Recommendations for West Coast Destinations?

[Batsy]

Hey, y'all!

My name's Bats (or Batshit). I'm getting close to the end of my senior year of high school, and I've done a tiny bit of traveling so far. During winter break, my brother and I visited the Slabs for a weekend (2 full days, 3 nights, plus 2 days to get there and back). My spring break is coming up next week, and I want to go on a trip during it to get some more traveling experience. I have a small car, a ukulele for busking, and want to potentially bring a friend with me. I can also sell copies of my zines and hand-made patches and stickers to make some extra cash.

I'm from the SF Bay Area, and I'm looking for urban cities along the West Coast.

I visited Portland, OR once for literally a few hours, and it seems like a cool town. The only problem with Portland is that I just read a thread on here about fascist groups attacking queer people a lot there lately. Sounds like I might want to wait a while before going back to Portland.

I've gone to LA every year of my life, and I enjoy it, though I've never been there as a nomad without money.

So basically, what cities and destinations do you recommend?


I appreciate any insight I can get. Thanks!

 

[roughdraft]

urban cities along the coast....well.....apart from the mentioned you have Seattle...if you have chicken and the means to a passport...Vancouver BC is supposed to be amazing.

but that's a really limited demographic whatever way you slice it...maybe head to Seattle but don't be shy about goin inland...it is absolutely beautiful...if you're strictly a city person try Eugene out..I'd go into a thing about the Olympic Pen but there are really no cities there man

 

[MFB]

Pacific Beach in SD is a nice place to be a bum this time a year. Be a pretty drive as well.

 

[Honey Crust]

Pacific Beach in SD is a nice place to be a bum this time a year. Be a pretty drive as well.

Second this super hard. Just spent two weeks in San Diego and the city has honestly grown on me. There’s a super vibrant queer scene here, and everything is pretty close to each other and accessible by car.

 

[Coywolf]

Hmmm, Off the top of my head Id recommend your hometown first, then Eugene, OR, then Portland, OR, then Seattle, WA. Ive heard Olympia, WA is getting better.

Im personally not into the whole urban scene, but Ifd you want more rural/off the coast destinations, I got those out the ying-yang.

@roughdraft Ive heard so much awesome shit about Vancouver, BC. I NEED to get up there.

 

[Coywolf]

Oh ya! And Arcata, CA. Try that for a bit, its like a right of passage for travelers. Watch out for the insane tweaker homebums, though.

 

[Crazy Hobo Johnny]

Medford, Oregon? Corvallis, Oregon?

 

[PatAW]

Santa Cruz

 

[roughdraft]

Hmmm, Off the top of my head Id recommend your hometown first, then Eugene, OR, then Portland, OR, then Seattle, WA. Ive heard Olympia, WA is getting better.

Im personally not into the whole urban scene, but Ifd you want more rural/off the coast destinations, I got those out the ying-yang.

@roughdraft Ive heard so much awesome shit about Vancouver, BC. I NEED to get up there.

ya man i am looking at an overland trip to Alaska but I'm fitting to pass quite a while in BC on the way... I think Van is one city to not miss just stay tf away from East Hastings...Victoria is another nearby that has a lot of recommended nature preserves on the same island as well, iirc. Cheers

 

[dubh]

Pacific Beach is very cool, when i was a teenager in the Navy that is where I learned about Punk Rock ;-) I spent alot of time in Olympia, it is getting into the drier season now, there are a ton of camp sites, and a good busking scene on weekends. Plus tonnes of free food between the Salvation Army and soup kitchen. Port Townsend is also pretty cool, has an infoshop. Lotsa queers in smaller urban areas like Olympia. I should know I am one. Did tree sitting out of Arcata, nice break from the road. I kinda gravitated to the mid sized areas myself, lived in SF for 15 years before it became integrated into the Borg collective. Lotsa fun in the Haight and the Mission back in the day.

 

[schmutz]

If you end up going to Pacific Beach I recommend spending a day in Oceanside on the way. It's one of my favorite places to go by far

 

[roughdraft]

i agree with @dubh's recommendations.

Port Townsend, while tiny, has an urban portion and I recommend making a point to get there.