East Coast or West Coast

aussiegirl

aussiegirl

Well-known member
Beginning of this summer, we started "planning" our BIG trip for next summer! My 3rd daughter will be graduating from College next Spring, so we were planning a trip for her graduation gift.

Our plans were leaning towards a New England Road Trip- hitting as many of the states as we could! New York (Niagra Falls), New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Vermont (Ben and Jerry's), Massachusetts. We were looking forward to it and the planning was coming along.

Earlier this month, my husband (who does NONE of the trip planning, just pays for trips and shows up when and where I tell him) decides it might be nice to go out to Idaho for his nephews graduation next Spring/ early summer!

This has put a huge spin on our summer plans for next year! Now instead of the East Coast Road Trip, we are looking at a West Coast slight road trip. I told him if I was going to Idaho, I was going to cross WA and Oregon off my bucketlist too!

Most of the girls are ok with this change in plans. We can still see National Parks, waterfalls, scenery, coastal cities, lighthouses....just on a different coast. One of the girls is fighting it hard! :( But in the end she will go where we go.

So, all you West Coast ladies, bring on the tips and hints. I have a list started of places to visit. I just have to figure out if we can fit it all into my limited amount of time! I would love to even go down to Northern CA to see the Redwoods, but I don't want that to take away from seeing so many other places!
 
My stompin' grounds! Where in Idaho is his nephew? We are close to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho & it's a definite destination- and maybe along the way to western WA! You could hit up the Oregon coast too- driving the coastal highway is super fun! Crater Lake national park in oregon is neat too. It really just depends on how much time you have to get everywhere! lol

also- my hubby is the exact same way- little opinions on much until it changes everything! lol
 
Aw, I feel sorry for your daughter who obviously had her heart set on the original trip. Is she the one graduating? I would've kept with the original trip since that what everyone was excited about, and let hubby fly to his nephew's graduation by himself. Let him have some alone time with his family. Seems a little unfair that all of the girls have to change plans for one person.
 
If you get the chance, go to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming! It is absolutely breathtaking there! We took a trip out west years ago and went the southern route there and stopped at the Grand Canyon and The Painted Desert. On the way home, to Tennessee, we took the Northern route and went to the Grand Tetons. They reminded me so much of the alps in Germany. They are even nicknamed American's Alps.
 
EvelynD2 said:
If you get the chance, go to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming! It is absolutely breathtaking there! We took a trip out west years ago and went the southern route there and stopped at the Grand Canyon and The Painted Desert. On the way home, to Tennessee, we took the Northern route and went to the Grand Tetons. They reminded me so much of the alps in Germany. They are even nicknamed American's Alps.
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We have been to the Tetons before, when we did a trip out to Yellowstone! They are really pretty! So many places in the US I still want the girls to see (I have seen so many myself growing up, since we traveled a LOT, but the girls have missed out on some of these places still! Someday!)
 
jacinda said:
Aw, I feel sorry for your daughter who obviously had her heart set on the original trip. Is she the one graduating? I would've kept with the original trip since that what everyone was excited about, and let hubby fly to his nephew's graduation by himself. Let him have some alone time with his family. Seems a little unfair that all of the girls have to change plans for one person.
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LOL. Yes, the one graduating is the one not too happy with the change of plans. I am ok with it, since we haven't been to Oregon, Idaho and Washington States before. It's 3 more to cross off the list. Nothing is set in stone so who knows it may change again! But for now, we will be ok with whichever way we go!
 
AmieN1 said:
My stompin' grounds! Where in Idaho is his nephew? We are close to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho & it's a definite destination- and maybe along the way to western WA! You could hit up the Oregon coast too- driving the coastal highway is super fun! Crater Lake national park in oregon is neat too. It really just depends on how much time you have to get everywhere! lol

also- my hubby is the exact same way- little opinions on much until it changes everything! lol
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His brother lives in Lewiston, ID. I have never been to ID, so I am ok going to the party and saying I've been to ID. There are so many more things I want to do in WA and OR though.

