WASHINGTON

The Pacific Northwest is home. I was born in Washington, attended college in Oregon, and returned to Washington to raise my family. This is where we spend an overwhelming majority of our time. However, it is sometimes difficult to ‘play tourist’ the same way you would when exploring places that are unfamiliar. Therefore, this blog represents a handful of highlights we have experienced in Washington. I have organized Washington into six separate regions: Northwest (Everett-Bellingham), South Puget Sound (Seattle Metro), Olympic (Grays Harbor-Port Angeles), Pacific Cascade (Olympia-Vancouver) Northeast (Spokane), and the Southeast (Yakima-Tri-Cities).

———- NORTHWEST ———-

Snohomish, the town I am proud to say that I grew up in, is a hidden northwest gem. Depending on traffic, Snohomish is a forty-five minute drive northeast of Seattle. Growing up I had great friends, was a 3-sport athlete, and have many fond memories.

When visiting you would be remiss if you didn’t make time to wander 1st Street, which is the epicenter of the town. It earned the nickname “Antique Capital of the Northwest”. While there are many unique places to eat Alfy’s Pizza and Pilchuck Burger are my absolute favorites.

Everett, a 20 minute drive from Snohomish, is home to the single A minor league baseball team of the Seattle Mariners, the Everett Aquasox. It was always a good time at Everett Memorial Stadium. My dad was the official scorekeeper for twenty-five years, and family friend Tom was the public address announcer. So many good memories at the ballpark.

Bellingham, the far northern corner of the state, is known for it’s natural beauty and outdoor activities. It sits on the shores of Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands and is merely twenty miles to the Canadian border. While we typically don’t spend a lot of time in this area, every time we do visit we ask ourselves why we don’t come here more. In 2023 we went whale watching with San Juan Cruises.

We left from the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, were served a lovely lunch, and then attempted to view Orca Whales. We only had a handful of sightings, but had a great time being out on the water. That night we ate at Nikki’s Bella Marina, located right on the water They had a ton of food options and for dessert we ordered a fried twinky.

———- SOUTH PUGET SOUND ———-

FAVORITE CITY AND EXPERIENCES: We would consider the city of Seattle one of the prettiest in the country. When it is sunny (I joke that it is only sunny roughly 12 days a year) you would be hard pressed to find a prettier city in America.

Highlights from our time exploring Seattle include tourist destinations such as the newly remodeled Space Needle, sauntering through the unique Pike Place Market, and taking pictures in front of the iconic 1st Starbucks and the Gum Wall. Any trip to Seattle should start with the iconic Space Needle.

Jill and I have visited the observation deck three times, Bailey twice, and Maddie once. Our most recent visit came in October of 2021 where we were able to witness the revolving floor on the first deck and the newly remodeled wall of plexiglass on the second deck.

For a guy that doesn’t like heights it took me awhile to get comfortable being out on the observation deck on the top floor. The bottom floor comes complete with a revolving deck as well as a floor made of glass. Truthfully, I never felt entirely comfortable looking through the glass floor while standing over 600 feet above the ground. However, it was a very unique feature and made for some amazing views. The girls, who are much more daring than I, absolutely loved it!

Whether you are shopping for something specific, or just looking to window show, Pike Place Market is a must do Seattle experience.

When we visit we enjoy attempting to take the perfect picture in front of the iconic sign, watching salmon be thrown from one end of the fish market to another, and simply wandering through the market.

No two trips ever seem to be the same. Specific locations I suggest visiting are the gum wall (alley decorated with chewed gum stuck on the brick walls) and the very first Starbucks.

While there is no shortage of places to eat in and around Pike Place, our go-to’s are The Athenian for breakfast or brunch, Pike Brewing Company for lunch and/or a pint, and Ivar’s on the Waterfront for a seafood dinner.

The Athenian was used in a scene from the movie “Sleepless in Seattle” and comes with amazing views of the waterfront.

Also, there are signs above the bar stools where actors Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner sat in the movie. We also enjoy Pike Place Chowder House, Piroshky Piroshky, and Cafe Campagne. The Pink Door is also located in Pike Place and is a fun Italian Restaurant, albeit difficult to find, but definitely worth a visit.

