https://elizafox.life/travel/ Places Elizabeth Ashford has visited and what she thought of them. en-us Mon, 17 Aug 2026 05:34:59 GMT https://elizafox.life/travel/vancouver-bc/ https://elizafox.life/travel/vancouver-bc/ Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Notes from visiting Vancouver, British Columbia. <h2>Dates travelled</h2> <p>Many times starting from 2025 to present. I lost track.</p> <h2>First impressions</h2> <p>It felt like the city was so much better put together than any city in the US.</p> <p>I noticed urbanism felt intentional, green spaces were left in, there was lots of open areas, and density was thoughtful.</p> <p>The quality of the transit system for a city its size stood out to me.</p> <h2>Highlights</h2> <ul> <li>I love SkyTrain. I feel like it needs a commuter rail spine to supplement it.</li> <li>The weather is basically just like Seattle.</li> <li>It's very walkable and easy to get around.</li> <li>I really love the waterfront.</li> <li>Capilano Suspension Bridge is overpriced but worth doing once.</li> <li>Harbour Centre is "we have the Space Needle at home" but for half the cost.</li> <li>Metrotown is a real mall that is far busier than any US mall if you want to know what malls were like in the 90's in the US. Unfortunately it is slated to be demolished and replaced.</li> </ul> <h2>Food and drink</h2> <p>The food is fantastic.</p> <p>I liked:</p> <ul> <li>Nando's; but I like this everywhere</li> <li>Uncle Fahti's Pizza</li> <li>Steve's Poke Bar</li> <li>The Smokin' Oak — good BBQ</li> <li>Ricky's Country Diner — it's like how Denny's used to be, back when it was good</li> </ul> <h2>Getting around</h2> <p>SkyTrain and buses are the recommended way to get around. Public transit is generally safe and clean.</p> <p>I would use caution at night around SkyTrain stations and in parts of Surrey, especially near Gateway. Having your wits about you is enough. You aren't likely to encounter problems, but use common sense.</p> <p>I would avoid Downtown Eastside unless you want to see Ground Zero of Canada's homelessness crisis and toxic drug epidemic (although it is still nowhere near as bad as it is in the United States).</p> <h2>Would I go back?</h2> <p>Not only would I go back, I aspire to move here someday. It is not a perfect place by any stretch of the imagination. But I genuinely enjoyed my time here.</p> https://elizafox.life/travel/seattle-wa/ https://elizafox.life/travel/seattle-wa/ Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Notes from visiting Seattle, Washington. <h2>Dates travelled</h2> <p>I first visited in 2023. I moved here shortly after.</p> <h2>First impressions</h2> <p>The natural beauty everywhere you look in the PNW is amazing.</p> <p>The homelessness crisis is acute here. It's Ground Zero for America's homelessness epidemic.</p> <p>A lot of people seem to come here thinking this place will solve all their problems, only to find it presents new problems. That doesn't mean it's not worth it, it just means you're selecting a different set of tradeoffs.</p> <p>When I first came here, the 1 Line only went to Angle Lake and Northgate. It felt uninspiring and unfinished.</p> <p>Metro had fast and frequent service though, which was nice.</p> <p>It wasn't as rainy as I expected in summer, though more hazy than I expected.</p> <h2>Highlights</h2> <ul> <li>Link light rail now it goes to Lynnwood, Federal Way, and the Eastside. This is a game changer in a lot of ways.</li> <li>The Space Needle is fun to do once and never again. It's kind of a ripoff though.</li> <li>Pike Place Market is fun to do once in a while, I go to a spice shop there once in a while.</li> <li>The Waterfront is excellent but I feel it could have more amenities.</li> <li>Summers are incredible when they're not smoky. It doesn't rain much in summer. The temperature rarely gets above 25°C / 75°F.</li> <li>Winter genuinely is depressing and gloomy. This is where Seattle gets its reputation for being rainy and dark.</li> <li>I would recommend going to places off the beaten path, like the arboretum, Discovery Park, taking the ferry to Bremerton, and checking out Lake Washington.</li> <li>The police here are completely worthless. If you need their services, I would consider not bothering unless they can obviously help you.</li> </ul> <h2>Food and drink</h2> <p>Seattle's food scene is best described as "looking for diamonds in the rough." There are excellent places, but they are nestled amongst a lot of middling places.</p> <p>That being said, I wholeheartedly recommend:</p> <ul> <li>El Riconsito if you want Mexican, probably the best Mexican food in the PNW.</li> <li>Lil' Woody's for burgers. Best burger joint in Seattle.</li> <li>West of Chicago and Windy City Pie has good Chicago-style pizza.</li> <li>Seattle Pizza & Bar has good pizza if you want "just pizza."</li> <li>Owl & Thistle is a cute little pub.</li> <li>Corvus is a cute little goth bar if that's your thing, but don't expect excitement.</li> <li>Ivar's is great, especially Acres Of Clams at the waterfront.</li> <li>Premier Meat Pies — truly excellent, actually.</li> </ul> <h2>Getting around</h2> <p>The 1 and 2 lines can get you surprisingly far. If you want to go to Tacoma, you can take Sounder during weekday mornings and afternoons, or a ST Express bus.</p> <p>King County Metro is generally fine, although certain lines like the 7 can be a bit rough. Note that the 40 is always packed.</p> <h2>Would I go back?</h2> <p>I live here. What does that tell you?</p> <p>I do want to move to Vancouver, but it has nothing to do with Seattle itself, but externalities in the US as a whole.</p> https://elizafox.life/travel/portland-or/ https://elizafox.life/travel/portland-or/ Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Notes from visiting Portland, Oregon. <h2>Dates travelled</h2> <p>Many times starting from 2024 to present. I lost track.</p> <h2>First impressions</h2> <p>The Max is weirdly far from the Amtrak station.</p> <p>I don't know why they call the Max "light rail." It's a streetcar with delusions of grandeur. It is also frequently down. Plan accordingly.</p> <p>I got asked if I had any drugs to buy immediately the third time I went. Very Portland.</p> <h2>Highlights</h2> <ul> <li>Portland has a nice waterfront.</li> <li>Getting around Portland isn't difficult but I would avoid Old Town Chinatown and Union Station at night. Have your wits about you.</li> <li>Portland is Ground Zero for America's homelessness crisis and it is unavoidable. Don't start any trouble and ignore anyone yelling at you, and you'll be fine.</li> <li>Portland's night life is very good.</li> <li>I would say Portland has one of the best food scenes in the PNW, on par with Vancouver. Way better than Seattle's.</li> </ul> <h2>Food and drink</h2> <p>I liked these places:</p> <ul> <li>The Coffin — fun little goth bar</li> <li>PDX Sliders</li> <li>Screen Door Eastside</li> <li>Try any of the local food carts. Just do it.</li> <li>Any of the local pizza joints — Portland pizza slaps.</li> </ul> <h2>Getting around</h2> <p>Getting around Portland isn't too difficult. Public transit quality is about the same as Seattle. There is a more expansive rail network, but the main issue is bus frequency is not as much as Seattle, so it evens out.</p> <h2>Would I go back?</h2> <p>Absolutely. Portland is a fun place to visit and I love visiting every so often.</p>