Bill Purpura, editor of the Ohio edition of AAA’s Home & Away magazine, got the inside scoop on Bellingham, Washington from actor and comedian Ryan Stiles.

Bellingham, Washington, is about 90 miles north of Seattle and a lot farther away from Hollywood. But it’s where Ryan Stiles— best known for his television roles on The Drew Carey Show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Two and a Half Men—  has chosen to live and raise his family with his wife, Patricia. Not only is Stiles a riot, but he’s smart too. Well, at least smart enough to settle in Bellingham.
“I wanted to be somewhere small so that my kids could grow up like normal kids,” Stiles said.

The city, which overlooks Bellingham Bay and the famed San Juan Islands off the northwest coast of Washington, is a delicious dish with a complex array of ingredients. Those who desire a taste of Stiles’ enviable world need only check their egos at the Whatcom County line and dig in deep with all of Bellingham’s snowboarders and sailors, university students and shopkeepers, artisans and epicures who have found a way to meld together into a fully rounded way of life.


While boats of all sizes rest comfortably in the calm waters of Squalicum Harbor and brides-to-be gush over the possibility of spending their honeymoons in the Lighthouse Suite at the Three Diamond Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham quietly goes about its business, refusing to take itself too seriously. Case in point: Merch Bot.

“Our whole statement in life is that we sell stupid things,” said Merch Bot store manager Kevin Robinson. “We are as immature as we could ever possibly be. We get paid to be childish.” In Merch Bot’s case, stupid means Instant Irish Breath Spray, Ben Franklin and Albert Einstein action figures, heart-shaped egg molds, bacon gumballs and broccoli-adorned T-shirts. “It’s a place where people come in frowning and leave laughing,” said Robinson, who noted that Stiles is a frequent customer. “Ryan has been in here many, many times,” he said. “It’s got all the kind of stupid stuff that he laughs at. He’s a good customer of ours for sure.” This store wouldn’t work in too many places, but Bellingham has embraced it.

Small-town Luxuries
Regarding Bellingham in general, Stiles said: “I go to this coffee place here, and everybody knows you. As long as you’re not having an affair, it’s a great place to live. I love this area. I love the changing of the seasons, and I just love being near the ocean. My friends in L.A., who have never been here before— you can’t describe it to them. You can be skiing, and 15 minutes later, you can be lying on a beach in a bathing suit. It’s got everything. It’s not too big, but we’ve got great food, a great music scene, a great theater scene, a great arts scene.”

According to Stiles, who owns the Upfront Theatre in downtown Bellingham— where he performs every Thursday evening when he’s in town— much has changed over the past 20 years. Money has moved in, which has resulted in all kinds of new options for residents and visitors.

He specifically mentioned The Chrysalis Inn & Spa, (also AAA Three Diamond rated) which he tagged as his idea of the perfect romantic getaway. “There’s something about taking a bath with glass beside you that looks out over the water,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about anything— except the train that goes by twice a day.” Good thing for the barely clad the trains are short and run by fast.

If Stiles is a romantic, he’s not letting on. “Romantic for me is doing what you have to do and falling asleep by 10 p.m. Maybe watch a little of that show where they swap wives for a week.”

What Stiles will admit, however, is his passion for art. He buys much of it from local artists, many of whom own galleries in the city’s historical Fairhaven District. Among the notable galleries in this very walkable district are Gallery West, Renaissance Celebration and Good Earth Pottery. Among Stiles’ favorites is Artwood Gallery.Other favorite art-shopping haunts for Stiles are The Paperdoll, The Blue Horse Gallery and Studio UFO.

Out and About
For those traveling with kids, Stiles recommends Larabee and Birch Bay state parks to dig for clams, beachcomb and explore tidal pools. He also recommends a trip up to Mount Baker. “My kids go snowboarding up there every year,” Stiles said. “And it’s a great mountain because there are no lights or anything, so when it gets dark the mountain closes.”

If Bellingham has a hidden gem, it’s Little Cheerful, a breakfast and lunch cafe with a cheeky attitude, Stiles said. “It’s a really cool place,” he said. “They don’t take credit cards. They close at 2 p.m. Great breakfast.” He also favors Skylark’s Hidden Cafe and Old Town Cafe for breakfast, while Thai House, Guiseppe’s Italian Restaurant and Gandolfo’s New York Deli serve as his favorites at other times of the day.

Stiles’ favorite bar is the one at Hotel Bellwether. “Great bar,” he said. “You want to go somewhere on the water to watch the boats come in.” The Cabin, Stiles said, is another cool, funky choice.“You never feel like you’re in danger for your life like you would in a big city,” Stiles said of the bar. “Everybody still is friendly. They just have no teeth.”

As far as Ryan Stiles is concerned, Bellingham is all good. And that’s no joke.

Ryan’s Picks
Shop: Art Walk the first Friday of every month in downtown Bellingham and Lynden Fair— an event that features “everything from 4H to Foreigner.”
Do: Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, an annual festival in April that “brings people in from all over the world”; the San Juan Islands, which boast about 200 islands so “you’ll never run out of islands to go to”; and the Chuckanut Drive Scenic Highway, a narrow, winding stretch of highway that follows the Chuckanut Mountains as they fall vertically to the sea.
Play: Ski to Sea, a 55-mile world-class endurance event in May that starts at the top of Mount Baker and ends at the sea. The seven-leg course includes everything from alpine skiing to mountain biking to kayaking. Also, the Ryan Stiles Celebrity Golf Classic is slated for July 17–18 as a fundraiser for the Burned Children Recovery Foundation.