Allen Cox's Page

When the new owners of The Inn of the White Salmon acquired the vintage hotel located in the scenic hub of one of the Pacific Northwest's richest recreational and viticultural areas, they had a clear vision. The guest rooms were a dated hodgepodge of grandmother's attic furnishings and the ameniti… Continue

I promise not to step up on a soapbox here, but, if you're a traveler or travel professional, I've been wondering how you handle traveling to places that have political or policy environments that go against your conscience. Brutal political regimes where human rights are a rare commodity are perhaps the most obvious examples, but what about states, provinces, etc. in your own country that have enacted laws or policies that go against your values.

For example, I suspect many of you who are read… Continue

You've eaten seafood until you're beginning to feel like a crustacean, you've sipped Mochas at the original Starbucks, you've even crowded into the Space Needle elevator with hoards of perspiring tourists – so what else is there to do?

Pick up a copy of Seattle's newest hiking guide by yours truly, Best Easy Day Hikes… Continue

This first in my series of blog posts about extraordinary places and experiences in the Pacific Northwest aptly features common elements found on any Northwest beach—mud, stones and seaweed. But these elements are rarely put to such elegant use as by the pros at Chrysalis Inn and Spa with their exhaustive menu of treatme… Continue