Why don't you just book my trip, too? We will be there in the same timeframe! I forget, are you going just to Seattle? We are thinking Portland and Vancouver as well.

I have been busy booking our trips for DD's gymnastics meets, guess I'd better move on to next summer ASAP!

LOL, we are two peas in a pod. We fly NY to Portland, and spend 4 nights there (the place we wanted had a 4 night min). Then drive 2.5 hrs to Seattle, three nights there. Then drive 2.5 hrs to Vancouver, 3 nights there (on a houseboat). Then fly 1hr20min to Calgary, drive 2hr to Lake Louise, and spend 4 nights there.

I really hate booking so far in advance but especially Lake Louise books up very early. I wanted to stay at the smaller lodge in Lake Moraine and they are booked solid. Even at the (enormous) LL Fairmont, having trouble getting the room types we wanted.

BTW, how did things go with the Dr. and your DD?

Very similar to our (still vague) plan, minus the Calgary/LL leg.

No fracture and no scoliosis! But she does have a "stress reaction" with some significant muscle stuff going on from hyperextending her back, so she's now going to PT 2x/week for a while (while continuing her regular gym schedule).

That sounds like (relatively) good news. C'mon throw in Lake Louise, you can fit it in. D'ya really wanna go allllll the way out there again; it's practically like flying to Europe!

I don't live in Seattle proper, I live on a nearby island and only go to the city when I have to so I'm not an expert. The Lincoln Park Zoo is in Chicago. =) The Lincoln Park neighborhood is in West Seattle. It's a nice neighborhood but as you noted a bit out of the way. Queen Anne is also a nice urban area. Does the rental have parking? I think either place would be great.

LOL, Mimou! Yes, they both have parking.

Just a word, the 'beach' in the PNW is not like a beach anywhere else. If you're talking about being on the coast, (we don't call the coastline the beach) it's very rocky and the water is waaaay too cold to swim in. Some brave souls will frolick in the waves, but not for long. It is great for nice long walks and hikes, however.

Weather could still be cool that time of the year, so be aware of that. The drive from PDX to Seattle is kind of boring, it's freeway all the way, not a lot of gorgeous sights, but once you get to the coast line that all changes.

Neetsie, This listing is described by the lessor as a "beachhouse" and it does in fact have a sandy beach in front of it. Both in the listing photos and on Google maps. That said, we understand it ain't Malibu .... in fact I am guessing it is much like New England. The attraction was water views, watching the ferries, maybe kayaking. Although personally we have water views in our primary and vacation home; so I preferred the urban one.

I live in Seattle in an area called Green Lake. While we renovated our 1927 Bungalow, we rented an apartment in Queen Anne and really enjoyed living there for 7 months. If you can find a place to stay there, I think you would enjoy it.

We have only lived in Seattle for 4 years but have definitely fallen in love with it. Good luck finding a place to stay.

If you watched Top Chef a couple of years ago when it was filmed in Seattle, I think the house they used was in the area of the beach house you're describing. And there are some sandy beaches on Puget Sound and on the ocean (the coast). Seattle is not on the ocean but on Puget Sound.
Top Chef Seattle house

I think it depends a bit on your priorities --- do you really want more of an outdoor experience or an urban experience? Queen Anne will be closer to many of the sights and restaurants you want to check out. Getting to water is pretty easy as well. As noted, West Seattle has a nice neighborhood feel and it seems like you can take 99 directly into downtown.

Regarding AirBnB -- some hosts cross post between several sites, including VRBO. Thus they may show false availability. It may also be possible that people have not opened up availability yet during those dates (makes me think we should open up our summer dates).

My mistake. I assumed you meant the Pacific coastline, not inland river beach. Being So Cal born & bred, I always assume beach means ocean, yet I should know better since many rivers have 'beaches'. Regardless, you're sure to have a lovely time. Pack your hiking shoes-there are amazing forested trails to explore.

Thanks, Neetsie!

Gooster, For some reason, I have totally struck out in Seattle with rentals. I looked at AirBnB, Homeaway and VRBO. Even though all four places I was interested in showed availability for my dates, when contacted that was not the case. One said they might be selling the house, two just said it was not actually available, and the last guy never responded at all. One raised their prices after telling me it was unavailable. I would still take it at the higher price but I wonder about this guy; he had no reviews yet and I swore I would not do that,

By contrast, I had no problems booking a really cute Nob Hill house in Portland and a lovely houseboat in Vancouver.

