DoggyTripTip: Westport, WA

Two weekends ago my boyfriend and I went on a short trip to Westport, WA. We've visited twice before. Each time with five dogs. Yes 5. Four of them are mine, number five belongs to a dear friend of mine. He is part of the pack so he gets to come with us. If you are looking for a weekend get-away that is fun for you AND your pooch(es), you should consider Westport.

Why Westport:

• Dogs love playing on the beach (stating the obvious)
• It's a great get-away to free your mind and enjoy the sunshine and beach
• Westport is only about a 2 hr drive from the Seattle area, unlike other beach towns
• The beach is pretty big, clean and not too busy
• There are NO cars allowed on the beach

The latter is the main reason why I prefer Westport over places like Long Beach. With no cars on the beach your kids and dogs are safe to run around where ever they want. In Long Beach, cars are driving back and forth, going pretty fast since it is considered a state highway.

Where to stay:

• We have stayed at Mariner's Cove Inn twice http://marinerscoveinn.com/
• This last time we went, Mariner's was booked so we stayed at the Islander http://www.westport-islander.com/

Both places are clean and nice, but they are motels (or motel like) so don't except a Hilton. The rooms at both places were spacious and in good condition. The beds were comfy and the bathrooms were clean. Mariner's Cove is closer to the main beach, while the Islander is closer to the main part of town as well as to Half Moon Bay, however, proximity really isn't that big of a deal, since it is a fairly small town.

The Islander also has an in-house bar and restaurant called the Half Moon Bay Bar & Grill which is the nicest restaurant I've seen in town (but I didn't eat there this time… I will get back to that) so if you prefer to be able to dine and drink and not have to drive after, this may be a good option. It is a nice perk but it also causes the parking lot to be full so you may not be able to even park in front of the hotel, let alone in front of your room. They have about 20 rooms so there are quite a few people walking around. We were on the first floor and I could hear people walking around above us in the middle of the night, so if you're a light sleeper like me, you may want to request the second floor.  Mariner's Cove is more quaint, it only has 7 rooms total, no second floor, so it is a little nicer when travelling with dogs, because there aren't people constantly passing your room and you don't feel like your dogs are imposing as much on others if they bark every once in a while.

Pricing at Mariner's Cove was significantly lower than it was at the Islander, but that may have been a seasonal thing as well since we went during different times of the year. Both places allowed us to bring 5 dogs but only charged us their dog fee for 2.

There were other places too that allowed dogs (some of them would have even taken 5), but they were booked or too expensive. Call a couple of places to figure out which one works best for you.

Where to eat:

• The Mermaid Deli http://www.mermaiddeli.com/ - it doesn't look like much from the outside, but it is a nice little bar/restaurant on the inside. When you first walk in it seems like a sandwich carry out place (which you can do by the way), but there is a bar in the back and a very spacious outside area where your dog can come join you (of course, you should always ask first). Their sandwiches are amazing. My favorites are the Melt and their Maui Pork Sandwich. Go there - your taste buds will be forever thankful.
• Westport Winery http://www.westportwinery.org/ - This is a really cute and cozy winery. It is outside of town and about a 20 minute drive from Westport. I love fruit blends and they have a lot of them, so I love going there for tastings. I even signed up for their wine club! On this last trip we also went there for dinner. It is definitely in the pricier category, but it was delicious. They had live music that was mellow and not overbearing and we had a great, romantic dinner. They are also super dog friendly. They have an outside area where you can sit with your dog and you can walk your dog anywhere on the property. The owners love dogs and even have events for dogs called 'Yappy Hour!'
• Half Moon Bay Bar & Grill at the Islander http://www.washingtonsbestbloodymary.com/ - The first time we went to Westport we loved this place, the second time we weren't impressed, and this last time we didn't go partly due to our experience last time and partly due to wanting to eat a different place this time around. They are famous for their Bloody Marys because they stack them with a bunch of stuff (it's like a small salad!). Obviously, that isn't what makes a good  Bloody Mary though. The first time we went, we sat in the dining room and had 2 Bloody Marys each because they were that good, the food was awesome and service was great. The second time, the hostess sat is in a dark corner in the dining room on a sunny day, which we all know have to be enjoyed as much as possible around here. When we inquired if we could sit anywhere else, like next to a window!, she said that those tables were all reserved and walked away instead of asking if we would like to sit in the lounge or at the bar that was getting some sunshine. So we just got up and sat down at the bar. However, the bar staff was very non-responsive (it took 4 times of us asking to get a glass of water) and watching the bartender 'mix' the Bloody Mary by dumping Vodka on ice and then adding Bloody Mary mix angered me. Especially since we seemed to have forgotten that they cost $15 a pop. On top of that the Bloody Mary didn't taste good this time at all. I didn't even finish mine and last time I had 2! The food was probably just as good as the last time, but given the overall experience it just didn't seem to be worth the money. So for us it has been a hit or miss here. I hope that if and when you go, you will have a fantastic experience.
• Little Richard's House of Donuts http://www.yelp.com/biz/little-richards-house-westport - Not to my surprise, this place does not have a website.  Their reviews on Yelp are pretty good, but my experience there has been just ok. All three times I have walked in there with a big smile on my face and said 'hello'. And every single time the chick behind the counter just stared at me like a goldfish and didn't respond. I don't know about you, but when I say hello and am about to buy something from you, please have the courtesy to say hello back (and really… you should be the one to say hello first!). Outside of this pet peeve of mine, the selection is not very large, but their stuff is pretty good. I personally really liked the Maple Bar. Huge and really tasty.

