As an artist and art lover, I figured it was time to put my money where my mouth is, so I recently became a member of the Portland Art Museum; an amazing venue that I’ve long appreciated. I imagined languid lunch hours surrounded by the still beauty of the ages, modern explosions of color and stunning examples of contemporary design. As always, the Portland Art Museum has not disappointed!
If you haven’t yet seen it, don’t miss Riches of a City: Portland Collects, which closes on May 22. Drawn from local collections, the exhibit includes exceptional works by the likes of Picasso, Lautrec, Miro and Warhol. The exhibit delivers on this quote from museum founder, C.E.S. Wood: “Good citizens are the riches of a city.” (more…)
Willamette Week’s Fourth Annual Eat Mobile is this Saturday, April 23. The event showcases 40 food carts lined up within two and half blocks under the Morrison Bridge (SE 3rd and Belmont). Garden State, Pyro Pizza, and Koi Fusion are a few of my faves. This is an all-ages event and proceeds benefit Mercy Corps Northwest.
The bad news: Tickets to this wildly popular event are sold out. (Last year’s event drew about 2,000 people. Check out photos of Eat Mobile 2010 by ExtraMSG on Flickr. )
The good news: Forktown Food Tours partnered with Eat Mobile to take you cart-hopping to 8-10 different carts around Portland next weekend. Food cart tours are offered April 29 and 30.
Here’s one of Wieden + Kennedy’s terrific new TV spots for Travel Oregon, our friends charged with attracting visitors to the state.
With a smoothness reminiscent of W+K’s popular Old Spice Guy, the ad moves effortlessly from Mount Hood to the coast, with a lunch stop in Portland in between.
Speaking of Portland lunches (and dinners): Check out Travel Oregon’s Webby Award-nominated food and drink website, food.traveloregon.com. Of particular interest: The location-aware mobile version, created by Portland firm Substance, connects you to nearby dining options while you’re exploring Portland and beyond. (Gotta stay fed, you know, for all of those outdoor — and urban — adventures.)
In these evenings of early spring, when the air is cool and an occasional raindrop makes its way to our green earth, there’s nothing cozier than donning a fleece and dining on comfort food.
And dare I say that the single best plate of comfort food in the entire city is found in a barely-marked watering hole in northeast Portland known as The Bye and Bye.
There on any given night – and many a weekend afternoon – you’ll find a house full of hippies, hipsters, bike riders, barflys and assorted friends seeking good drinks and a hearty plate of reasonably priced food. Some enjoy the messy, tomatoey meatball sub, others the Frito-laden chili pie. My favorite: the BBQ platter, with its chewy cubes of smoky seasoned tofu alongside creamy black-eyed peas and a heap o’ greens sautéed in just enough spice to give ‘em kick, topped with a crusty baguette. There’s no more ideal cozy meal. (more…)
Trees adorned with white and pale pink flowers line Portland’s downtown waterfront and Northwest 23rd Avenue to welcome spring. Brighter hues abound just south of town in Woodburn, Ore., where colorful fields reminiscent of Holland burst with acres of tulips in full bloom. Each spring we spend a day wandering the fields and enjoying a picnic (food available on site as well) at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival (through May 1, 2011, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.).
The owners have expanded beyond the flowers, gift shop and café in recent years to feature family fun in the form of a kids’ area complete with a cow train for rides through the fields, rubber ducky races and pony rides. Gardeners enjoy ordering bulbs for fall planting, and even the most amateur of photographers can capture amazing photos – you just can’t go wrong when you get 40 acres of tulips, a windmill and Mount Hood in the frame.
In this video from our friends at Travel Oregon, seventh-generation Oregonian Teddy Keizer puts on his hiking boots to explore the wonders of the state, from the breathtaking peaks of Three Sisters to the lush firs and scenic views of downtown in Portland’s own Forest Park.
Put on your gear and begin your ”Adventurecation” in Portland, where you’ll find hundreds of miles of bikeways and trails, as well as bike-friendly buses and trains to help whisk you off to your next adventure. Even kayakers can paddle right by downtown enjoying urban views and a wildlife sanctuary just minutes apart.
Make your plans and enter to win one of ten getaways on our Facebook page. Go out and explore!
Brewmaster Ron Ginsberg at Cascade Brewing Company.
I’ll be the first to admit that the idea of sour beer doesn’t necessarily entice the palate, but that’s exactly the latest trend in Portland beer, and it’s every bit as delicious as it is sour.
And while barrel-aged and sour beers are a new trend, they are also decidedly old – as in old world. Back before metal kegs and refrigeration, beer-making began as a way to preserve grains. Rather than letting them spoil, our brilliant ancestors discovered how to make them into beer. However, as the beer aged in barrels, it gained complexity from the wood and, in some instances, took on sour characteristics.
Fast-forward to modern-day Portland and several of our local breweries are barreling beer just like in the old days, and sometimes introducing ingredients to encourage souring of the beer. (more…)
Winemaker Alfredo Apolloni pouring barrel samples at last year's Wine Trail Weekend.
As wine lovers know, Portland is very lucky to have the Willamette Valley in its backyard. This weekend (April 9-10), the North Willamette Vintners (a group of over 20 wineries, many in Washington County, just to the west of the city), will open their doors to visitors for behind-the-scenes tours, special release tastings, barrel sampling and a bounty of delicious food pairings. This Wine Trail Weekend happens only once a year, and is only $45 for both days. Designated drivers are only $10. Meet the winemakers in their element as you learn a bit more about the latest local wine offerings. (more…)