Other famous and fun places to eat in Seattle are Dicks Drive-In for hamburgers, the Biscuit Bitch for a breakfast sandwich, and Top Pot for donuts. In reality, you cannot go wrong as there are so many unique and quality places to eat.

We stumbled upon Wilmot’s Ghost, which serves pizza and other fair you would find in Rome.

The ambiance of the building itself is worth a visit.

West Seattle, specifically Alkai Point, is an area of Seattle we haven’t spent much time. Yet every time we visit we comment that we should come here more. The beach is inviting, there are multiple water activities (including renting kayaks), and a 4 mile long walking/bike path. Plus the real draw is the spectacular view of the Seattle skyline.

In the summer of 2025 we ate at Salty’s. The restaurant opened in 1985 and specializes in seafood. While the food is good, the view is great. If you are looking for a restaurant with a view in Seattle, hands down this is it.

The Seattle water front is another fun location to visit. We would suggest taking the ferry across Elliott Bay to Bainbridge Island. Day or night, the views of the skyline are absolutely beautiful. We typically ferry across the bay, get ice cream at the terminal on the other side, and then return to Seattle. Our family has done this on at least four separate occasions and the views never disappoint.

One of our favorite places to enjoy a sunny day in Seattle is at the Hiram Chittenden Locks in Ballard. The Locks connect Lake Washington with Shilshore Bay and the Puget Sound; sailboats, yachts, and fishing boats of all sizes travel through here 24/7.

Renting kayaks or canoes on Lake Washington is a great way to spend an adventurous Saturday. Boats travel through the Montlake Cut, the views of the homes and mountains on the lake are spectacular, and you feel like you can look directly into Husky Stadium.

While we haven’t spent a ton of time in Fremont, a must do is the 18-foot Fremont Troll sculpture under the Aurora Bridge. You are free to walk on the troll and it is a great picture opportunity.

Concerts at Safeco Field, home of the Mariners, or Lumen Field, home of the Seahawks are absolute electric venues. We have seen Tom Petty, Ed Sheeran (twice), the Red Hot Chill Peppers, Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, the Lumineers, and Taylor Swift. A Seattle Stadium concert never disappoints.

Lastly, my wife treated me to a scenic Seaplane Tour of Seattle one year for my birthday. The flight took off and landed from Lake Washington and the views of Seattle were unbelievable.

The Sky View Observatory at Columbia Center offers unmatched views of downtown Seattle. The observatory is on the 73rd floor (902 feet above the ground) and offers unparalleled views of Mt. Rainier, the Seattle skyline (including the Space Needle), the Olympic Mountains, Bellevue, and Mt. Baker. Construction was completed in 1985 and is the tallest observatory in the Pacific Northwest. In the summer of 2022 we watched the Blue Angels, which were performing for Sea Fair, from the observation deck.

There are only a handful of Starbucks Reserve stores in the world (Chicago, Tokyo, New York City, Milan, Shanghai, and Seattle). The Starbucks website advertises these locations offer rare coffee beans from around the world, unique drinks, and experimental brewing methods. The Reserve in Seattle is located on Capital Hill and we have visited multiple times. If you are a coffee lover, this is a must visit.

Snoqualmie Falls, located thirty-five minutes east of Seattle, is one of the most popular attractions in the state. The falls are twice as tall as Niagara Falls and were featured in the television series, Twin Peaks.

STADIUMS AND/OR SPORTING EVENTS: Our three favorite athletic teams are the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, and all things University of Washington.

While I grew up watching games inside at the King Dome, both Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park, are fantastic venues to take in games.

Husky Stadium, located on the shores of Lake Washington, is touted as the “Greatest Setting in College Football” – I would definitely agree.

The top four athletic events I have attended in Seattle are: 1) The 2004 Mariner game where Ichiro Suzuki broke Major League baseballs all time single season hit record. In that same game future Hall of Famer, Edgar Martinez recorded the last hit of his career. 2) I attended the last game in “old” Husky Stadium in 2011 and the first game in “new” Husky Stadium in 2013. 3) The NFC title football game, Seahawks vs. Packers where the Seahawks miraculously came from behind to win 27-24, and 4) the entire week of MLB All-Star game festivities, including the Major League draft, in 2023.

