The Pacific Northwest 2014: Portland and Seattle

As a prelude to our first cruise experience, a one week Alaskan Cruise departing out of Seattle, Kay and I decide to drive north early to explore Portland and Seattle, two great cities of the Pacific Northwest, which we last visited back in the 1990's. Over the years since, Portland has been sited repeatedly as the ideal model for a bicycle friendly city so for me, being a bike nut, it was a must see. We also have two nieces currently residing in Seattle so we wanted time to visit and to explore the city. One lasting memory from our previous visit to Seattle was a prime rib dinner, the most tender I've ever eaten, served at the Metropolitan Grill. Unfortunately, it was not as good this time around. Perhaps my taste for meat has changed with age! To conclude, we had a great time exploring the two cities and visiting with our nieces. Portland and Seattle are both wonderful metropolitan cities, each imparting it's own unique character. Portland has a more laid back friendly earthy feel and I would describe as a major city without a significant skyline, while Seattle has all the height, high polish and shine of a major city along with the fast pace that goes with it. One of our highlights in Seattle, was the Chihuly exhibit at the Space Needle. We enjoyed Chihuly's outdoor garden exhibit so much that we went twice, once during the day time and then after dark which was quite magical. Below are a few pictures. To see the full set in Picasa, click on the link at the bottom right of this post.

From The Pacific Northwest 2014: Portland and Seattle