We utilized our 4th of July vacation days this year to hit the pacific northwest, specifically Portland, Seattle, and the area in between. \u00a0Based on google weather and all the people we talked to who lived in this area, July is absolutely the best month – weather wise – to visit. \u00a0It did not disappoint.<\/p>\n
Our first stop was Seattle, where we stayed downtown in a Marriott Renaissance property. \u00a0We used a free night certificate from Mayne’s marriott credit card – saving $179 – and then paid cash for the remainder. \u00a0We loved walking around the pike place market (great deals on flower bouquets) and took a fantastic food tour with Savor Seattle. \u00a0Our last stop before heading to the airport to pickup our rental car was the Kubota Gardens. \u00a0These were very well executed – you could tell that they had been tended to for many decades – but they were a bit out of the and would have been better to see by rental car (at this point we were using buses).<\/p>\n
(Keep scrolling below gallery for Portland and daytrips)<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n
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We picked up a rental car to have in Portland, which came in very handy as it seems the public buses are lacking and our hotel was some ways out of the city center. \u00a0It seems everyone rides a bike there but we didn’t have that “luxury”. \u00a0Parking was easy to get however.<\/p>\n
We stayed at Courtyard Portland North using the very last\u00a0of\u00a0Marriott rewards points that Mayne had saved up from his time at traveling with Ernst & Young (thanks for the memories Marriott!). \u00a0We paid for points for 5 nights and got the 6th night for zero points – saving $780 over retail! \u00a0The hotel was outside the city and felt a bit old but the price was right.<\/p>\n
After all that we had heard about how hip, young and revitalized the city of Portland was, we were still surprised at just how “hip” it was. \u00a0I mean, hipster is taken to a new level here. \u00a0I have a new appreciation for the Portlandia show since visiting. \u00a0I’ve had enough wood paneling, fixed gear bikes, and $6 lattes for awhile after this visit!<\/p>\n
After enjoying a morning at the can’t miss International Rose Test Garden, we took in a bike\/brewery tour with Pedal Bikes. \u00a0This was pretty entertaining because there were approximately 6 breweries on the schedule and Elisa and I were the only ones on the tour! \u00a0Our guide was recovering from a stomach parasite obtained while hiking in Nepal and wasn’t drinking. \u00a0Elisa is a light-weight (literally), so it was left to me to pick up the slack! \u00a0Unfortunately, each brewery we came to had, by default, prepared enough samples for a tour group of 10+. \u00a0 Alot of beers and a fair distance of biking later our tour ended. \u00a0All in all it was a great tour\u00a0for a beer lover such as myself, but I think our experience was a little unique..<\/p>\n
We also hit the famous voodoo donuts and stumptown and barista coffee shops. \u00a0Elisa loved the lattes! Voodoo was interesting once but personally I wouldn’t endure the long lines for a fruit-loop covered donut again. \u00a0One thing that\u00a0Portland really does excel at are\u00a0some good, interesting\u00a0food choices and I would say that it is only rivaled by Austin, Tx for the best food carts.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_1_placeholder\n
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Using Portland as a base, we took several day trips – Cannon Beach area, Columbia river gorge, and then Mt Hood. \u00a0We also hit Mt Rainier on the way back to the Seattle but it was cloudy all day and therefore we can’t say that we’ve really “seen” Rainier (the museum on the 1980’s eruption was an interesting consolation though).<\/p>\n