How bizarre to review a business park, huh? Except that this business park contains the remains of…read morea never-completed nuclear power plant, most notably the two massive cooling towers associated with a traditional power plant. While the Hanford Site in Eastern Washington was instrumental to the Manhattan Project, there is a noticeable lack of nuclear energy projects in the Pacific Northwest (with only two active reactors that I know of- at said Hanford Site, and the student run reactor at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.) Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in Oregon has been closed for many years and it's distinctive cooling tower was demolished back in 2006- so where can you go for some photo shoots and pseudo-urban exploration? Well, Satsop is within daily driving distance from Seattle and Portland and considering the price (free,) it is well worth stopping by.

A short 13 minute detour off the highway on our way to Ocean Shores. Pretty cool to see the…read moreabandoned (unfinished) nuclear power plants up close - even though they are a gentle reminder of the government wasting more of our hard earned money. A few side items to note - the business park has hundreds (I mean hundreds) of brand new Volkswagens waiting for their forever home, so feel free to look around. BUT don't look too closely because there is a security guard with a lead foot who loves to mad-dog you from the comfort of the front seat of his Ford Focus (1989 - 92 model). There is also a huge boring machine on site which begs the question - are there tunnels below these nuclear structures and if so did the forgiving tax payers of the beautiful Pacific Northwest pay for this rusting eye sore? In any event - the power plants are pretty cool to see.

This post office is tucked away down one of the many streets of Grayland. If my memory serves me…read moreright it's down the street from the state park and a hop, skip, and a jump from the beach access. The dark color of this office blends in with the background and you would be sure to miss if on a rainy dark Washington day. Grayland is beautiful by the way. One long street separates you from the cranberries and the beach. I believe that it's home to the Ocean Spray cranberry farms. Probably not the main office, but it's not just the beach to see in Grayland. Turn off and drive down the cranberry roads and then look up to see the wind farm close by. I just had a very good feeling when I left here and plus I got a chance to mark another post office off my list.

Just a PSA for people like me who are visiting Aberdeen and think the ship will be where it is…read moremarked on the map. The address is just for the home port of the Lady Washington and it travels around many months out of the year on the West Coast. Don't be like me and drive around the port for 10 minutes looking for a ship that isn't there! You can check https://historicalseaport.org/to see it's current sailing schedule. Would love to see in person one day.

The Lady Washington is a 20th century replica of the original 18th century ship. Chances are that…read moreyou've seen this ship in one of her film appearances: - The Interceptor in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - The Enterprise in Star Trek Generations - Captain Hook's ship on Once Upon a Time While the Star Trek Holodeck Arch is long gone, it was still a thrill to board this tall ship and imagine what nautical travel must have been like in the 18th century when the Lady became the first American ship to make landfall on the West coast of North America & the first American ship to travel to Honolulu and Japan. If you ever get a chance to tour or sail aboard this tall ship do it! "Computer, remove the plank!"

I love the postal service as a whole, but truly miss Jasmine! I wish she was still at our hub…read more I'm sorry to be mean, but her replacement is truly disappointing as our Postal representative.

This post office is so old fashioned looking but quaint for the town of Moclips. I couldn't check…read morein on the mobile app because there was no cell signal for me that close to the beach and that far up the coast. This is one more stop on my quest to visit all the cities in Washington.

Awesome library! Great staff and great selection, they recently remodeled and have an awesome…read moreindoor playground and kids area!

Movies every Thursday at 3 PM - have a giant screen and awesome sound, practically all to yourself!…read more The locals don't know what they're missing.

This is a cute fishing village and we came directly to the marina…read more Lots of seafood choices, fishing charters and cabin lodgings facing the marina or the sea wall. A great spot to stroll.

Westport is where I live, and so I'm going to take this opportunity to tell you to COME VISIT!!…read more The 18 miles of sandy beaches that stretch from Westport to Tokeland is otherwise known as the South Beach is everything you would want in a Pacific Northwest Beach. Whether you're looking for a fishing adventure, beautiful beaches, surfing, kite flying, whale watching, crabbing, or just relaxing, the South Beach is the place to be. In the summer, you can beat it to beat the heat. It's not overdeveloped, in fact its quite understated. The marina district has a nice mixture of upscale restaurants (we got our first sushi restaurant, yay!) and hole-in-the-wall diners. Fishing is still a very important part of the community, and if you've ever wanted to try a fishing charter, you can do that from July 1 until the quotas are met for less than a round of drinks in downtown Seattle. Surfing is huge here, at Westhaven State Park and Half Moon Bay. There are 2 surf shops in town (Steepwater Surf Shop, and The Surf Shop) that can outfit you with a wetsuit and a board for under $50. A lesson will cost a little more, but not by much. Bikes and paddleboats are available for rent down on the water. Kites can be purchased for just a few dollars and can keep your kids busy for hours. In the spring and fall, watch the WDFW to see when the beaches are open for clamming. During crab season, you can drop your crab pots right off of the fisherman's boardwalk - no boats required. Starting in September, the salmon that were released by the local high school class start to return to the Marina, and you can fish right off the boardwalk and participate in the Salmon Derby. There is all kinds of old fashioned fun here. It's perfect for a romantic getaway or a family trip. Day trips and overnighters. There is everything from campgrounds to low budget motels, to luxury condos. All only 2 hours from Sea Tac!

So, this is a getaway destination for Washingtonians! And while it feels a bit homogenous to this…read moreCalifornia Bag Area native, it was a quaint place to spend a night during my trip to Seattle. I took the scenic route along the Western Coast and through the Olympic National Rainforest. It was a gorgeous drive with the Pacific Ocean and tons of gorgeous water inlets until you get all the way down to Ocean Shores. My take away: Cute little beach town on the western coast of Washington. Why should you come here? You can actually see whales! I went to Point Brown and saw my first live whale EVER! It might have been two. But everyone out on the rock walls threw up high fives and smiled huge happy grins in a moment that connected strangers during a pandemic. It was heartwarming. I didn't eat anything, but enjoyed a grocery trip to the IGA. I loved the humorously labeled isles, but didn't find EXACTLY what I might have wanted. There are lots of potential for touristy activities, and even better: tourist traps to spend money looking for the perfect magnet and post cards!

Spent Saturday on Memorial weekend in Ocean Shores. Busy weekend and the city had locked all the…read morepublic bathrooms at the beach. People in long lines realizing the doors weren't opening. Even the public Porta potty was locked. Elderly, disabled, young and old left trying to find a place to use the bathroom. McDonald's women's bathroom had only 1 working toilet and Subway only has 1 toilet for women and 1 toilet for men. People were using the dunes for their personal bathrooms. Stores don't offer bathrooms to public. We usually go to Long Beach but chose Ocean Shores cause it is closer but after seeing how the city treats tourists we won't be back. In fact, we normally go through all the little shops and eat dinner in town when we do a beach day, We chose not to do that and we left and ate dinner back in our hometown. Ocean Shores is extremely rundown and doesn't seem to be that welcoming to visitors. We most certainly will not be back and will continue having our wonderful beach days in Long Beach.

Small library with plenty of free parking…read more Poetry night and other local activities. They change due to the seasons.

Great town library. Staff is awesome. Lots of events engaging school students from preschool to…read morehigh school. Their computer program allows students a safe, comfortable work area with numerous computers with the search power to easily research and do their homework. Michelle who is the heart of the library is personable, knowledgeable and is tuned in to every aspect of the Ocean Shores Library. The O.S. Library is also dialed in with many adult clubs and events. Stop by my your O.S Library talk with staff, pick up a library events calendar; EXPLORE!