| mooselywild |
Jul 4th, 2006 04:26 AM |
I'm partial to Portland OR. or Seattle! If only because I'm a native Washingtonian:) Portland is terrific for "higher class" sightseeing- mansions, out of the way boutiques, more relaxed sightseeing, Zoo, and several GORGEOUS beaches nearby (cannon beach). Also enormous bookstore Powell's (you need a day and one of their maps to get just an overview), a great Saturday market, and a local coffee chain with awesome milkshakes. Downside of Portland- you will almost certainly need a car. Downtown is great, but most of the "can't miss" spots are inconvenient without personal transportation.
Now, Seattle. Seattle has plenty to keep you occupied for a week. It's has a higher paced vibed to it than Portland- it's sooo much fun to play yourist in Seattle. Pike's place market and most sightseeing opportunites are in the same area. Museums- experience music and Sci-fi are near the space needle. Seattle is known for it's coffee, but really- it's a smorgasbord of food options. The city is quirkier than Portland and less relaxing, but if you don't want to rent a car, then you could stay in downtown Seattle and see almost everything normal tourists come to see. Enviroment wise- The real difference is that Seattle is surrounded by water. The local scenery is breathtaking- views, islands, wildlife. I don't know what you like in a vacation- I love the ocean, so Seattle is one of my favorite places. POtland is pretty, too, though. Negative aspect of Seattle- Weather! It rains almost every day. You can have a good morning, and a lousy afternoon. No way to predict. In the summer, there is an occasional block of perfect weather. Most locals (or people who visit often enough) just grin and bear it. Portland is much more predictable and most activities are indoors. If the quality of your vacation depends on the weather, skip Seattle. Since you have a week, think about taking a couple of day trips. Seattle- Mt Rainier, Port Townsend, or something involving water: orca watching, San Juan Islands, etc. You didn't mention where in Canada? Victoria/Vancouver is well worth the ferry ride. From Portland- there are several small interesting towns, some hosting great festivals. Wine tasting? I already mentioned the coast. You also didn't mention the time of year you wanted to go somewhere- summer or early fall is best for either place. Be forwarned- I've heard that soon Victoria will require a passport, so if you do decide to day trip to Vancouver or Victoria, CHECK FIRST. Oh, and since you're from NO, do you like seafood? Seattle has much better seafood than Portland.
That's all I can think of- sorry to babble on! Your query made me think of where I'd like to go this summer....hmmm.
Good luck- hope this helped some!
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