Category Archives: US West Coast

Cannon Beach Itinerary – Oregon Coast

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We have a Christmas Day tradition – quickly open presents early in the morning and then jump in a car and head out on a family road trip while everyone is enjoying Christmas day feasts and visiting relatives.  The board crossing takes minutes and the roads are empty and the end of year’s adventure is waiting.  These past two years our destination was Oregon Coast – Seaside and Cannon beach.  Each time we’ve spent 3-4 nights on the Oregon coast, exploring nearby areas and doing day trips.  Here’s a list of places that we loved and would recommend to anyone visiting the area.

Haystack Rock

Haystack Rock

Cannon Beach – it has to go first on the list.  The beach near Haystack Rock is an experience one never forgets.  The power of the waves, the solitude when the weather is rainy and gloomy, or unreal  light and clouds when the day is clear, the majestic  rock formations along the beach, the smooth and tightly packed sand – all of it comes together in almost surreal perfection.  There are many ways to enjoy the beach – from an easy 3K run on a packed sand, truly a “rave run” worthy of magazine posts, a family outing with kids running away from the waves on exploring see creatures in tidal pools, a romantic walk along the shore, you have to pinch yourself to believe how beautiful the surroundings are.

Evergreen Aviation Museum

Evergreen Aviation Museum

Wings and Waves Waterpark and Aviation Museum – this will take a day trip and a couple of hours of driving, but the visit is totally worth it.  A location for the infamous Spruce Goose – the largest wooden plane ever built, the home to a fantastic collection of fighter jets, a black bird plane, artifacts from space exploration history, helicopters and much much more.  It has plenty to enjoy for kids and for adults alike.  After a few hours of learning about aviation history, there is a waterpark, right next to the museum with a number of breathtaking slides, great wave pool, hot pool and water playground. The place is impossible to miss, a real plane sits right on top of the waterpark and serves as s base for the four main slides.

Nonni’s Italian Bistro – this would be my top food pick in the area.  A truly authentic, Italian restaurant right in the heart of touristy Seaside town.  I’ve learned not to expect too high quality of the food in highly touristy areas and this is a rare exception where the quality of food is top notch and the prices are reasonable.  Having said that, it must be a nightmare to get in during the high season, as the place is fairly small, so plan accordingly.  However, if you are able to get in, you will enjoy incredible pasta dishes like spaghetti in slow roasted tomato sauce, lasagna, meatballs on polenta with mascarpone, a tight family-style menu of great Italian dishes, fast and friendly service, decadent deserts and more.

Breakfast choices – we’ve tried a few locations around the area and enjoyed these places, each one for a different reason.  Lazy Susan – very atmospheric, old-house charm café, with health food inspired, organic ingredients menu.  Works great for a group of adults that are ready for a few twists on their breakfast staples.  Pig and Pancakes – Cannon Beach Location – is a complete opposite – regular ingredients, mostly heavy and greasy staples in a traditional diner atmosphere.  Perfect choice for families with picky eaters and preference for traditional American breakfasts.  Most notable dish, totally unexpected at a place like this is Crab Eggs Benedict.  Light hollandaise, Huge chunks of real crab meat, melt in your mouth English muffin base, perfectly cooked egg.  Great surprise and a dish worthy of a way more upscale restaurant.  Finally Camp 18 Restaurant – about 25 minutes drive from Cannon Beach and right on the way to the Aviation Museum and Wings and Waves waterpark – it’s a restaurant built in what used to be a logging camp.  Great atmosphere and hearty food.  I’d recommend their breakfast over other meals.  The location and ambiance are really unique – huge log beams, beautiful fireplace, gigantic tree during Christmas time, wooden family-style tables and chairs, a collection of tools displayed along the walls, all make for a memorable breakfast experience.

 

 

 

Seattle Itinerary – Bellevue Wine Country Perfect Date

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This weekend heading to Seattle for a two-day trip we did not expect to have one of the best winery trips of our life. We visited Seattle before, we’ve stopped at Bellevue for a quick shopping hit. We did not have a slightest idea that Bellevue had so much more to offer.

