ROAD TRIP 2011: portland, seattle, vancouver

ITT you give me tips, advice, suggestions for places to go, roads to travel, trails to hike, spots to camp in, hotels to stay in, in the above named areas.

pertinent information:
- we live in the east bay, CA
- we will have maybe 2 weeks vacation time
- mid to late may 2011 is really the only time we can go
- neither of us (me, ytth) have really travelled the above named areas before
- def want to fit in seattle and portland
- types of stuff we'd be into: ~nature~, contemporary art, books, mountain biking (i don't but ytth does)

thanking you in advance,
x just1n3

Stay with us when you are in Seattle!

there is A LOT of nature if you drive up the coastal highway!
that's the trip i did in late May with a friend - it's a really good time to go, it turns out! - we went from SF to Victoria, BC via Port Angeles ferry - the drive is realllly beautiful. it obv takes longer than going up the I-5 though, which leads you to seattle and portland. maybe you could do that on the way back down, from vancouver, which is great to visit (and has good mountain biking)

books:

portland has powell's books, which will probably make you go O_O and spend a few hundred bucks.
vancouver (should you get up there) has a couple of amazing bookshops, the names of which escape me at the moment

nature:

stay at this place in gold beach: http://www.tututun.com/

right along the rogue river in a forested area, but only a few miles from the ocean. pretty epic.

i recommend a trip to bend, oregon, which is in the high desert part of oregon an hour or so SE of mount hood. if you can, stay here: http://www.mcmenamins.com/421-old-st-francis-school-home

more later.

i notice you didn't say vancouver btw but it's really well worth the trip. incredible food, beautiful scenery, only a couple hours north of seattle. i guess it depends on whether or not you feel like dealing with crossing the border and going up that far.

Unfortunately the roads in Lassen National Park will probably still be closed in late May, otherwise I'd say go to Bumpass Hell or the Sulphur Works.

I live by Fantagraphics btw. I will get mt bike recs from my boss who spends every minute bashing around on his - he did the Rogue earlier this year and some area near Mt. Hood.

Robert's Books in Lincoln City OR (over on the coast) is amazing and worth the detour.

arcata to crescent city (with stops in the redwoods) is like my favorite drive ever

yeah vancouver is definitely on our list of potential places to visit.

jaq! OMG fantagraphics is on jordan's top 5 places to visit!!

reviving this bc it is still a THING. went on a big adventure drive through sonoma county yesterday, so psyched for 2 weeks of doing the same!

If you cross the Bay, I'd totally have a drink w/y'all.

I did this exact trip last year and it was pretty great

got arrested at the border coming back in but it turned out ok

I know all the border guards at Blaine. Tell 'em you know kate78 and it will all be okay.

the cop looked exactly like the cop bro in law from breaking bad it was pretty surreal

i crossed at peace arch on friday. pretty funny border guard

her: why were you denied entry to canada?
me: 10 years ago a guy i was with had a marijuana pipe
her: been arrested?
me: no
her: fingerprinted?
me: no
her: bye bye

she atually said "bye bye". and waved me on! usually i have to pull over and go inside and tell them how much money i have and explain my itinerary and make it very very clear that i will not be staying in canada

anyway, olympic and redwood national parks will prob have the least shit closed down right now so there's a lot to do there, def try to do the hoh rainforest

how hard is it crossing the border? i have a conditional US green card

its super easy getting in, they many do a search coming out, but on the whole its not a big deal at all, one of my friends was just real stupid at the time

No prob. if you can you travel to Canada on your passport without visas, etc. Just make sure you have your PR card with you (I think by law you have to have it on you at all times) for re-entry.

...but when the Canadian border guard asks you how long you're staying, give them a definite date of return to the US. Don't pull the "oh, we're just gonna see where the wind takes us" crap 'cause they'll bar you. Also, don't have anything on your record. I've recently had friends kicked back to the States for misdemeanors and not having evidence of onward/return travel.

arcata to crescent city (with stops in the redwoods) is like my favorite drive ever

― party central (con suelo), Tuesday, September 28, 2010 7:59 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark

yeah this

Do the hall of giants drive (I think that's what it's called) that you'll see advertised on the highway, its wayyyyyy better than the hokey name sounds and you can just get out of your car at any point and tromp through the redwoods. If you have time, and if it's open, do the fern canyon hike in redwood national park (this will be a p long detour if you end up doing it, like half a day or so), but it'll probably be empty and way worth it. A shorter, easier detour hike around the arcata area that'll give you great coastal views and beach walking times would be a couple of the trails around the Trinidad area, I think one's called the trinidad head trail.

