Hey people, I hate to tell you but summer is just about out of here. It was great. I don’t care where you’re from, you spend a summer here and it’ll become your new favorite city.
But nothing lasts forever. And come on, most of us wouldn’t want it to anyway. Because fall is beautiful around here, too. It’s my second year out here and I already love how the air changes. There’s that cold in the morning and at night.
And there’s also something called the corn maze. That’s right, the MAiZE, with its cool hip-hop spelling, is back again at the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island. This year they say it “features the city’s bridges, rivers and mountains”. I don’t know what that means but it’s five acres of disorienting fun.
You’ve had a long day at some boring business meeting. You’ve been trapped at a wedding for a member of your spouse’s family you’ve never even met. You just need a break, a moment to breathe.
Well, if you’re in town between Sept. 14 and 16 you might head over to the Portland Japanese Garden. I’d say it’s always a good solution for a tough day (especially the rock garden, which will take the edge off as well as any pinot). But on these nights they welcome visitors for O-Tsukimi, or moon viewing.
If my calendar is right, the full moon falls on Sept. 14, but all three nights are likely to be good viewing. Check the forecast. And if you’re dubious that merely taking in the moon will do the trick, try a cup of sake as an accompaniment. That should do it.
The blues festival is a good one. Charlie Musselwhite is definitely worth two cans of food. Great location there, too, beside the river.
After Rose Festival and then four days of blues guitar and harmonica, you might be ready for something a bit more on the sedate side. I know I will be. You need to decompress. Clean the palate.
So I’m thinking the Star Festival at the Japanese Garden might be just the ticket. Also called Tanabata, this event is traditionally celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year, when the two stars Vega and Altair come together.
Well, the Japanese Garden, ever the rebel, is having it on June 6 instead. Guests can take part in the tradition of writing one’s wishes, called tanzaku, and hanging them on a tree, enjoy picture storytelling, or kamishibai, as well as music and activities for the kids.
Did you know Portland’s Farmers Market has four locations? Me either! Those sly farmers. They’re making it pretty convenient for us. Here are the four:
1. Portland State University (between SW Harrison and Montgomery)
2. Shemanski Park (SW Park between SW Salmon and Main)
3. Eastbank (SE Salmon and 20th) – Berry Days on June 19!
4. Ecotrust (NW 10th between Irving and Johnson)
The last one is probably closest to Hotel deLuxe and I’ve never been! I do try to get over to the one at PSU. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s just a great stop on a stroll around town.
But it’s pretty hard not to buy. I like to sort nibble my way as I go. Cheeses, chocolate, fruits. And I doubt I ever leave without taking home fresh flowers. If nasturtiums, you can nibble those, too…
Oh! Before I forget, don’t forget to friend our page on Facebook. We’ve got a special rate code now for Facebook fans. Cool!
OK, I’m going to make a confession: I’m not a huge fan of the Rose Festival. I’ve lived in a Portland a long time. I’ve seen my share of drunken sailors come and go. Endured my share of traffic jams during parades.
Having said all that, I like that it’s part of the city. Every city should have at least one dusty century-old festival. For continuity, and to prove it has traditions. But mostly I love the dragon boats.
If you’ve never seen a dragon boat, they’re like these ornate-y dugout canoes with maybe 10 paddlers. Seeing them on the river is like spotting budding spring blossoms.
If you want to take a gander yourself, check out the races on June 7 and 8 near the Hawthorne Bridge. Teams from all over the world compete in heats of four about every 10 minutes. Wagering is optional.
After Keith’s, um, enthusiastic cupcake-centric post my offering is going to seem just about perfectly timed… It is nearly swimsuit season after all.
With all the buttercream and ganache and frosting you’re enjoying, you’re going to want to consider a Jane Fonda workout video or maybe just a good brisk walk around town.
Luckily the City of Portland Dept. of Transportation has got you covered with the Ten Toe Express, a program that offers a series of weekly guided walks. The walks are free and open to all on Thursdays at 6 pm and Saturdays at 9 am, May through October. They have a number of different routes, which seem to run about 4 miles and about 2 hours in duration. Check their web site for dates and routes. Just steer clear of NW 10th…
The beginning of summer in Portland can be reduced to two words: Rose Festival. This century-old event is as Portland as latte-stained clothing. This year it runs from May 29 through June 4.
It starts with Fleet Week, which brings navy ships to dock in the Willamette. This year we’ll also see the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain, two double-masted brigs that appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Word is the brigs will host cruises on the river and take each other on in mock cannon battles. Nothing says summer like a cannon battle. I hope they’ve alerted the competitors in the dragon boat races…
And then there’s all the stuff on land, like the WaMu Waterfront Village with rides, food, and music; at least three parades; car races, though not at the same time as the parades; fireworks; concerts. It’s bona fide extravaganza.
Forget Napa or Burgundy; they’ve had their day. Try our own promised land of wine right here in the Willamette Valley. In honor of our ascending star in the wine world, Hotel deLuxe is offering a special package called “Sniff, Swirl, Sip.”
This overnight offer helps you start your taste of Oregon wine country with a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir and a cheese plate handpicked by our chef and cheese connoisseur, Chris Carriker.
When you’re ready to get tasting, we’ve prepared a detailed wine guide on which we’ve mapped out the perfect route for an ideal day in wine country. Recommended stops include Archery Summit, Argyle and Sokol Blosser wineries, all in the beautiful Dundee area.
Close it out with breakfast the next morning at Gracie’s restaurant or, if you can’t quite be bothered to get out of bed, order it up from room service. Perfetto!
Here’s something you might not know, and thanks to PDXArtWork for pointing it out: Among its many public statues Portland boasts a bust – why I don’t know – of former South Vietnam president Ngo Dinh Diem.
Portlandia, I understand. The elk (though oddly proportioned) on SW Main, OK. But an 800-some-odd concrete memoriam to the former leader of South Vietnam? That’s about twice normal size? Hmm. And speaking of elks, the pedestal of the statue is apparently adorned with the antlered beasts. Does Vietnam even have elk?
Anyway, if you want to add this peculiarity to your must-see list while you’re in town, you’ll find the monument in the front yard of a home on NE Columbia Blvd, where PDXArtWork says it is “overseeing thousands of trucks and trains each day.” Diems da breaks.:-)
I’ve wondered what the Roadside Attraction was. You can’t tell from the street. I was just in that neighborhood for a birthday party at Grand Central Bowl, which I obviously hadn’t been to in awhile. It’s, um, changed a little.
Gone are the days when you needed a gang affiliation and a tetanus shot to get in. I applaud their creativity. It’s time we reclaimed the bowling alley and made it a classy place that serves not chili cheese fries but pear and gorgonzola salad and garlic prawns. (They do.)
Grand Central now also has conference rooms, a private sky box, fireside lounges (seriously) and private luxury seating in something called a VIP bowling lounge. And I’m not going to lie, we had a good time. Though my Pacific Crab Stack did need more wasabi aioli.
