Bellingham: Practicalities

Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains pull in at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in the Fairhaven district. San Juan Island Shuttle Express (tel 360/671-1137, ) runs a passenger-only service to Orcas and San Juan Island in summer ($20 one-way fares, $33 round-trip), and Victoria-San Juan Cruises (tel 360/738-8099 or 1-800/443-4552, ) operates a similar summer service to San Juan Island and Victoria in British Columbia ($49 one-way fares, $79 round-trip). Local WTA buses (tel 360/676-RIDE, ) ply thirty routes for a fare of 50¢, with the transit center at E Magnolia and Railroad Ave. The visitor center is at 904 Potter St, off I-5 exit 253 (tel 360/671-3990 or 1-800/487-2032, ).

The best rooms in Bellingham are at the gabled Victorian North Garden Inn , 1014 N Garden St (tel 360/671-7828 or 1-800/922-6414, ; $75-100), a beautiful B&B near downtown and just off I-5, with first-class breakfasts and a great view of the bay. Also off I-5 (exit 253) is the reliable Best Western Bellingham Lakeway Inn , 714 Lakeway Drive (tel 360/671-1011, ; $75-100). There's also the HI-Bellingham Hostel in Fairhaven, 107 Chuckanut Drive (tel 360/671-1750), where you can get a dorm room for $15. The best place to camp is Larrabee State Park , seven miles south of Bellingham on Hwy-11, but there are numerous campgrounds along the highway to Mount Baker as well.

Downtown has several decent places to eat and drink , including Dirty Dan Harris ', 1211 11th St (tel 360/676-1011), for solid prime rib and steaks, and Dos Padres , 1111 Harris Ave (tel 360/733-9900), for good Mexican food. Fairhaven is the best bet for whiling away a few hours: Tony's , at 1101 Harris Ave (tel 360/733-6319), is a hip coffee shop, sometimes hosting live music, while inside Village Books at 1208 11th St is the Colophon Café (tel 360/647-0092), which is open in the evening until 9 or 10pm and serves good meals and great desserts.

Bellingham

• Bellingham
• Practicalities

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