Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with oregon and seattle

Thinking of relocating to the Pacific NW but I've never been. Help me decide between Oregon and Washington.

iamisaid — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:43:00 -0800

I'm thinking of relocating to the Pacific Northwest USA for the climate and scenery, though I've never been before. I have 4 days to visit next month, and am having trouble deciding between Portland and Seattle as a base of exploration. I do not mean to start a debate over which city or state is best. Just need some help deciding which place I might enjoy more. I work from home, so the local job market is not an immediate concern. Cost of living is something of a concern.

I have spent some time in Austin and enjoyed the vibe there, and I've heard Portland shares some similarities with it. I'm less sure about Seattle. However, it's quite possible I'd want to live in a smaller town outside of these cities and just visit them occasionally.

I have also spent some time in California, particularly Big Sur and the Monterey Bay area and absolutely loved it for the beauty, scenery and proximity to the ocean. I'm all about scenery and easy access to natural beauty.

For those who have been to both Washington and Oregon, which area would you recommend for me and how would you compare the two?

How can we turn this travel night into a road trip easter egg?

superfluousm — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:08:30 -0800

Where should we spend one night on the road between Waldport, OR & Seattle? My boyfriend and I are planning a road trip around Oregon and Washington, and we're looking for somewhere beautiful, cool, weird or any combo of the above to stay for an afternoon and night on our way to Seattle from Waldport, OR.

We need to check out of our Waldport rental by 10 AM on a Thursday and don't want or need to arrive in Seattle until about noon on Friday. If possible, we'd love to make this necessary dawdling part of our greater journey. We'll have a rental car and don't mind going out of our way inland or whatever (but recommendations for a stop further up the coast are definitely welcome, too.)

Basically, we're unremarkable in every way and like everyone else in the world, we enjoy good food and delicious booze. We like nature but are just an average amount of outdoorsy. We like all manner of cultural stuff, high and low-brow, and like quirky towns. So assume we're a blank slate and throw me your best.

Note - we're flying into Portland and will be spending two days there at the beginning of our trip, so we'd probably prefer not to retrace our steps too closely unless there's something truly tremendous in the immediate surrounding area that shouldn't be missed.

what to do in Seattle and Portland?

WizKid — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:49:40 -0800

Things to do and Places to eat in Seattle, Portland and in between? More info inside. We'll be in Seattle for few days staying in downtown (at Madison St and 5'th Ave)
Don't have access to a car and got a 1 year old with us.

1) What are somethings to do within walking distnace or easily accessible through public transportation?
2) inexpensive places to eat (preferebally not more than $15 per entree) within walking distnace or easily accessible through public transportation?
3) We are ok with taking the bus to some place (ex: University district) and spending there day there and coming back to the hotel at night. Any suggestions on places like that are welcome.

After few days we are planning on renting a car and heading to Portland.
4) What to do/see in Portland
5) Good resturents in Portland?

We are adventerous in terms of food. Open to trying pretty much anything.

6) Planning on renting the car from Seattle-Tacoma Airport as we'll be flying out from there after Portland. If anyone has any additional tips on that please share.
7) Does a toddler need a car seat to ride in a Taxi?
8) I downloaded OneBusAway app. anyother suggetions?

Thanks.

New Year Renewal

lunasol — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:29:24 -0800

I'm looking for a mediation/yoga retreat in the Pacific Northwest or Northern California. I would like to take a weekend in January to go on some retreat. I'd like to go somewhere surrounded by natural beauty, where I can rest, unplug from the internet, and do some meditation and yoga. I'd like to do the whole thing for less than $500.

I was originally planning to go to Expanding Light - but between the flight to Sacramento ($200), renting a car to get there (probably around $70 plus an hour drive each way) and the cost of staying there ($180 in a shared room, $300 in my own room), it's seeming expensive and a bit more travel than I'd like.

So I'm hoping you all can help me with some alternatives. What I'd like:

- Located within 5 hours of Seattle (I'm willing to fly if it's a short flight, but in that case, I'd rather a place that's easier to get to from the airport).
- More focus on retreat and relaxation than intense meditation or yoga. I'm not very practiced in either, but I'm interested in a weekend oriented around them because I find them excellent at clearing my mind and refreshing me.
- A nice community and an opportunity to interact with other people (ie, no silent retreats.
- Would prefer a place without TV or internet access, at least in the rooms.
- Total cost (between transit, room/board, and any classes) under $500.

I would also be open to a rustic hostel/lodge type place with a friendly vibe and the opportunity to take yoga classes in lieue of a structured retreat center.

Camera stores in Seattle and Portland, suggestions?

stackhaus23 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:29:28 -0800

I'm looking to nerd out on cameras in Portland and Seattle, suggestions? I'm travelling to Portland and Seattle over the next week or so and looking for a camera store to pick up a new Fuji X100, but would also like to look around a few old camera stores with old used cameras and lenses, even vintage junk store stuff. Welcoming suggestions for either of the above.

