Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in southeast Portland is a great spot for bird-watching, soul-searching and general leg-stretching. These murals, which keep watch over the wetlands, serve as a field guide of sorts.

With apologies to Herman Melville, whenever I “find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a drizzly November in my soul … I account it high time” to get to Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge as soon as I can.

The wildlife refuge — located just minutes from downtown Portland – delivers year-round delights for joggers, hikers and dog-walkers; opportunities for bird-watchers to spy great blue herons and many other species; and one whale of a metaphor.

>> Continue reading on TheIntertwine.org, a handy online guide to the region’s network of parks, trails and natural areas. (To access the full post, click on “Walking the Oaks Bottom Loop” in the lower right-hand corner of The Intertwine’s page.)

The Quest for Fire team at the 2008 Portland Urban Iditarod.

I admit it. I’ve been slacking. Maybe that’s too harsh – I’ve been too busy promoting Portland and Oregon to really enjoy it myself. If I were the kind of person to make a resolution, it would be to get out and see more of the city I love. I’ve gathered so many great ideas from our Twisitor Center on Twitter and there are some things that I’ve simply never tried.

So, in no particular order, here’s my Top 10 for 2010:

10. Visit Mill Ends Park. I work in downtown Portland and I’ve never been! But this is the year that I check out the world’s smallest park (and only leprechaun colony west of Ireland), located at S.W. Naito and Taylor.

9. See the Portland Urban Iditarod. As a former Alaskan, I feel it’s my duty to watch the Portland twist on this classic race.  (more…)

Some skiers prefer bars, but in Portland, we power up with Voodoo Doughnuts. (Photo by Kimberly M. Lawson via Flickr)

All energized by a New Year’s Eve trip to Mount Bachelor, I returned to Portland psyched to hit the slopes of Mount Hood. Now that the mountain’s got a good layer of snow, my only dilemma is transportation. I’m a non-driving Portlander. I commute to work by public transit, ride my bike all over in the summer, and take in my urban surroundings on foot. So, it’s just my luck (and yours) that this season, TWO companies kicked off new Mount Hood shuttle routes. (more…)

Image by SauceSupreme via Flickr; license CC BY 2.0

I really know squat about diddly. My occasional restatement of this fact is greeted by my teenage progeny with a frustrated (or bored), hands-outstretched, palms-turned-up, furrowed-brow little head-shake dance — like, “…and?”

Their implied agreement comforts me in times of distress.

Yet, despite the fact that I know diddly about squat, I suffer the nearly universal affliction of holding dear a strong opinion or two on certain topics. One of those topics is the relative tastiness of Japanese food available on the local scene. For reasons of little or no interest to you, I can say that I’m pretty particular on that score.

And I like Kurata in Lake Oswego.

Let’s just talk about the sashimi for now. On a recent Wednesday evening, my companions and I enjoyed a Chef’s Choice Sashimi Assortment plate, the sweetest-looking omakase course this side of Sendai ($18 and up … our generous two-person portion ran about $40). Many of the slices you have come to expect were present, but — with one small and somewhat surprising exception (all right, it was the tako … maybe just an off night for octopus) — the fish was uber fresh and yummy delicious. A delightful guest appearance was made by some smoked shake wrapped in ika: kind of a squiddy, salmony express ticket to the Western Paradise.

We tried several other wonderfully cooked fish and non-fish menu items, all equally as good, and most a fair deal less expensive. I’ll be going back for much more. Stay tuned.

Since I work for Travel Portland, many of my out-of-town friends and family ask me if I know of any secret deals on hotels, restaurants and activities in Portland (most of these people are beyond crashing on my couch, but still want to save a buck).

The answer? Of course I do. I always send them to Portland Perks, where they can get exclusive deals on more than 35 Portland hotels, free parking, free continental breakfast and the Portland Perks coupon book – more on that in a second.

But starting today, I can share an even sweeter deal. People who follow the Travel Portland Twitter feed can book a participating Portland Perks hotel with all the benefits and save an extra $50 off a two-night stay. (more…)

Portland’s annual jazz festival shakes its way into town starting February 21, bringing live music from far-flung corners of the globe like Brazil and Norway, as well as performers from PDX’s own back yard.

The top-notch tunes will be heard in venues around town.  However, these rocking hot spots aren’t one-week wonders. If you can’t make it to the festival, stop by another time for smooth tunes.

Venue: Norse Hall
Who’s Playing the Jazz Festival: Christian Wallumrød,Trygve Seim and Frode Haltli, In the Country
Rest of the Year: Norse Hall, run by the Sons of Norway, features occasional live music and lots of dancing.  Tango, swing, ballroom and folk:  you’ll find it all here.  Check the calendar of events for future shows.

Venue: Crystal Ballroom
Who’s Playing the Jazz Festival: Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy
Rest of the Year: This beloved restored McMenamin’s property swung open its doors in 1914, as a ballroom and dance academy.   The mechanical, “floating” dance floor may be the only one of its kind left in the country.  Music here ranges from Bollywood to ’80s dance party, and local acts to big name touring bands.  The Crystal Ballroom calendar lists performances for the upcoming month.

Venue: Brasserie Montmartre
Who’s Playing the Jazz Festival: Dave Fleschner Jam Session
Rest of the Year: You can find live music seven nights a week at the recently re-opened Brasserie Montmartre restaurant.  Now LEED Gold certified, the Brasserie promises “a touch of Paris” with jazz, swing and piano ensembles.  Preview artists at the Brasserie Montamatre MySpace page.

Need a place to stay while you’re in town for the festival?  Check out this list of Portland Jazz Festival hotels.