Sunshine-n-Wine

Following our weekend in Seattle, we spent a day and a half in downtown Portland. Transportation We had booked Amtrak tickets ahead of time for $63 total, and the scenic train ride took about 4 hours. Hotel Portland Marriott City Center   This hotel is in the best location!  Very central, close to Pioneer Square, Mother's, Blue Star Donuts, etc. Restaurants Jake's Famous Crawfish -  This bar and restaurant has been around for a very long time, and many of the old fictures are still in use or on display.  Good food and nice place to stop for happy hour.  It apparently gets crazy busy for dinner, so happy hour might be your best bet to try it out if you don't want to wait. Clyde Common - I kind of wish that we'd tried this place out for dinner because happy hour wasn't that enticing.  OK food and drink specials. Mother's Bistro -  Oh. So. Good!  Happy hour is simply wonderful, and we ordered several different special drinks and item...

On the hunt for great Pinot Noir, we spent 3 full days exploring several Willamette Valley AVA's.  I can unequivocally say that WV is far less commercial and pretentious than Napa (which we sill love) and the tasting prices reflect this.  The wines are still in the $25-75 range for most, so in that respect, it is similar to California.  What you will find, though, is that the people are super nice and love what they do.  A lot of the wineries started as farms, and you will drive through farm fields everywhere you go. It's beautiful.  And picturesque. And hilly - very curvy and hilly - so share your tastings!  Most of the tasting guides did ask us if we wanted to share, which implies that it's common practice in WV. Transportation We booked Amtrak from Seattle to Portland ahead of time, and the cost was $63 for both of us. Much cheaper than flying!  There was free wifi on the train and pretty views, so the almost 4 hour ride didn't seem so bad. Lod...

Disclaimer - we LOVE happy hour because we can try a bunch of different things rather than just two full meals. The weather in Seattle in June is totally bipolar.  They had a heat wave in the 90s a week before we visited, and then our weekend required some creative layering to keep out the chill.  And be prepared for rain.  At least, like Florida, you see the sheets first and can gain some advanced notice. Hotel Renaissance Seattle Hotel  - my absolute favorite part about this hotel was the beautiful club lounge that had a Starbucks custom coffee machine available throughout the day.  Sweet!  The breakfasts were great, and the snacks in the evening were nice, too.  Great views of the city from the club floor.  The hotel sits atop a hill at the corner of 6th and Madison, so although it's not far from most places, expect to tackle some hills.  It's not as bad as San Fran, but there are some steep hills that all go down toward the water. ...