Submitted by [deleted] t3_10lc1qt in Washington
[deleted]
Comments
pala4833 t1_j5w430e wrote
> you'd be past most of the heavy traffic area of the corridor from Seattle to Olympia.
Coming from Victoria, I'd definitely take the Hood Canal down.
SummitMyPeak t1_j5w6qux wrote
Bellingham, Mt Vernon, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia all have things to do in them that would justify a stop. I'm curious why you aren't already spending at least one night in Seattle, given its similarities with Portland in size and things to do.
julyninetyone t1_j5w6z86 wrote
I did a weekend trip in seattle last summer. Want to visit portland this time.
SummitMyPeak t1_j5w7hpz wrote
Gotcha! Check out those other towns if you can!
jesuisggb t1_j5wabdd wrote
Left Bank Patisserie in Olympia, the pastries are life changing
Yurtalien t1_j5wawh1 wrote
Port Townsend is well worth the visit!
SmbdysDad t1_j5wewbv wrote
Depends on what you like to do.
Hiking/scenery? Museums? Fishing? Comedy clubs?
uhdeadman t1_j5wgk83 wrote
While you're in Portland, go over the bridge to Vancouver, Washington. In Esther Short, there's a clocktower with salmon statues, if my memory is correct, if you get there at a certain time, the tower opens up and tells a little history story of the chinook people who lived there. Its also a great spot for a Saturday farmers market. I used to live in Vancouver and the last I visited it was one of my favorite stops.
YewSonOfBeach t1_j5wgner wrote
Wilbur and Davenport will treat you right.
peffervescence t1_j5wjonw wrote
Drive to Point Deception, then take the ferry from Coupville to Port Townsend, then take 101 down Hood Canal to Olympia. Stop for the night in Olympia and have a nice dinner. If you have the time take Hwy 8 to Aberdeen and pick up 101 south. Follow the coast and head to Astoria, OR. You could stay the night there. It’s an easy drive to Portland from there.
grw2020 t1_j5wk00a wrote
La Conner, WA, sweet little town.
Gloomy-Employment-72 t1_j5wohv4 wrote
I'd second this.
washdot t1_j5wp8d6 wrote
Visit the Chihuly glass museum either in Seattle, at the Space Needle site or the Bridge of Glass, Chihuly museum if glass in Tacoma. Unforgettable experience
Gloomy-Employment-72 t1_j5wpclu wrote
Definitely stop at the border. They get testy if you don't.
After that, LaConnor would be a nice place for lunch and a stretch of the legs. I'm an airplane geek, so there's the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle. Olympia for a look at the State Capitol. There are factory stores in Chehalis, but you may do better on prices in Portland, with no sales tax (if you plan to ship a bit).
rmk70 t1_j5x0z7s wrote
What’s the travel plan? Are you taking the coho ferry and coming through the peninsula, or BC ferries and down I-5?
ElGatoChapo t1_j5x1r0z wrote
Speaking the truth!
julyninetyone t1_j5x6k90 wrote
Not decided yet. We might do one way coho and one way via Vancouver BC
[deleted] OP t1_j5xvlv5 wrote
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peggysue_82 t1_j5yg2d2 wrote
Bring your mace, Portland has gotten really dangerous.
tooriel t1_j5ykh2x wrote
Old School Pizza in DT Olympia, then stop at the artesian fountain and say hello to some hippies
Mef989 t1_j5z7n20 wrote
I definitely agree with this. While the Highway 16 to I-5 route is faster, the Hood Canal route is way more scenic and has a great view.
pala4833 t1_j5z7z8v wrote
Bit out of the way for a trip from Victoria to Portland.
pala4833 t1_j5z8731 wrote
They're coming from Victoria.
grw2020 t1_j5zkj55 wrote
Only about 10 miles off of I5, and well worth it. We spent a lazy afternoon watching the seals in the Chanel. Art, food, and adorable shops line the Main Street 😊
pala4833 t1_j5zkue5 wrote
They're coming from Victoria.
peffervescence t1_j5zqogk wrote
Yeah, I know.
pala4833 t1_j60g0pr wrote
So you think taking the ferry from Vancouver Island to Vancouver to see Deception Pass only to then take the limited access ferry back to the Olympic Peninsula makes sense? That turns a 4 hour trip to Portland into a 10+ hour journey.
peffervescence t1_j60k358 wrote
If you read the OP you might understand that they have multiple days and want to sightsee. Yeesh.