I'm thinking like 3 nights in WA and 3 nights in OR with 1 or 2 in ID. It all depends... I also have to figure out where is the best place to fly in and out of. I was thinking the Seattle area, but I know his family flies in and out of Spokane. I will also have to look into flights in and out of Portland.
 
aussiegirl said:
His brother lives in Lewiston, ID. I have never been to ID, so I am ok going to the party and saying I've been to ID. There are so many more things I want to do in WA and OR though.

I'm thinking like 3 nights in WA and 3 nights in OR with 1 or 2 in ID. It all depends... I also have to figure out where is the best place to fly in and out of. I was thinking the Seattle area, but I know his family flies in and out of Spokane. I will also have to look into flights in and out of Portland.
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Lewiston is not far from here at all- although I wouldn't say it's a destination (sorry for your hubby's family!) ;) ;) You could always fly into Spokane (great tiny airport!) get a rental car & then fly out of Portland. From Spo you could go into Coeur d'lene for a night, then down to lewiston- then back into WA and drive to the west side (seattle) then south to oregon/oregon coast. Then fly home from Portland. I prefer the Portland airport over Seatac. I'm happy to help if you have any questions :)
 
Thanks Amie! I know from past trips that returning a rental car to a different airport can be more expensive. I will look into it though! I haven't been out to visit my brother in law yet, but others in the extended family have been. I wasn't expecting to do much near where he lives...but will look into things to do in Coeur d'lene at least for a day. Maybe a good place to stay in Idaho too, sounds like! :)
 
Seattle is a fun place to visit - they have the Pikes Place Market downtown (the first Starbucks is located very close if anyone in your family is a Starbucks fan) and then you can take the monorail to the Space Needle area - there are a couple of museums in that area. It is easiest to park somewhere outside of the downtown area near a train station and then take the train in and out. Seattle has a ferry system and we honestly just enjoyed taking the ferry and seeing the beautiful coastline. Deception Pass north of Seattle is really cool too.

I wouldn't recommend spending much time in Portland sadly. It is not a super safe place to visit. The last time I was in downtown Portland, the car parked next to us had the window broken out and stuff stolen from inside. However, the zoo is great. Multnomah Falls is close to Portland, but you do need reservations during peak times to park. There are tons of options to go to the Oregon coast that are easy driving distance from Portland - Astoria, Cannon Beach, Seaside. The Oregon Coast is so beautiful!
 
stephc777 said:
Seattle is a fun place to visit - they have the Pikes Place Market downtown (the first Starbucks is located very close if anyone in your family is a Starbucks fan) and then you can take the monorail to the Space Needle area - there are a couple of museums in that area. It is easiest to park somewhere outside of the downtown area near a train station and then take the train in and out. Seattle has a ferry system and we honestly just enjoyed taking the ferry and seeing the beautiful coastline. Deception Pass north of Seattle is really cool too.

I wouldn't recommend spending much time in Portland sadly. It is not a super safe place to visit. The last time I was in downtown Portland, the car parked next to us had the window broken out and stuff stolen from inside. However, the zoo is great. Multnomah Falls is close to Portland, but you do need reservations during peak times to park. There are tons of options to go to the Oregon coast that are easy driving distance from Portland - Astoria, Cannon Beach, Seaside. The Oregon Coast is so beautiful!
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Good to know about Portland! Thank you! Multnomah Falls has been on my bucketlist since I was in Middle School! (My brother had a poster of it on his bedroom wall, and when I saw the same image again when I was older, I did some research on it!) I am good with spending time along the Oregon Coast and bypassing Portland!
 
Oh if the one graduating is the one upset, I wouldn't change it. If you do stay east coast add Watkins Glen State Park in NY to the agenda. If you do go west, southern Idaho has a lot of cool places. My mom just brought up going out there next summer to chase waterfalls (my favorite thing to do).
 
