We are planning a last minute trip next week with 3 young adult kids and had decided on Portland - the gorge, sand dunes, Cannon Beach all sounded great. My husband now says he would rather go to Seattle - Victoria island, ferries, space needle. That sounds kind of crowded and touristy to me. Any thoughts? I need to make a decision to book hotels! Thanks so much.

They are both great trips. Why don't you make each of your own family vote - 5 votes and see which wins? Seattle and Victoria aren't particularly crowded one way or the other this early in the summer season.

How long is your trip? Both things you describe have a bit of distance involved (Seattle to Victoria and ferries OR Portland out to Cannon Beach, etc.). Neither itinerary are particularly close together.

Depends on what you are looking for and how much time you have. Portland to Cannon Beach is only about 90 minutes, however we don't normally get warm weather at the coast. So if you are looking for a place to sun, this is not the best option for that. The coast is great, but just not for sunbathing.

Seattle to Victoria on the Clipper is a 3 hour trip. But lots to do in both Seattle and Victoria and weather doesn't matter.

You won't have the crowds in any of these places at this time of year.

I don't know an awful lot about Portland - we just drove through, glanced Mt Hood and did the Columbia Gorge. We've stayed in Seattle for a few days though and loved it. It was mid-June and not terribly crowded with tourists (can't say I actually noticed any!). Plenty of places to visit in Seattle and from Seattle (Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens were far nicer than the Columbia River Gorge, imvho). I would be happy to return there any day, and I don't much care for touristy places and crowds.
Hope you have a great time, wherever you go.

I responded on your Oregon thread, but if you're now considering Seattle, I retract everything I said there. ;-) Oregon is great, but considering what you like to do, I think your family would enjoy it more when the weather's nice. There are no guarantees of that for next week, but, if you can get here by tomorrow........ Seattle and Victoria are interesting and entertaining regardless of the weather.

As for crowds, are you all remembering that next week bumps up against Memorial Day?

Beadhbum--Already?! Geez, it sure crept up fast!

Who the heck is Beadhbum? Yeah, I know mms. When you get to be my age, dates creep up all the more quickly! ;-)

Beadhbum...you are steering someone away from Portland?? sigh...my work is never done..and you live there!!

Seattle etc sounds more of a city trip, ferries, Space Needle, crowds..Portland and the Coast is all natural beauty. Portland at its most crowded is still not too crowded.
There is a huge forest in the middle of the city!!
Jetboat rides, white water rafting, great food, streetcar rides instead of traffic and parking ... the beach where you can hope it is warm enough to go barefooted lol.

I vote Oregon/Portland

I have lived in the Portland area for over 50 years so perhaps I'm jaded...but.. IMHO, while Portland, The Gorge,and the Oregon coast are fantastic and worth a visit for sure, they don't compare to the Seattle-Victoria area for scenery. The Olympics, Mt Rainier, The San Juans,cruising into Victoria Harbor..
Then again, maybe if I lived there for 50 years I'd see it the other way

We haven't been to Seattle (yet). However, Portland is great! In fact, my daughter and her husband (in their twenties) have been to both cities and LOVE Portland! They thought it was more "hip" and "fun" than Seattle.

elnap is right, but it is not quite as hip anymore...the Yankee and I moved away lol.

Beachbum--LOL! But I don't know...that name kind of grows on me. I should have been able to tell when Memorial Day was just by looking at the forecast

I'm trying to figure out how to pronounce it, mms!

Have we lost you yet, NurseSally? I'm kinda in Ranger's camp, but wouldn't go quite as far. There's almost no place better on the planet than an Oregon beach...... when the weather's nice. I imagine lousy weather would be a bit of a deterrent to first time visitors though. And at this time of year, forecasters think they know what it'll be like tomorrow, but next week is a coin toss. So better to be in a place where weather's less of a factor to enjoying it.

Didn't you mention kayaking on your Oregon thread? If you're interested, there are trips out of Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. Fun stuff.

I'd also agree with elnap's daughter though. Seattle has a more cosmopolitan feel than Portland, where we've still got a population of hippy-hanger-onners. Makes for a pretty cool vibe, even with Scarlett and the Yankee gone. #39;(

And Scarlett, from all of this, it should be clear that while I might be able to steer, I sure don't drive very well.

It's an embarrassment of riches, choosing between Portland and Seattle.

My take would be that the Oregon itinerary would tend to be full of sitting in cars while a Seattle/Victoria itinerary would have more chances for walks, boat rides etc., which might be more to the kids' liking.

Weather next week is supposedly cloudy mornings, partly cloudy afternoons, temp in the 60s. Maybe a bit of wet on Monday.

Oh Oh I'm probably going to get beat up for this but here goes. I've spent lots of time in both Seattle and Portland because of my job and LOVE Seattle. I found Portland to be kind of boring to me.

The coast is wonderful if the weather is good, always a guess.

But in Seattle there is so many things to see and do. Do a little research on the cities and see what you think.

^ for Ruben (who's asking this same question)

I'd vote for Seattle but for the reasons you mention that you're not sure you would like: It's a great tourist city. I've been vacationing and (when we lived in Bend, OR) shopping in both for decades. Portland is an inland river city whereas Seattle is an International Port city. Seattle is quite compact for what it has to offer and, being a "touristy" city, has a lot more to do for a family of 5.

Portland has plenty to do for a family of five. Seattle is a great city to visit also. It's really six of one, half a dozen of the other. For a week, you could pack your itinerary with great things. One possible difference is that Portland might be a tad cheaper (cheaper hotels, no sales tax) to visit than Seattle.