Sunday, January 26, 2014

Marching to Astoria


It had been many years since we’ve visited the little town of Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River in the northwest corner of the state of Oregon.  BowlingWidow and I recently took a long weekend to do just that.
 
Astoria Bridge (5 miles long!) in the Background
We stayed at the Hotel Elliott.  Like most of downtown Astoria, this six story structure has been around for a long time.  But it’s been nicely updated and though the rooms are small everything was clean and comfortable (though the water pipes in adjoining rooms are a bit noisy).  Its location is perfect and every place in town is a short walk away.  Which is a great thing, as when you’re walking you don’t have to be concerned with the confusing one way streets that make up the town.
 
The Elliott Hotel
One place that we were thankful was in walking distance is Fort George Brewing.  This fine establishment has a separate taproom and restaurant.  Hit the taproom for one or two beverages before you go next door for dinner and it’ll be one of the best nights in town.  We love hops in our beer so can recommend their Vortex IPA.  The food is great with many healthy options on the menu such as the bean and rice burrito that I enjoyed.

Rogue Ales also has an excellent brewpub on a pier at the eastern edge of town which we visited.  There is one more, Astoria Brewing, that we didn’t have time to visit and will provide a good reason to make a return visit sometime.
 
The Many Taps at Rogue Brewing
On the Sunday we were there, the NFC Championship game was played and we weren’t about to miss watching the Seattle Seahawks dismantle the San Francisco 49ers.  We met some friends at a run of the mill sports bar called Merry Times to watch on the big screen and eat some average tavern food.  The saving grace was that they had Vortex on draft.

In “non beer” news, there are two places in the area which I’d suggest visiting.  First is the Astoria Column.  It’s just a 5 minute drive from town, but by the time you climb the 164 spiral stairs inside the column, you’re 725 feet above sea level  (higher than the Space Needle!).  If you’re lucky and have clear weather you can see a very long way in each direction.  The tower was built in 1926 by Vincent Astor, the great grandson of John Jacob Astor, the city’s namesake.
 
Astoria and the Columbia River from the Astoria Column
The second is a 17 mile drive to town of Seaside.  It’s definitely a destination for tourists and conventions, especially in warm weather times.  The beach is classic.  Sandy with waves breaking in the distance and long stretches of places to walk along it if you don’t want sand in your shoes.  And if you like shopping, carnivals and amusement rides such as bumper cars there’s plenty of that, too.
 
The Beach at Seaside, Oregon
Astoria is really a perfect place to go for a short or long weekend.  If only it wasn’t 200 miles from home!