Portland, Oregon
We stayed at the coolest hotel ever, The Kennedy School Hotel. We swam in the salt water pool located in the old teacher's lounge, stayed in Miss Dobie's classroom, watched "Water for Elephants" on a couch in the old auditorium and enjoyed dinner, drinks and a few games of pool! We also walked around the neighborhood and fell in love with the unique homes.
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| We stayed in Mrs. Dobie's Room at the Kennedy School in Portland, OR! |
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| We loved walking around in the neighborhood - the flowers were gorgeous! |
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| The original Voodoo Donuts in Portland, OR. |
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| Union Station in Portland, OR. |
Remember when the worst thing you could imagine was being kept after class? My, how things have changed! At Kennedy School, you'll never want to leave. Here you can have a pint in a classroom, enjoy an aged whiskey and a cigar in detention, take a dip in the pool in the teacher's lounge, enjoy a movie in the old auditorium.... The possibilities here are endless.
In March '10, the Kennedy School was named the #1 Quirkiest Hotel in the U.S. by TripAdvisor.com -- an A+ for us!
Since its 1915 opening, this historic elementary school has been a beloved fixture of its Northeast Portland neighborhood. McMenamins renovated the once-abandoned scholastic gem and turned it into Portland's most unique hotel. Here you'll find 35 comfy guestrooms fashioned from former classrooms (complete with original chalkboards and cloakrooms, private baths and telephones), a restaurant, multiple small bars, a movie theater, soaking pool, gift shop and a brewery (just wait until the principal hears about this!). Extensive original artwork and historical photographs cover the walls, ceilings, doorways and hallways.
In the morning we went to check out Voodoo Doughnuts (a Portland staple), but after a few minutes in the LONNNG line, they ran out of doughnuts! We also walked the Broadway Bridge in Portland before boarding the Amtrak to head to Seattle. The weather was in the 70's and sunny... perfect day!
Seattle, Washington
What a great place for food lovers! We stayed at the Hyatt Downtown...which was in a wonderful location. We were just a short walk from all the tourist hot spots and tons of food! On the first night we headed down to Pike's Public Market (an awesome strip of shops and sights located where they toss the fish around in the mornings and afternoons). Also located within Pike's is the original Starbucks location. Of course the line was out of the door. Just a short walk from the original Starbucks is the famous (of infamous . . .) "gum wall". The entire wall is covered in gum from tourists who have visited. Naturally, Richard contributed (it was pretty gross . . .).
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| Original Starbucks in Seattle! |
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| Pike's Place Market in Seattle! |
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| Richard adding gum to the gum wall in Seattle. |
That night we ate at Ivar's Acres of Clams right on the harbor (next to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop). We had some great seafood and a nice view.
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| Dinner at Ivars |
The next day was very full! Richard woke up early and jogged to Elliott Bay Park (great views of the ocean). Then we hit the gym and the steam room & sauna. Then we did the underground tour of Pioneer Square (where the "old" Seattle used to be before it burned to the ground and they built on top of it). Afterwards we checked out Elliott's Oyster House (with a great patio on the pier). We ordered a dozen raw oysters, and ate them all (Jessa was . . . iffy about them but she ate her 6). After that we went to zig zag cafe for some creative drinks and then on to The Pink Door for a great dinner on a great patio.
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| Elliott's Oyster House |
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| View from our hotel room in Seattle. |
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| Space Needle in Seattle. |
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| Seattle |
Vancouver, Canada
Our experience in Vancouver had a rocky start but quickly turned into a fun, exciting and active trip! We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel and Spa in Downtown Vancouver - a great hotel with an amazing view of the city. We toured historic Gastown, then ventured into China Town (which we do not recommend). China Town was filled with crazy people, dark alleys and suspicious activity... thanks for the recommendation Trip Advisor! I couldn't help but look down every dark alley....Richard kept telling me to look away and not make eye contact! lol We ended our night at the Pour House Restaurant in Gastown. Not only was the food great and the venue unique, we had a live performer singing Frank Sinatra songs (Richard's favorite)!
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| Gastown in Vancouver - Steam Clock |
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| Dinner at the Pourhouse in Vancouver, Canada |
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| Scary Chinatown in Vancouver, Canada |
The following day was packed with fun and adventure. Richard kicked off the morning with a 6 mile run around Stanley park, then we worked out / swam at our hotel. One of my favorite parts of trip was experiencing a Thai Massage from Smile Thai. The massage was a mixture of a Swedish massage with yoga - it was wonderful and much needed. This was definitely a new experience and I would recommend it to anyone!
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| Smile Thai Massage |
Following our massage, we took a bus to the Capilano Suspension Bridge (longest suspension bridge in the world). It was SO scary and shook like crazy.
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| Cliffwalk |
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| Suspension Bridge - so scary! |
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| Suspension Bridge |
We also rented bikes and biked around Stanley park. The views were absolutely gorgeous!
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| Biking in Stanley Park |
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| Biking in Stanley Park |
We rounded out the day by grabbing fresh sushi in Northern Vancouver at Octopus Garden. Yum! Following dinner, we attended Bard on the Beach to see "As You Like It" (a Shakespeare play). What a cool performance. The theater was open and the background was the water and mountains. We really enjoyed the Shakespeare production!
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| Octopus Garden - For dessert, "octopus" gummies! |
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| Bard on the Beach |
Another trip down. We loved every minute of it (minus Vancouver's China Town...ha!)!
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