With whimsical towns, vast, open landscapes and a nonconformist, anti-establishment slant, the Pacific Northwest is one of the most popular vacation areas in North America. Ideal to explore by road trip, the region provides a wonderful mix of nature with modern urban comforts.
The loose geographical boundary of the Pacific Northwest extends from the north of California to the south of Alaska. To the east, the area absorbs the states of Montana and Idaho and to the west, borders the Pacific Ocean. As such, the states of Oregon, Washington, as well as a good portion of the province of British Columbia in Canada, all represent Pacific Northwest domains.
Whatever definition you choose to connote your vision of the Pacific Northwest, here are some of the must-see locales within this supreme portion of North America.
Need one good reason to visit Portland? The city is the most avant-garde in the United States of America on the green policy front, with a number of measures to reduce harmful impacts on the environment. A testament to the ethos of the Pacific Northwest as a whole, Portland has been a pioneer for decades.
At 2 million people strong, metropolitan Portland is a city that feels more like a small town. This of course, is part of the appeal. “The City of Roses” has superb attractions to offer and a plethora of good restaurants and caf?s. Start with the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park, with phenomenal vistas of downtown Portland, the Cascade Mountains and Mount Hood. With over 550 types of roses on display, the garden is immense.
The Pearl District was once a warehouse and industrial area that now, because of gentrification, features common hipster symbols like gastropubs, wine bars and retro boutiques. The Portland Art Museum, colossal even by New York City standards, has over 40,000 works of art and a great permanent collection. A hotbed of microbrewery, no trip to Portland would be complete without a thorough inspection of the local suds.
With a metropolitan population well over 3 million people, Seattle has become one of the defacto nexus points of the United States. The city however, exudes quintessential Pacific Northwest charm and will not overwhelm visitors in town for a short stay. For a three day sojourn on your tour of the area, Seattle is more than ideal.
Get the Space Needle out of the way first. The premier landmark on the skyline is worth a visit and serves as a nice beacon on the horizon to point your way around downtown. Pike Place Market is one of the best in the country, with a premium on local produce and farms. For a genuine taste of the Pacific Northwest, this is the place to be. The Experience Music Project, with prototypical architecture by Frank Gehry, was the brainchild of billionaire and Seattle native Paul Allen. With famous music memorabilia and tech-heavy interactive exhibits, the EMP is not your everyday museum. Caffeine addicts may want to round out a visit to Seattle with a trip to the Starbucks Center, the flagship office of the international coffee chain.
Check out the best hotel deals in idyllic Seattle.
The fortunes of Vancouver have never been better. The city has been on a phenomenal rise over the past two decades, with waves of investment and immigration from Asia, profitable Hollywood production deals and attention from the international community as one of the most livable on the planet. Though many denizens of Vancouver bemoan the current price of real estate and job competition as a result of the incessant global affection for this future Olympic Games host, the prospects for great tourism remain solid.
The most dense city in North America, save for New York City, San Francisco and Mexico City, almost half of Vancouver’s 2.5 million metropolitan population speaks a mother tongue other than English. As such, it behooves any intrepid tourist to explore the ethnic ‘hoods of the city. The Chinatown section of Vancouver is one of the most impressive in North America, with myriad audible dialects from mainland China and many superb restaurant options. Japantown and Punjabi Market reflect two other major ethnic enclaves that together give Vancouver a completely distinct and motley flavour.
Sites not to miss in Vancouver include Stanley Park, one of the best city parks in the world, Vancouver Library Square, with architecture by Moshe Safdie, and the nightlife on Nilson and Granville. With a dense downtown area however, a mere walk about the city will reveal endless landmarks of interest, from art deco skyscrapers to quaint boutiques. If you want to get outside the urban rush, arrange a trip to the world class Whistler Blackcomb resort, home to a good portion of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Discover some great hotel rates in beautiful Vancouver.
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Beautiful photos! Here are a few tips for visitors to the Seattle area —
Athletic types visiting the Eastside (Bellevue, Kirkland, or Redmond) should check out the Bellevue Club, and upscale athletic club with a luxury boutique hotel attached. Great facilities and an additional $15 million addition to the athletic complex coming soon.
Shoppers will appreciate the Inn at the Market, in the heart of Pike Place Market with views of Puget Sound, a block or so from the original Starbuck’s. It’s another luxury boutique hotel that books up early (particularly May-September), so reserve in advance. While there, dine at petite Place Pigalle for upscale French cuisine, Etta’s for stylish contemporary fare, or Cutter’s for highly satisfying — albeit more mainstream — casual dining, each very easy walking distance from the Inn.
For fun and funky, meaning artistically eccentric, drive on over to Fremont, the Seattle community that bills itself as “the center of the universe.” Lots of arty shops. Then for a grown-up meal, stop at the 35th Street Bistro, home of a local gifted chef who takes cuisine seriously without making it inaccessible … or low-cal.