A Splendid Baby-Moon

Last Thursday we got the crazy idea to have one last get-away before Little One arrives. We've since been told that's called a "babymoon". Jer found this great boutique hotel in Astoria so we took Friday afternoon off and hit the road. We were pleasantly suprised with how hip and cool Astoria was. Most Oregon coastal towns are a little bit backwards. Astoria is the exception. It is enjoying a revitalization period and we were enjoying right along with it. We stayed at the super cool Commodore Hotel - recently remodeled and reopened after closing it's doors suddenly in the 1960's. When bought a few years back, everything was untouched and in place as it had been for 40 years. The photos they took are what decorate the walls and the lobby is full of random artifacts. I highly recommend a night's stay there. We checked in, walked around town looking at shops and galleries, drove onto Sunset Beach (literally drove... right up to the ocean's edge, rolled down our windows and read with the sound of the sea in our ears), ate a yummy dinner at the funky yet stylish Astoria Coffeehouse, watched a movie and fell asleep to the comedy channel. Saturday brought a walk along the pier to breakfast at The Cannery Cafe, a drive-by of the Goonies house, a visit to the outlet mall, and one more walk on the beach at Seaside. It was Fab. Looking back on the pictures I took, it appears Astoria inspired me in a graphic way...