The Pacific Northwest

Sharon Sneddon

Whether you hop a flight that lands in Portland, Seattle or Canada’s Vancouver, British Columbia, you will see mountains looming out the window as you approach the airport. The snow-covered peak of Mt. Hood northeast of Portland (photo left) and the soaring summit of Mt. Rainier southeast of Seattle are hard to miss. Vancouver is tucked in between the Strait of Georgia on the west and the Coast Mountain Range east of the city. Forested mountains provide a scenic backdrop for these three cities hugging the western shores of the Pacific. A temperate marine climate and a kaleidoscope of activities, indoor and outside, make the Pacific Northwest a good destination year-round.

PORTLAND

Dubbed the “City of Roses” for its garden-friendly climate, Portland boasts 37,000 acres of city parks, including the largest urban wilderness in the U.S., Forest Park, with its 33 winding miles of nature trails. Another urban park, the South Park Blocks, provides an elm-shaded walkway with benches and sculptures stretching ten city blocks.

This northern Oregon city is home to over 500,000 Portlanders. Seventeen bridges straddle the Willamette River, which bisects the city. The compact Downtown has enjoyed a renaissance the past few years, making it delightful to explore on foot. If you don’t want to walk, parts of Downtown are served by MAX, a light-rail system.

Even if you have a car, leave it at the hotel if you want to explore Downtown since some streets are open to public transit only. With city blocks just 200-feet-long instead of the usual 300-foot long blocks in most cities, you can cover much ground on foot. Most walkers eventually end up at Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, a 1.5 mile walkway along the river.

The heart of downtown Portland is Pioneer Courthouse Square, a good place to people-watch. Walk six blocks south and you’ll arrive at the Portland Art Museum, which is currently expanding its gallery space to 240,000- square-feet. The PAM houses a comprehensive permanent collection of American, European, Asian and Native American art, plus traveling exhibits.

If you visit on a weekend, try to hit the Portland Saturday Market in Old Town. It also runs on Sunday. In operation for 25 years, this open-air market is a good place to find unique items such as pottery created from Mount St. Helens ash. New and used books on every subject can be found at Powell’s Books, the nation’s largest bookstore. Powell’s covers an entire city block. Pick up a map of the store when you arrive, retrieve a book you may want to purchase, then peruse your treasure over a latte in the coffeeshop. Totals on your sales receipts may seem lower than usual-there is no sales tax in Oregon.

There are other attractions just west of Downtown. Kids of all ages will enjoy the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), with its interactive exhibits. Don’t miss the 64-acre Oregon Zoo. Maybe you’ll get to see a new baby Asian elephant. Twenty-seven of these charmers have been born at the zoo over the years.

Pick up a picnic dinner and head to Washington Park to enjoy an outdoor concert on balmy summer evenings. You can stop to smell 519 varieties of roses in the International Rose Garden. Don’t forget your camera if you visit the Japanese Garden in Fall.

There is no shortage of fine dining spots, but for a lively, more casual atmosphere try one of the many brewpubs. Portland has sprouted a multitude of brewpubs, largely due to the abundance of such local supplies as a flavorful variety of malting barley, the Cascade Hop, one of the finest hops in the world, and pure water from the slopes of Mt. Hood. Bridgeport Brewery & Pub is Oregon’s oldest operating craft brewery. Known for its fine, British-style ales, Bridgeport also rolls out tasty gourmet pizza with a distinctive crust made with wort, a byproduct of beer production.

Side trips from Portland abound. Mt. Hood, at 11,235 feet high, is a one-hour drive northeast of Portland. Outdoor recreation enthusiasts can spend the day skiing or hiking. One great hike is to Mirror Lake, where the mountain is reflected perfectly in the waters. A drive along the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area northeast of Portland makes a pleasant day trip out of Portland. Multnomah Falls is a must-see.

If you have a couple of extra days, head for the Oregon Coast. Take Highway 6 heading southwest to Tillamook or Highway 26 heading west toward Cannon Beach and drive south along the coast. Cozy seaside towns hug the coastline as it threads its way south to California. Magnificent scenery, steaming bowls of clam chowder and other succulent seafood, plus miles of clean beaches, make this an enjoyable destination year-round. Also, a visit to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport is always fun for all.

SEATTLE

Stretching along Elliott Bay, Seattle is a dynamic metropolis of over half a million inhabitants. The ever-changing Downtown skyline reaches for the clouds-a far cry from the small, rowdy town where logs were skidded down Yesler Street to a lumbermill at the bottom of the hill. Yesler Street is still a main thoroughfare in Pioneer Square. Some of the historic buildings have been refurbished into stylish galleries, shops, restaurants and nightclubs. Several shops carry glass art produced by local artisans. If you don’t mind stepping over a bit of rubble and listening to corny jokes, take the Underground Tour to see some of the original city.

The colorful International District is a few blocks east of Pioneer Square. Small shops, restaurants and live theater cater to immigrants from Asian and Pacific Rim countries. Check out Uwajimaya, a modern superstore of Asian foods and other goods.

Pioneer Square is the main attraction at the south end of a stroll (about ten blocks) along the waterfront. Walking north you’ll come across Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, a cornerstone on the waterfront. In operation by the same family since it opened in 1899, the shop is filled to the brim with arts and crafts from Alaska, anthropological wonders and such weird curios as a two-headed calf in a jar and a mummy. Continue walking north on the waterfront to reach the Seattle Aquarium Omnidome. If you don’t feel like walking, hop on the trolley that runs the length of the waterfront.

