Oregon:
Portland
is a fabulous place if you are into skiing or snowboarding. Mt Hood
and Bachelor have awesome slopes for boarding. Downtown is very nice
and there are some great breweries. Eugene is a great little town
and during football season it is a lot of fun with the tailgating and crowds,
Autzen stadium is very cool. The campus is small but there are some
fun bars. The Wild Duck is good place to hit.
Seattle, WA:
While
I couldn't live there (need more sun), Seattle is definitely a great place
to visit. Cavanaugh's and the Crowne Plaza are two nice hotels on
the hill. Make sure you hit Pike's Market for some fresh seafood
and the Space Needle for a view of the city and a drink. If you have
time hit the aquarium and take a ferry to Bainbridge Island. A visit
to UW is a relaxing and fun trip, great campus.
Alaska:
I haven't visited Alaska yet but it is definitely on my list.
I think anywhere would be fantastic but Anchorage and Nome are my first
choices. Looking out at Denali has to be an awesome sight.
While flying up would fastest option, I think a cruise through the fjords
and seeing the glaciers/ice flows has to be a great experience.