After leaving the Iredale Shipwreck, we made our way to Astoria. Our first stop was the iconic Goonies House.
I had read about some "not nice neighbors" and the importance of NOT turning up the drive. As we came up 37th St there was a sign indicating the direction of the house and reminding visitors to stay on the sidewalks. Instead of turning left (in the direction of the house) we chose to turn right to look for parking. Luckily, there were some parallel spots at the corner of Duane and 36th street.
We walked along the sidewalk towards 38th Street. Once we got to the intersection of 38th & Duane, there were reminders to NOT go up the driveway. We walked up the hill towards the house and were met by a small group of other fans. We took pictures and had our moment before making our way back down the hill. At the intersection of the Duane and 38th a police cruiser was letting out 3 Coast Guardsmen who also seemed to be fans.
On our short walk to/from the house (5 minutes maybe) we did cross paths with one neighbor that was washing his truck. We all said our pleasantries without any issues.
One of the highlights of our walk was hearing a weird sound....tuning in more carefully we realized that this was the sound of sea lions. We got in our car and followed the sounds until arriving in a parking lot that got us as close to the sea lions as possible. We could see them playing and frolicking from a distance....this was one of our daughter's highlights.
Next we checked into our hotel, the Astoria Riverwalk Inn. This hotel had outside corridors (which is normally a big turn-off for us) but it seemed affordable and we wanted to give this quaint town a shot without staying in a hotel chain. Also, we are Marriott members and there wasn't a Marriott hotel in the area. Our first perception upon driving up was that this hotel was VERY outdated. We checked in and got assigned our room which was very close to the front desk.
Pros: could park right in front of our first floor room, so unloading was easy; within walking distance to a coffee shop and delicious restaurant (more on that in a a bit); a REALLY great view of the marina; clean rooms; friendly staff
Cons: outdoor corridor; the worst hotel breakfast of the trip; outdated rooms
If I return to Astoria I will not still here again, but the beds were comfy and the room served it's purpose.
After unloading we tried to settle on a dinner restaurant. Honestly, this was a tough choice. Our internet searches showed a LOT of what seemed to be great places. Many of them did seem to be on the more expensive side for this charming, but rough around the edges, coastal town. Plus, we weren't super hungry. I asked the front desk attendant if she had a recommendation and she quickly named 3 places and also gave me a city map with all the restaurants marked. We drove off to one of her recommended places, found street parking, and walked inside. Unfortunately without reservations they were unable to seat us. Next we drove to the Bridgewater Bistro, which is easily walkable from our hotel.
Not having reservations, we were almost turned away.....but the hostess allowed us to sit and enjoy drinks while they worked to clear a table for us. I am so glad, she did as this was one of the VERY best meals of our trip.
First, the restaurant is in a historic boatyard/cannery building sitting directly on the river. The view is beautiful. Once we got a table, our server mentioned that on Mondays most restaurants are closed so the restaurants that are open are usually very busy. My recommendation to you, is to make a reservation so you don't run into our troubles.
We ordered the Tomato Bruschetta as an appetizer. It was 3 pieces of bruschetta....the basil was crispy and gave it a great flavor. For our meals, we decided on the Dungeness Crab Cheesecake, a bowl of Crab and Mussel Chowder, and a cup of chowder with Willapa Bay Manila Clams.
Everything was outstanding. The chowder was meaty and full of flavor. The clams were so fresh. The crab cheesecake was different...but very flavorful. 10/10 recommendation for the Bridgewater Bistro.
After dinner, we were still craving Tillamook ice cream (see my previous post) so we headed to the grocery store to buy a pint to eat back at the hotel. Ironically, the grocery store didn't sell it so we had to settle on another brand. We took our ice cream back to our room and enjoyed it while on the small balcony overlooking the river. Afterwards, we walked around the hotel to see the Coast Guard shipped that was docked. Of course we couldn't get too close as it was fenced and had patrols guarding it, but it was still cool to see. We also walked over to the Cannery Pier Hotel and Spa before calling it a night.
The next morning we attempted coffee and breakfast at the hotel but other than packaged yogurt, there wasn't anything appealing. The coffee wasn't even good.
We made our way to the Hanthorn Cannery Museum. I really wouldn't call this a museum, but more like a repurposed cannery. It was interesting reading and learning but our main reason to stop by was for coffee. The Coffee Girl definitely helped us get our coffee fix.
After grabbing coffee, we attempted to see the sea lions once more. Again, we were a significance distance away, but we could see them playing and hear them barking.
Our next stop was the Columbia River Maritime Museum.
The Museum opened at 9:30 and we arrived a few minutes early. We were the first inside and also purchased a ticket for the 3D movie, Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker. By the time we finished the movie, the place had really started to fill up. There was a small cruise ship docked and most of the visitors were from the cruise. The Museum was interesting and informative....definitely for older children rather than younger, as there wasn't a ton of hands on activities. The Sea Lion movie was outstanding.
We were in Astoria for less than 24 hours so we tried to pack in and see as much as we could. It is a lovely little city and one that I would enjoy visiting again.
The Travel Gritty: Astoria is charming and with much history. If eating dinner, I would recommend getting reservations.
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