"how hard is it crossing the border? i have a conditional US green card"

It used to be super easy but it's gotten a little more irritating lately. They might search you, but I would guess that at worst it'll be a waste of 1/4 of an hour (unless they find drugs or bombs, of course).

And by search you, I mean look in your trunk. Not search you personally.

Look in the tunk.

You know, TMBG are touring in Sept and are playing Seattle and Portland round that time.

ok so our three main stops are now gonna be portland, seattle, vancouver (hence the changed title). will be stopping in between but will probably camp. i'm mostly looking for recommendations for cheap-ish yet decent hotels/motels to stay in the 3 big cities - under $100 p/night incl taxes, clean, not too far out from the main city.

Seattle: Georgetown Inn (though some noise due to Boeing Field air traffic, this is v.v. close to Fantagraphics and all the awesomeness that is Georgetown), Executive Hotel Pacific (downtown), The Inn at Queen Anne (near Seattle Center)

can cosign the Inn At Queen Anne. We have stayed there a few times, nothing fancy but clean, good location, good "base" for sightseeing adventures

Portland probably ace or Jupiter hotels? Not too sure about cost, but that seems to be where people stay when they cone here. Ace a little more expensive I'd bet but v v centrally located.

jupiter is under a hundred iirc.

There's also the Travelodge across the street

In Portland, you should eat street food, lots of it, and in Seattle you should get drinks with me.

yes! where do you live?? maybe we could come get you and take you with us to hang with lxyjergzjaq <3

I live in Everett, which is in Seattle's north end burbs, but I'd be down to FAP either there (it's right on the way to Vancouver) or in Seattle (or hell, both).

working out our itinerary today

sunday may 22 drive to crater lake, stay in bend
monday drive to portland
tuesday in portland - what are the areas to visit, things to do (apart from powells)?
wednesday drive to seattle - things to do? places to visit? already on the list are: fantagraphics, pikes market, FAP with lxyjergzjaqrev
thursday in seattle
friday in seattle
saturday drive to vancouver - best area to stay in? activities?
sunday in vancouver
monday in vancouver
tuesday drive to olympic national park
wednesday-friday coastal drive back down - stops along the way?

Stay at the Jerico Beach hostel in Kitsalano in west Vancouver. It's right on the beach, nicely priced and near the best area for shopping etc. Check out UBC and maybe hike down to Wreck Beach if you want to.

Take the gondola up to uh…that mountain in North Van. It's cheap and fun. Ride a water taxi to Granville island, rent a bike and bike around the seawall from Yaletown to Stanley Park. If hostels arent your thing, make a reservation ASAP for The Sylvia Hotel at Stanley Park. Beautiful old hotel in a prime location.

The best thing to do in Portland is eat at as many different food trucks as possible. There isn't a whole lot to do. Rent bikes, it's pretty flat and small.

In Seattle visit the parks. Seward, Discovery, Cal Anderson, Interlaken, Ravenna and Carkeek. On your way to these parks you'll see lots of different neighborhoods and plenty of beautiful drives. Take Chuckanut drive detour from Seattle to Vancouver. Start right after Burlington and take it to Bellingham. Have lunch in bellingham. Don't miss Chuckanut Drive.

OMG Jaq lives in Seattle!!! Plz plz hang out w me when I visit, Jaq!!!

Leave early Tuesday and take the tswassen ferry in BC to Victoria. Hang out in Victoria until the last ferry to Port Angeles. Do Olympic peninsula from there. Make ferry res online.

thanking u!

Grouse Mt in North Van, btw. Shop 4th ave in Kits and also Main St if you are wanting cool shops. The downtown area is full of chains and bullshit IMO. Avoid Gastown, it's surrounded by junkies and boring as fuck.

portlandmercury.com
thestranger.com
Georgiastraight.com (I think)

The Mercury and Stranger both have great local coupon deals for food and activities. MercPerks and StrangerMart. Check these every week until you come for half price deals and save some money.

