My Favorite Places - The Pacific Northwest

My father lives in Vancouver, Washington, which is directly across a bridge from Portland, Oregon. He has lived there for about three years, and I have visited him three times. Two times were with my little sister, Amanda, and once was with my boyfriend, Yat Fan. The images in this post are a mix of my own images, and images of places I have gone, but found online for better quality. The Pacific Northwest is absolutely beautiful. Once on a walk in the morning, it felt like a crisp fall day in Oklahoma standards! I've been jealous ever since. There are three mountain peaks that you can see from various parts of Portland, along with Powell's Books that is so big that it has it's own block, Japanese Gardens, Rose Gardens, hipsters, and tiny walk/drive up coffee shops. A drive of a couple hours will get you to the ocean, and sticking to Highway 101 will keep you mainly along the coast. Washington is also home to Olympic National Park, which I had the pleasure of driving around completely, all the way to Seattle. Please enjoy these images!

Just a sample of some wall art in Downtown Portland:

(Personal image, Downtown Portland)

Powell's Books is five stories. You get a map when you go in, which have various posters based on actual places in Oregon, and there is a coffee shop. I could spend a lifetime in here!

The Portland Streetcar in front of Powell's Books
Image by Cacophony, Source: Wikimedia

Japanese Gardens:

Portland Japanese Gardens
Image by John Patrick Pullen, Source: Travel Portland

Bountiful may be the best word to describe the Rose Gardens. Rows and rows of roses of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. I couldn't help taking a billion pictures. The Gardens even has a little gift shop. I purchased some rose tea from a lovely lady.

Rose Test Gardens Portland
Image by Cacophony, Source: Wikimedia

This next image is from a drive along the Oregon and California coasts. It was summer and still super cold! We saw some redwoods, a lot of beach, and some deer that didn't want to talk to you if you didn't have food. (I didn't have food.)

(Personal image, petting zoo in California)

The Oregon Coast:

The Oregon coastline looking south from Ecola State Park
Image by Cacophony, Source: Wikimedia

Going back to Oregon and Crater Lake National Park. It's literally a lake on top of a volcano. There's only one little boat for tourists in it, so the lake stays super blue and beautiful.

Crater Lake National Park
Image by Rim Village, Source: Wikipedia

Going further north, into Olympic National Park! I didn't think I'd ever see so much moss. It was really relaxing walking through various parts of this forest. So quiet and peaceful. I would not mind living around this park at all.

Forest at Olympic National Park, WA
Image by Miguel V., Source: Good Free Photos

Olympic National Park
Image by B. Bell, Source: NPS

An example of the tiny coffee shops you encounter everywhere (although this one is a bit scandalous, lol):

 The Sweet Spot Cafe espresso hut in Shoreline, Washington
Image by Joanna, Source: Wikimedia

Driving clockwise around Olympic National Park, you'll run into Seattle. Super rainy, but home to the first Starbucks! I bought a coffee with gingerbread instead of trying one of the reserve coffees. 

:'-D The store is located in the Pike Place Market and is actually quite small. Also, you can't pick merchandise off the shelf to buy it! You can look, but you tell the person at checkout what you want and they will get it from the back. How funny.

(Personal image, first Starbucks)

Lastly, here I am with Yat Fan in the Space Needle. We bought a City Pass (highly recommended to save you money!) and got to go morning and night. Not a bad view. Also, if you're into seafood, Seattle has tons.

(Personal image, Seattle Space Needle)

Anytime someone mentions Oregon or Washington, I feel the need to rave about the places I have gone. Although I've only been to the PNW three times, I got to experience a lot more than these pictures can show. I hope this post has inspired you to visit the beautiful and fun Pacific Northwest. :)