Off to the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington) we went last week for about six days. Last year at the same time, I recall wearing a light spring jacket, a pair of Hunters, and a big umbrella for all the mild temps and rain, rain, rain. This year, I had a winter jacket and mukluks, and we witnessed Portland virtually paralyzed because of half an inch of snow, and some freezing rain. This gave me new appreciation for life in Ottawa, where the city is fully equipped to spread salt and clear the roads and sidewalks of snow, where winter might last for what feels like 9 months, but never succeeds in shutting the city down.

Creatures of habit that we are, we visited some favourite places, ate at some familiar and beloved restaurants, and D attended both a dinner with and concert by his favourite band while in Portland. Seattle was also colder than it was last year, and while we didn’t see any snow during our brief visit, we heard from some locals that they endured snow and freezing rain the previous week, just as Portland did.

I am possessed of very little self-control when it comes to food and drink, and this trip to the PNW certainly proved that point! We started with Boxer Ramen in Portland, followed by Olympia Provisions (both locations), Cheese & Crack (twice), and even the restaurant at our hotel (Hotel Rose) called Bottle + Kitchen. In Seattle, we tried Jack’s Fish Spot which is a fish market as well as small counter in the Pike Place Market, Salare in the Ravenna neighbourhood, and The Walrus and the Carpenter in the Ballard neighbourhood.

It’s good to be home, while I can still fit into my pants 🙂