Help us fill in the blanks on our road trip from Seattle to San Francisco

desjardins — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:28:13 -0800

West Coast Road Trip! Mr. desjardins and I are flying into Seattle in early September, renting a car and driving to San Francisco. What do we do in between? We want places to stay and things to do. Amazing scenery is a priority. We want to car camp most of the way and do some light hiking. We'd like to see the ocean AND the mountains and take lots of pictures. Recommendation for a kayak rental place would be great, too. mr. desjardins is very outdoorsy and can handle the backwoods. It's just me and him, no kids or pets.

I'd like to get a sense of Seattle and Portland, but we're not terribly interested in spending lots of time in cities; I've seen SF a bunch of times and done all the touristy things. I have never been to Washington or Oregon and the mr. has only been to Yakima. We've driven up Hwy 1 from SF to Fort Ross so we know what we're getting into as far as driving on the coast. What's the weather like that time of year? Bugs?

Here's our very loose itinerary. The only thing we've already booked is the airfare, so we're flexible on everything else:

Friday, September 2 - fly into SeaTac late at night, stay at hotel near airport
Saturday - pick up rental car, then spend the day in Seattle (doing what?). Camp somewhere in the general area?
Sunday - Might visit friends in Bremerton, drive to ??, camp
Monday (Labor Day) - camp somewhere??, drive to Portland?
Tuesday - Spend day in Portland (doing what?)
Wednesday - Leave Portland, drive to ??, camp
Thursday - camp ??
Friday - ??, drive to SF, stay in or near San Francisco
Saturday, September 10 - drop off rental car, fly back from San Francisco (SFO)

Train Trip to the Pacific Northwest

iceprincess324 — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:23:02 -0800

My husband and I are planning a railway vacation from Chicago to Seattle in mid-July; I've never been there, and my husband has been once. Tips on train travel, fun things to do along the route, and unique things to do once we arrive would be greatly appreciated! We will be going for 1 to 2 weeks and have already discussed the following: Glacier National Park, Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, Mt. Ranier, Vancouver. I anticipate that we may also venture into Oregon. Any insider info about these options would be great!

Beyond what I mentioned above, we love gardens, nature, great food (we like a good diner/pub equally as well as fine dining), museums, wineries/breweries, music/theater, books, hiking (ideally 1 to 2 mile easy to moderate trails). We will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary while we're there and will want to find something special to do that day. Any festivals going on in mid-July? What do the locals like to do? Thanks!

Oh, and what are your favorite places to stay?

Send my truck to truck heaven

zvs — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:06:51 -0800

Is there a CarMax equivalent in the Pacific Northwest? I've got a decent (but somewhat long-in-the-tooth) SUV I want to sell. It's been on Craigslist, local classifieds, Facebook, etc. at a quite low price (well under blue book) for several weeks with barely any bites, and no serious offers. The sign in the window hasn't worked either. Meanwhile, keeping it insured is a money pit, and there's nowhere off-street I can park it.

I hear a lot about CarMax on AskMe, but I'm in Seattle and the closest one is in Sacramento. While I'm not ruling out a hilarious, breakneck road trip to Sacramento, I'd rather just sell it here. Is there some (reasonably) local equivalent of this service where I can get rid of the car on the spot? Preferably in a no-haggle fashion?

We're moving out west!

Fifi Firefox — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:09:17 -0800

Where can we live (in the US) that has both pleasant summers and awesome snowboarding? My boyfriend and I plan to move in the next year or so, and we’re having lots of fun picking out potential dream cities to live in. My Metafilter searches have turned up some great options and several really helpful threads along similar lines, so I thought I’d throw our requirements into the mix.

My boyfriend’s goal in life is to have easy access to awesome snowboarding, and I’m cool with that as long as I can still have summer - I don’t want to be wading though snowdrifts year-round, and I want sunshine and milder temps for at least a couple months. I also want to be in a decent-sized city - nothing huge (or really expensive), but I like being near restaurants, concerts, art/culture, festivals, shopping, bike trails, and so forth. My boyfriend will be attending grad school down the road, so proximity to a university would be nice.

That’s our wish list. So far, we like Denver, Fort Collins, Seattle, and Portland (and we’re open to more suggestions). We also need some help narrowing our choices so we can plan a trip to visit some of these places, so I’m putting the gist of what we’ve found about each city below, and any comments from people who have actually lived there would be helpful.

Denver - Large city so better job prospects (I‘m a graphic designer), weather similar to where we are now (Wisconsin, which actually seems to have harsher winters). Right by Vail, Breckenridge, et al., so obviously the snowboarding would be great. What’s the downside? Is it expensive to live there? (We’ve already nixed Boulder because it seems pricey.)

Fort Collins - Sunny with mild winters, college town, smaller than Denver so less expensive and less traffic. Further from snowboarding - looks like 3-4 hours to the big resorts - but are there smaller hills nearby? Is it kind of sleepy and suburb-y there?

