Overnighting in Seaside, walking the Prom
UPDATE: Seaside, Oregon is definitely a place I’d visit again, perhaps as a base for exploring and photographing the Oregon Coast. We picked it at random as it was about as far as we felt driving the first day, after going through Astoria and Tillamook (did stop for some squeaky-cheese curds, which I worked on all day).
Seaside is one of those places that’s got some authentic charm and history, although there are a lot of big new high-rises along the prime beachfront spots of its classic “Prom” or promenade. You can see the Wyndham timeshare on the right hand behind the Lewis and Clark statue. We had stayed in a Comfort Suites (that was very comfy and a sweet deal) and I left David in the room to explore on my own for a bit. I walked up the “North Prom” and enjoyed the sea breeze and looking at the cute beach cottages. One in particular caught my eye with its carved picket fence (many feature front lawns and fences, no doubt for family play space). The pickets were carved in the shapes of birds, maybe pelicans or seagulls, and it had the birds carved on an old-fashioned garden gate, too.
The main drag of Seaside is an old-fashioned street of small shops and attractions buildings painted in pastel colors, very pleasing to the eye. The “tacky tourist” look of some beach or resort areas was not as much in evidence, so clearly the local zoning people wanted to keep Seaside looking a little like it did in its glory days of the Twenties (aside from the highrise condos and some of the hotels). When I walked back, I was struck by the sight of an old-fashioned candy shop proudly displaying a fresh log of fudge on a marble worktable in the front window – and I do mean a LOG of fudge. It was about the size of a railroad tie, elaborately worked and swirled so that the top took on a braided appearance.
I ended up getting some fresh warm caramel corn and a bag of salt water taffy. The taffy has made it all the way to San Francisco, as a gift for my teammates. The caramel corn lasted until the next day on the road.
We ate dinner that night in a nice little Italian place called Guido and Joe’s, where David had some very good but spicy cioppino. He later noted that he maybe shouldn’t have enjoyed so much of it, but sometimes one must suffer a little after enjoying good food. Fortunately, I brought plenty of antacid stuff.
Ginny
I can has iPhone?
Via: Flickr
Title: End of the Oregon Trail
By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 26 May ’09, 6.42pm CDT PST
