I have been out to the West Coast once before (San Diego), and I’ve been looking to return for some time now. The opportunity presented itself when my aunt, Nadine, emailed my brother and I asking if we wanted to accompany her on her trip to visit our cousins who have been living out there for a while now. I could not have said, “YES” any faster than I did. (Johnathan was turning 21 that week, so he stayed home so he could go out for his 21st with his friends.)
We ended up visiting the entire coast, which was unexpected and totally awesome. We jam-packed everything into 5 days and pretty much made the most of every second we had there – the best way to travel.
Seattle
Day 1
My aunt had left for Seattle before me to catch up with her friend, Joan, who lives there – so I flew alone and met her at the airport. Joan’s husband, Bill, took us back to our Airbnb, which was a really quirky apartment that was owned by Joan’s good friend, a pretty well-known artist in Seattle. I was quite jet-lagged, and also stayed up way too late packing, so Bill took us to a local coffee place for some infamous Seattle coffee – 10/10 would recommend.
My cousin, Sara, and her husband, Paul, met us at our Airbnb and from there we went to check out the city. Our first destination was the Space Needle. We had a “no lines” policy set for our trip, and the line was pretty long, so we just took a look from the outside and went to the Chihuly Garden and Glass. This is an exhibit featuring glass that is blown to look like elements of nature, and it was absolutely mind-blowing (pun not intended). I was completely enamored by the skill and creativity that went into these works of art. From there, we went to the Public Market, but we were so tired from walking that we only stopped there to get drinks. For dinner, we went to a vegan restaurant called No Bones Beach Club with Bill, Joan, Sara, and Paul (pictured left to right) – it was super interesting to see the types of food they are able to make vegan!
Portland
Day 2
I will say, I was really surprised by how cold people seemed in Seattle – I always assumed the entire West Coast was super friendly, but we did not get that vibe. The following morning, we took a very early train from Seattle to Portland. We had some time to kill while our Airbnb was being prepared, so we decided to walk around and explore the area. The heat was absolutely brutal (I think it was Portland’s hottest week), but ZERO HUMIDITY, which was my dream come true.
We stayed in an area called the Alberta Arts District, which is filled with murals and amazing restaurants. I was amazed to see how vegan and gluten-free friendly this area is, and I soon discovered Portland is a very progressive city. On pretty much every store front and lawn, there are signs proclaiming the acceptance of everyone – regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. – and it was really refreshing to see. I found an entirely gluten-free bakery called Back to Eden and had THE BEST CUPCAKE OF MY LIFE! It turns out the bakery is also a restaurant, so I got mac and cheese – and anyone who knows me knows how PASSIONATELY I feel about mac and cheese ♡
That night, we went over to have dinner with my cousin, John, and his wife, Teresa. We got to see their new place (which was adorable!) and caught up with them, along with my cousin Gabe. It was absolutely wonderful connecting with them, given I rarely see them due to the distance. I learned a lot about our family through our conversations, and that was really special to me.
Day 3
The following day we set aside for touristy things, and our first sight in mind was the International Rose Test Garden. I adore flowers so much (hence my arm tattoo), so I was very stoked for this part of our trip. We went to take an Uber there, and our driver was extremely friendly (apparently Portland is known for its friendly people – a big change from Seattle) and showed us a route to walk so that we could see multiple places in one shot!
Our first stop was the Pittock Mansion, which had a beautiful view and also a ton of roses. From there, we went to the Garden, which was stunning. I could have spent the entire day there had it not been 100 degrees out (not even an exaggeration). From there, we set off to find Powell’s Book’s, a well-known bookstore that sells new and used books. I was on cloud nine and got lost in the psychology section for about 2 hours once we arrived. It was the biggest bookstore I’ve ever seen (with at least FIVE floors), and the books were just completely surrounding you. I walked out with 4 books – one of which has completely changed my life (blog post to come on that later). After that, we went to Prasad Cafe and got the most beautiful salads I have ever seen. I couldn’t believe how healthy I had been eating on this trip… probably healthier than I would be eating at home, to be quite honest!
After almost 8 miles of walking, it was time to leave for our flight over to Medford!
Medford
Day 4
Because of the air quality issues due to the wildfires in Medford/the surrounding area, we decided to head over to California (casual) to check out the Redwood Forest – which was probably my favorite part of this trip. We fueled with Starbucks (yes, I have a problem) and made our way over to The Golden State. There have been a few times in my life where I have experienced A Peak Moment, and this was one of them. We were surrounded by so much beautiful foliage, and the trees were COLOSSAL. It was just remarkable that nature could be so amazing.
My cousin, Emma (to the right of me in both pictures), came with us – and we hadn’t seen each other in over 10 years! It was really great to spend this time with my family and learn all about their lives and passions – I was in such good company. After Redwood, we went over to Crescent City to check out the Pacific. It was only 50 degrees there, which was insane, given that it was 100 degrees back where we were headed. Thanks to the Find Me GF app, we found SeaQuake, a really cool pub where got dinner and some drinks. Nothing makes me happier than a gluten-free pizza, let alone one with bacon, chicken, and ranch!!!
Take a look at how bad the smoke was on our way back – those are not clouds.
Day 5
Our last day, we decided we wanted to take it easy and not do anything too touristy or active. We decided on a lunch and a movie, and we also stopped to see my aunt, Karen (in the middle in the first picture), who had just recently moved out to Ashland. After the movie, we ordered sushi and made our way over to the airport for our flight home (where I sported the shameful GROUTFIT below.)
I owe my aunt the hugest ‘thank you’ for this trip. For just being 5 days, it felt like weeks – in the best way possible. I also am so grateful for my cousins and their spouses for providing us with places to stay, along with places to see and go. This trip was so special to me, and I’ll cherish it forever.
Truly,
Taylor