My daughter is living in downtown Portland. When she sees homeless, she crosses the street. There are parts that are more safe than others. Simply ask at your hotel what areas to avoid. It's a very walkable city. Lots of great restaurants. They are slowly bringing it back from covid times and the fact that many workers are working from home instead of offices, etc, etc. If you want to see it, I doubt you'll have much trouble. We have yet to run into an issue when we head downtown.

If you go down the Columbia Gorge, you could make it an overnight trip. Schedule your Multnomah Falls visit. But go first to Latourell falls and a short walk takes you to the base and it is amazing. You can stay in Hood River at the Best Western which is right on the river. It's a fun town to trek around in for a bit. Alternatively, you can cross the river either in Hood River or at the Bridge of the Gods and stay at Skamania Lodge for the night. It's a great property.

Astoria is great to visit. Many options for hotels. There you get to watch the huge ships start down the Columbia River. Great restaurants, maritime museum, and right by it an old ship that you can tour. Going up to the Astoria Column is a must - even if climbing to it's top is too hard or unnerving, the view up there is incredible. Of course, you can always peek at The Goonies' house in town too.

As you work down the coast, I'm not a big fan of Seaside. Way too touristy and couldn't even find a good place to eat.

Cannon Beach is upscale with lots of restaurants and famous Haystack Rock. Check the tide tables and at low tide you can walk right up to it. Lots of good stores and hotel options.

Right after Cannon Beach you can hike down to Ecola Beach. (you might want to double check on a map that I have that name right!). It's a beautiful space in which to spend a bit of time.

Other great towns on your way might include Lincoln City for a night, or as first timers probably Newport. Be sure to head down to main touristy area where fishermen and tourists alike hang out. Lots of restaurants and cool stuff to see there. If you are lucky, the seals will be hanging out on one of the piers for a bit of fun. Newport also has a small aquarium that can be fun to visit.

Some will say to go visit the sea lion caves. However, too often there are few seals actually there. But there is a nice view by their parking lot and a fun seal sculpture at which to take photos.

When you see viewpoint signs, I recommend stopping. We have amazing views along the Oregon coast. If you don't plan to do the whole coast, you can take a highway back towards I5 in Florence.

While there are other towns along the way, we enjoyed our time in Bandon. You need to go down to the beach where Face Rock is. Some great formations down there.

You can actually stay overnight in Brookings if you want to see the Redwoods. It's an easy drive from there. You could then start the drive back up north.

I highly recommend joining this facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/542072549495061 They will give you tons of specific information about Oregon when you tell them your basic plan. Our state is green and lush and the coast is not hot but instead comfortable in summer. You can easily expect to pay $200-$400 a night along the coast. It's always nicest to stay right on a beach and every town has places like that. We've gone many times to Lincoln City and we stay at the Inn at Spanish Head because the beach access is easy and they have a protected outdoor pool open year round. If you should book there, ask for a room(s) that has been updated. Keep your yelp open when you look for restaurants - that FB group will also give you favorite restaurants in each beach town.

Planning and starting to book things now will have you ready for a great trip next summer.
 
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lovely1m said:
Oh if the one graduating is the one upset, I wouldn't change it. If you do stay east coast add Watkins Glen State Park in NY to the agenda. If you do go west, southern Idaho has a lot of cool places. My mom just brought up going out there next summer to chase waterfalls (my favorite thing to do).
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I LOVE waterfalls! A trip isn't complete without seeing at least 1 waterfall! The one upset is the one graduating. But we have said it just means we will do Maine the summer after! I will look into Watkins Glen State Park! Thanks!
 
TraceyM said:
My daughter is living in downtown Portland. When she sees homeless, she crosses the street. There are parts that are more safe than others. Simply ask at your hotel what areas to avoid. It's a very walkable city. Lots of great restaurants. They are slowly bringing it back from covid times and the fact that many workers are working from home instead of offices, etc, etc. If you want to see it, I doubt you'll have much trouble. We have yet to run into an issue when we head downtown.

