Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

Our friends at TriMet, the region’s transit provider, have launched a cool new website: On What Makes This Place Great, locals share their stories — and list some of their favorite restaurants, attractions and experiences, all of which are accessible by public transportation.

The site features features Portlanders like Emily (pictured), whose favorite neighborhood hangouts include Mississippi Studios, Uchu Sushi and Fried Chicken and Albina Press Coffee Shop.

Check out the stories — or submit your own.

Riding through the Douglas Fir forest in Mt. Hood Territory

That’s right — Greater Portland. Within about a 40-minute drive from downtown Portland into Clackamas County, you’ll find Dream Ridge Stables, heaven for anyone who wants to ride a horse, whether they have a lot of experience, or none.

The owner, Karen, makes everyone who walks into her stable feel calm and comfortable with a lesson and training before heading out into the field and trails.

That's me on the right, feeding my new friend Elmo

Surrounded by old growth forest and a backdrop of Mount Hood, their rides are peaceful, scenic and exhilarating at the same time. I had a blast despite only having ridden a horse twice before, and can’t wait to get back to see my new buddy, “Elmo.” Turns out he’s a foodie like me — he kept stopping for snacks of leaves and branches along the trail.

Our food scene has bloggers buzzing – and TV audiences salivating, thanks to Travel Oregon’s new spots that feature the range of the state’s culinary experiences: from food carts to wine, from Dungies to truffles, and from farm to table.

Oregon Bounty, the state’s culinary promotion, runs through Nov. 6. Planning your trip?

• Before you come: Check out these regional itineraries, then enter to win an Oregon travel package. And don’t forget about our Portland Perks hotel package, which includes dining discounts at The Heathman Restaurant & Bar and other top restaurants.
• Once you’re here: Navigate the culinary options with Travel Oregon’s location-based mobile site: food.traveloregon.com/mmm.

Artist Kindra Crick working in her studio.

Fall is my favorite time of year, and not just because I get to break out the knee socks and enjoy the changing colors. I am infatuated with fall because it signals my favorite annual art event — Portland Open Studios! Imagine getting two weekends to enjoy the art of 100 local artists, all exhibiting their work (and demonstrating it) in their own creative spaces. It is bliss for an art fan like myself!

Make plans to attend this year’s event which will take place on October 8-9 and 15-16. Portland Open Studios prints a Tour Guide and Map Ticket for visitors to purchase online (you can also purchase guides at New Seasons and Powells), which contain the artists’ contact information and directions to their studios. Their site instructs, “Once you have your map, look for the yellow and black arrows that point to the individual studios.  Then bus, bike, drive, walk, skip or ride your skateboard to any of the other studios in any order at any time during the tour hours.”

Travel Oregon – the state’s tourism office – hosted a group of bloggers exploring the state earlier this month, and they spent a great deal of time in Portland during an event called “Full On Oregon.” The video above was made by the lovely couple behind the blog Smithbites about their experience during the event.

While we put a lot of effort into telling readers of Portland Spoke our favorite things about the city, we certainly can’t say it better than these writers have. Take a look at the City of Roses through the eyes of visitors – many in our city for the first time – and see how enchanted they were.

It should be noted that Travel Oregon did cover travel expenses for these bloggers; however, they received no payment for writing or participating in the event.

Click on any of the links below to read more about their experiences.

Smithbites – Full On Oregon … It Was So Much More

What’s Gaby Cooking – Exploring Oregon!

StickyGooeyCreamyChewy – Full On Oregon: Food, Wine, Friends and Fun

5 Second Rule – Tasting Oregon (pt. 1 of 2)

Beyond The Plate – Oregon Weekend

Food Loves Writing – A Weekend With Travel Oregon

Foodzie – New Discovery: Steven Smith Teas

Passionate Foodie – Disgorging Sparkling Wine With Rollin Soles of Argyle Winery

Passionate Foodie – Rant: Does Dunkin’ Donuts Need Some Voodoo?

