Having been back from the Northwest for over a week, I've had some time to think about the places my friends and I visited. Being so different climate and scenery-wise from our little planet called California, it was hard not to notice the differences (and similarities) to where we're from.
Vancouver: Our first real stop on our trek was Vancouver, British Columbia, and our first international border crossing for the trip. Having driven up Interstate 5 for about two and a half hours, we reached the U.S.-Canadian border at Blaine, Washington. In the past, I've always gone across the border either through the ferry or by airport, and never through driving. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) guard was like any typical customs official: unsmiling, asking us what we were doing in Canada, where we were staying, if we knew anyone, if we were taking any alcohol or firearms into Canada...and then let us drive on. The process was so remarkably easy. I thought the wait would be longer.
After driving up BC Highway 99 for around twenty minutes, we reached the outskirts of Vancouver and eventually the city itself. One thing that we noticed was the lack of major freeways going through the city. Unlike, say, Seattle or worst yet, Boston, Vancouver managed to avoid having behemeth spaghetti noodles of expressways criss-crossing the city. Highway 99, for instance, seems to melt into an urban city avenue.
One thing that strikes you about Vancouver is the scenery. Because of where it's situated, you see as you descend down Granville St. (one of the main roads that runs through downtown) giant mountains rising on the other side of the Burrard Inlet, the bay that separates Vancouver proper from its northern and western counterparts. It's a stunning view. I've been to Vancouver three times and I have yet to get sick of this view. Each time I've gone, these mountains rising on the other side of the bay always seem to be shrouded in clouds. 
Culture-wise, Vancouver felt alternative. Or at least the downtown part did with the stores selling old '80s t-shirts, old U.S. military and Canadian Forces memrobilia, clubs with Britpop nights, and Star Wars vintage lunchboxes. Fashion-wise, however, a friend of mine thought young Vancouverites dressed liked it was still 1997. The Californian fashionista was talking.
Portland: After driving back to the U.S., we went to Seattle for a day, and then finally down south to our next major destination. Portland, Oregon lacks the scenery of Vancouver or the caffiene-fueled vibe of Seattle. But what Portland does have is livability. Being Oregon's largest city, Portland you'd think would be more cosmopolitan. But actually the city feels more like a big small town. Besides, it's a great place to hang out. Any city that has Powell's City of Books is good in my books.
Maybe it's the urban planning. Although it has the skyscapers and the freeways, downtown is studded with trees and a fully functional tram system. People live in downtown Portland. Which is great. More American cities could use Portland's example. People shouldn't be leaving the inner city. They should be living in it. And Portland seems to be doing that.
We stayed in the Hawthorne District, one of the more Bohemian parts of town. Punk-rock guys and girls with tattoos, short-dyed hair, tight jeans and skirts dominated. Cafes, retro shops and indie record stores gave the scenery.
Oregon's different. For such a big state, it has a fairly small population at around three million or so. Coming from California, which has a larger population than all of Canada, its largest city has barely a bigger population than our own state capital, which is considered as one of the smaller medium-sized cities in the Golden State. For Oregon, like the Beck song, Portland is where it's at. There's nothing else that comes close to it in the entire state.
Oregon also has quite a lot of different laws. For one, there's no sales tax in the entire state. None. Nada. Zilch. Except for a few things, like hotels or car rentals, I believe, all other consumer good have no sales tax. The price that you see on the label is the price you're going to get. Oregon has laws that also help employees in the gasoline station industry. Car drivers cannot fill their own gas. Instead, everything is full service, with an attendee filling your gas up, cleaning your windows, with little to no involvement on your part besides making coversation or telling the attendee that you want regular. Finally, all elections in Oregon are done not through polling stations but rather through mail. Oregon is the only American state to do elections this way.
Olympia: While on our way back to Seattle from Portland, we made a two hour stop in Olympia, Washington's small state capital. Olympia makes our Sacramento seem like Los Angeles. A really confined town spread closely along the waterfront, Olympia has a nice capitol building and some really cool antique shops. One shop we found had a framed letter on the wall. It was a land grant to one of the region's earlier settlers. The land grant was signed--there in his hand-writing--by President Abraham Lincoln, dated 1864. Obviously, it wasn't up for sale. Next to it was a grant signed by President James Buchanan, one of our more worse presidents. It was for sale at a reasonable price.
Olympia was comfortable in that small town feeling. It also had an alternative vibe to it, which reminded me of my native Santa Cruz in a non-hippie sort of way. Riot grrl and a lot of early grunge came from here. Aberdeen, Olympia, Seattle; the Alternative Triangle. For a relatively small town like this and the number of acts and labels it's produced, I was impressed. I liked that. A lot of creativity in a single region.
Seattle: Our final stop came in Seattle, the Northwest's largest city. Like Vancouver, it was also my third time here. One thing that I'd forgotten was just how hilly Seattle is. While Vancouver and Portland have their slopes, Seattle has at some places San Francisco-esque hills that give the legs some excercise to go up.
After meeting up with an Australian friend, we made an obligatory visit to the Pike Place Market to watch the fishmongers toss their trade. The world's first Starbucks from 1971 is just down the road along a string of nearby shops.
Seattle has some cool distinct neighborhoods, particularly the University District and Capitol Hill. While the University District carries on with a student vibe that made me feel at home, Capitol Hill was hip and happening. Located--as you guessed it--on a hill, the place is filled with taverns, pubs, clubs, cafes, shops, and other cool little venues.
What caps Seattle off for me are the ferries. Because of the number of islands out in Puget Sound located directly adjecent of the city, Seattle is a terminus for going out and exploring its surroundings. My friend and I took one ferry over to Bainbridge Island. While on the ferry, we got a million dollar view of the city during sunset. It made everything on the trip worth it, standing their on a ferry, far from home, watching Seattle slip into night; its lights coming on over a rapidly fading sky. Mt. Rainier, once looming in the daylight, quicky washed to black like it wasn't even there. 