———- OLYMPIC ———-

Port Townsend, located on Admiralty Inlet directly across from Whidby Island, is another family favorite. This sleepy little beach town located on beautiful Puget Sound is great for exploring Water Street and it’s collection of unique book stores and resturants, relaxing at Chetzemoka Park, or wandering through the bunkers of Fort Warden. Water Street Pizza and Elevated Ice Cream are two of our favorite stops as well. This town is definitely worth the three hour trip (drive & ferry) from Seattle.

The Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, is a drive through animal park. Animals that call this park home are Tibetan Yaks, Kodiak Bears, Elk, Deer, and Buffalo.

What makes this park super exciting is that you are allowed to feed the animals bread. While we weren’t sure what to expect as we drove through the park we were amazed as we rolled down our windows, stuck out a piece of bread, and watched these massive animals come right up to our car. In an attempt to eat as much bread as possible, some animals poked their heads right into the car. We haven’t laughed this hard in a long time!

Also in Sequim is the Dungeness Spit. The spit is a narrow sandy beach that extends roughly five miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We spent a frigid spring day exploring here.

———- PACIFIC CASCADE ———-

In 2001 Jill and I graduated from Linfield College, the world was our oyster, and we told ourselves we could go anywhere. The first job offer came from Kelso, and therefore we made the decision to start our lives together in the twin cities of Kelso/Longview. Our family has many wonderful memories from our time there including the birth of our two daughters.

Long Beach & Illwaco are two Southwest Washington beach towns we enjoy slipping away to. Long Beach boasts that their peninsula is the longest continuous sandy beach in the United States; it is 28 miles long. Additionally the town maintains the Discovery Trail (named after Lewis & Clark and their Corps of Discovery) and Boardwalk that winds along the coast from Ilwaco to the northern most city limit of Long Beach.

We enjoy Marsh’s Musuem and seeing Jake the Alligator man, getting ice cream from Scoopers, and dinner at the Pickled Fish. A highlight for our family was riding horses on the seemingly never ending sandy beach. On a clear day, the views from the Pickled fish are gorgeous.

Ilwaco offers multiple hiking trails through forested hills and eventually down to Cape Disappointment and the beach. They also boast a stunning lighthouse perched high on a cliff as well as Columbia and Leadbetter State Parks. Possibilities of what to do in this area are nearly endless.

The small Columbia River gorge town of Stevenson is located roughly 45 minutes east of Vancouver. It is the home of the Skamania Lodge, which is set on nearly 200 acres of wooded acres full of hiking trails, a golf course, and three restaurants.

It is also the home of outdoor adventures such as zip lining and axe throwing. When we visited in 2021 the zip line was unfortunately closed for the winter. However, the whole family was able to sign up for an hour of axe throwing.

You would be hard pressed to find another setting that offers more quintessential Pacific Northwest beauty than Skamania Lodge.

An added bonus is the fact that it is located a mere two miles east of the famed Bridge of the Gods. The bridge was built in 1920 and spawns the Columbia River effectively connecting Stevenson, WA to Cascade Locks, OR.

The McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge, in downtown Kalama, is a unique, and a little bit eccentric restaurant located right on the Columbia River. Above the restaurant are 40 guest rooms as well as a couple of hidden rooms. This area is expanding and is a fun place to go for a night out and a walk along the river front.

ADVENTURE(S): In 2017 twelve year old Bailey came up with the idea to climb Mt. St Helens. After a full year of training Jill, Bailey, my Mom (Raelyn), and I climbed Mt. St. Helens in October of 2018.

This was the 2nd time for Jill and I. I was sore for a couple of days afterwards but it is definitely one of the best journeys I have ever been on. Highlights were the lava field boulders, the views above the clouds, and looking into the crater from the summit. I couldn’t be prouder of my 60+ year old mom who made the journey with us.

Also located on Mt St Helens is the Lower / Middle / Upper Lewis River Falls.

This can be as long or as short of a hike as you wish. Over 8 miles of trails wind along the Lewis River and there are multiple parking lots at the designated waterfalls. I believe we hiked around 4 miles and saw the lower and middle falls.

