Sightseeing: Ripley's Believe It or Not in Newport

On February 14, 2009, we went to Ripley's Believe it or not in Newport, Oregon. I've been to a Ripley's before and this is not the best one, but was still interesting. The harp pictured here was cool because it would play based on where you placed your fingers. There are no strings at all. This was interesting to see, but could be missed for more entertaining things.

Sightseeing: Undersea Gardens in Newport

On February 14, 2009, we went to Undersea Gardens in Newport, Oregon. This has a show with a diver who interacts with the audience and shows certain sea creatures based on the announcers direction. The problem with the show is that there were too many people so that not everyone could be in the room to watch. We had to sit on the stairs to leave in order to see. The diver was entertaining, but there were a couple times I felt bad for the crab because he just wanted to get away and the diver kept tossing him around. This was entertaining, but definitely not the best aquarium I've been to. Always good for kids though.

Sightseeing: Wax Works in Newport

On February 14, 2009, we decided to take a trip down to the historic section of Newport, Oregon. While we were there, we decided to go through Wax Works to see the realistic looking wax figures. I've never been to a wax museum before so I was curious to try it. It was interesting and I learned a few things. The wax museum does not take too long, so definitely enjoy your time while you are there. There is a really cool wax figure of Johnny Depp. I was surprised how realistic he looked. Just as I tried to get a picture of him, my camera died. Figures. I think this is worth trying once. I would never pay to do this again though.

Restaurant: Georgie's Beachside Grill in Newport

Due to the fact that I did not call and make a reservation with a restaurant before the night before for Valentine's Day, there was not many options. When I had asked the staff whether we could make reservations before Valentine's night, they said that they were not taking reservations, but to come about 30 minutes prior to being ready to eat. Therefore, on February 14, 2009, we showed up to Georgie's around 6:30 and was told that there would be about an hour and a half wait. Fortunately, our room was really close and we just went back to our room to wait. When we came back an hour and a half later, we were not able to be seated for another half an hour. It was quite a long wait for food. Once we were finally seated, we started enjoying ourselves, but discovered the service was pretty poor. Our waitress was not very attentive (probably due to the restaurant being full). Our water would run out and we would be sitting for a while trying to get her attention. When we placed our order, we both ordered the prime rib but at different ounces and both at medium rare. When we received our steak it was very pink and fatty. I had to cut away a lot of the fat and the steak meat was weird. At the table across from us, another girl had cut away most of her steak because she thought it was gross as well. Once we had eaten what we could, it took a long time to get the waitress to come back. Therefore, we decided to skip dessert to just leave. Other people seemed to have good service, I believe it was just our waitress not being able to multi-task very well. I was quite disappointed in my overall experience. It could have been due to the busy Valentine's evening, but the food was not overly good as well. If you are looking for a good restaurant with good food, I would not recommend this one. I would rate this a 2 out of 5.

Restaurant: Mazatlan in Newport

On February 13, 2009, I went to Mazatlan in Newport, OR. This restaurant was good food, but the staff was not as attentive. We had eaten our chips and drank our water before the waitress walked by and I had to ask for more. Granted, the restaurant was busy, but the staff should be prepared for this. I ordered Chicken ala Crema and would have to say it was one of the best versions that I have ever had. The food was good. Another note, there are two doors into the restaurant. The side door is often overlooked by the staff, so it is better to go through the front door. I think the side door is there for purposes of an emergency exit. This restaurant is good for a casual, yummy bite to eat. Because of the food, I would give this restaurant a 3 out of 5.