When it’s not raining, the Northwest is a beautiful place. With spring kicking into full effect, it’s starting to look real pretty out here and folks are just dying to get out and do something. But what? Finding things to do in the summer is easy. There’s water everywhere you turn, students are out of school and ready to party and EVERYONE throws a summer concert or two. But it’s not hot enough yet and those sexy co-eds are still nose deep in school books.
No worries. We can still have some fun. For those of you who aren’t as cool as me and need a little help, here are some springtime ideas to keep you from dying of boredom…..
Throw a day party. In the summer we can look forward to The Do-Over with its magical Sangria and continuous parade of hotties. But for now we have to wait. Not many venues start hosting outdoor functions until late May, so throw one yourself. It’s really not hard.
With temps in the 60s and 70s, backyard BBQs can be awesome. Just light up the grill and throw on some meat. Start the party around lunch time so that it wraps up as the sun goes down and the warmth drifts away. Drinking in mild temperatures keeps you from overheating and dehydrating like you did last July when you took a nap in the middle of Produce Row.
Set up a table for eating and another for beer pong, invite over some girls, put Chill Crew‘s Duble’ Ve on and have a blast.
Set out on a rendezvous. With all the beautiful scenery this time of year, staying in the house is just not an option. Call up a chick and invite her to do something outdoorsy. With lakes, hiking trails, gardens, waterfalls and more, you can save a lot of money on dates just walking around being one with nature. Besides, chicks dig nature.
Score.
You don’t always have to turn up to get ratchet. I hear outdoor sex is fun too.
Go on a road trip. If the weather in the Pacific NW is good, the weather a little further south is great. Now’s the time for you to load up the car and head to Cali, or maybe Vegas. Spend a little more than a half a day driving and mid-60s turn to upper-70s. Did someone say tan?
Road trips are ALWAYS a good idea, but as the weather gets better, driving conditions do too, spring break comes and getting away becomes much easier. If you’re a dork, like me, you can plan your whole trip online and figure out time, mileage, even the cost of gas. A trip from Portland to LA with 3 of your friends could only set you back $150 per person and 16 hours of travel time.
A trip to Vegas isn’t much different. Plus, going to Vegas now might be smarter than waiting until the summer when its 106 degrees and heat-exhaustion and sunburns ruin your trip. I went the 4th day of summer once and they were already in triple digits.
And if gas prices are a bit too high, you can always make a shorter trip. The coast isn’t far, and Seattle and Portland are only a couple hours (and dollars) away. But if you do stay close to home this spring, make sure you keep an umbrella nearby because this is the Northwest and well, you can’t trust the weatherman.