Olympia

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OLM

An October 2003 trip to Olympia by panda1

Allow about two hours drive south of Seattle to reach this capitol in moderately heavy traffic.

  • 8 reviews

OLMBest of IgoUgo

Overview

Olympia is the capital of Washington. Visit its state capitol, the waterfront, the farmer's market, and its downtown. This is a retirement community with a slow lifestyle setting.

Quick Tips:

Wifi freespot at the Farmer's Market

Best Way To Get Around:

Driving is the best way of getting around town--bus service is very limited. Bicycling is another option for this vast city.

Red Lion OlympiaBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Red Lion Olympia Hotel"

Red Lion Olympia Hotel has conference facilities, an exercise room (but no treadmill), and a heated outdoor pool (but it's not open year round). Two queen-size beds allow for a nice, comfortable sleep. The sound insulation isn't the greatest. You can make local calls for a fee, and there's a telecom jack for Internet use. The rooms are on three floors. Their website now advertises free high-speed Internet use for registered guests.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on October 19, 2003

Red Lion Olympia
2300 EVERGREEN PARK DR Olympia, Washington 98502
360-943-4000

Denny's Restaurant : LaceyBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Denny's Restaurant"

Denny's serves fairly standard American food. It's been quite a while since I last visited a Denny's. This particular location was chosen because it's close to Lacey Cinemas. The staff was unusually well trained, professional, and courteous. In short, it was a very pleasant dining experience due to our server. The food was all right in general--the hash browns were swimming in grease and the home fries weren't really that great. But the service was surprisingly excellent and the staff had a positive attitude.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by panda1 on October 20, 2003

Denny's Restaurant : Lacey
108 College Street Se Olympia, Washington 98503
(360) 438-0220

Spar Cafe Bar & Tobacco MerchantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Spar"

Spar has an old vintage look inside with lots of character, including a restaurant and drinking bar in the back and a tobacco shop. Unfortunately, the food isn't really all that good. I would recommend coming here for a look inside and perhaps a drink, but skip eating a meal here.
  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by panda1 on October 20, 2003

Spar Cafe Bar & Tobacco Merchant
114 E 4th Avenue Olympia, Washington 98501
(360) 357-6444

Spiffy's Restaurant & BakeryBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Spiffy's Restaurant & Bakery"

I came across this truck stop in 1986 on the way to Expo 86 in Vancouver, B.C.

Their food portions were large, especially their pies. Their single-serving pie slice seemed like a quarter of the pie, and their cream pies were topped with whipped cream so high that it seemed to rise 6 inches above the bottom of the plate. I didn't measure this, but I remember it being eye-popping because of that.

This place impressed me so much that I made sure to stop off again on my way back from Vancouver. It felt like a Christian family operation because of the little trinkets they were also selling.

It is open 24 hours a day.

The closest airport is Chehalis (CLS) and the next closest is Olympia (OLM), followed by Portland (PDX) and Seattle (SEA).

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by panda1 on October 22, 2004

Spiffy's Restaurant & Bakery
110 US Highway 12 Chehalis, Washington 98532
(360) 262-3561

Regal Legacy 8 Theatres/Lacey CinemasBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Regal Legacy 8 Theatres/Lacey Cinemas has been bought out by another large corporation. Its theatres are a little rundown, with patches on its damaged projection screens. Its floors are not mopped and are sticky from spilled sodas. Still, the theatre brings in a lot of traffic as a multiplex with eight current titles to select from. The prices are more reasonable than in a typical large city. Its relatively large selection keeps the cash flowing in despite the management not keeping it first class.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on October 20, 2003

Regal Legacy 8 Theatres/Lacey Cinemas
4431 Martin Way Southeast Olympia, Washington

Olympia Farmer's MarketBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Olympia Farmer's Market was a nice place to visit to look at fresh produce, fresh-baked goods, merchandise, and the food court. The musical entertainment was of limited interest and soon got tiresome, but the locals liked it. There was one vendor that offered great dessert items from a refrigerated display case - the desserts were quite good and not overly sweet. Free wifi.

April to October: Thursdays to Sundays 10am to 3pm
November to March: Saturday to Sunday 10am to 3pm
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  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on October 20, 2003

Olympia Farmer's Market
700 North Capitol Way South Olympia, Washington 98501
(360) 352-9096

WaterfrontBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

The waterfront has some very nice scenes of docked boats and seagulls against the water backdrop. It's a popular place for people to walk their dogs. This place has placards telling its history.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by panda1 on October 20, 2003

Waterfront
End of Captol Way Olympia, Washington

About the Writer

panda1
panda1
., California

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