Washington, Oregon, & Canada Travel Tips

I've been wanting to travel and visit Seattle, Washington and British Columbia, Canada for a while and my friend, Blaire, moved there and gave me the perfect excuse to finally go and visit. I went up in August and the weather was perfect! Seattle wasn't drizzly-rainy at all! Maybe I brought good luck. And because I stayed with my friend, I'm sorry, I won't have a list of places to stay. But check out all the cool things we did!

Washington:

To tour Seattle we went to the Public Market and watched the guys toss the fish at Pike Place Fish Market, lots of people were standing around for that. And of course, the original Starbucks photo-op. We toured through the Market and then walked back along the Harbor side to go on a harbor tour with Argosy Cruises- great opportunity for photos; there are many cruises to take. You can also take a ferry out to Bainbridge Island, the ferry dock is a little past the cruise terminal. The aquarium and Seattle Great Wheel are right on the Harbor and there are some restaurants (we ate a clam chowder sampler at Ivar's) and souvenir shops too. (If you're a Grey's Anatomy fan, they have Seattle Grace scrubs!)

We went to visit the Fremont Troll and went to Kerry Park to take scenic pictures of the Seattle skyline.

We traveled by light rail to the Seattle Center where the Chihuly Garden & Glass and the Space Needle are. We didn't go on the space needle, the line was too long. When we entered the center I found a Star Wars photo-op!

We went Whale Watching with Orcas Wild Outer Island Expedition. You better bet I bought a t-shirt :) Check this whale out! I caught him mid jump if you can see it (near where the water meets the tree line towards the left). Some swam right under our boat! They're so cool! You also get to see Harbor Seals & Porpoises. There are other whales out there too but orcas are what you'll mostly see. We drove up and did this early in the morning so we had time in our day to do other things.

My friend lives right outside of Seattle so it was the perfect location! For Blaire's birthday we went to a piano bar, 88 Keys, in Downtown Seattle. It's near the MLS stadium & Taylor Swift was playing there that night!

Oregon:

Going to Oregon was a cluster. Check ahead of time to see if ALL the bridges are closed for a biker event...we had to go a long way around to reach Wahkeena Falls. Later in the day we tried to visit Portland again and eat at the Salt & Straw, but due to road closers, we had to try to find a similar place. We went to a little chocolate and ice cream shop and bought chocolate from around the world and tried the weird salt ice cream (I think I'm the only one who doesn't like it so don't let my opinion deter you, I might've just tried a weird flavor). If you can get to Portland, the Salt & Straw is a must try.

Go to Wahkeena Falls, Colombia River Gorge, National Scenic Area. This is THE tourist nature attraction. There's a raining forest, waterfalls galore including the famous one below, and gorgeous scenic views. Farther down the road at the park is a tower you can climb to get great views of the gorge. I think from that lookout or a near by one you can see Mt Baker, Mt Hood, St Helen, Mt Rainier. You can see these on your flight in & out too.

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Canada:

If you're a Psych fan, seriously, check out White Rock, BC! There's a little house that has a list of filming locations and some props to take photos with.

We then went to Gas Town which is a cool city. We got to see a steam powered clock, the Olympic Torch, and we ate at SteamWorks Brewing Co- it's a multi level brewery, winery, bar, & restaurant. Try the famous Poutine! Since this is a touristy area, there are lots of shops for your souvenir wanting heart to enjoy. You'll also get great scenic views- go to Queen Elizabeth Park. The road to QE Park has great opportunities to get a picture with the Vancouver skyline in the background.

Border Tips:

When going to Canada (we drove), go early because the line at the border starts to back up. You can stop to take photos of the Canada & USA signs on your way through & back. There are gorgeous flowers in the shape of both flags too. There's a little park area to stop at before you leave Canada and you can walk to the signs/flag flower beds.

Border Patrol going into Canada is going to ask a bunch of questions, answer quickly and efficiently.

I was upset that they don't stamp your passport :(

Our last night in Seattle- sunset over the Olympic Mountains.