Seattle/Olympic National Park/Victoria
Jul 27th, 2009, 09:09 PM
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Seattle/Olympic National Park/Victoria
Thanks to all of you who helped us plan this wonderful trip.
We left our home in NJ at 4:30 am and had a pleasant trip to Seattle via Chicago first class using miles. We got our car and drove into Seattle. Somehow my husband got a great rate on a car rental using a discount from a professional organization he belongs to. We thought that we would be exhausted but since we both slept on the plane we were wide awake. We drove to the Sculpture Park which was a perfect activity after flying so long.
We checked into the Fairmont Olympic which was a great location; a last minute booking using the internet got us an amazing rate. We rested awhile and went to Dahlia's for dinner. My husband had the chowder which he enjoyed. I had a cold melon soup with crab that was delicious. We both ordered the crab cakes which I heard raves about. Honestly they were good, but I don't think spectacular. Dessert on the other hand was amazing! The coconut cream pie was to die for. Our waiter was wonderful. We walked back to the hotel.
Tuesday we woke and walked to Pike Market where we had a really fun morning. We had perogies for breakfast and crab rolls for lunch. We bought a metal tree sculpture from one of the vendors. The concierge recommended which streets to walk to avoid the hills and that was very helpful. After a short break back at our hotel we took the monorail to the Space Needle. The two museums were fun and we enjoyed the Space Needle. I found it odd that there weren't any lines or waiting times.
We couldn't understand why the streets of Seattle are so quiet. There were many office buildings. There weren't any crowds at lunch time or rush hour. People must be working in all these buildings. Where were all the people??
We walked back to the hotel and for convenience ate at Purple which was across the street from the Fairmont. The restaurant was hopping with the after work crowd, at 50ish we weren't the oldest patrons but it was close. Dinner may have been somewhat over priced but we liked the "tasting" ideas here. We had some tapas and a four glass wine tasting. I love lamb burgers which are not served in most restaurants and it was delicious here. They also had dessert tastings which was perfect because I ordered one and it was a perfect 3 bite ending.
Wednesday we checked out of the Fairmont and took the Bainbridge Ferry to the Olympic Peninsula. We drove to Sequim walked around a little and had a lovely lunch at a Jean's. We took out some yummy bread pudding for later. We drove to Hurricane Ridge. We were lucky that the afternoon was clear and we really enjoyed the mountains.
We checked into the Olympic Lodge. We had very low expectations for this hotel and were pleasantly surprised. The rooms were just redone. We ate in Downriggers and our dinner was okay; not great, except for dessert, blackberry cobbler which was yummy.
Thursday the hotel breakfast was $7 each which was a good value, however the menu was very limited with no substitutions. We drove to the Hoh Rainforest. We stopped in Forks along the way and picked up sandwiches at the grocery/outdoor/clothing store. We took a few pictures and bought souvenirs for our daughter who is a Twilight fanatic.
We got to the rainforest just in time for a ranger guided tour. We then drove to a few of the beaches in the area and did a little light hiking. We ate dinner Joshua's a family type restaurant which reminded me of an IHOP. I ordered a crab special. My dinner was surprising good for this type of restaurant, then the bill came. Apparently I did not read the menu carefully because my dinner was $30; all the specials were in the $15 range except for the one I ordered. I felt deceived that the crab special did not have a price listed when all the other dishes did. It should have said "market price". I didn't complain because despite the price I really enjoyed my food and wasn't looking to ruin the evening. There must be something going on with Washington and dessert because once again we had an amazing strawberry rhubarb crumble.
Friday we went back to Joshua's for breakfast because it was just so easy being next to our hotel. We both enjoyed omelets and there weren't any surprises this time when the bill came. We walked around Port Angeles a bit and watched the beginnings of a sand sculpture building competition. Then we took the ferry to Victoria.
We checked into the Fairmont Empress. I was shocked to find out that the rooms are not air conditioned. I can't believe that in 2009 I would even have to ask about air conditioning in a major hotel. Luckily the evening wasn't that hot. We walked around town taking in the city. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I was surprised that the city was so bustling. We had a nice dinner at a local pub. Taking the coastal route we went to Butchart Gardens at about 7 pm. We toured the gardens which were lovely.
Saturday morning we had a delicious breakfast at a funky place called Rebar. All kinds of juice combinations, some good and some sounded odd. Our omelets were really good and we took out some muffins to sustain us for the rest of the day.
We took the ferry back to Port Angeles and drove to Port Townsend. We drove around a little and had dinner at Fountain Cafe. This little neighborhood place was a great find. I had delicious Mediterranean chicken and DH had halibut. No dessert this time we were stuffed.
We then had a very long, very long drive to SeaTac. This part of our trip wasn't so well planned. We probably should have taken the ferry back to Seattle instead of driving the whole way. By the time we got to the airport it was almost midnight and we had to leave at 4:15 am for an early morning flight. I was so glad that we decided to stay at a Days Inn instead of a better hotel because we spent less than 5 hours at the hotel but we really needed a little rest.