Anyway, I ended up getting rooms at a place called Inn at the Market that overlooks Pike Place, Puget Sound, the Ferris Wheel. We got two rooms that share a large private outdoor deck with views. I'd still rather have a house with a kitchen and laundry but c'est la vie.

Oly, WWBungalow, As mentioned above, my Queen Anne picks and my "beachfront" pick were both unavailable. I think this is one of the downsides of dealing with those who are not professionals in hospitality. They don't bother to keep their availability stats up to date, or more likely they are thinking "heck, I don't know yet what I want to do with this property for next June". I am choosing places that are charging 5-star prices, but they do not have the service (just in terms of booking!) that goes with that.

PS

SueB20. If you are thinking of visiting Lake Louise, you may want to sooner than later and do the NW another time. I really hadn't noticed, but since our Canadian trip 2 yrs ago, the currency has gone from parity to 0.75. I don't know if they changed pricing or not, but if they did it was not noticeable to me. Also, it books early, but if you are willing to commit to and pay in full now, they offer a 38% discount.

Tourism is sky rocketing because of our low dollar so if you're going to book for next spring/summer do it sooner rather than later. Pricing doesn't change except for whatever seasonal increases there might be.

BlFenton, I know that a lot of international luxury hotels price based on the dollar. So even when a country is going thru a crisis, say, you don't get any bargains on 5star hotels. Locals probably can.

GIven that so many tourists in Canada are from the US, I wouldn't be surprised if Canadian hotels raised rates, at least some. But to me it wasn't noticeable at the Fairmont LL.

Inn at the Market - You will LOVE that location and hotel! There is a Koren fusion restaurant right next to it that is exquisite! Even if you think you don't like Korean food.
Chan

Thank you Oly, we will def try that!

"So even when a country is going thru a crisis, say, ....." I'm not quite sure what is being referred to here but a lower dollar against the US, for any country, is not an indication of a "crisis". It is nothing more than an indication of changing economic relationships between countries on the world market for a whole host of reasons.

No, you don't get any "bargains" but you pay less in American dollars relative to the Canadian dollar and therein lies your "bargain". Right now we're not traveling to or shopping in the US because your goods are now more expensive for us relative to our dollar. And given how much of your tourist market we make up border cities will start giving us deals to get us to travel..

I certainly wasn't implying Canada has an economic crisis; it's really more that the dollar has appreciated. That was why I said "even when". Yes, currencies fluctuate against each other for a whole host of reasons, but in a crisis they virtually always weaken vis a vis USD. But the prices of luxury hotels with international clientele don't budge, it has been my experience. So, for example if the height of the Greek crisis seemed like a good time to visit the Aman, in fact was it was no cheaper.

Whether or not paying the current exchange rate is a "bargain" depends on whether you think it will stay at .75 USD to Canadian or get worse or get better. Foreign exchange is not my area of expertise, but it sure feels like a bargain to me ... which is why I mentioned it to SueB who has indicated they want to go to LL but not on this trip.

@mtnrdredux: our concierge is sometimes lax with responsiveness and does not seem to be the most polite in communications. We always have to correct that behavior ---- you should expect the same level of service. And, we've noticed that others like to play a highest bidder game and decline a large party if they think they can get a higher price later on. We've seen the concierge play that game with their own properties.

The Inn at the Market is a great choice -- well regarded and well located. I've never stayed there, but everyone I know who has just loved it. So easy to get to places you want to be as well and some great food choices there, Downtown and in Belltown. You have Cafe Campagne right outside your door, and of course the full market -- with some amazing bakeries, cafes, & food/goodie shops surrounding the hotel.

Mtn, I think we might stay at Inn at the Market, too!

So now I need to know -- how did you find a houseboat to stay in? Might just copy you there too. Just curious, as I'd never even considered it. Have you stayed on a houseboat before?

SueB, rooms 708 and 710 at Inn at the Market share a very large private deck. Each room has a King bed and one room also has a pull out sofa.

I really wanted to stay on a houseboat in Seattle. But the host never replied. Too bad ... it was very snazzy looking and had great skyline views. The one in Vancouver was on Homeaway. I think the houseboats are rarely moved ... they are more like floating houses than boats. Think Sleepless in Seattle. They say they can have a gentle sway. The one I booked is a 3br 3.5 BA. It also has great views and is a quick ferry trip (they call it a Seabus) just straight across the bay to downtown.