The Pike Place Market, oldest farmers’ market in the country, is just a few blocks east of the waterfront. Watch the fish fly through the air amidst the antics of the seafood vendors at Pike Place Fish. An astonishing array of fresh produce fills the farmers’ stalls, while an infinite variety of locally made food items and high-quality crafts are featured in others. If you visit during the summer, don’t miss the flower market at the north end. The colors and fragrances will bowl you over. The smells wafting from the many bakeries and ethnic eateries are bound to tempt you. There are plenty of places for a sit-down meal, or for just a few dollars you can munch your way through the Market, trying a variety of tempting treats.

Walk a couple blocks east of the market and you’ll see the moving Hammering Man sculpture in front of the Seattle Art Museum. SAM houses extensive collections of Northwest Coast Native American, African and Asian art plus many traveling exhibits. The Frye Art Museum on Capitol Hill east of Downtown has a large permanent collection of European paintings as well as changing exhibits. Admission is free.

Take the Monorail, an overhead light-rail system, from Westlake Center to the Seattle Center north of Downtown. An elevator will take you to the top of the 605-foot-high Space Needle for panoramic views of the city. On a clear day (yes, there are some), you can see the wondrous mountains that ring this maritime city. Currently undergoing a $20-million revitalization from top to bottom, there will be a glass Pavilion Level, new guest amenities and a Legacy Light Beam. Pacific Science Center is filled with interactive exhibits that kids of all ages will enjoy. A wide variety of festivals and events take place year-round at the Seattle Center.

The Museum of Flight, south of Downtown, is the place for interliners to experience the history of flight, from the Wright brothers to the space age. Also, off I-5 is the huge Boeing facility that employs large numbers of the area’s denizens.

Stretch your legs with a walk around the 92-acre Woodland Park Zoo, a few miles north of Downtown. Most of the over 300 animal species are in recreated natural settings.

Seattle’s choices for nightlife include numerous comedy and music venues such as Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, music and crafts at the Seattle Center.

Washington enjoys three National Parks, all of which make great sidetrips or overnight trips from Seattle. Peak time to see wildflowers in mountain meadows is July and August. North Cascades National Park encompasses 505,000 acres in north-central Washington. Mt. Rainier National Park, highlighted by the 14,411 foot mountain from which it takes it name, is about a two and one-half hour drive southeast of Seattle. Two of the four entrances are open all year unless snow or avalanche conditions force closure. There are numerous nature trails. Olympic National Park (photo below) on the Olympic Peninsula includes parts of the Olympic Mountain Range, the only rainforest in the continental U.S. and ocean beaches. Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument covers 110,000 acres about a three-hour drive southeast of Seattle. Mt. St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980; the area is still recovering. Visitors can view the crater from the Windy Ridge viewpoint.

VANCOUVER, B.C.

British Columbia’s cosmopolitan Vancouver is the largest city on the west coast of Canada with over 500,000 people in the city and 1.9 million in the Greater Vancouver area. A booming economy has fostered expanding neighborhoods, downtown high-rise condominiums in the West End, and waterfront parks. Vancouver is home to the third-largest Chinatown in North America. Exotic sights and smells overwhelm the senses at the Punjabi Market on Main Street and 49th Avenue. The multicultural fabric of this city is vibrant with the languages, music, arts and festivals of the Asian, East Indian and European immigrants plus British Columbia’s own First Nations people and those from other Canadian provinces.

Stroll around the streets of Gastown to get the feel of Vancouver in its early days. A statue of Gassy Jack Deighton is a reminder of the colorful entrepreneur who opened Vancouver’s first commercial enterprise, a tavern. For a contemporary, upscale shopping experience, head for Royal Centre on West Georgia or the extensive underground shopping mall at Pacific Centre. Explore the fashionable continental shops along Robson Street.

Be sure to stop in The Bay department store Downtown. Started 329 years ago, the Hudson’s Bay Company was originally established as a trading post to supply furs to the British Empire. Today, the venture has expanded to include a chain of department stores across Canada. Featured are a good selection of warm, stylish wool clothing from the British Isles and the signature Hudson’s Bay blankets. Don’t leave the store without checking out the Food Hall on the lower level, where you can pick up imported teas, jams, shortbread and chocolates for the trip home, or grab a quick bite for lunch at the deli. Eaton’s, another landmark department store, also has a super food section.

The Granville Island Market offers a huge selection of fresh produce, seafood, baked goods and handicrafts, plus restaurants and live theater. Don’t miss the Vancouver Aquarium in glorious Stanley Park, where you can see nearly 8,000 marine animals including beluga whales, killer whales, sea lions and a sea otter colony.

Head for Queen Elizabeth Park and duck into Bloedel Conservatory. You’ll think you’ve been transported to the tropics as you are bathed in warm, moist air scented with exotic blossoms.

Side trips in British Columbia are varied. Whistler, a couple of hours north of Vancouver, provides skiing in the winter and hiking, golf and other activities the rest of the year.

Clinging to the tip of Vancouver Island west of the mainland, the provincial capital of Victoria retains its British air despite the outcrop of trendy shops and malls ringing the city. Highlights include the Parliament Buildings, the Royal British Columbia Museum, and the famed Butchart Gardens.

Wherever you head in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, urban and natural treasures await.

EXCHANGE RATE

Though the exchange rate usually favors the U.S. dollar, prices jump up a bit when the seven-percent Goods and Services tax is added on.

GST tax on some items, such as accommodations and goods to be taken out of Canada, is reimbursable at duty-free shops or by mail (original receipt required for items of $50 or more). GST tax on meals and transportation are not eligible for reimbursement.

Canada does not accept a current U.S. driver’s license as proof of citizenship. Visitors from the U.S. should bring a birth certificate, voter’s registration card or passport.

Sharon Sneddon lives in Washington state. She often explores the Pacific Northwest.