If you go down the Columbia Gorge, you could make it an overnight trip. Schedule your Multnomah Falls visit. But go first to Latourell falls and a short walk takes you to the base and it is amazing. You can stay in Hood River at the Best Western which is right on the river. It's a fun town to trek around in for a bit. Alternatively, you can cross the river either in Hood River or at the Bridge of the Gods and stay at Skamania Lodge for the night. It's a great property.

Astoria is great to visit. Many options for hotels. There you get to watch the huge ships start down the Columbia River. Great restaurants, maritime museum, and right by it an old ship that you can tour. Going up to the Astoria Column is a must - even if climbing to it's top is too hard or unnerving, the view up there is incredible. Of course, you can always peek at The Goonies' house in town too.

As you work down the coast, I'm not a big fan of Seaside. Way too touristy and couldn't even find a good place to eat.

Cannon Beach is upscale with lots of restaurants and famous Haystack Rock. Check the tide tables and at low tide you can walk right up to it. Lots of good stores and hotel options.

Right after Cannon Beach you can hike down to Ecola Beach. (you might want to double check on a map that I have that name right!). It's a beautiful space in which to spend a bit of time.

Other great towns on your way might include Lincoln City for a night, or as first timers probably Newport. Be sure to head down to main touristy area where fishermen and tourists alike hang out. Lots of restaurants and cool stuff to see there. If you are lucky, the seals will be hanging out on one of the piers for a bit of fun. Newport also has a small aquarium that can be fun to visit.

Some will say to go visit the sea lion caves. However, too often there are few seals actually there. But there is a nice view by their parking lot and a fun seal sculpture at which to take photos.

When you see viewpoint signs, I recommend stopping. We have amazing views along the Oregon coast. If you don't plan to do the whole coast, you can take a highway back towards I5 in Florence.

While there are other towns along the way, we enjoyed our time in Bandon. You need to go down to the beach where Face Rock is. Some great formations down there.

You can actually stay overnight in Brookings if you want to see the Redwoods. It's an easy drive from there. You could then start the drive back up north.

I highly recommend joining this facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/542072549495061 They will give you tons of specific information about Oregon when you tell them your basic plan. Our state is green and lush and the coast is not hot but instead comfortable in summer. You can easily expect to pay $200-$400 a night along the coast. It's always nicest to stay right on a beach and every town has places like that. We've gone many times to Lincoln City and we stay at the Inn at Spanish Head because the beach access is easy and they have a protected outdoor pool open year round. If you should book there, ask for a room(s) that has been updated. Keep your yelp open when you look for restaurants - that FB group will also give you favorite restaurants in each beach town.

Planning and starting to book things now will have you ready for a great trip next summer.
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Wow! Thank you so much for all this information! I will take notes on all you said! I will look into that Facebook group too! :)
 
You've already gotten tons of great suggestions, but I'll weigh in too!! Based on your criteria of wanting to hit national parks, waterfalls, scenery, coastal cities, lighthouses, etc, here is what I would recommend from Western WA:
  • Mt. Rainier national park (make reservations in advance to enter the park) - it's usually < 2 hour drive from Seattle
  • San Juan Islands: ferry experience, whale watching, etc
  • Woodinville wineries (if that's your jam)
  • Snoqualamie Falls
  • Seattle waterfront > Pike Place, the aquarium, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Center, the big wheel, Wings over WA, lots of great eateries and the downtown experience
  • Vancouver, Canada is also a short 2 hour drive from Seattle (or you can take the Victoria Clipper for a more unique experience)

There are loads of other places, but I know you have a finite amount of time ... and regarding crime, I would stay both Seattle and Portland have equal pockets of places to avoid (mostly 1-2 blocks area here and there). Neither is super unsafe, but there are areas where you're likely to see drug use (similar to any big metropolitan area). If you're sticking to the coast, I would consider hitting up spots in CA too (San Francisco, LA, etc).