There's a few ilxors in portland, like me. Visit Ground Kontrol, voodoo donut, the 24hr church of elvis, wander up hawthorne, etc

Hmmm... I managed not to stumble across the 24hrCoE while I lived there. But yeah, Ground Kontrol, Voodoo, Hawthorne District are all essential. Alberta District is cool, too. Waterfront park and the Eastbank Esplanade are nice to walk (or bike) around.

but basically...

The best thing to do in Portland is eat at as many different food trucks as possible.

I thought church of elvis had become just a shadow of it's once great self? (nb, I grew up here and have never even been to CofE so what do I know)

It is, but it's down the street from Ground Kontrol, so it's easily visited.

jericho beach hostel is dope, but kind of distant from anything, you know? kitsilano is a dead zone. ubc looks like a us army base in japan or something. stay in the city. fuck around. smoke weed. check out chinatown. go out to the suburbs.

vancouver:

if you dig irish bars, the irish heather in gastown is tremendous, more upscale and gastropubby than dropkick murphied-out. the owner of that place also has a supposedly excellent wine and tapas spot called the judas goat.

the alibi room cosigned: amazing beer, excellent food.

try to eat some sushi while you're up there, too. toshi sushi was the place we went too, pretty incredible.

the three lions is an A+ british pub/restaurant.

we stayed in a condo near 1st and main for three nights, i recall the rental price as not too bad?

and if you're feeling like dessert, check out la casa gelato: http://www.lacasagelato.com/

avoid pizza!!

boundary bay brewing in bellingham seconded!!!

if you happen to take interstate 5 down instead of the coast, definitely stop in ashland, oregon.

I will 2nd the Irish Heather. Omar, we're of the same mind!

sushi is... try kimura right now, which has this weird loss leader $40 omakase by a dude that's up on "trad" sushi prep but also worked in cali and shanghai. sushi hachi is the best in town. check it out. bizarre opening hours, though. for gastown places, irish heather is aight, judas goat is okay, but if u dig cocktails, check out the diamond, pourhouse. go down to chinatown for baobei (#2 best new restaurant in canada, right?) for hipsterchinatown+old shanghai vibe, good cocktails, cool room (the keefer is next door and is another option). speaking of the avoid pizza rec, nicli antica just opened and is aight neapolitan stuff. but fuck it, go eat at guu gastown or something instead, man. or go to kingsway and eat hood vietnamese with niggas playing cards and smoking dumauriers in the corner and the best bun bo hue ever etc. or go out to richmond and eat shanghainese (there are 10+ shanghainese joints in richmond alone) or, like, beijiang, which is the outpost of a jiangnan-based xinjiang restaurant (it's okay!) or alvin garden in burnaby for farmhouse hunanese or.... what i'm saying is: take the skytrain out into richmond, surrey, wherever, for at least one of those days. smoke lots of weed.

where is the shitty part of vancouver we should avoid staying in? looking at hotels right now but no idea where the sketchy areas are to avoid. thinking about booking at the ramada inn:
3475 Hastings St E Vancouver, BC V5K2A5 Canada

That's well east of the shitty part of Hastings St.

kinda far from downtown/vancouver proper tho

"kinda far" - that's two blocks from city limits, with only a city bus to take you anywhere. If you're staying out of downtown make it near a skytrain station. But stay downtown if you can. The only area to avoid is the three or four blocks of Hastings on either side of Main Street, though the Patricia Hotel is fine. Even two or three blocks beyond this are some great hotels, like this place: http://www.victorianhotel.ca/hotel_main.html

downtown hotels seem really expensive - we ended up making a reservation at the empire landmark hotel, which seems decent but still expensive.

I've stayed by the airport before. Nice hotels at a much better price. Only 15 mins to downtown.

If I was staying here I'd stay at the Cambie Hotel - the cleanest, funnest, most reputable of the backpacker/hostel type places. It's about $25 a night per person and is downtown in Gastown.

It looks like I'll be in Vancouv for a few days in July and the ONLY two things I know about it are brotherlovesdub says it's very, very beautiful and it has very big Chinatown. Just1n3 (after you go) and co. plz give me some good tips too!

Stanley Park in Vancouver is amazing.

Stanley Park is amazing but my favorite place is on the beach in W.Van looking at the skyline, Stanley Park and the mountains with feet in the sand. Go to Flickr and search Jericho Beach Vancouver. http://www.flickr.com/photos/13881108@N00/226162318/

There's a pic of the hostel there too. I'd stay at the Cambie if I were in my 20s and wanted to get drunk and party all night.

