Where We Live: The Pacific Northwest
Both my mom and I love living in the Pacific Northwest, with all its rain and its beautiful scenic landscape (and yes, we actually do enjoy the rain!). Our family has lived here for 4 generations, so this area really means a lot to us. We live in Vancouver, Washington, which is just a short drive from so many wonderful places to visit. We thought it would be fun to show you a few photos of our favorite places around this area.
Vancouver’s Columbia River Waterfront
The waterfront in Vancouver is one of our favorite places to take a walk on a nice sunny day. The view of the river is beautiful, and there are many great restaurants along there as well. And with many benches under the shade of the trees, it’s just a great place to go to relax as well. Below is a photo of me on the path with the condominiums behind me that over look the river. As a kid I can remember being convinced that I would buy one of those houses one day since I loved the view so much, but now that I’m older I’m OK with just visiting for a walk every now and then! And the second picture down is a gorgeous photo of the same pathway (found on the City of Vancouver’s Facebook page).
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall is a historic landmark in downtown Portland, Oregon. It’s a beautifully restored performing arts theater that’s been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I have been able to go there a few times over the years for plays and such. Most recently, I was lucky enough to go there to see the Monkees perform! My mom and I are huge fans, so it was such a fun experience to see them there.
Multnomah Falls
Multnomah Falls is the highest year-round falls in Oregon at 620 feet, and is located in the Columbia River Gorge. It has a short trail up to the bridge, and then a much longer nature trail up to the top of the falls. I have been to the falls many times in my life, but never to the top until recently. My husband and I hiked to the top on my 25th birthday, and it was a great trail with amazing views. Once at the top, we even hiked on further, and saw two other lesser known waterfalls, that were also very beautiful!
Beacon Rock
Beacon Rock is a very large rock on the Washington state side of the Columbia River Gorge. It has a wonderful hiking path to the top, and offers amazing views of the gorge. Below on the right is a photo of my husband Erik and myself at the very top!
Cannon Beach
Cannon Beach, located on the Oregon Coast, is one of my favorite places to visit. Aside from the beautiful beach and Haystack Rock (as shown below on the left), the town has many art galleries and art events. The town is also filled with flowers and cute little walkways and shops. It is just a wonderful place, and since my family and I went there every year when I was young, it holds a lot of memories for me. Below on the right is me in one of the small plazas.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
The Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is located in Portland, Oregon, just south of us here in Vancouver, Washington. It is a beautiful garden full of many different species of ducks and birds, and of course a lot of squirrels! My parents took me there as a child, and it’s a place I love to go back and visit. It’s fairly large, and is a wonderful place to walk around and feed the ducks on a sunny day. Below is a photo of Erik and I on a bridge at the garden on his birthday several years ago.