Have fun planning! Maybe you can hit both coasts! :wub:
 
SeattleSheri said:
You've already gotten tons of great suggestions, but I'll weigh in too!! Based on your criteria of wanting to hit national parks, waterfalls, scenery, coastal cities, lighthouses, etc, here is what I would recommend from Western WA:
  • Mt. Rainier national park (make reservations in advance to enter the park) - it's usually < 2 hour drive from Seattle
  • San Juan Islands: ferry experience, whale watching, etc
  • Woodinville wineries (if that's your jam)
  • Snoqualamie Falls
  • Seattle waterfront > Pike Place, the aquarium, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Center, the big wheel, Wings over WA, lots of great eateries and the downtown experience
  • Vancouver, Canada is also a short 2 hour drive from Seattle (or you can take the Victoria Clipper for a more unique experience)

There are loads of other places, but I know you have a finite amount of time ... and regarding crime, I would stay both Seattle and Portland have equal pockets of places to avoid (mostly 1-2 blocks area here and there). Neither is super unsafe, but there are areas where you're likely to see drug use (similar to any big metropolitan area). If you're sticking to the coast, I would consider hitting up spots in CA too (San Francisco, LA, etc).

Have fun planning! Maybe you can hit both coasts! :wub:
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Thank you! Will look into some of those places! Crime can be anywhere, so we try to be safe anywhere (we live near Detroit...so we understand the good and bad).

As far as Canada, not sure what we would need to cross the border? Half have passports, a couple have the enhanced license, the others only have a real id license. I will have to look into what we need for that aspect!

Question, do any of you know anything about the (I will spell it wrong) Chihuly Glass Museum? Worth it? Too expensive for what it is? Also, where or how do you check the tides? Is there an app or a website?
 
aussiegirl said:
As far as Canada, not sure what we would need to cross the border? Half have passports, a couple have the enhanced license, the others only have a real id license. I will have to look into what we need for that aspect!
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You need a passport or a passport card (only good for Canada & Mexico). The REAL ID is the same as the Enhanced ID and is only for use within the US. I deal with ID stuff at work a lot so hope that helps.
 
I loooove the oregon coast. We spent a week there with our route going through spokane and then through columbia gorge (funny enough we actually stayed at the hotel tracey mentioned LOL!) We went when our kids were younger (12 years ago exactly we were there according to my photo memoroies) we did a lot of just looking around at all the beaches, the aquarium. Mostly though just going to all the different beaches - they really are all so fun and different. If you are more into cities and things like that I think I would almost do Seattle area and then Vancouver,BC. You could also do a day trip to victoria. You'd have more places to have things to do if they enjoy restaurants and shopping. If you are purely into nature though and quaint little towns then oregon is perfect :) Other than the hotel in hood river we stayed in airbnb's but that long ago they were more affordable than hotels at the time.. not so much now with all the extra fees. Also i guess to be fair, I really have no idea on the restaurant thing for oregon coast as because we did airbnbs we didn't eat out a whole lot

If our dollar remains low then it's a little more affordable for you with USD but hotels in Vancouver are very pricey in the summer. I've actually never really spent a lot of time IN vancouver because of the $ factor it's kind of just been a place we drove through. There are lots of things you could do in the Vancouver area.

The east coast plan is my bucket list for someday!

ps. please ignore my poor grammar - there is a reason i design things and not write them :P
 
aussiegirl said:
Question, do any of you know anything about the (I will spell it wrong) Chihuly Glass Museum? Worth it? Too expensive for what it is? Also, where or how do you check the tides? Is there an app or a website?
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While I didn't go with him, I saw all my brother's photos from the Chihuly Glass Museum when he came home and it was stunning. (I've seen a lot of his work locally so I am a fan.) What my brother did was get the CityPass so it was included, along with a bunch of other things he wanted to do (many of which were suggested above). https://www.citypass.com/seattle
 
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