Unfortunately not "all night" - the bar at the Cambie, which is probably the only old-skool Vancouver beer parlour left more or less intact, closes pretty early. I've heard that hostel on Jericho Beach is great, though it's away from the downtown action, if that's what you want.

Here's the local listings rag. It's fairly comprehensive but if you are looking for the freshest local band scene, it's not covered here.

where is the shitty part of vancouver we should avoid staying in?

surrey?

downtown eastside is... there are going to be junkies around and shit but it's a neighborhood that's 1) fucking beautiful and lively and a great place to spend an afternoon exploring, 2) quickly being gentrified. i don't know if people should really avoid staying there. even if you don't end up staying there, go soak up the destroyed splendor of postwar prewar canada vibe and eat some fucking meatloaf at acme cafe or go to the ovaltine (or prime time chicken and chinese food). and hey if you want to smoke some base, we got that too. one of my favorite places to stroll is down from main and broadway (kafka's for coffee), walking down main, check out pulp fiction, down main and thru chinatown to hastings, then either way down hastings (you like lebanese food? this will take you by two nuba 1 and nuba 2) or maybe cordova-- a walk down cordova from gastown is pretty cool, if you like heavy prewar architecture and massive industrial and commercial sites and mountains and pudgy hookers. it's a beautiful city and the downtown eastside is the most beautiful part of it, i think.

mcleod's books in vancouver:

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9s6i8gECI1qzptlvo1_500.jpg

i don't know if i mentioned cafe medina before, i suggest it for breakfast:

http://www.medinacafe.com/

ha, that place looks like serendipity books in berkeley

okay so bc there seem to be so much hate for klamath falls, we cancelled our rez there and are going to ashland as our first stop instead.

anyone been there? things to do? we're staying about 25mins out of ashland at the green springs inn.

if you want a nice, classy, unusual dining experience i recommend new sammy's cowboy bistro. iirc the story with this place is owned a couple who used to work at chez panisse decided to go off the grid and eventually ended up here...the husband is a wine guru and keeps the wine list reasonably priced and he definitely knows his shit. kinda pricey but worth it imo.

the black sheep is a cool british pub in downtown.

there are some good bookstores and lots of nice little places to stop in at. we didn't get a chance to eat @ a lot of spots there but apparently the restaurants in town are mostly really good! there's shakespeare shit everywhere, obv.

thanks, omar! i was hoping to summon you to the thread, since you recc'd ashland, but i thought you might be busy having a baby?!? baby is due this month, right?

About Sammy's, fyi, it is prix fixe with two menu options available per course, iirc. You might also want to call for reservations since the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is in full swing. I understand they are open for lunch.

Second Omar's rec on the Black Sheep. That is a cool pub.

Other than that, just kick it on Main street. It's a pretty easygoing little town.

baby is due in 1 week~ : O

also, there's a cool co-op which may not be of much use to you, since you're on vacation, but if you need anything it's great. there's a somewhat overpriced but really well-curated record/cd shop a few blocks off the main drag which is pretty awesome.

ashland is surrounded by farm country and the land around there looks like ireland or "the shire" (same thing i guess.)

!!! so exciting omar.

i went to ashland once, it was very nice, i mainly remember good bookshops and soup and shakespeare mentions.

ashland ain't too bad, from what i've heard. I have to drive down to klamath falls tomorrow and do not return until Friday night

thread hijack. going to be in vancouver, then seattle, then back to vancouver surrounds in mid-to-late july for few weeks. where to eat, what to see, tips for places/areas to stay in van?

what's good basically

not caliburger vancouver that's for sure

to be seen? - http://hondacelebrationoflight.com/
to be avoided? - http://www.seafair.com/p/about/seafairweekend

YMMV but I like staying close to Stanley Park. There are several places nearby with "suites" in the name that might be good.

icefield highway worth road tripping?

celebration of light is nice

i would go on the last day

but prepare to put up with a sea of people all over the streets and sidewalks

also do you mean icefields parkway in alberta?

Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, the Rockies in general are all amazingly beautiful and great according to my Albertan wife.

ive actually done this road trip and have hiked/trekked the (canadian) rockies

i want to say you shld rly do this on a separate trip

but if youre rly keen on going prepare 15hrs to get from van to banff

this is with a 1-2hr break; main one being halfway at kamloops and one or two small breaks before and after

we have tues-sun for kamloops, jasper, banff, revelstoke, back to van

stay somewhere centralish in Vancouver. Downtown is blah though. As is the West End - although it has beaches and Stanley Park. The Downtown Eastside/Gastown has a lot of stuff - ie restos, coffee shops, bars - and is also "Canada's poorest postcode" (that appellation may be wrong but people say it), but I don't necess recommend staying there - it is really safe and i have no probs being around there in the evening but like if youre on vacation you maybe don't want to see someone shooting up in their jugular or doing the funky chicken meth dance when you look out the window of your accommodations in the morning.

the transit system is p good, though skytrain lines only cover small amount of the city, and uses a card system a la Oyster.

things i like to do in the summer: the beach, minor league baseball games at the nat bailey, drinking in parks, there are a lot of parks. neighbourhoods i like to spend time in: gastown/downtown eastside, chinatown (which is right next to the aforementioned, strathcona (which is right next to Chinatown) - i used to live here, it's one of the oldest neighbourhoods and so has the greatest concentration of nice old houses, mount pleasant (i live here, it's a popular neighborhood for young(er) folks and close to downtown and there is lots of stuff aka stores, coffee shops, bars, breweries), further south on main street there is little mountain/riley park which also has good restos (e.g. the acorn best veg resto in town) little antique stores and shit, and the baseball field for aforementioned baseball games.

other popular neighborhoods - hastings sunrise, in the north east of the city, recently gentrified, restos, bars, coffee shops record stores and shit. commercial drive - hippyish, some good stuff, gentrified but not totally. kistilano - on the west side were i technically live but spend very little time futher west, has lots of stuff, is popular with commonwealth expats, has a beach facing downtown.

thanks!! ps u shd update ur login name ;)

that's v true, next week it'll be 4 years since I moved lol

xp to cozen

whereabouts in alberta are you staying?

you don't really want to stay in kamloops or revelstoke more than one or two hours

from kamloops you're 6ish hours away to banff

try to get there on tuesday and explore the rockies for a few days

banff and jasper are about three hours apart

if you're a beginner hiker consider the amount of hiking you want to do in a short time (there are easy hikes of course though)

The Icefields Parkway is a nice drive though the traffic can be bad sometimes. Most depressing part is the Athabasca Glacier, where you get first-hand evidence of global warming. When I last visited there (2007, I think) and went to the year marker for the first time I went there (1985) it had receded a lot. Very cool place, though.

tues: van to kamloops (drive from van leaving afternoon (5 hrs).) stay there
weds: kamloops to jasper, stay overnight
thurs: stay jasper
fri: jasper to banff via the 'ice highway', stay overnight
sat: banff to revelstoke
sun: revelstoke to van

no idea what we're doing in any of these places. three other ppl going and they've drawn up itinerary. being asked whether to stay 2 nights in jasper or 2 in banff

:shrug:

not sure I'd recommend this^ itinerary. bit intense

where's best for sushi in van & what are the must-eat non-meat spots? (fish ok obv)

e hastings st is... *teeth sucking sound* whewwwwww boy

for sushi, my two cents (sure there's more knowledgeable folk on ilx): miku in downtown and toshi in mount pleasant are the best ive had here.

non-meat best resto probably the acorn: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/table-talk-the-acorn-in-vancouver/

plenty of decent sushi

sushi itoga for something decent
conveyor belt for something cheap
miku for fancy times/special occasions because it is pricey/overpriced (get reservations; it can get insanely busy/booked)

my humble opinion is don't spend money on overpriced sushi, especially if you are ordering sushi and *not* sashimi

fancy to decent sushi quality will be only slightly better to the same so not really worth it, unless celebrating a special occasion

japanese girlfriend, japanese friends, and i stick to conveyor belt for the most part, believe it or not

having said that we know that white people tend to love guu with garlic, etc

favourite veg restaurants are actually indian restaurants in the punjabi area which is out of the way most likely

that one guu on nelson with the little patio is p nice, not very sushiy though iirc.

never been to that one actually

i used to go to the one on thurlow and the robson location more than i care to admit a long time ago though

booked in for maumi. thx for the tips all

best places we ate in seattle: bar noroeste, mamnoon, paseo, piroshki piroshki, snug's
best places in van: maumi, tacofino, meat + bread, bela gelateria, & go fish!

canmore was a surprisingly nice little town too

shug's*