When I was in Coos Bay, Oregon this year (seriously, one of my favorite destinations so far), I got to meet Kat.  I l ike what she said in her tweet to the world:  @couchsurfingori is EXACTLY how i pictured him. One big great happy mess! LOL Like him already. Taking him 2 Horsfall Beach & Hilltop house.

Kat took me a ton of places (probably why I like Coos Bay so damn much!), including 4-wheeling on the beach, deep sea fishing, jetboating, clamming, camping, and much more… but I’m writing this to talk about Hilltop House.  If you go to Coos Bay, I recommend going there.  But this story applies to many other places, not only restaurants!  When we got to this fine restaurant, I was admiring the sitting area… which we did not go to!  We walked to the back area, and there was a bar there.  It was not as fancy.  The prices were cheaper.  The menu had a few additional things, not just the fancy dinner menu.  Not only that, but there were locals there.  Like, the city manager for example.  It was laid back, everyone knew Kat.  The chef even made us Crab Cakes… which were not on the menu!  So… what’s the point?  The point is that when you show up somewhere (like a city), talk to the locals, and see where they go… but get all the details.   Where do they go, when do they go, and how do they go.  You may find that the same restaurant, bar, club, golf resort, etc… that you would have gone to normally (especially if you’re following a tourist guide, or things like that), provide a whole different experience.

I’m sure that I would have enjoyed dinner in the fancy front part… but I enjoyed the experience and people (and food that wasn’t even on the menu) a lot more when I knew what that door in the back was for.  The front part did have a lovely view of the bay that we didn’t get. If you think about it, it’s like going to the roller-coaster parks when they’re open at night, or on Halloween, and all the lights, sounds, and people are different than they are in the daytime.

In case you want to check it out– here’s a map & reviews of Hilltop House - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g51993-d611087-Reviews-Hilltop_House-North_Bend_Oregon.html