We love the Northwest in the fall -- warm days, cool nights and leaves that take on brilliant shades of fire. And while Seattle has plenty of charms this time of year, new offerings in Portland have us itching to head south.
By Andrew Hart | September 23, 2008
Little Kids, Big City
If you're looking for a two-day trip nearby and you're the proud parent of a dino-obsessed toddler or preschooler, think about heading down to Portland. Why? Because Stegosauruses and T-Rexes are stomping around Stumptown's museums and zoos.
By Lora Shinn | July 21, 2008
Little Kids, Big City
Every parent deserves a break now and then. Right?
Gub and I are having one of those spells, which happen now and then, when she seems unable to stand me and Daddy can do no wrong. The last time this happened I was exhausted and decided I needed 24 hours to recuperate sans child and husband, while they enjoyed a Daddy-daughter weekend at home. I hopped on a train to Portland for a day and night of R&R alone. I am booking my next trip now.
By Lilium Pierson | February 4, 2008
PORTLAND — My first impression of North Mississippi Avenue, the latest off-the-beaten path business district to undergo an extreme makeover here, was that its combination of refurbished storefronts, turn-of-the-century wood homes and good-looking young hipsters slumming at streetside tables resembled a movie set.
As I would soon discover, the makers of a new film starring Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear thought so, too.
By Tyrone Beason | October 26, 2006
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Even the promise of a walk through the city's seedy underbelly delivers more charm than menace in this city.
On the new Underground Portland walking tour, guide David Schargel takes visitors to Portland's Chinatown, down to the waterfront and through the streets and alleys where bar dwellers were once kidnapped onto sea voyages, and brothels sheltered sailors and gamblers.
Today, the same streets are home to meth addicts, late-night revelers and transients, Schargel tells his crowd of about dozen on a recent afternoon.
By Julie Davidow | August 17, 2006
Short Trips
PORTLAND, Ore. -- OK, when I was in elementary school I don't remember ever having a television in my classroom. I vaguely remember chalkboards, nagging teachers and very high ceilings in the aging Tacoma building -- but no TV.
Just for authenticity sake, the McMenamin brothers decided not to put televisions in their historic Kennedy School classroom lodgings in Portland. The intrusion, they figured, would ruin the experience they were after.
By Jeff Larsen | March 23, 2006
When the sun shines hot over Portland, it seems as if half of Oregon's biggest city heads east for the cool breezes of the Columbia River Gorge, a half-hour away and laced with insistent cascades of white, along with inviting trails through incredibly lush and stately forests.
By Greg Johnston | June 9, 2005
Short Trips
PORTLAND, Ore. -- To me this city has a vitality and energy that is distinctive. It's easy to walk. The bus, light-rail Max and streetcar services have reduced automobile traffic downtown to a trickle. It has a young feel to it, but with restaurants, nightclubs and hotels for all ages.
Downtown seems to come alive in the spring as the hundreds of trees that line the streets burst into their summer foliage. The streets are truly part of the spring dynamic as they bustle with business folk, tourists and young people moving throughout the city.
By Jeff Larsen | June 9, 2005
PORTLAND — Krista Arias, 34, whips up gourmet riffs on French crepes from a kitchen inside a streamlined trailer behind La Palabra, a "philosophy" cafe where locals meet to sip mint-laced hot chocolate and read Aristotle.
At Every Day Wine, Beth Boston, 35, tells customers "the list is on the wall," referring to her inventory of 400 bottles for sale, any of which she will pour by the glass. And because she brings her dog to work and therefore can't serve food, she invites patrons to bring their own.
By Carol Pucci | March 10, 2005
