TWO FOR ONE

[HostDave]

It’s been an exciting month here at the American Queen Steamboat Company now that our elegant 223-guest American Empress has entered service on 9-night voyages between Vancouver, Washington and Clarkston, Washington. We’re delighted to say that the early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, noting that the food is superb, the ports lovely and the service polished. A tremendous amount of work and planning went into the introduction of the American Empress to the Columbia and Snake Rivers and we’re thrilled that we’ve been able to exceed our guests’ expectations. Given the success of the American Queen on America’s Heartland rivers, that was no easy task.

When we first began planning to enter the market and offer cruises in the Pacific Northwest, we knew the best location for our embarkation and debarkation port in the west was the Greater Portland area. We made a conscious decision to not choose the city of Portland, Oregon itself as part of our effort to offer something interesting and new. Don’t get us wrong, Portland is a fantastic destination and loved by travelers, including all of us at the American Queen Steamboat Company. From Portland’s famous International Rose Test Garden to its friendly people and funky and eclectic restaurants and shops, it is a true joy. But often overlooked just across the river is another wonderful community with a stunning view of the Portland skyline. We wanted to give our guests the best of the entire Portland area, and that’s why we chose Vancouver, Washington as our home port. It’s all part of the same metropolis so everything that makes Portland so appealing is within easy reach. Yet by choosing Vancouver, we’ve made it possible for guests to see and experience an area that they might overlook otherwise. Helping you find the extraordinary in the everyday is what we do best at the American Queen Steamboat Company and we’re delighted to bring that philosophy to our choice of home ports. It’s like getting two ports in one.

First and foremost, Vancouver, Washington shouldn’t be confused with Vancouver, British Columbia. In fact, that’s why the city markets itself as Vancouver U.S.A. Vancouver in Canada is far to the north of the American version across the river from Portland, Oregon. The Vancouver USA Regional Tourism Office uses the tagline “Discover the Original” to lay claim to the fact it was founded more than 30 years before its larger Canadian neighbor.

Vancouver is the perfect beginning or end to an American Empress cruise thanks to its history which is intertwined with that of Lewis and Clark. Fort Vancouver is part of that legacy and makes Vancouver, Washington one of the only cities to boast both a National Historic Site and a United States National Park right in its downtown core. The fort is located on the Columbia River on 191 acres that encompass a reconstruction of the long-lost fort itself, a small village that replicates living conditions in the wilderness two centuries ago, and a working trade house that showcase the old ways of blacksmithing, baking and carpentry.

If you’re beginning your cruise in Vancouver, you’ll receive a complimentary one-night pre-cruise deluxe hotel stay in Portland which allows plenty of time to explore the entire area. You might want to have dinner at The Grant House in Vancouver which is located on Officers Row, a stretch of 22 restored Victorian homes, at Fort Vancouver. Ulysses S. Grant, who was a leading figure during the American Civil War and went on to become President of the United States, was actually the quartermaster of the fort. Built in 1849 and laying claim to the title of the “oldest residence in Vancouver,” The Grant House is now a charming and historic restaurant.

Just north of the city at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge is a full-scale replica of a Chinookan-style cedar plankhouse and the spot where the Lewis and Clark expedition members camped on two different occasions in November 1805 and again in March 1806.

The Vancouver USA website notes another popular attraction in the same Ridgefield area, the Cedar Creek Grist Mill. It is the “only grain-grinding mill in Washington that has maintained its original structural integrity, grinds with stone, and is water-powered. Built in 1876, the mill has been fully restored as a working museum and is registered as a National Historic Site. The covered bridge adjacent to the mill was rebuilt in 1994.”

In the downtown area, there are numerous attractions that are so appealing, you might find you forget to cross the river to Portland at all! Vancouver lies within Clark County, named after one half of the famous duo whose expedition helped bring the area into the American consciousness and led to the eventual establishment of Vancouver, Washington in 1825. The county’s history is the subject of the Clark County Historical Museum, housed in the former Carnegie Library, a building dating back to 1909 and now on the National Register of Historic Sites. Inside, you’ll find everything from a railroad exhibit and American military items to a gallery dedicated to Native Americans and artifacts believed to originate more than 800 years ago. There are even replicas of a doctor’s office, country kitchen and an old country store.

We think you’ll find Vancouver, Washington every bit as fascinating as the larger city of Portland, Oregon across the river. Since we’ve chose Vancouver as the home port for the American Empress, you don’t have to choose between the two. It’s the best of both worlds in a two for one offer that can’t be beat!