Our flight to Chicago went very well. Chicago to Newark, not so well. Our 2:30 flight was rescheduled for 3:15. This became 4:00 at which point we were cleared for take-off, except then Newark was closed due to storms. We sat on the tarmac until 5:45 when we finally left for Newark. We arrived safely and got our car and made it home safe.
We covered a lot in a small amount of time. It was a part of the country that we always wanted to see and we made the most of our time limitations.
We left our home in NJ at 4:30 am and had a pleasant trip to Seattle via Chicago first class using miles. We got our car and drove into Seattle. Somehow my husband got a great rate on a car rental using a discount from a professional organization he belongs to. We thought that we would be exhausted but since we both slept on the plane we were wide awake. We drove to the Sculpture Park which was a perfect activity after flying so long.
We checked into the Fairmont Olympic which was a great location; a last minute booking using the internet got us an amazing rate. We rested awhile and went to Dahlia's for dinner. My husband had the chowder which he enjoyed. I had a cold melon soup with crab that was delicious. We both ordered the crab cakes which I heard raves about. Honestly they were good, but I don't think spectacular. Dessert on the other hand was amazing! The coconut cream pie was to die for. Our waiter was wonderful. We walked back to the hotel.
Tuesday we woke and walked to Pike Market where we had a really fun morning. We had perogies for breakfast and crab rolls for lunch. We bought a metal tree sculpture from one of the vendors. The concierge recommended which streets to walk to avoid the hills and that was very helpful. After a short break back at our hotel we took the monorail to the Space Needle. The two museums were fun and we enjoyed the Space Needle. I found it odd that there weren't any lines or waiting times.
We couldn't understand why the streets of Seattle are so quiet. There were many office buildings. There weren't any crowds at lunch time or rush hour. People must be working in all these buildings. Where were all the people??
We walked back to the hotel and for convenience ate at Purple which was across the street from the Fairmont. The restaurant was hopping with the after work crowd, at 50ish we weren't the oldest patrons but it was close. Dinner may have been somewhat over priced but we liked the "tasting" ideas here. We had some tapas and a four glass wine tasting. I love lamb burgers which are not served in most restaurants and it was delicious here. They also had dessert tastings which was perfect because I ordered one and it was a perfect 3 bite ending.
Wednesday we checked out of the Fairmont and took the Bainbridge Ferry to the Olympic Peninsula. We drove to Sequim walked around a little and had a lovely lunch at a Jean's. We took out some yummy bread pudding for later. We drove to Hurricane Ridge. We were lucky that the afternoon was clear and we really enjoyed the mountains.
We checked into the Olympic Lodge. We had very low expectations for this hotel and were pleasantly surprised. The rooms were just redone. We ate in Downriggers and our dinner was okay; not great, except for dessert, blackberry cobbler which was yummy.
Thursday the hotel breakfast was $7 each which was a good value, however the menu was very limited with no substitutions. We drove to the Hoh Rainforest. We stopped in Forks along the way and picked up sandwiches at the grocery/outdoor/clothing store. We took a few pictures and bought souvenirs for our daughter who is a Twilight fanatic.
We got to the rainforest just in time for a ranger guided tour. We then drove to a few of the beaches in the area and did a little light hiking. We ate dinner Joshua's a family type restaurant which reminded me of an IHOP. I ordered a crab special. My dinner was surprising good for this type of restaurant, then the bill came. Apparently I did not read the menu carefully because my dinner was $30; all the specials were in the $15 range except for the one I ordered. I felt deceived that the crab special did not have a price listed when all the other dishes did. It should have said "market price". I didn't complain because despite the price I really enjoyed my food and wasn't looking to ruin the evening. There must be something going on with Washington and dessert because once again we had an amazing strawberry rhubarb crumble.
Friday we went back to Joshua's for breakfast because it was just so easy being next to our hotel. We both enjoyed omelets and there weren't any surprises this time when the bill came. We walked around Port Angeles a bit and watched the beginnings of a sand sculpture building competition. Then we took the ferry to Victoria.
We checked into the Fairmont Empress. I was shocked to find out that the rooms are not air conditioned. I can't believe that in 2009 I would even have to ask about air conditioning in a major hotel. Luckily the evening wasn't that hot. We walked around town taking in the city. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I was surprised that the city was so bustling. We had a nice dinner at a local pub. Taking the coastal route we went to Butchart Gardens at about 7 pm. We toured the gardens which were lovely.
Saturday morning we had a delicious breakfast at a funky place called Rebar. All kinds of juice combinations, some good and some sounded odd. Our omelets were really good and we took out some muffins to sustain us for the rest of the day.
We took the ferry back to Port Angeles and drove to Port Townsend. We drove around a little and had dinner at Fountain Cafe. This little neighborhood place was a great find. I had delicious Mediterranean chicken and DH had halibut. No dessert this time we were stuffed.
