Vancouver - Seattle - Portland
 

Summer getaway, 7/1 - 7/11, two adults, flying to Vancouver, train to Seattle, train to Portland, flying home. Any SUGGESTIONS?

Think of a theme, and put some emphasis on this, without missing other things. Out there, it could be shrimp, or coffee. It could be waterfalls, or it could be "close to Asia." It might be "Imaginative people come from the east and cross the mountains and now have a new life." Cities touch salt water could be a theme.
Another thought could be "how do these cities differ from my town?"

suggestions for what??? where to buy good donuts? or are we just suppose to guess. and, are we to assume you are spending 2 hours in vancouver, 2 hours in seattle and the rest in portland? sorry for the sarcasm but seriously...

Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland. http://voodoodoughnut.com/

OK, more seriously... you are flying into Vancouver on Canada Day. Suggest you have lodging reservations confirmed now. Depending on when you get in, check out the events that may be going on. A link: http://vancouver.about.com/od/vancou...-Vancouver.htm

Then, you will be in Seattle for Independence Day. That's the unofficial start of summer there. Look for celebrations and fireworks. http://seattlepipeline.com/events/ju...nts-fireworks/

Sounds like you'll be leaving from Portland on Saturday, but if your schedule permits, there is the Saturday Market: http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/. And Powell's Books.

The question is, what sorts of things are you interested in? There is a lot to see and do, but it's rather fruitless to offer suggestions without any idea what you enjoy.

We enjoyed eating a good Chinese meal in the Chinese section of Vancouver. We rented bikes and biked around Stanley Park, and that was really fun. We liked Pike Market in Seattle, and did a tour of the underground, which was fascinating, and gave us a good sense of Seattle's history. My son and husband rented bikes in Portland and biked around a park there (more strenuous than Stanley Park in Vancouver).