Washington - July 2022
Few places I’ve been to have impressed me as much as the Pacific Northwest. The nature is surreal, the seafood options are plentiful, and there is plenty to do. In 2018, I lived in Oregon for a few months during an internship. And fortunately , Yana interned in Seattle during the same time. We loved exploring Oregon and Washington, and I’ve been looking for a reason to return ever since. Devon is working for the Seattle Seahawks this summer, so I jumped on the opportunity to visit him for a long weekend.
I flew out of Minneapolis on a Friday evening and returned on Monday morning. This was a short trip, but I had to make do since I didn’t have much vacation to take. Once in Seattle, Devon picked me up from the airport and drove me to our hotel in Puyallup and we relaxed for the evening. My first dining experience of the trip featured a few beef and cheese tacos from Taco Bell. 5 stars.
On Saturday, we got up early for to go to Olympic National Park. We drove from our hotel to Beach 1, to Forks, through Port Angeles and back to Puyallup. This was definitely a lot of driving, but I’m so glad that we got to see the full loop. I really enjoyed Olympic because there are plenty of short hikes and beach pull offs. The rugged coast is truly breathtaking. We visited over 4th of July weekend, so the park was pretty busy; however, there were so many pull offs that none of them felt too crowded.
We started the day on Sunday by going to one of my favorite places in Washington - Mukilteo. Mukilteo is a quiet beach town with a neat lighthouse. We got coffee, took pictures on the beach, and enjoyed some fish and chips for lunch. In the afternoon, Devon gave me a tour of the Seahawks practice facility in Renton. It was surreal to get an insider tour of an NFL facility from my own brother.
The food in Washington is very enjoyable; they have plenty of seafood and they do it quite well. The best meal of the weekend was at Next Door Gastropub in Port Angeles. Devon and I enjoyed crab cakes, calamari, and a few glasses of wine - this restaurant had an incredible atmosphere and great food too. It was so good that I even took the time to write a Yelp review! Another standout spot was the Red Cup Cafe in Mukilteo. This cafe was quaint, eclectic, and served some damn good coffee. I highly recommend taking the time stop there if you’re ever in the area.
Traveling with Devon is always a treat and I’m glad that I got to visit him in Seattle. I truly think that Washington is my favorite state to visit - the nature and restaurant scene are hard to beat! I can’t wait to visit the Pacific Northwest again soon to enjoy the best nature this country has to offer.
-DB