Stabbymcappleton t1_j6291s4 wrote
There’s fuckall along 101 from Port Angeles all along Hood Canal. Skip Hoodsport. It sucks.
That said, the Mexican food in Shelton, the burgers in Tacoma (if you take the Hood Canal bridge over to Hwy 3 and pay the Narrows bridge toll, saves you about an hour and is safer) are both crazy good. I highly recommend taking the Bremerton/Tacoma route rather than the slow winding shitshow that is US101. Just South of Tacoma is Lakewood which has the best Korean and Vietnamese cuisine North of Los Angeles.
Olympia is boring, lame and doesn’t have shit for decent anything.
Centralia has a decent Mexican place called La Tarasca. Chehalis has a place called The Shire that was started by a guy whom was fucked over by Portland-based McMenemin’s. Don’t waste any time or money at a McMenemin’s restaurant. The food and drinks both are super overpriced and shitty. They’re all over Portland.
Further South from Chehalis is a burger joint of the Vader exit called Mrs. Beesley’s. It’s actually decent, and full of the pictures of all the celebrities that have been there over the decades.
Longview has a decent seafood restaurant and great Mexican food. Asshole cops though.
South of Longview, you might as well punch through to Portland. There’s was good food in Vancouver, but it’s off the beaten path, and a pain in ass to get to and then get back to the freeway. I don’t know what survived the pandemic.
Hope that helps.
Stabbymcappleton t1_j629gph wrote
Chihuly is a hack. His profits off young, dumb kids he tricks into working for him.
Stabbymcappleton t1_j62c70y wrote
I agree. Last time we took the Amtrak down, Courthouse square had become like East Hastings in Vancouver BC like something out of Robocop. Nutjobs howling at the moon and tweekers fucking with you at the food truck courts. 0/10. But I don’t think you can get through Customs with mace. Just buy some when you get into Portland at a sporting goods store, and shitcan it before you try to cross back.
julyninetyone t1_j62di1o wrote
Wow Thanks!
Stabbymcappleton t1_j62m1pa wrote
Oh yeah also: Fer fucksake never eat at Del Taco unless you wanna spend the next three days shitting your guts out. Also the highway cops are dicks. A radar/laser detector is recommended.
washdot t1_j6428p9 wrote
That’s because he can’t see. You can’t blow glass with one eye. No depth perception. Those that work for him do get invaluable glass work exposure. It’s hard to start out in glass blowing. Very expensive to develop your style and path. Same thing in Murano. You would be an apprentice for many years. I don’t think going to look at the work denigrates the final product.
grw2020 t1_j64bbz4 wrote
They might be taking the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver, not the one to Pt Townsend? If they take the latter, Poulsbo (little Norway) is a good stop.
pala4833 t1_j64bwuy wrote
There's no ferry from Victoria to Vancouver, nor is there a ferry from Victoria to Port Townsend. They could take the ferry from Swartz Bay to Vancouver, but that turns a 4 hour drive from Victoria to Portland into a 10+ hour journey.
pala4833 t1_j64colt wrote
Mace and pepper spray are illegal in Canada.
Stabbymcappleton t1_j64kdba wrote
No, it’s not. I’ve made bowls and cups. What’s expensive is the blast furnaces, O2, and power bills. You’re full of shit.
grw2020 t1_j64ljg3 wrote
Sorry, Victoria to Port Angeles. Got the wrong port.
grw2020 t1_j64luuy wrote
Hurricane Ridge on the Oly Pen is magnificent!
grw2020 t1_j64n2du wrote
tbh I read Vancouver, not Victoria. Sorry.
[deleted] OP t1_j64u1ma wrote
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pala4833 t1_j64u4z3 wrote
Are you blind in one eye?
pala4833 t1_j64ucco wrote
So when you say "I read Vancouver, not Victoria..." that isn't really true
grw2020 t1_j65snx2 wrote
I thought OP was driving from Vancouver BC to Portland OR. 🫤
aagusgus t1_j5vy1wg wrote
Olympia would be good "halfway" point, although it's a bit closer to Portland than BC. But that would be a good stopping point as you'd be past most of the heavy traffic area of the corridor from Seattle to Olympia.