Bellingham, WA – The City of Subdued Excitement
Bellingham or the ‘city of subdued excitement,’ as a local mayor once dubbed it, is Washington’s slightly less weird version of Portland, Oregon.
It’s laidback, green, liberal and loaded with outdoor activities! What makes this town so subdued with excitement? I don’t really know. But what I can tell you is three reasons you should check it out for yourself.
One.
The Mount Bakery Café was one of our first stops and it may be the reason we fell in love with this subdued little town. They served up a serious crab benedict on top of a belgian waffle. There is no having a bad day after a breakfast like that!
Two.
Whatcom Falls Park probably takes the cake for city parks. The moment we steped on the trail, it was like being transported to a national forest…we quickly forgot we were surrounded by city and suburbs.
Three.
The historic district of Fairhaven is so cool, it has its own website. It’s lined with cute shops and eateries (we have an addiction to good food) and there is plenty of outdoor seating for people watching (and plenty of people for watching).
Of course there’s plenty more to do…and we did: Visit WWU for one of the largest collections of outdoor art (it’s free); Swing by the famous outdoor farmers market and pick up fresh local foods (don’t miss the shroom guy) or a new friend like ‘Bubbles’ (recycled sweater creature i’m holding in the top photo); Indulge in the cuteness that is Katie’s Cupcakes (she’s the champion of Cupcake Wars); Take a breathtaking sunset walk along the waters of Boulevard Park or on the patio of Woods Coffee with a locally roasted cup o’ Joe. Oh, and I almost forgot!!!!! There’s multiple micro breweries serving up great brews, and we just happened to be there for Bellingham Beer Week (maybe that’s why we forgot). Ahhh the sweet life!
Bellingham is a whopping 18 miles south of the Canadian border crossing at Blaine and 89 miles north of Seattle. So if you find yourself one direction or the other, stop by and see if you can find out why it’s the ‘City of Subdued Excitement’.