Another favorite PNW hike is Beacon Rock State Park. It is located an hour east of Portland along the Gorge. The hike is just 2 miles round trip but you feel like you are walking straight up a mountain. The hike is fairly easy and the views are amazing.

Lastly Moulton Falls, roughly 30 minutes from La Center, is where we have hiked the most. Bailey and I have explored multiple trails in this area. There are multiple waterfalls, abandoned railroad tracks, a 60 foot bridge over a canyon, and various hiking trails. This area is absolutely beautiful!

———- NORTHEAST ———-

Seeing as Spokane is six hours from home, we don’t spend a ton of time here. However, when we do travel to Spokane all of our trips seem to center around Riverfront Park. There are miles of paved paths around the river which flows through downtown. Our favorites are the massive radio flyer wagon that is a children’s slide and the billy goat garbage disposal.

Spokane Falls is located on the west side of the park and is advertised as the “largest urban waterfall in the United States.”

Their are multiple downtown Davenport Hotel locations. We have stayed at the historic and classy Davenport Hotel as well as the practical Steam Plant Hotel. Both met our needs, but man we sure did enjoy the elegant and timeless Davenport.

Restaurants we have eaten at and would recommend are, Steam Plant Restaurant and Brew Pub, Clinkerdagger, Steelhead Bar & Grille, The Satellite Diner and Lounge, Purgatory Craft Beer and Whiskey, The Peacock Room Lounge, The People’s Waffle, The Rusty Moose and the Baby Bar. While these were our favorites, there are many fine establishments in downtown Spokane. Just be aware of your surroundings as the homeless population has ballooned of late. In Cheney, we have eaten at and would recommend the Farmhouse Cafe, Barrelhouse Pub and Pizza, and The Mason Jar.

Grand Coulee Dam, two hours west of Spokane, is the most powerful dam in the United States. It was completed in 1942 and provides power to eight states and Canada. In the summer you can watch a free 30-minute laser light show dance off the concrete.

We drove to Grand Coulee from Spokane. On the way we drove through Govan, a town now listed as a ghost town. While I am not up on Govan’s history or why the town is now deserted, I did enjoy exploring the old school house in the middle of a field.

STADIUMS AND/OR SPORTING EVENTS: The fall of 2024 was my first Eastern Eagle football game.

It was parents weekend and my wife and I traveled to Cheney to visit my daughter. Saturday we attended the game vs UC Davis – the Eagles lost, but we had a blast.

I have also attended baseball games at Gonzaga as well as Washington State. In the spring of 2023 Bailey and a friend attended a 1st round March Madness (college basketball) game at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

Both baseball games were on cold spring days, but the facilities were beautiful.

The fall of 2025 was my first Washington State football game. It was the season opener and the Cougars played the Vandals of Idaho. The two campuses are only nine miles apart so there is a bit of a rivalry. However, the game wasn’t overly exciting. The weather however was perfect and we enjoyed our Martin Stadium experience on the Palouse.

———- SOUTHEAST ———-

My parents, as well as my sister, have relocated to West Valley of Yakima. Therefore, I have spent more time in and around Yakima than ever before. When we get together we tend to go out to eat. Our favorite Yakima restaurants are: Minor Burger, Major Burger, Second Street Grill, The Yakima Steak Company, and Nino’s Mexican Gill. Minor Burger is truly something special; huge portions, above average burger, and a massive dining hall. When in Yakima, this is an establishment you have to experience at least once. My oldest daughter played golf in high school. In the winter of her Junior year of high school, we played the Apple Tree Golf Course. We learned 1) we aren’t very good golfers, and 2) this is a fantastic course. The highlight was attempting to drive onto a green shaped like an apple surrounded by water.

The Gorge Amphitheater, nine miles from the town of George, is a one of a kind outdoor concert venue. We have only attended one concert here, but man we would like to return. Because it is in the middle of nowhere it presents some travel challenges. However, all challenges are worth overcoming to have the opportunity to sit outside, listen to your favorite band, and enjoy the amazing view of the Columbia River and the Gorge. Washington’s official state waterfall is Palouse Falls. The state park is located an hour and 20 minutes northeast of the Tri-Cities. There is nothing else around it, in fact we drove a couple of miles on a gravel road before finally arriving. However, it is worth it as the views are spectacular.