Did you know that Travel Portland sends out a Travel Update e-newsletter packed with event previews, special offers and more every month? We hope you do know — and subscribe — but whether you’re an avid reader or are just hearing about the Travel Update for the first time, we’d love to get your input.

The Travel Update is a monthly rundown of news and insider info about our favorite city in the world. And, when you subscribe, you can tailor the e-mail to your tastes — just want to know about family-friendly and musical happenings? Done!

Please take a few minutes to complete a brief survey about Travel Portland’s e-newsletter. For your efforts, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win one of 20 Powells.com gift cards worth $25 each. (Click for full details.) And you’ll have our eternal gratitude for helping us make our newsletter even better.

Thanks!

Resting in Vernonia at Hawkins Park

Until earlier this year my only contact with the small towns of Banks and Vernonia, located 30 minutes outside of Portland, was limited to seeing their sign posts as I zipped along Highway 26 on my way to the coast.

I had heard about a 21-mile-long train route that had the tracks pulled and was now open for pedestrians, bikes and horses. What really caught my interest about the Banks-Vernonia State Trail was hearing that the years-long process of paving the entire trail was finally complete. Obviously this “rails-to-trails” project deserved some two-wheeled exploration. (more…)

Photo by Jason Pedegana

If you’re a history buff, whether you live in Portland or elsewhere, check out the “Dead Memories Portland” Facebook group.

It’s an open group with many contributors, but it’s primarily curated by Kevin Michael-Moore, who has amassed an amazing trove of memorabilia of bygone businesses, attractions and more spanning our quirky city’s entire history.

Fall visual art exhibitions in Portland are highlighted by celebrations surrounding the legacy of the late Bonnie Bronson, for whom the important Bonnie Bronson Fellowship award is named, and the 30-year track record of dealer Elizabeth Leach. The Portland Art Dealers Association also celebrates the 25th anniversary of the First Thursday art walk, which has grown from a quiet event at a handful of galleries to a lively monthly celebration of the arts.

Nikki McClure, Source, 2010, Paper, 11 x 11 inches. Photo by: Dan Kvitka.

Nikki McClure: Cutting Her Own Path, 1996-2011 - Aug. 18-Oct. 29
Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 N.W. Davis St.

This retrospective features the X-acto blade artist’s intricate paper-cuts, which have been a visual hallmark of Northwest illustration since her work with Olympia-based record labels K and Kill Rock Stars in the Riot Grrrl era.

Carrie Iverson: Correspondence – Aug. 31-Nov. 19
Bullseye Gallery, 300 N.W. 13th Ave.

A series of ethereal installations by this printmaker and glass artist elegantly reflects on the loss of language and memory.

Frank A. Rinehart: Photographs – Aug. 31-Oct. 1
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, 134 N.W. Eighth Ave.

Vintage platinum print portraits of Native Americans made during the Indian Congress of 1898 in Omaha, Nebraska, as part of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition.

Bonnie Bronson: Works 1960-1990 – Sept. 1-Oct. 9
Pacific Northwest College of Art, 1241 N.W. Johnson St.

This retrospective represents the first major showing of Bronson’s work in nearly two decades, since the Portland Art Museum’s posthumous survey in 1993, and includes some never-shown wall sculptures and works on paper. (more…)

This photo from Portland Kayaking shows one of the views we enjoyed -- but there were no clouds the day we were out!

A couple of weeks ago, a coworker and I went on Portland Kayaking’s Ross Island tour. It was my first time in a kayak, and it was a lovely introduction to the activity!

The tour leaves from the RiverPlace marina, just minutes from any downtown hotel (or office, in our case). After a quick safety review and general paddling how-to, we got in our boats, then eased into the pleasantly cool Willamette River.

The air temperature on the water was cooler than on the city streets, and the occasional splashes from the oars offered additional refreshment. It took me a while to get the hang of paddling, but we eventually found our stride and were able to look around and enjoy the views of forested Ross Island; lots of birds (great blue heron, osprey, eagles); picturesque boathouses; and, as we returned to the dock, the postcard-perfect skyline. (more…)