Precious Memories: Trolley, Fish and Chips, in Astoria

Astoria, Oregon -- Crown Princess Wine Country Coastal Cruise Day 6, April 30, 2015

What should I say about Astoria? Some people said that it's a wasted port but I actually looked forward to be back in this small city on the Oregon Coast. We stopped here twice before on our road trips between Los Angeles and Seattle along the coast and we never had enough time to see all the things we wanted. Well, we still did not have the time and transportation to see the sites in mind but it was still a wonderful and relaxing port day on this cruise.

Arrived at the port of Astoria. We were lucky that the weather was great and we did not have to tender in. If there are multiple cruise ships in port, only one will be able to dock and if the weather is not good, the ships sometimes cancel the port of call.

Lumber piled up high near the dock.

Isn't that pretty?!

Vendors already set up for business. We were the first cruise ship in port this year, I was told. They have an average of 15 cruise ships calling this port every year. Some vendors came from Washington State.

That little garage-looking building is where we got our shuttle tickets.

Many houses in Astoria were 'catalog houses', which were purchased through the catalog and put together with everything included in the package.

The Astoria-Megler Bridge (Hwy 101) connecting the states of Oregon and Washington.

I generally like to start our day early before it gets crowded. We were in line even before the first shuttle was available. Astoria really put a lot of effort in accommodating cruise ships in port. They provide a $7 all-day shuttle ticket that includes the shuttles between port and town, the trolley along the Riverwalk, and the bus up to the column. Other than the ride up to the column, just walking around town is another option.

That's where we got our tickets (stickers) and where we got in line.

The shuttle (bus) made several stops along the way and we got off at the stop outside the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

Museum on the right

Tickets to the museum will get you on the Columbia also.

Columbia River Maritime Museum

There is a trolley stop right outside the Maritime Museum so we boarded on this fun ride.

Standing room only at the front of the trolley which was even better because we got the best views. As you can see, if you are not riding the trolley you can just walk along the Riverwalk.

Sea lions sun bathing in the harbor.

When the trolley reached the end of the track, everybody who had seats would turn their seats around as the trolley travels the opposite direction.

The husband and wife team operating this trolley did a wonderful job showing us this town.

Now I am on the opposite end at the front of the trolley.

The gentleman let me ring the bell by pushing this button when we were ready to go.

It was so much fun riding on this trolley that we stayed on it until it made the trip to the other end past the cruise port and then back to the Maritime Museum again.

By then, it was around 11:00 and about time that the Bowpicker opens for business.

The Bowpicker is just across the street from the Maritime Museum.

Good, we are third in line this time. "11:00ish" is their open hour posted. The line can get very long and we had waited for 45 minutes and 1 hour for the fish here on our two previous visits.

Now, that's some fish and chips! A whole order of 5 pieces for $10. (Half order of 3 pieces for $8.) The lightly battered fried tuna pieces were perfectly done, hot and delicious! We have decided that Bowpicker in Astoria and Bobby's Fish Market in Tauranga, New Zealand are the top two fish and chips places we had been. Yes, better than those we had in London. Bowpicker's firm and meaty, Bobby's flaky and tender. Some pictures of Bobby's here near the bottom of the page.

After that delicious lunch we just walked around the downtown area of Astoria, hoping to get a ride up to the column at 1:00.

The tallest building in Astoria.

It was interesting checking out the JC Penney store in town, which was like going back in time to the 60's. There are also many antique stores. This theater was also opened for a small entrance fee.

We also walked towards the waterfront where we met the trolley again.

When we walked back to the shuttle stop, we saw the huge line for the bus to the column and decided we did not want to wait in that line. We had been up to the column, twice before, so I can skip that this time. With such nice weather, it would be wonderful to be up there and see miles around. But standing in long lines is not my thing. I don't understand why they only start running the shuttle at 1:00PM when all these people were in town early that morning? I should have asked someone.

Pictures of our last visit to the column here.

As we were waiting for the shuttle back to port, we saw this antique car coming around. The gentleman who owns this vehicle was using his car as part of the shuttle program. We got a private 'limo' to take us back to the port in style.

Volunteers in Astoria come out in full force when cruise ships dock here. They were everywhere helping tourists, answering questions, giving directions, etc. You can tell that they take pride in their city. Well done, Astoria!