After Thanksgiving Day, our three young children had four of their five cousins still in town for the extended break. We live in Astoria but, of course, they wanted to go to Seaside. There is nothing like Seaside on a beautiful holiday weekend in the eyes of a child. It’s nice to be able to see that perspective through them often.

We were quite a crew — 13 counting grandparents — but somehow the Boutique Artisan Fair at the Convention Center could still accommodate us along with hundreds of other attendees, 84 artisan booths, and one very-convincing Santa Claus.

Afterward, we walked down Necanicum under a shower of colorful leaves to the Seaside Historical Society Museum for Gingerbread Tea at the Butterfield Cottage. Our entire party took up one half of the total seating, but before long we were each served hot tea with cinnamon, hot cocoa or cider, and gingerbread with whipped cream. The kids received gingerbread men, actually, that were almost as big as the youngest among them. I heard one of them say “I feel like I’m in Christmas” and that seemed pretty right.

A quick hike down to the amusement rides on Broadway followed, a perfect day bookended by artisan crafts and two spins on the Tilt-A-Whirl. When we were dizzy enough, we found our bearings again on the beach as the sun set. Yes, there is nothing else quite like Seaside.

Photo trove

The City of Seaside gained a treasure trove of photography for print advertising, digital application, and even editorial use recently. I expect these photo assets to be extremely useful for off-season and indoor-focused promotions especially – probably for years into the future.

On Nov. 28, our long-time creative partners at Lookout — an advertising agency with a strong destination portfolio — collaborated on a full-day shoot with Don Frank, a great photographer who just happens to be a Gearhart resident too.

From first light to last light, the production crew and our nine models worked tirelessly to take advantage of each opportunity at dozens of locations around Seaside, including one remarkable spell of mid-rain sun at the estuary.

None of this would have been possible without the support of the community. I’d like to especially thank the Ashore Hotel, Maggie’s on the Prom, the Carousel Mall, Angelina’s Pizzeria, the Times Theatre & Public House, Funland’s Fascination Parlor, Seaside Brewing Company, Coast River Inn, Beach Books, and the Inn at Seaside for being so accommodating and helpful in this process.

Taka and the Good Samaritan

Early in November, we had a heartwarming moment at the Visitors Bureau when a young man named Taka stopped in on a bike journey from Jasper, Alaska, all the way to Argentina.

Imagine the effort just to arrive in Seaside, and how much further he had to go, then consider the following:

After gathering information, Taka went outside to prepare for the next leg of his journey. A local good Samaritan happened to walk out of the Chamber of Commerce and bump into Taka while he was pumping up the tires on his bike.

Conversation ensued and before long they were both back in the Visitors Bureau where the good Samaritan was pointing out directions to his own house so Taka could get a hot shower, do his laundry, and rest for the night.

The joy and relief at this random act of kindness was too much for Taka to contain. He just said thank you over and over again while laughing. He couldn’t believe how nice people were in Seaside.

To top it off, our good Samaritan even offered to take Taka to the high school football game. No word yet on whether Taka took him up on that.

(Thanks to Visitor Information Specialist Ken Heman for typing up notes and relaying this story.)

Got a tourism-related comment, tip, or project? I’d love to hear about it. Write me at jheineman@cityofseaside.us.