Mountains, oceans, coffee, nightlife oh my! There is a little bit of everything for travelers out in the PNW in May.
The PNW! What a beautiful vacation. Ive never seen such beautiful mountain views. Everything I love in one place.. the ocean, mountains, tons of coffee, beer, delicious food, and adventure! They say Seattle is non-stop rain.. I think that’s so everyone wont move there. We had our share of gloomy days, but the weather was in the 60-70’s and sunny in early May. We covered over 350 miles in our pretty Mustang rental car (we pretended it was ours with our Cali license plate) and cruised all over the scenic state. My boyfriend and I always at the end of our trip pick our top 5 favorite things of the trip on our car ride home. I have too many favorites in Seattle, but here is my "mini list" of my top things to see, taste, and do!
Leavenworth, WA: Ive never personally been to Germany, my boyfriend has, and he said this is about as close you can get to the real thing. It is a perfect german village tucked into the mountains, wineries (Hard Row To Hoe), rooftop restaurants, shopping, river rafting, hiking, etc! It was a blast. The drive there is 2 hours of straight beautiful mountains! Go to Munchen Haus for amazing sausage and 40 different types of mustard. Go to Gustavs for perfect rooftop mountain views and a huge beer.
Hurricane Ridge: Over the river (ocean) and through the woods to Hurricane Ridge we go! It is quiet a commute, but such a beautiful view from atop. Its about 3 hours one way driving, plus a ferry ride. It’s in Olympic National Park. We stopped at Butcher and Baker Provisions for lunch on the way and it was awesome food fuel. We'd love to go see the rest of Olympic National Park but it is HUGE. It would take weeks, there is a section that is like a rainforest with hot springs! That's next on the list.
Pikes Place: This was definitely on our list for touristy reasons. We walked around there, watched them throw fish, shopped, looked at pretty tulips, grabbed a bite to eat, walked by the original Starbucks coffee! Just around the corner is downtown as well as the pier where The Great Wheel is.
The Rental Car: Do yourself a favor and splurge on a fun convertible to drive around in! There’s a lot driving, mine as well get a tan while doing so. It was a blast DJ-ing and soaking up the views of WA. We made a random stop after our Hurricane Ridge day to see the Elwha River and it was beautiful (a little scary walking through the woods though thinking about mountain lions haha)!
The Coffee: You really can’t go wrong. All the local coffee shops are amazing. My favorites for Lattes where.. Milstead, Vif Wine + Coffee, Pallazo, Local Color Coffee.
The Breweries: You could spend a vacation alone just going to Breweries. There are at least 15 walking distance in the Fremont neighborhood area. We stopped at Fremont Brewery because we needed a cold beer and sunshine on a big patio after our flight.
The food: Lots of brunching, lots of freshly caught salmon sandwiches, and clam chowder. We liked..Lost Lake Eatery, The Red Door, Rock Creek, The Backdoor, Anthonys, but didnt nearly make a dent in the food scene. Next time!
Nightlife: It is a very fun, young, active, trendy city! We had a blast bar hoping and liked the Fremont area for that. Unicorn bar was awesome and a complete carnival theme. Easily the favorite.
History and Art: There are many pieces of art, history, and sites placed all over Washington! We were able to squeeze in seeing The Gum Wall (ew), The Fremont Troll, The Great Wheel, and Gas Works Park. We loved the view from Gas works park, a perfect spot for skyline pictures of Seattle's Downtown!
Next Time:
More local Breweries and Wineries
Go to Tulip Town when they bloom
See Mt Rainier and hike Mt Rainier National Park
Go to the glass blowing art museum (apparently the best in the US)
Do a sunset cruise by boat during whale season
Check out Woodinville Wine Country and their many MANY wine tastings
See a baseball game
Go to The Space Needle (was under construction)
EAT MORE SEAFOOD AND TRY MORE COFFEE
