I was up well before the break of dawn driving down Highway 99 and went past the Daffodil Motel at 7909 Pacific Highway (Highway 99) in Milton. So I stopped to take a photo of the terrific vintage sign featuring a daffodil and the promise of free movies.
I was pretty excited to hear that the newest McMenamins had recently opened in Bothell. It is known as the Anderson School and is located at 18607 Bothell Way NE, Bothell. So dear husband, dear daughter and dear daughter’s friend went to explore it this weekend. The complex includes a restaurant/tavern, several small bars, a lovely heated saltwater pool, a movie theater (in the previous gym), an area for a reception, a small store, outdoor areas with fire pits and of course, the hotel which is in the original junior high school which has 72 rooms located in the original classrooms.
Mcmenamins Olympic Club in Centralia has won the award for best women’s room sink (if such an award existed!). Today dear husband and I went for lunch before some antiquing (him) and outlet shopping (me).
The Olympic Club Hotel was built in 1913 and is a mixed use facility which includes a restaurant/bar, pool area, movie theater and hotel with guest rooms. We didn’t take in a movie this time, though we have in the past. It is a great theater with comfy, overstuffed chair and a full menu/bar service. I snapped a photo between shows. The guest rooms have a shared centralized bathrooms (European style) and are uniquely charming. I had a photo from some years ago that I’ve included. The property has been a McMenamins since 1997.
Embassy Suites, Portland Airport is really nice. I stayed on the 8th floor.The breakfast buffet was robust and there are snacks in the evening. The picture of the orange with flowers is of our center piece at dinner.
When Dear Husband and I first came to visit Washington State we stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel at 1531 7th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 in downtown Seattle. I remember the hotel stay as being a good experience, but I was so happy to be exploring Seattle for the first time, that it would have been hard to dampen my excitement! It was completed in the deco style in 1929 with John Graham and Harold Lockland as the architects.
Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort is a magical island place. The resort is situated on Moreton Island, about 70 minutes by boat from Brisbane. The majority of the island (98%) is National Park, though it had been a whaling station between 1952 and 1962. The resort is well known for its wild dolphins which come in every evening to be feed by visitors. Another major feature is the Tangalooma wrecks, 15 vessels that were deliberately sunk to create a dive and snorkel site. For some great photos of those, go here. Oh, and how could I forget sand tobogganing!? A long walk up and a few very fast seconds coming down. Note to self…wear the goggles when they offer them next time!
The Mercure Capricorn Resort Yeppoon is just lovely. Amenities include several glorious swimming pools, a hot tub, laundry facilities, frontage on the Coral Sea (pictured above) and a multitude of kangaroos.
An evening event brought us to the Bellevue Hilton at 300 112th Ave SE Bellevue, WA 98004. Its a nice hotel and they had delicious brownies 😀
The Norman Bates Motel at 4411 Pacific Highway East, Fife, Washington 98424 was demolished in 2012. The land is available for sale. I’m not finding much information about the motel or why it was named after the hotel in the famous Hitchcock movie, Psycho. I’ve included photos from today and from April 2012, which the building was in place but behind a fence.
My family just recently watched Psycho in an effort to find a movie that isn’t a slasher flick, but actually scares my dear daughter. She enjoyed the movie, despite the fact it was in black and white, but wasn’t overly scared. Info about the movie can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_%28film%29
I’ve always pictured myself as the type of person who would be happy going from hostel to hostel and traveling the world. And I’m pleased to say that the two hostels I stayed in met my expectations. The three women leaders stayed together in one room, which is just fine since we got along so well. The hostel had several common rooms where visitors could talk, play games, read, watch tv, etc. and a large dining area. I visited with one woman who was hiking with several of her girl friends, staying in hostels along the way. One of their husbands was following in the car with all their luggage 😀 These ladies were in their 60s, so hostels aren’t limited to youth anymore.
To see more about this hostel, go here http://www.syha.org.uk/hostels-in-scotland/highlands/pitlochry.aspx
During the evening we went to see a Scotsman who demonstrated putting on a kilt and showed traditional Scots weapons.
