David and Becky

Another great thing about this city is its central location to lots of other fun places to go.  Last weekend David and I realized last minute that we had a shared day off…this hasn’t happened for a couple of weeks.  We got on priceline and booked a great deal on a hotel in downtown Portland for $50.  Made the 3 hour trip down on Friday morning and went to the Oregon Zoo.  The hotel was extremely nice, very recently remodeled.  At night we went for dinner and a movie (simultaneously) at the Kennedy School.   The McMenamin brothers of Oregon have purchased an old elementary school and turned it into a small hotel.  They converted the gymnasium into a movie theater with real couches to sit on. You can order your dinner to be delivered during the show.  Also in the building is their own brewery and several different bars and game areas.  We’re thinking on our next road trip we’ll have to stay there.  We were able to catch the last half hour of some live music at another establishment in the Pearl District, and then walked through a little bit of sketch in order to get to Voodoo donuts.  We had to try their bacon and maple donut and get some of their other oddities, including a donut shaped like something that rhymes with “dock and halls.”  Saturday morning enjoyed a nice lunch downtown and drove back in time for me to get to work at night.

Possibilities for an overnight or weekend getaway are pretty much endless.  Vancouver, Whistler or Victoria in British Columbia are a short distance away

The San Juan Islands are accessible by a drive+ washington state ferry.  Great spot for whale watching and relaxing.  By the way, if you have a few hours of nothing to do, taking a ferry ride is fun in and of itself.  Hard to beat the views.  One lucky day when I first moved here, my friends the Crowders were in town and we saw a whole pod of Orca whales swimming right up next to the ferry. 

The only rainforest in North America is located on the Olympic Peninsula as well as hot springs, waterfalls, the Olympic Mountains and other fabulous sites. 

This weekend I’m going to Lake Chelan with my girlfriends for a pre-wedding celebration.  I’ve had the opportunity to go here pretty much every summer since I’ve lived in Seattle and its always a great time.  The lake is beautiful and clear and situated in mountains.  Also spent Christmas in Chelan this past year with David’s family and got to enjoy the mountain snow.