I have slept on a houseboat, now I am trying to remember where!

HTH!

Ha! I wonder if it's you, mtn, who has booked July 3-6 for the houseboat I've inquired about??

How funny if this is the case.

Umm, yep!

LOL. Leave me something nice. We might be right on your heels.

I guess what I like about houses is all the extra space, the ability to make breakfast or a snack or even lunches whenever we want, and having laundry. I still complain about the time I sent laundry to be done at one hotel and among the lot was a pair of toddler socks. It cost $8 to have them laundered. Of course they were returned folded in tissue paper with a ribbon, in a wicker basket. But still, that is one of the PITA things about hotel travel. Similarly, I often recount the time I was travelling on business and had a craving for an orange at 10pm. It cost $9 to get one from room service. (4S Boston). I am more than willing to spend money but I hate wasting money.

OTOH, there is usually no pool and certainly no spa. And no concieege or valet parking. And not much help with luggage.

As I said before though, I'd make a back up hotel reservation at one of those hotels that still has 6pm day of arrival....just in case. It wasn't AirBNB or Homeaway, but I'd already regaled the forum with my Chinchilla stay! We would have paid anything for a hotel, and we did.

If we overlap we should def. have a drink!

Mtn, I think we'll be in Seattle July 1-6 and Vancouver July 6-11. And possibly staying at the same places you're staying but not at the same time!?

I have been having fun looking at various web sites and deciding on things to do. My older guys and DH are pretty excited about the EMP Museum in Seattle... DD and I will probably go shopping or something while they're there!

@SueB: The EMP is a great building with lots of memorabilia and I can see the guy appeal. For DD and you, keep in mind that the Nordstrom flagship store is just a few blocks up from the Inn at the Market ;)

Sueb maybe think of going to the Chihuly Glass Garden right near EMP. It is stunning; there is a great restaurant attached, filled with Chihuly's interesting assortment of collections, (oddly enough called Collections Cafe) including a ceiling of hanging, gorgeous accordions. Quite fun. I usually recommend trying to go around dusk so you can see the lighted outdoor gardens, but in June/July in Seattle dusk doesn't come until 9 or 10 pm, so that's not really an option.

Chihuly Gardens and Glass Museum

Oly, Chihuly is very high on my list. I have been to Seattle a few times on business and once on vacation but I've not been to the Glass Garden.

Gooster, I'm more interested in one of a kind boutiques; would that tend to be in Queen Anne?

SueB, Too funny. If that is your schedule we will overlap 2 nights in Seattle at IATM. It is so funny, we know so much about each other but we are strangers. Our families would think we are crazy. I think my email works if you want to send me an email.

For sure let's check in when the time gets closer. It would be really fun to meet up for a drink!

My guys will want to see the Chihuly museum too. DH and oldest DS saw the Chihuly exhibit when it was in Boston and said it was amazing.

Hello, NW Peeps,

Thank you all for your help in our vacation planning. We just got back last night.

It was a lovely trip and we were incredibly lucky with the weather. In two weeks, we only had half a day of rain in Vancouver and a rainy morning in Lake Louise. Most of the time it was surprisingly warm and sunny!

The highlights for us were

Portland - loved our Victorian home in Nob Hill, walking distance to everything. We visited the rose garden at dusk, which was enchanting, standing at the top of the steps, with the pink sunset hitting the downtown buildings in the distance and Mt Hood just visible between the pines. I liked it so much I came back again the next day, but I learned something. The roses are much better to see at dusk or when it is cloudy .. bright sun makes it hard to see the colors as well. Confess I am in love with Ken of Ken's artisan bakery and his lemon glazed croissants. I don't really like croissants, but this one was heaven. We walked back again for lunch (fabulous salad with ricotta salada, peas and lemon, and a cup of hearty lentil soup). We would have gone back for dinner (it was pizza night) but I didn't want to seem like a groupie, plus after hitting Salt and Straw for salted caramel ice cream I was to full to move. I actually never recovered from that first day of overeating in Portland and barely wanted to eat out anywhere again the whole time!

We also loved Powell's, including the cute guy with a vintage typewriter on the sidewalk outside, selling custom poems while-u-wait. We enjoyed Multnomah falls, kayaking on the Hood River, and then driving out to the Haystack and Fort Clatsop.

Our drive to Seattle, over the Astoria bridge, along rt 4, then up 101, was so pretty! I love the NW coast.