There are definitely more places to explore in Westport. These are just places we've happened to go to and that we have enjoyed.

10 things I learned from my brother's visit

This summer my younger brother visited me here in the U.S. We were both born and raised in Germany and I moved here in 2006. During his visit I learned and realized a lot of things that I had either not noticed before or already forgotten. About the American culture and about myself.

 Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Americans (or shall I say the ones we interacted with during his visit) sometimes don't speak their mind out of fear of offending someone. They for example say 'that's so funny'  in response to a comment or action that was supposed to be funny, when clearly it wasn't. Otherwise they would have just laughed and the 'that's so funny' comment would have been redundant.
2. I tend to worry too much about others having a good time rather than just having a good time with them.
3. Eating typically American food for a week straight will make you feel nasty, tired and fat (we ate burgers, corn dogs, hot dogs, pizza for the first week or so).
4. I drive like a German, but have the parallel parking abilities of a 16 year old American girl living in the suburbs.
5. It is very tough for Germans (or foreigners in general) to understand all the slang, cultural references and nuances sometimes. My brother answered the immigration lady with 'yeah sure' when asked if he had a full-time job in Germany. He said she got very inquisitive and kind of mean after that and he didn't understand why. When he said 'sure' he meant 'of course' or 'you can be assured that I do'. I explained to him that she probably heard 'yeah sure… whatever you say, just let me go'. I might be wrong, but that is my assumption.
6. The US economy is losing ground (I know… duh..). The immigration lady also asked my brother if he was coming to the U.S. to pay my bills (i.e. get a job and help me out). He responded with 'I would pay her bills if I could, but she makes a lot more money than I do'. He told me later that he wishes he would have just said: 'Why would I come to the U.S. to work? Germany's economy is much better and the Euro is stronger than the dollar.' Touche.
7. My brother was amazed by all of the space we have here. Every time we went to a park, lake or trail he said that there are very few places around Frankfurt to enjoy nature and the ones that do exist are always packed with people and thus not very enjoyable. It made me appreciate the PNW and all of its outdoor activities even more.
8. GoogleMaps is fine in areas you kind of know with decent coverage. It is not great in areas with no coverage that you do not know. Functionality and UX has decreased from earlier versions. Getting a real GPS Navigation before my next trip into unknown territory.
9. Corn dogs are the only thing that you cannot get as a freshly prepared meal at a restaurant/stand/truck (please let me know if you know of a place). My brother loves corn dogs. He can get the frozen ones in Germany. He asked to go to a place to eat freshly made corn dogs. Me: crickets. No clue. The only time we saw corn dogs on a menu they were part of a kid's menu. And you know they weren't dipping hot dogs in batter and frying them in any of those places.
10. Your Twitter followers and your Klout score are not as valuable as time with your family. Not tweeting for 2 weeks will not kill you socially. I am pretty sure none of my followers will take offense to this since I am confident that you all agree. Go hug a loved one. You're lucky if you can just go do that without flying across the world.