to see the spooky brick tunnels used for commerce before the present-day street level was completed.
Cap off your last night in Seattle with a walk through
, a quaint yet hip neighborhood in northwestern Seattle. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, pubs and dessert places to tempt you. For lighter fare, share a selection of small dishes at
.
Day Five: Seattle to Vancouver, B.C.
Prepare yourself for a morning bus ride (available through Amtrak) to Vancouver, B.C. Welcome to the land where miles step aside for kilometers and greenbacks are replaced by ‘loonies’ and ‘toonies.’ Once there, walk through the trendy shopping district of
, over the Granville Bridge and onto
(more of a peninsula, really).
If you’re staying south of Granville and you have a yen for seafood, try Sushi California. It’s a hole-in-the-wall eatery that offers the
biggest
portions of sushi and seafood you’ll ever find! My friends ordered the sashimi and wound up with giant slabs of salmon and tuna. Wonderful for sharing!
Take a nap at your hotel and rest up for a great evening out. Go to the
district and stop by
.—now one of my favorite bars! It’s a dreamy, candlelit underground tavern where you can order refreshing cocktails and listen to great live music. A blues trio played the Sunday night we were there: Harpdog Brown and the Bloodhounds. Great band!
The only thing sinful about Guilt & Co. would be not staying long enough!
Day Six: Vancouver
Break out your walking shoes and head over to
, a 140-meter-long suspension bridge that you can cross by foot. $30 gives you access to Cap Bridge, the skywalk and smaller bridges among the trees. It’s a must-see!
Can you see the bridge? It's not for the faint of heart.
Hail a taxi to
, a charming stationary shop with everything you need for written correspondence. Take a 15-minute walk down Main Street to
and treat yourself to a plate of poutine: fries and cheese curds smothered in delicious gravy. The Whip will let you add pulled pork on top and substitute regular fries for sweet yam fries. It’s the most delicious (and perhaps artery-clogging) indulgences I’ve ever experienced.
Poutine from The Whip. Worth every calorie!
Rest a bit, then head out to trendy
for dinner and drinks. This is where celebs and celeb lookalikes usually hang out.
For generous portions of Pacific Northwest cuisine, try
. To quench your thirst, go to
. I love this bar because it’s cool, yet unpretentious. Drinks are good and the prices are reasonable. The bartender is very friendly and offers speedy service (he also looks like Ryan Gosling!).
Day Seven: Vancouver to Home
All good things come to an end. It’s time for the flight home. At the end of these seven days, you’ll be tanner, heavier and little bit broke—but the experience will be worth every pigment, pound and penny!
Cheers to the Pacific Northwest and to your next big adventure!