Meet Me in the Village
I have seven blisters on my feet. Each and every one of them hurts like hell, yet they’re all worth it. Over the past few days, I’ve explored lower Manhattan as if it were my own, on foot. And because it was 90 degrees and horribly humid, I opted for sandals. I’m in NYC for […]
Splendor in the Grass at McMenamins Grand Lodge
A couple of tall, frothy IPAs and a basketful of cajunized tater tots sat atop the weathered red picnic table during the Yardhouse Pub’s happy hour. Nearby, our toddler frolicked in a patch of splendid green grass. Although only minutes had lapsed since we’d arrived at the McMenamins Grand Lodge, our vacation was off to […]
A Perfect Attic on South Whidbey
A fantastic weekend on friendly South Whidbey
The Economics of Cheap Sleeps
“The last year has been painful,” a Seattle B&B owner recently told me. “I need more business.” I don’t doubt it. I’m traveling less, and I’m guessing a lot of others are, too. It’s too soon to tell if the Northwest’s travel slump will start to turn around this summer, but plenty of people are […]
Every City Should have a Bluebird Guesthouse
The following Trip Report is a guest post by Brian, my significant other. Thanks, Brian! I’m a transplant to the Pacific Northwest and I still have quite a bit of exploring to do in this lovely corner of the world. So when I heard from my old Chicago friend, Steve, that he was planning a […]
King County has Yurts!
I was probably the last person to know this. But it happens sometimes, even to me. Here at Northwest TripFinder, we’ve gone on and on for years now about great yurts at state parks in Oregon and Washington. And all along there have sat six shiny yurts in a King County Park just 30 miles […]
A Hotel Called Jupiter
There were times when staying at the Jupiter Hotel in Portland’s northeast side that we felt just a little like we’d stepped into a different world. And it had nothing to do with the hotel’s name. You see, hipness has eluded us of late. Somewhere in between the disposable diapers and humming along to our […]
Why Tourism Matters
In my state of Washington, the economic recession has hit state budgets extremely hard. Our state legislature is currently grappling with fixes to fill a $2.6 billion budget gap; this is on top of a $7 billion budget shortfall they dealt with last year. These are big numbers, and they’re resulting in big, deep cuts […]
Take a Volunteer Vacation, and Be Outside
Have you ever been on a hiking trail and thought, “I wonder how this got here?” Look at the trail the next time you go on a hike–really look at it, and notice the footbridges, boardwalk, rock steps, and switchbacks. Whether you’re at Mount Rainier or the Hoh rainforest, that trail under your boots was […]
Geotourism Arrives in the Central Cascades
Have you heard of “geotourism?” I first heard the term directly from Sheila Buckmaster, senior editor at National Geographic Traveler magazine, when I served on a panel alongside her in 2007. I remember scribbling the term in my notebook and thinking – that’s what we need in Washington! Geotourism is defined as a form of […]
