I am proud of myself for withholding judgment for as long as I could, which is to mean that it lasted for the whole ten minutes it took for the ferry to reach the dock. Remember I came into this whole experience thinking it was an expensive destination and, from the dearth of budget things-to-do-and-see and must-try restaurants online, a boring one as well.
Having grown up on Oahu in Hawaii for the first two-thirds of my life, there was already a palpable sense of familiarity as we stepped ashore onto the island. The residents knew each other by name and had a laid-back attitude. Everyone seem to be concerned that the dog of a fellow diner at Haleys Sports Bar and Grill, where we had our first meal and would set the tone for our culinary escapades, did not wander off into the street and get run over. The touristy part of Friday Harbor, the main town on San Juan Island, was just a few small blocks and could be all leisurely seen in about an hour; two hours max had it not been for the Pandemic closing a lot of the shops down or reducing their hours.
You have me intrigued! I want to take a day trip! Looks like they have some cool stuff to see!!
If you aren’t going on a whale-watching tour, a day trip is all you need. I think our three-day-two-night staycation was a little too long! Might have worked if we started on San Juan Island and moved eastward to the other major islands (i.e. Orcas Island, Lopez Island). Remember that you pay for the ferry ride every time you travel westward but free when you go towards the east.