We planned the trip around the visit to Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. Riesling from that winery is one of our favorites and trying out a few varieties of the same make was always on our wish list. Winery was close to Bellevue, so we decided to book a hotel there, avoiding Seattle downtown traffic gridlock. Heading out to Woodinville we weren’t sure what to expect, but ended up passing by a number of wineries, before stopping at Château Ste. Michelle. The further we drove the more unique and interesting the area turned out to be. From industrial buildings the surroundings changed into beautiful valley surrounded by family estates and wineries at every corner. Chateau St Michelle is one of the largest wineries in the area and the grounds reminded us a lot of the Mission Hill Winery in Okanagan: expansive gardens, beautiful landscaping, multiple buildings and a huge area for a concert stage.

We were not disappointed with the wines, a Riesling wine tasting had a number of interesting takes on the flavors we already loved and we found a number of favorites to take home. Unfortunately as is sometimes the case with very popular wineries, we weren’t lucky with the service we’ve received – not knowledgeable and completely inattentive guest server  left quite a bitter aftertaste from the visit, which was so sad, given how nice the wines were and how much love and care winemakers pour into their craft. We’d still highly recommend the place, and also hope that service standards don’t slip any further.

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Barking Frog

We did not find cafes or lunch options at this winery so we headed down the road to the Barking Frog bistro for a late lunch. Right next to the beautiful Willows Lodge hotel and highly acclaimed Farmhouse Restaurant, Barking Frog is a cozy bistro with Northwestern style menu. We were there just in time for brunch/lunch menu and thoroughly enjoyed  meat lover’s breakfast  and Dungeness crab chopped salad with warm baked bread and home style apple butter. The ambiance, the service, the produce in every dish were excellent, the  setting is nice with lodge-style high ceilings, wooden beams and a stunning patio we didn’t get to enjoy because of on and off rain. After lunch we wandered through the Willows Lodge oriental-style gardens – around peaceful small pond, fountains and taken in the merged tree roots sculpture

The wineries around are easy to walk to, and entire little plaza around the Hollywood Circle has a handful of winery locations offering tastings.   Next time we’ll be spending more time there, but we had to head back to the hotel.  Staying at Westin, in the heart of Bellevue shopping district was great – ample parking underground, beautiful lounge inside and walking distance to many attractions.  That location worked great for our trip and one again we’d highly recommend it.

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Westin Bellevue

Next stop on our trip and what ended up being one of the best meals we’ve had south of the border was the Purple Café and Wine Bar.  This restaurant is right next to one of the wineries near the Hollywood circle, located in the corner of the plaza.  We loved the ambiance, and what was the most amazing is the amount of restraint, smart restraint that the owners exercised when decorating the café.  The only real decoration on the walls are small candles.  The entire wall glimmers with small lights.  Lights on the tables.  Somewhat rustic, somewhat contemporary, but above all, it’s canvas for honest, great tasting and amazing food.  Starters alone were made up of some of my most favorite dishes.  We actually ended up sharing a number (way to many) of starters instead of mains.  Calamari, baked brie, tuna tartar, crab cakes, mushrooms and steaks, burrata, spreads – each one is better than the other.  Incredible taste, incredible service, wine flights – nothing was missed. All the things that we love about the restaurant meal were right there and we wished the time would just stop.  Truly a perfect meal.  Perfect for a date, perfect for a family dinner.  In the middle of wine country, we could not wish for a more perfect experience.

Purple Cafe

Purple Cafe & Wine Bar

We’ve rounded up the amazing weekend with a visit to Main Street and the Old Bellevue area.  Concierge at Westin Hotel recommended Gilbert’s on Main as a place for a breakfast.   Just one more thing that we did not expect  to find  in Bellevue.  Small street full of character, cute cafes, small shops, right near waterfront and marina, in the middle of hills and beautiful apartment complexes.  Right around the Downtown Bellevue Park – with fountains, playgrounds and green spaces.  We were truly amazed by all the things Bellevue had to offer.  Great weekend away.  Great 2-day escape and a perfect place for a date weekend.