Looking for good airports in the Northwest

"Cirrus" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi Everyone-
I was wondering if I could pick the brains of some of you with more
experience than myself.... Can any of you recommmend some great pilot
destinations in Washinton or Oregon? I'm aware of Friday Harbor and
Hoquiam, but would like to find other airports where a pilot can land
and either easily get into town (without renting a car....) or eat at
one of those great on field restaurants.

Salem/McNary (Oregon) has a neat little restaurant (great collection of RC
aircraft) and an outdoor deck immediately adjacent to the FBO and the
transient tiedown area.

Troutdale, KTTD, has outstanding scenery and services and you can get a cab
to various restaurants, but Hillsboro (KHIO) has both a restaurant onsite
and immediate access to transportation.

Of the airports along the northern Oregon coast, the best facilities are at
Newport and Astoria, but it's a $20 cab ride to town. Not sure about
rentals or loaner cars, and I've not seen food facilities on premises.
Astoria does have a neat pilot lounge, though.

A good airfield in northern WA is Paine Field, in Everett, which has a
restaurant onsite AND you can wander through the Boeing museum's restoration
facility for free. Last time I was there, they were working on the engine
out of a Vampire and had the cockpit of a wrecked SR-71 in the main
building, and one of the old timers said "Be sure you see the other hangar,"
took us out there, opened the door and disappeared. Me-108 Taifun, some
space capsules, and also a DeHavilland Comet outside. They pretty much
let us run amok in the hangars, which was weird.

-c