Originally Posted by
saint_em
Hi all. I am looking for a little advice on an upcoming trip. My boyfriend and I are travelling to the US from the UK from Oct 31 – Nov 11. Our ultimate destination is the Pacific NW/Vancouver area, but we have a night in Philadelphia on the way out and a night in Toronto on our way home (the penalty for using miles to book flights!).
Our trip is very much on a low budget as we’re unexpectedly moving house a few weeks before we go (we were going to cancel the trip, but we’ve got great flights and we don’t want to lose them). So, I’m looking for some tips on how to make our stay as budget-friendly as possible.
We’re looking at spending our time in Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, though we haven’t got a definite route/itinerary.
We’d like to do the Boeing factory tour and to visit the museum of flight in Seattle, drink beer in Portland and that’s essentially it for ‘must do’ things! We’ll be in the US on election night, so a fun spot to watch the results is also on the list. We like transport and industrial history, craft beer and cheap & cheerful food (street food, diners, etc, rather than high-end restaurants). I’ve been reading the Lewis & Clark diaries, so I’m interested in sights they mention too.
My first question – car rental is fairly cheap, picking up from YVR and returning there (we fly in to and out of Vancouver). Are there hotels in the suburbs of Seattle/Portland that are on public transport routes into the city? We’re hoping to save money by staying out of town where parking is cheaper and riding the bus or train ‘downtown’ for sightseeing, etc. Is this a feasible plan for a couple of days in each place? Obviously we’d use the car for Boeing and the museum of flight (unless the public transport to these places is excellent), and we definitely wouldn’t use the car after trying beer! Any tips for locations that would work well for this (so, close to a bus or train route, perhaps some restaurants within walking distance, cheap/free parking) would be greatly appreciated. Of course, if this plan is stupid (public transport costing a fortune, it not running past 8pm, etc), please let me know!
Secondly – are there any smaller towns/cities which are worth a visit, based on our interests given above? Spokane and Eugene are the two that spring to mind, but given that Washington is electing its governor, would Olympia be an interesting place to visit around the election? Alternatively, are any of the coastal towns that would be nice for a night?
Lastly, for now, we will probably be on the road at about 5pm once we’ve collected our car in Vancouver. Is this a terrible time to attempt to cross the border? Google maps says it’s about a 40 minute drive from the airport to the crossing, but how realistic is that at this time? Would killing a couple of hours at a mall or something be better than battling traffic?
Thanks in advance for your help.
the weather during your travel period i s usually in the upper 40s to mid 50s with half the time dealing with rain showers. This is the start of "hurricane" season of the Pacific NW where you can get some pretty strong storms that can cause flooding. Its not uncommon for the winds to be over 100 mph on the coast and over 60 inland.
Also at this time...the snow level in the mountains have dropped to roadway mountain pass level so if you are thinking of going to the eastern side of the mountains...you need to watch the weather and be prepared to change your plans. When passing this chains are on the tires.
As I look at your itinerary....I am figuring 2-3 days in each city. The drive between thenm is about 3 hrs.
I would try to suggest you do Portland on one of the weekend days (Saturday or Sunday) because at that time of the year they still have their Saturday Market operating. The Saturday MArket is similar to Pike Place in Seattle where its mom/pap operated their own business by selling their crafts.
In Seattle in woodenville is where many wineries are. Along with that their are microbreweries.
Also during this time some specialty orchards produce hard apple cider that is sold at some of these microbreweries.
For waterfalls.....
Personally I would look to do Multnomah falls in the Columbia gorge over Snoqualmie falls. With Snoqualmie its now located in a suburban area and they have closed hiking trails. Multnomah is in theColumbia Gorge where there are many other falls you can find and see.
The Boeing factory tour is in Mulkateo (info about this is on another thread on this page)
The Museum of Flight is on Boeing Field just south of downtown Seattle.
Not sure what your interests are...is it nature or city.
IMPORTANT: At the time of your travel is usually the time the Humback whales make their commute from Alaska down the coast to southern California or Mexico. There are various whale watching tracking sites on this. If this is something you want to see then you could do a drive to the coast. The easiest is near Portland...when you leave Portland you drive to Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Astoria....here there is some historical sites with Lewis and Clark expidition. The other easy trip to the coast is from Olympia to Aberdeen. Each are about an hr drive to the coast.
Portland is one of the most european of cities in the country. Portland has a decent subway/trolley system...much more so than Seattle. This also allows you to commute in from cheaper places.
There are stations near Portland airport and in Gresham that you can find a hotel at around $75 a night and a 5 min drive to park. From the airport hotels you can take their airport shuttle and connect with the subway line by going to the airport.
Seattle is much more expensive than Portland to park. One option...but this operates on a commuter schedule is SoundTransit commuter train that runs between Tacoma, Seattle and Everett. The line goes through Auburn, Kent, Sumner and Puyalup where you can find some cheaper places and then use the commuter tain to go into Seattle for the day. Another option is stay at an airport hotel...use their shuttle (Days Inn, Super 8 on international $75/night) to the airport then connect with Seattle light rail and go into downtown.
Things to See/Do in Seattle....
Pikes Place MArket
Seattle Art Museum
Take a ferry to Bremerton or Bainbridge or take one of the boat tours into the Sound. The ferries do passangers only without car.
Portland....
Saturday Market
Portland art Museum
Japanesse Garden
nearby...Columbia Gorge.
As I mentioned before...the weather can be an issue which is why Interstate 84 is the best and most reliable way to get through the Cascade Mountains. On the east side of the mountains....
Leavenworth/Wenatchee----leavenworth is an old mining town rebuilt to mimic a Bavarian Alps town. Wenatche is the apple capitol.
Yakima...just sotuh is the rattlesnake valley with a bunch of wineries.
Hood River/White Salmon
Spokane is a little out of the way distancewise. ts a 4.5 hr drive from Seattle.
The other "easier" crossing point is the Fraiser River from Vancouver.
South of Portland is the Willamette Valley also with a ton of wineries. This stretches along hwy 99 from Portland to Eugene.
Other stops along the way...Olympia washignton state capitol, salen Oregon state capitol.
Tacoma has a couple of sites: Tacoma Glass Museum and Wshington State History museum.