Seattle and Portland vs Washington DC

Two of the Pacific Northwest's most likable cities sit just three hours apart, framed by volcanoes, evergreen forests and waterfalls, which makes Seattle and Portland a natural pairing. Start in Seattle at Pike Place Market, where fishmongers toss salmon, flower stalls spill onto the cobblestones and the waterfront opens onto Elliott Bay. Ride the 1962 monorail to the Space Needle for views of Puget Sound and, on clear days, the snowy cone of Mount Rainier. Then go see that mountain up close on a day trip to Paradise, where summer wildflower meadows and glaciers line the trails. Board the Amtrak Cascades train or drive about three hours down I-5 to Portland, a city of bridges, bikes and coffee. Lose an hour or three in Powell's City of Books, hike the ferny Wildwood Trail in Forest Park and graze your way through the city's famous food cart pods. Finish in the Columbia River Gorge at Multnomah Falls, which needs a timed permit in summer. Longer trips can add Portland's gardens, the Oregon Coast, Mount Hood and Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Come July to September for the driest weather, and pack a rain jacket the rest of the year.

Washington DC may be the best family city in America, mostly because so much of it is free. In three days with kids you can stand under real spacecraft at the National Air and Space Museum, meet the Hope Diamond and towering dinosaur skeletons at the National Museum of Natural History, and see the original Star-Spangled Banner at the National Museum of American History, all without paying admission. Some sites use free timed-entry passes, so reserve them before you go. Between museums, let kids run on the grassy National Mall, ride the carousel and picnic with food-truck lunches. Save an evening for the monuments at sunset, when the Lincoln Memorial glows, the Reflecting Pool mirrors the Washington Monument and the crowds thin out. The Metro makes getting around easy, and younger children ride free with a paying adult. With more time, see giant pandas, elephants and great apes at the free National Zoo, tour the US Capitol and the stunning Library of Congress, crack codes at the International Spy Museum, and day-trip to George Washington's Mount Vernon and the brick sidewalks of Old Town Alexandria. Spring and fall are ideal, with cherry blossoms in late March to early April.