Seattle: Our rooms a the Inn at The Market shared an enormous terrace (think cocktails for 50+) looking over the market and Ferris wheel. Lovely. We were entirely delighted with the Chihuly! Magical. I was dismayed to learn later, from a critic in the Globe and Mail reviewing the ROM's Chihuly exhibit, that I was not supposed to like Chihuly and so had revealed myself a rube! Killjoy re Chihuly. My DH and DS, both amateur pilots, were crazy about the Museum of Flight, while the girls and I took in the Ballard neighborhood for some really fun shopping. We returned to see the Ballard locks and salmon hatchery the next day, which we also enjoyed. Highlight - meeting the SueB's and having drinks with SueB and Mr. SueB!

Vancouver was our favorite spot. And the best was the lovely bike ride along the seawall through gorgeous, enormous Stanley Park. We went near dusk and it was just perfect in every way. Well paved, easy, pleasant, great views, few people. I would love to do it again. Our "houseboat" was just lovely. Very spacious (it is a floating home, not a boat) and with wonderful skyline views. The kitchen was huge and very nice (6 burner Viking, enormous island and dining table). We got yummy groceries at the Granville Island market and had wonderful dinners. The kids also did a seaplane tour, which was a first for them. The suspension bridge was fun, too.

Lake Louise - I had always wanted to visit here, and in fact, when we got to our rooms and the kids opened the drapes, they gasped. It does not disappoint. What I did not know, is that most of the lakes and rivers and streams in the Banff area are variations of this gorgeous green and blue. We literally "white water rafted" in turquoise blue water the next day, which was great fun. I would, however, not recommend what we did (4 days at the Fairmont LL, the only hotel on the lake). It is a very pricey hotel, but not that luxurious or interesting. It manages to be neither historical looking (though it is) or cutting edge, but charges 5 star prices. The service is very good and so is the food, but it is just huge and has a lot of tour groups; not the feel i like. Four nights was also too long; we got a little bored (I think they had a minimum stay). I had tried to get into the smaller Lake Moraine, but it was booked when I tried last Sept. I think it might be a better choice. We did enjoy seeing the Canadian Rockies, very lovely, and DH and DS got a kick out of the famous spiral rail tunnel.

I will try to post some photos later, but THX again and hope my comments are helpful to others.

Glad you had a good time and enjoyed Vancouver. Nice to know the NW didn't live up to its rainy reputation. We do get sun here! :)

Sounds like a fabulous trip, hope to get up there one of these days!

Glad it was a good trip! There are some fabulous places to see and experience in the NW. I love all the areas you visited. And learned where to eat next visit to Portland!

I laughed about the Chihuly article, because I kind of hate how "commonplace" his art has become, but I still promote it for visitors because it is visually stunning and a great little museum. Part of the magic, I think, is that it is GLASS!! And no one has ever created with glass as he has. It has an element of danger, I think. Oh, wait, that may be too close to the Trump analogy.

However, the writer's credibility is challenged by the fact that Chihuly stopped blowing glass because of the loss of his eyesight, not a surfing accident...

Thanks for the trip report. It sounds like there was something for everyone in the family and a great trip. I actually visualized the rose garden again when you described it. I recall last year just standing there and inhaling that wonderful scent and taking it all in. Simply gorgeous.

Honestly Mtn can I hire you to be my travel agent? Sounds like a really fun memorable trip for your family. I have not been to the NW since college, and since we have good friends in Coeur D'Alene, your trip makes me want to go visit them.

LOL, Missy, I love to plan trips.

Thanks Outside, that rose garden really is a gem, worth the trip even from CT! Even my teenage son liked it.

Oly, Yes, Ken is THE MAN. BTW, I thought the same thing about Chihuly so I looked it up ... "In 1976, while Chihuly was in England, he was involved in a head-on car accident during which he flew through the windshield.[6] His face was severely cut by glass and he was blinded in his left eye. After recovering, he continued to blow glass until he dislocated his right shoulder in a 1979 bodysurfing accident."

Thanks Texan, thanks BL!

PS I still heartily recommend Chihuly. We all loved it. The museum is perfect for showcasing the work; dark walls and floors and nicely lit. Then, interspersing the fragile art in among the gardens is so pleasant.

I saw a Chihuly garden installation at the Chrysler Museum last summer and it was just beautiful. We also have a permanent installation at a local museum here in Virginia Beach at the MOCA. I also read that because of his eye injury, his assistants do most of the glassblowing for him, under his direction.

