First Stop: Newport, Oregon
Having spent over twenty-five years in a city with a population exceeding one million, it was time for a change. I began dreaming of small town life.
Like any self-respecting Gen-X female with a dream, I looked to Pinterest for answers. Why not? It’s like having your own personal oracle with an easy-to-reference visual guide.
Now, to find the right key words to enter into the almighty search bar. First, I tried, “Best small towns in the US.” I found some fascinating places, but they didn’t seem right. I didn’t want to be too far from my family. I tried, “Best small towns on the west coast.” Again, I found some gems. But, I’ve always loved the beach. I decided to explore small, quiet beach towns. It could happen! “Best small beach towns on the west coast.” Wait. I wasn’t made of money. I tried again. “Best affordable small beach towns on the west coast.” There. Perfect.
The oracle produced just enough information to build my curiosity about Newport, Oregon. I grabbed the kids and we took a trip way, way up north.
Fun fact! I discovered Newport gets about seventy inches of rain per year. In contrast, our home town gets about seventeen inches. It’s dry and hot, and though some people may prefer this type of weather, I’m not one of them. So, yeah, seventy inches sounded just fine to me.
The journey to Newport was lengthy but worth it. I loved it, as did the kids. We explored the beaches, the parks, the local aquarium and the surrounding neighborhoods. The air was fresh and clean, the area was lovely, and the locals were even lovelier. Pictured below is the slide at Coast Park. Yes, it’s as cool as it looks.
The kids fell in love with a restaurant in the little downtown area near our hotel, deciding they must have clam chowder for every single meal. (They also decided my fabulous ring was ridiculously large, and each pulled out an item from their pocket of “similar size.” Whatever, kids. You wish you had my fashion sense.)
Our final verdict: Although we loved Newport, we decided that it was an amazing place to visit but not quite right for us to make a home. At least, not presently. It would be too far from our family in the bay area, Hmm. Maybe when I retire.
To be continued…
