Growing up, I had always wanted to travel to the Pacific Northwest. I think because I saw so many creatives who thrived in those cities and because the scenery seemed to good to be true, my Georgia, Atlanta-suburb mind found itself wondering.

I had made my way to Portland briefly in 2016 for a photography wedding workshop, with an original plan of renting a car to see Seattle, as it was only a 2 hour drive. Plans changed though, after I had traveled alone and became homesick. I was only 18, traveling by myself for the first time and cut my trip short to come back home. However, I promised myself I would eventually come back and follow through to see Seattle.

I found myself scrolling on Google Flights one afternoon and noticed that flights out west seemed relatively inexpensive. California, Las Vegas, Colorado…all too good to be true. On a whim I typed out SEA and couldn’t believe my eyes. Round trip tickets for $300 a piece. It was a Sunday afternoon and I quickly texted Corey, my boyfriend, saying “How do you feel about going to Seattle this September?” “September? ok” And that was it.

We didn’t have much of a plan other than traveling to see downtown, the market, Mount Ranier, and go to Portland for a day. If anything, our trip was mostly to experience what it would be like in another city. Milk was cheaper than it is here, we went to the mall, even, and cooked at the airbnb for the most part. Each day we drove, we couldn’t believe how beautiful the scenery was, how the trees we saw were all evergreen, and we found ourselves marveling at how going any direction took you to completely different terrain.

The first day, we did a lot in downtown Seattle, exploring a Japanese garden with more koi than I’ve ever seen before. Then, we went to a trail that ended up being a hike to the coast with breathtaking views and rolling hills. In the same day, we also went to Safeco field to watch the Mariners play. Corey and I love baseball and were surprised at how uninvolved the fan base was compared to what it’s like to be a Brave’s fan.

The next day, we drove to Portland for a day to see Cannon Beach and the renowned rock that is famously in The Goonies. Unfortunately, the weather was gloomy and too foggy for us to see anything, so, Corey was convinced that the rock wasn’t real. We spent the evening and ate the worst Chinese food and left to explore downtown Portland the next morning. Portland didn’t excite us as much as Seattle did, which was surprising to the both of us.

After exploring for a little in Portland, we made our way back to Mt. Saint Helen where our friend Amanda took some portraits of the both of us. It was cold and rainy, but the photos still were incredibly breathtaking and some that I’ll cherish forever.

As our trip came to a close, the last day, we went to Pike Market which is where local entrepreneurs come together to sell their goods; from food trucks, nick nacks, to fresh bouquets, it was all there, and surreal to experience. Corey bought me one of the prettiest and largest bouquets that I’ve seen, organically grown and larger than my torso, for only $20 which was astonishing. We loved walking around downtown and ended the evening at Metropolitan Grill. We stumbled upon the location and chose it on a whim, after doing a google maps search to find the nearest food that we thought was the most basic. Little did we know that once we stepped into the restaurant that it was one of the most upscale restaurants (known for its steak and celebrity visitors) we could have chosen by accident, and we felt incredibly underdressed to say the least, haha!

We’re so thankful we had the opportunity to travel to such a beautiful place and hope you love these photos just as much as we do.