If the Pacific Northwest – or by its local moniker, the PNW – had a mood board it would look something like this: misty pines of blue-green, craggy coastlines, crisp craft beer, and wood-paneled coffee shops. By that measure, our travels through the region’s national parks (North Cascades and Olympic National Park) and cities (Spokane, Seattle, and Portland) were pretty on-brand and almost like a homecoming, as we caught up with many friends and family on the way.
Eastern Washington state looks a lot like the nicest parts of Pennsylvania: rolling, grain-laden hills and expansive vistas. Johnny Appleseed must’ve been through this part of the country; we found ourselves bobbing along apple orchard-strewn valleys as we approached Spokane, whose industrial, blue-collar elegance was reminiscent of Pittsburgh. The North Cascades, sandwiched between Spokane and Seattle, were rustic, and unusual: some of its lakes, like Diablo Lake, are genuinely green because of the high mica-content in the soil. Olympic National Park was… spooky, magical, stunning, ancient. Its towering, mossy oaks looked like cousins to Tolkien’s Ents; Mt. Olympus certainly played the title role well, rising snow-capped and straight-backed from sea-level to just shy of 8,000 feet; and the rocky coastline was rugged and final. The entirety of the Olympic Peninsula felt like the last chapter of a really good book, as if to say, ‘and here at last is the edge of the contiguous American landmass, everywhere from whence you came lays behind you.’
Seattle is a perfect city for the modern, urban explorer; it’s got beautiful nature, interesting and unique outdoor spaces (like Gasworks Park), fun local sports team (yes, we did get to a Mariners game!), a hoppin’ food scene (yes it was touristy, but Pike Place Market is so worth checking out, as was nearby bakery Le Panier), and ample opportunity for strolling (like Pioneer Square and Capitol Hill) and chilling. We even found a bar with the trifecta of our afternoon desires – pinball, beer, and ice cream – at Full Tilt in Ballard.
A mere few hours from Seattle, Portland is equally delightful. And, the food scene! Looking back on it, it really does seem like we tried to eat as much as we could in the 24 hours we spent there. From Stumptown Coffee Roasters (a perennial local favorite) to Cerulean (a low-key, chic, artsy wine bar) to Salt and Straw for ice cream to Pine State Biscuits for an early-morning, quality, comfort-food breakfast, we delighted in everything Portland offered. We even caught a Nats game broadcast at the neighborhood-y Yur’s bar. We stayed in Wallace Park, in the city’s northeastern area; it was so lovely that we peeped some real estate listings just to see 😉
So the PNW was indeed like its mood board, but it was so much more too: a little wild and totally expressive.
Pale Yellow Van 