Florence actually isn't ON the coast, it's just CLOSE to the coast. So, before we went into the historic downtown area, we swung by the beach to get our first glimpse and scent of the Pacific.

Florence is a river town, built on the banks of the Siuslaw River, which feeds in to the ocean. The bridge across the river is another Art Deco 1930s NWA project, and is really gorgeous. It's a great place to watch birds (gulls, cormorants, murres, guillemots), as they fish along the dunes (just visible in the back of the bridge).

Just to the right of the bridge is the hotel where we stayed. The Lighthouse Inn opened its doors in 1938, and I felt a bit like I was in an Alfred Hitchcock movie when we checked in. It is extremely period, in an unconscious way; they gave us keys to our rooms and to the hotel itself, since they lock the doors at 11:00 pm (and, yes, keys, not key-cards). The lobby had a big heater, with comfortable chairs and couches and tons of games and books to read (especially heavy on Reader's Digests).

The rooms were very comfortable, very quiet, and very affordable. I loved it.

Downtown Florence was centered on the harbor. It was really neat to be able to walk along the river's edge, look in the boats, smell the fish and oil, and watch the cormorants fish. The atmosphere was improved by the light fog, which just accented the Hitchcock feeling (in a positive way). I especially enjoyed the small parks filled with flowers, where you could sit and watch the boats or cars crossing the bridge.