Ah, thanks for the clarification, Chihuly's website doesn't mention that, just the eye/depth perception as the cause. It's kind of funny that the blowers who create those amazing pieces don't get any glory, just him.

In one of the short documentaries they show in a loop at the museum, he says that when he works with glass blowers he doesn't even look at the first 25-30 pieces they make, they are just warm up.

Thanks for the review. Sounds like you had a wonderful time and your commentary brought back many fond memories of my visits to those places. So glad the weather was with you too...makes a trip so much more enjoyable.

If no one minds that I hijack mtn's thread... we got back Monday night, actually 3 am Tuesday, from our Seattle/Vancouver trip. We had delays in Phoenix, so it took us a total of 21 hours to get from Vancouver to Boston! Ugh.

We started in Seattle. Needless to say, meeting Mtn and Mr. Mtn was the best part. :) The funniest was seeing how quickly the DH's hit it off. Mtn and I could have wandered off and they wouldn't have noticed. Second best was the Chihuly museum and gardens. Really didn't expect to like it THAT much, but we were all so impressed. DH and sons really loved the EMP Museum. DD and I were more "meh" about it. Really just liked Seattle Center in general. Space Needle was cool. We had lunch at the Collections Café at Chihuly, which we also liked a lot.

Also in Seattle, we did the Underground tour, which everyone enjoyed for the Seattle history lesson. We all loved Fremont! Shops, Sunday Market, lunch at the Cantina (not sure it that's the exact name). Even though it was chilly, we also enjoyed the Argosy Locks boat tour and later went back to Ballard to see the Locks and the salmon ladders, and browsed some shops. We walked thru part of the Olympic Sculpture Park but it was at the end of a long day, so I don't think we appreciated it as much as we should have. Went for a ride on the Great Wheel. Drove to Snowqualmie Falls and Gasworks Park (so cool!). Took the ferry to Bainbridge Island and had lunch there and poked in some shops. Oh! Of course we went to Pike Place Market several times. We had great meals everywhere, and the weather was perfect while we were there.

Vancouver...rained almost the whole time. Gah. Still loved it, but would have loved it more if the weather were better. We carried on and did everything we'd planned to do. We stayed in the same floating home Mtn mentioned, and she kindly left us a pretty bouquet on the dining table! (Thanks, Mtn!) I asked for chocolates, but whatevs. We walked around downtown Vancouver a lot. (In both cities, we had 15,000-20,000 steps on the fitbit on most days.) We went to Capilano Suspension Bridge, which scared the --- out of me, especially in the rain because it seemed like it should be slippery, even though it actually wasn't. Such a neat place, and wish we could have seen it in better weather. DH and kids went white water rafting in Squamish, which was more hair-raising than their experience in Iceland, but they loved it. I stayed safely behind and shopped in Vancouver. Loved a store called Poppy & Rye for clothing and bought a couple of things there. We went on a whale watch, which was very different from the whale watch we did off Cape Cod many years ago. I was nervous when we had to get suited up in similar suits we wore for white water rafting in Iceland, and when the guide talked about procedures for when someone goes overboard...but it was all good! We saw many bald eagles and seals, but just one whale, and it was a humpback, not an orca. And we were out for 7 hours. So, while it was still enjoyable, it felt like a long day to see just one whale that we could have seen closer to home. On our last day, the sun came out and we walked to Stanley Park... we didn't have enough time to find/rent bikes but would love to return and do that one day. Again, we had lots of good meals, and I am sure we all gained a few lbs.

All in all, it was a great trip. I would go back, and would stay longer to explore some of the surrounding areas.

Sounds like a great time was had by all!

Sue - sorry it rained but after last summer's scorching never-ending heat we'll take it. Forest fires throughout the province (except for Fort Mac fire which is now contained) are down by 2/3's over last year and we won't be facing water restrictions this year either.

It sounds like you enjoyed it despite the rain. Yea, the Capilano Suspension bridge can be a little scary. :)

Sueb, glad you enjoyed your time in the NW. Too bad about the rain in Vancouver and the lack of chocolates in your houseboat, though. Vancouver is one great city and even more gorgeous in the sun! You'll have to visit again.

Great trip report, Sueb! I saw a piece about Gas Works park recently, and thought it looked like a neat place to visit. You and Mtn both make me want to go to Oregon and Washington! So many places, so little time (and $). LOL