Welcome to Astoria, Oregon! We made the short drive up from Cannon Beach not sure of what we would find there. What we found was a quaint and historic town (the oldest settlement in America west of the Rockies) that can’t be done in a single day. We started with looking for something to eat and discovered the Bowpicker Fish & Chips food “cart”. Fish & chips is the only item on the menu and they do it right. All the fish is albacore tuna, deep-fried and delicious! Even the french fries are cooked to perfection. The long line moved slow but was well worth the wait.
We only had to move the car 2 blocks to find the Fort George Brewery and Public House. I had the Nut Red Ale and Karen had the Cavatica Stout which was really, really good. It’s amazing to be able to sit outside in the direct sun and feel cool … in the middle of August! After the beer we walked around town a little bit and came across this place: Danish Maid Bakery. Of course everything looked good but just how good was it? Well, I have to admit that we’d already indulged on a couple of apple fritters at the Cannon Beach bakery the last couple of days which were very good but the one Karen had here could be the best ever!
We walked back to the car and drove down near the waterfront to find the Astoria Brewing Company and Wet Dog Cafe. We again sat outside with a view of the river and the Astoria Riverfront Trolley. The beer list looked impressive but the waitress informed us that it had been a busy weekend and they were out of everything except five beers. Fortunately, one of those five was their Poopdeck Porter. Not being able to get those apple fritters out of our head, and being only a couple of blocks away, we walked back to Danish Maid and got six apple fitters (they freeze well) for $2.85 – ridiculous but true!
Next we drove up Coxcomb Hill to see the views of the river and ocean from high above the town. We got directions from a local who saw us taking pictures to the Astoria Column which is located at the highest point on the hill. It was completed in 1926 to commemorate westward expansion. It is 125 feet tall and there are 164 spiral staircase steps to reach the top. I can tell you it’s a lot easier going down but the 360 degree views from the top are amazing and worth the climb.