On the gray and rainy days in P-town, when I’m wondering if the sun will ever shine again, I try to remember one of the best things Portland summers offer: beer. I’ve been a loyal fan of the Brewer’s Fest since I moved out here, but that’s not until July. What to do until then? Well…

On the last weekend in June, head over to the North American Organic Brewers Festival at NoPo’s Overlook Park. Breweries from North America, England, Scotland, Germany, and Belgium will be represented, showing off everything from pils to porter.

In addition to promoting organic beer-making, the festival will have sustainability-oriented vendors and non-profit organizations showing off their wares. And, it just wouldn’t be Portland without a squad of local food carts, including fare for you veggies. Whoever said beer wasn’t good for you?

Later,
Keith

(Photo courtesy of latimes.com)

Who doesn’t love watching films from the rooftop of the deLuxe?  Nobody.  Our summer line up of films has been released and you should just hope there’s room up there for you and your friends on one of the nights.

There’s a different movie showing every Thursday, starting July 16th with “Duck Soup”.  For the full summer line-up, visit the NWFilmCenter’s “Top Down” page.  Other titles not to miss include “The Secret of Nimh” and “The Son of Frankenstein”.

The evening begins at 8pm with live music, food, and drinks and then the movie begins soon after, between 8:45pm-9:15pm or whenever dusk sets in.  Unfortunately, you can’t bring pets, but don’t let that be the reason you skip out.

For more information, read Willamette Week’s write up about the summer film festivities going on in our beloved city.  Hopefully I’ll see you there!  I’ll be the one hogging all the front row seats.

-Keith

If you have never been to Portland’s Gay Pride Festival, make this the year you just do it. In a city renowned for its diversity and free thinking, this is a great way to show your support. Plus, as festivals go, it’s a fun one.

It runs from June 13-14, with the parade starting things going at noon on Saturday. But, hold on to your boas: Just to keep it interesting (um, more interesting?), for the first time ever the celebration will kick off with a race. Oh, but not just any race… The parade will begin with the one-mile Portland Drag Race. Use your imagination, but expect rhinestones, feathers, and wigs.

For the second time, PGE, by purchasing enough carbon offsets from the Climate Trust of Oregon, will help make the Gay Pride Festival carbon-neutral. It’s one example of the festival’s message this year, “United We Stand.” So, let’s.

Ciao,
Emily

Just when you thought there were no new reasons to throw a party, the Laughing Planet Café thinks up Cirque du Cycling. What the bleep is it? Well, a cycling parade obviously. I mean, a circus with bikes. Wait, a family bike ride. It’s a lot of things at once.

It’s all happening on June 13, on one of my favorite streets in town, North Mississippi (give a stroll if you haven’t already). There will be live entertainment, my favorite kind of garden (the beer variety) and booths. And of course plenty of hijinks and derring do from performers, all on bicycles.

Mississippi has one of the best taco joints in town, ¿Por qué No? (Check out their other location on SE Hawthorne when you get a chance.) So, bring your bikes, a lawn chair, and settle into yet another of the many things that help keep Portland weird.

Later,
Keith

Both of our boutique Portland hotels, Hotel deLuxe and Hotel Lucia, were recently featured in a CBS Early Show article.  Huzzah!  Specifically, we were mentioned in the article “How To Score Travel $avings Online” by Jaunted.com’s editor because of the way we’ve been using Twitter to reach out to guests traveling to Portland by offering them discounts and specials for following the hotels.

You weren’t aware that we were offering specials over Twitter?  Shame on you.  Well, at least now you know.   We are constantly running different specials so if you have any interest in staying in Portland for a great price, look up our user names on Twitter and start following us.  Or, I guess I can just provide you with the info here:

@hotel_deluxe
@hotel_lucia

See you soon!

-Keith

OK, I’ll keep this brief because no one likes a braggart, but I have to congratulate my colleagues and our world’s best guests for helping put Hotel deLuxe on Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List for the Best Places to Stay in the World for the second time.

Anyone that has worked here or stayed with us knows we work hard to make the hotel a real one-of-a-kind spot. So when the rest of the world recognizes it, well, it just kind of puts another splash of gin in our martini.

So if you’ve been with us before, come on back and help celebrate. And if you’ve never been, what, do you have another one of the World’s Best Places to Stay on your agenda?

Ciao,
Emily

I’ve spent many a lazy spring and summer Saturday tasting, sniffing and winding my way through the farmers’ market over on the park blocks. This year, I’m going to head over to NoPo and check out their version. Never been.

The 2009 season kicked off on the first Sunday in May and continues until the end of September. You’ll find booths overflowing with local produce (much of it organic), flowers, plants, cheeses, wines, you name it. Stuff you might be surprised even grows in the Pacific Northwest.

The market is in the King neighborhood at NE 7th and Wygant, near NE Alberta. Which is conveniently located for breakfast at the Tin Shed…

Later,
Keith

I am so excited that my mom is coming to Hotel deLuxe for Mother’s Day; see if you can figure out why. I sent her an email asking her:

How would you like to come stay at the deLuxe on May 9, with a bottle of champagne and chocolate toffee (from the local fab shop, Cacao) waiting in your room? After you’ve settled in a bit, you’ll head to the Aveda Spa for a pedicure. Then you can sidle up to the bar in the Driftwood Room for something from the Happy Hour menu or later for a tasty Bar Menu dinner. The next morning, on Mother’s Day, meet me downstairs in the hotel at Gracie’s Restaurant for a great brunch.

Um, she said yes.

Ciao,
Emily

I’m not one of those guys who gets out to every event on the Portland waterfront, but throw in some great Mexican food, beer and music, and chances are you may spot me, lounging in my serape.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the five-day Cinco de Mayo Festival. It all begins Friday, May 1, at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. There are way too many musicians to name, but there’s everything from pop star Graciela Beltrán to mariachi, along with dance performances from local high schools. If you’re going to see just one act, though, come for the amazing Ballet Folklórico — unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

And, if you get a chance, take a minute to Google the history of Cinco de Mayo. You just may be surprised to find that it’s actually not the day the margarita was invented.

¡Hasta la vista!
Keith

Speaking of deals (who isn’t speaking of deals these days?), here’s a little something you should be getting out to, while the getting is good.

Wednesday nights at Jimmie Mak’s jazz joint on NW 10th, you can see the legendary Mel Brown Quartet for a mere $5. For over 20 years, the guy’s been wowing jazz fans with both original and classic arrangements.

It’s worth it just for Mel. The guy exudes happiness when he’s playing. Plus, he’s one of the best drummers I’ve ever seen. His band is great too with pianist and musical director, Tony Pacini; bassist Ed Bennett; and guitarist and arranger Dan Balmer. This is the kind of old-school stuff I dig.

Go before 7 p.m. and get in on the $5 happy hour menu, including some very tasty Greek dishes, and then stick around for the music. Think of it as your own private stimulus package.

Later,

Keith

(thanks to Marilyn M on Flickr for the photo)