For those of you who are privy to hiking, there are plenty of hikes along the Columbia River Gorge to check out. If you are not wanting to hike, plenty of beautiful view points are available to you such as Multnomah Falls, the Vista House, or taking a trip to Hood River, Oregon to grab some food, drinks, and hang out along the river bank to watch all the wind surfers.

If you want to take a trip to the Oregon Coast, there are plenty of small towns within a 1.5 to 2 hour drive from the Vancouver/Portland Metro area. Some of our favorites places include Cannon Beach and Astoria (where the Goonies was filmed!), and Pacific City.

The Portland Metro area is known for having some of the best cuisine in the country. You can always find anything you're looking for, but if you are looking for some great suggestions, some of Chessa and Frank's favorite restaurants include:

- Hat Yai (Thai Fried Chicken and Thai Curry) $$

- Guero (Torta sandwiches) $$

- Laurelhurst Market (Steakhouse, Fine Dining) $$$$

- Khao Moo Dang (Thai) $$

- Nongs Khao Man Gai (Thai) $$

- Kinboshi Ramen (Ramen and other Japanese appetizers)

- Tabor Tavern (Gastropub) $$

- Cameo Cafe (Greasy spoon breakfast diner with a korean fusion) $$

- Blue Star Donuts (Gourmet craft donuts) $$

- Lardo (Pork-based sandwiches) $$

- Hawthorne Asylum (Large food cart pod area) $$

- Little Conejo (Tacos, Tortas) $$

- Milk Glass Market (Brunch, Pastries, Deli) $$$

- Proud Mary Cafe (Brunch) $$$

- Pine State Biscuits (Breakfast, Biscuit sandwiches) $$

- Matt's BBQ (BBQ food cart) $$

- Teppanyaki Hut (Sushi burrito food cart) $$

- Ranch Pizza (Detroit-style deep dish pizza) $$

- Captured Beer Bus (Beer cart situated within other food carts) $$

- Fifty Licks (Ice cream) $$

- Salt n Straw (Ice cream) $$

-Magna Kusina (Filipino Food) $$$

-Devil's Dill Sandwich Shop (Sandwiches) $$

-Gado Gado (Upscale Indonesian Inspired)$$$

There are tons of parks and forests to explore in the Northwest. If you are planning on spending some time in Oregon/Washington, we recommend taking advantage of your time here to go see the most beautiful part of the country. We understand that those of you traveling here have varying levels of physical capabilities, so we suggest that you all research trails or viewpoints on AllTrails to find something that would suit what you're looking for. Some of the most beautiful areas surrounding Portland include:

- Mount Rainier National Park

- Mount Hood National Forest

- Olympic National Park

- Tillamook State Forest

Portland is recognized as the City of Roses, and late June just so happens to be peak rose season. If you want to stroll through one of the most nationally recognized public rose gardens, you can find the International Rose Test Garden on the western hills of Portland. If the skies are clear, you might even get a nice viewpoint of Mount Hood while you're up there!