Our stay at The View Point Inn on November 14th, 2009 was nothing less than perfect. I was planning to propose to my long-time girlfriend, but there was a twist that I never saw coming. \r
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When we arrived, we were greeted by the wait staff immediately upon entering the building, and promptly given the key to the Roosevelt Room, which had been reserved several weeks earlier. We then went upstairs to our room to drop off our luggage and change for dinner. While my girlfriend was in the other room preparing for the evening ahead, I fumbled through my luggage to retrieve the tiny black box and get it into my jacket pocket before she could see it. I was successful, although incredibly nervous.\r
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As we were walking downstairs to enter the dining area, my girlfriend asked if we could go for a quick walk outside. It was dusk and as we walked down the path towards the fountain, I noticed a small lit candle and wild flowers lying next to an engraved brick in the pathway. We approached the brick and I was able to read the engraving asking me to marry my girlfriend. I looked at her, and she said, with tears in her eyes, “Will you marry me?” My only reaction was to pull the ring I had for her from my pocket and say “Only if you will marry me”. We each said yes!\r
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I believe the staff watched the entire event through the large windows of the Inn, and at just the right moment promptly brought two glasses of Champaign, congratulated us, and disappeared back inside. We sat on the steps, finished our celebratory drinks, all the while reliving the precious moments that had led us there. Once finished we walked inside to warm up next to the magnificent fireplace in the sitting area.\r
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While sitting on the sofa next to the fireplace, several friends arrived to join us in our celebratory dinner. We all took our seats at the table, and were treated to fine dining and excellent service from each of the staff members, including the Chef for the evening. The night was truly amazing.\r
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In the morning we caught up with Nathan, the event coordinator at the Inn, who had coordinated the brick, candle and flowers with my now Fiancé. He told us the story of how he watched the whole event the night before from an upstairs window, and how happy he was for both of us.\r
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As we were checking out, we were approached by one of the two owners of the Inn. He was a wonderful host, who took a lot of pride in making sure visitors of the Inn knew the only thing that mattered at that moment was their happiness. He expressed his delight in our engagement, and offered his best wishes for our future.\r
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The View Point Inn is one of the most beautiful historic places in the Pacific Northwest. The views of the Columbia River Gorge and the Portland / Vancouver area cannot be matched anywhere else in Washington or Oregon. The staff is professional and cordial with a strong attention to the details that make your time spent there seem magical. I would recommend that anyone visiting the Portland / Vancouver area to take the short drive to experience the enchantment of The View Point Inn for themselves.\r
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