Sunday, May 12, 2024 - Fly to Portland and drive to Astoria, Or

Due to recent reports on the safety issues in the Portland downtown area, we decided to skip the downtown area and drove to the northwest corner of Oregon - the beautiful Astoria.  It is a small town on the edge of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. It is famous for being the final point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the setting of the movie 'The Goonies', and its Victorian-era homes built into the hillside overlooking the Columbia River.  It is the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.

The drive from Portland airport to Astoria took us to Washington State and then back to Oregon State.  The US 30 generally follows the southern shore of the Columbia River and it was a beautiful and enjoyable drive.  

After we checked into the Lloyd Hotel Astoria Bayfront, it was about 3PM and we took the opportunity to do some sightseeing around this famous town.  The highest rated attraction is the nearby Astoria Column.  It is a 125-foot-tall Astoria Column serves as a monument to the history of the Pacific Northwest. In 1925, Ralph Budd, president of the Great Northern Railway, approached New York architect, Electus Litchfield, with the renewed interest. Together with artist Attilio Pusterla, they formulated a plan to erect a column decorated with a sgraffito-style painted histogram recounting the region’s history spanning from the discovery of the Columbia River to the arrival of the railroad.

Today, the Astoria Column attracts visitors from around the world. Visitors may climb the inside of the tower (164 steps) to the observation deck at the top, which provides a spectacular view of Astoria and the Columbia River. This column has been seen in movies such as, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, The Goonies, and Short Circuit. 

Then, we drove to The Lewis And Clark National And State Historical Park to see if we can do some hiking there.  Unfortunately, we got there past their closing time, and they closed their gate to prevent anyone to get in.  Therefore, we only took photos at their sign near the entrance and drove to the canoe landing area for more photos.

We went back to the hotel and found out that they have complimentary salmon chowder  after 5PM everyday. Of course we did not pass the opportunity to try some chowder and it was surprisedly good.

It was Mother’s day, we did not know the status of the nearby restaurant, therefore we just drove to the highly recommended restaurant in town, the 'Bridgewater Bistro' to try our luck.  Fortunately, they found a table for us.  We had their special Chicken Lasagna and Fish & Chips.  They were delicious.