We then had a very long, very long drive to SeaTac. This part of our trip wasn't so well planned. We probably should have taken the ferry back to Seattle instead of driving the whole way. By the time we got to the airport it was almost midnight and we had to leave at 4:15 am for an early morning flight. I was so glad that we decided to stay at a Days Inn instead of a better hotel because we spent less than 5 hours at the hotel but we really needed a little rest.
Our flight to Chicago went very well. Chicago to Newark, not so well. Our 2:30 flight was rescheduled for 3:15. This became 4:00 at which point we were cleared for take-off, except then Newark was closed due to storms. We sat on the tarmac until 5:45 when we finally left for Newark. We arrived safely and got our car and made it home safe.
We covered a lot in a small amount of time. It was a part of the country that we always wanted to see and we made the most of our time limitations.
Jul 28th, 2009, 06:42 AM
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Great report, thanks for posting!
I had to laugh at your question about where is everyone in Seattle ;-). My mom came to visit me shortly after I moved here (she lives in the Boston area) and had the same question--I was like, what do you mean, they're right here, LOL. I'd been living here long enough by then that not having huge crowds of people out on the streets seemed normal to me, even after living in NYC for years.
I bet the people staying at the Empress this week with our current heat wave are definitely regretting they didn't ask about AC. It's definitely something to be aware of that you wouldn't think to ask.
I wonder if you drove out of your way back to Seatac--it shouldn't have taken you more than 90 minutes or so, 2 hours at the absolute maximum to drive around rather than taking the ferry. Do you remember the route you took?
I had to laugh at your question about where is everyone in Seattle ;-). My mom came to visit me shortly after I moved here (she lives in the Boston area) and had the same question--I was like, what do you mean, they're right here, LOL. I'd been living here long enough by then that not having huge crowds of people out on the streets seemed normal to me, even after living in NYC for years.
I bet the people staying at the Empress this week with our current heat wave are definitely regretting they didn't ask about AC. It's definitely something to be aware of that you wouldn't think to ask.
I wonder if you drove out of your way back to Seatac--it shouldn't have taken you more than 90 minutes or so, 2 hours at the absolute maximum to drive around rather than taking the ferry. Do you remember the route you took?
Jul 31st, 2009, 05:58 AM
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Thanks for all of your information. We are making a very similar trip in 3 weeks. we are not staying over at Victoria. I am trying to decide whether to take a tour which includes the ferry ride into the garden and leaves 2 hours to explore Victoria. How much time do you think is needed for the Gardens. I am a flower buff and love taking pictures. We are staying in a couple of old lodges that don't have air conditioning- hope that wasn't a mistake.
Jul 31st, 2009, 07:08 AM
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I am not sure how you feel about A/C, for me it is a deal breaker. Our weather was beautiful but this past week the area had record breaking high temps.
Butchart Gardens is about 40 min from Victoria. I'm not sure how a tour would work, I would think that they drop you off at the Gardens and then give you a return time.
Victoria is beautiful, how much time you spend there is entirely up to you. We strolled around, mostly the tourist area. There is a large museum that currently has an exhibit that is supposed to be fabulous but we didn't have time. You can take a passenger ferry to Victoria, then take a bus to Butchart Gardens, return to Victoria, spend as much time as you want and then take the ferry back. We wanted to use our own car so we took the auto ferry which is slower and runs less frequently.
Butchart Gardens is about 40 min from Victoria. I'm not sure how a tour would work, I would think that they drop you off at the Gardens and then give you a return time.
Victoria is beautiful, how much time you spend there is entirely up to you. We strolled around, mostly the tourist area. There is a large museum that currently has an exhibit that is supposed to be fabulous but we didn't have time. You can take a passenger ferry to Victoria, then take a bus to Butchart Gardens, return to Victoria, spend as much time as you want and then take the ferry back. We wanted to use our own car so we took the auto ferry which is slower and runs less frequently.
Jul 31st, 2009, 09:28 AM
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Anngmoore, re AC--normally overnight temps even in the summer go down to the 50s and low 60s so it's comfortable for sleeping without AC. Things are more back to normal today so hopefully you will encounter the norm and not the rare exception like we had this week.
Jul 31st, 2009, 12:58 PM
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Great trip report. Our desserts are really good because the berries all grow here and many are in season right now. Berries are quite perishable and we have some that don't even get exported, I think, like marionberries, which are a gigantic kind of blackberry. I think many bakers in homes and restaurants, enjoy using berries for desserts and have favorite recipes in the summer.
I agree with NWWanderer, you probably won't need ac, but this past week has been horrendous, to say the least. A very rare week, though.
anngmoore, Although many think it must always rain in the PNW, we usually have drought in the summer and we are into a drought right now. It could rain and the coast is wetter, but don't expect rain like in the east and south. Our grass goes yellow and stays that way from July to October. Our summers are glorious.
I agree with NWWanderer, you probably won't need ac, but this past week has been horrendous, to say the least. A very rare week, though.
anngmoore, Although many think it must always rain in the PNW, we usually have drought in the summer and we are into a drought right now. It could rain and the coast is wetter, but don't expect rain like in the east and south. Our grass goes yellow and stays that way from July to October. Our summers are glorious.