Seattle / Portland - Both look like awesome cities with great culture - what are the differences in size, cost of living, general feel, etc? Seattle has Mount Ranier and Olympic National Park, and Portland is right by Mount Hood - how does the snowboarding / skiing compare to the big Colorado resorts? I’ve read varying reports of the weather in this area, from “it’s always gray and rainy” to “it’s always gorgeous and mild” - what’s the truth?

Weekend in Portland or Vancouver?

bamassippi — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:35:18 -0800

Weekend in Portland or Vancouver? This Seattleite cannot decide between a weekend (Saturday afternoon through Monday at 2 PM) in Portland, OR or Vancouver, CA.

Is there anything special going on in either location than could swing me in either direction?

West Coast Road Trip

willnot — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:19:09 -0800

I'm preparing for a road trip that will take me up the California Coast, Oregon Coast, Washington (Seattle) and into Canada at least as far North as Whistler. Can you provide specific recommendations on where to stop? What motels should I stay at? What's interesting to see/do/photograph? I know there have been a number of threads (1, 2, 3) on this exact topic. I've read them, and they've all given me great general ideas, but I'm finding it really tough to pick motels, so I'd really appreciate some specific suggestions.

For hotels, I like as cheap as I can get while still being generally clean, modern and comfortable. Free WiFi is a big plus.

For activities, I like:

Photography - natural beauty, interesting architecture, crowd candids, interesting wildlife or zoo life -- nothing too kitschy and very little that's too touristy
Art, especially modern - galleries, museums and places where art is clearly an important fabric of the community
Hiking and active stuff in nature - beaches, forest trails, urban

I'm leaving on the first Monday in July. So far, here's what I've got:

Monday (July 2) - Very fast drive North up the 5 to somewhere above San Francisco. I've already seen the stuff south of there, so this is just a power-drive to get me to my starting point (but where? Santa Rosa? Petaluma? Bodega Bay?).
Tuesday - Leisurely Drive North up the 1 to somewhere in Northern Cal. Avenue of the Giants, Lost Coast, (where to stay/stop and what to do?)
Wednesday (4th of July) - Leisurely Drive up to Southern OR (Newport?)
Thursday - Leisurely Drive up to Northern OR (Canon Beach? Lunch at Tillamook ?)
Friday - easy drive up to Seattle, stay with my parents for the weekend.
Monday - Vancouver (where to stay, what to do)?
Tuesday - Vancouver day 2 (what to do?)
Wednesday - Garibaldi Lake? (where to stay, what to do)
Thursday - Whistler -- I want to do their zip lines, other than that, where to stay, what to do?
Friday - back down to Seattle for the weekend
Trip back down the 5 - probably stopping at Portland, Crater Lake? Maybe Tahoe (if it's worth the detour?)

Anything else not to miss?

Is it realistic to leave Astoria, OR in the a.m. to arrive at SEATAC for a 1:30 flight?

unccivil — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 12:26:21 -0800

Is it realistic to leave Astoria, OR in the a.m. to arrive at SEATAC for a 1:30 flight? We are planning a west coast trip and will be in Newport on a Wed. morning. I want to drive up the Oregon coast on Wed, stay overnight and then catch a flight leaving Seattle on Thu @ 1:30...Trying to decide where to stay Wed. night. Enough time to make the airport staying in Astoria? or push through on Wed. to Olympia, WA?...any other nice, hidden places (prefer B&Bs) in between? Recommendations on places to stay are welcome too!

Driving from Seattle to San Francisco

kirkaracha — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 11:11:04 -0800

What's a good 2-3 day route for driving from Seattle to San Francisco? I'm going to be driving from Seattle to San Francisco with my mom and sister this weekend. My basic plan was to take the interstate from Seattle to Portland, turn right, and drive down the southern Oregon and northern California coasts.

Since it's one of those once-in-a-lifetime deals and we can take our time over a couple of days, I'm looking for suggestions of things to see along the way.

Like the movie Road Trip, but with less Tom Green.

vernondalhart — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 20:06:47 -0800

So we're thinking about a road trip south from Vancouver to (maybe) LA... A few classmates and I are considering (well, depending on vehicle considerations) taking a jaunt down south this coming week, in the time-honored tradition of doing crazy, reckless things on your spring break.

The plan is pretty vague, which I'm fine with: Leave Vancouver and start driving south along the coast, and just to end up where we end up. If we make it as far as LA, that's cool. If not, we'll find somewhere else to be.

My question is this though: Is there anything along that drive (that is, along the pacific coast through Seattle, maybe via Portland, etc) over the next week (that is, beginning around the 12th) that you would consider an A++ two thumbs up thing to see? Are there any particular restaurants or hostels you'd reccomend? Any shows, clubs, pubs, museums or art galleries?

I realize this is a pretty open-ended question, but really, we don't have any fixed plans and it'd be nice to have at least a few ideas of what to see along the way, since none of us have been down that way (well, not since I was 9 years old, in my case).

Thanks a lot.