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portland Travel Guide

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Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay...In Portland, Oregon

September 3, 2009 at 2:06 PM | by Heidi Atwal | 0 Comments


A scene from last year's MFNW

As a destination, Portland is best known for being calm, idyllic, and very, very, very green. Though it's not a swarming metropole, it has, for years, also enjoyed a reputation for being a major culture hub in the Northwest.

What the city lacks in grit and grime it makes up for with a music scene to rival that of Seattle and San Francisco. Just ask the likes of The Dandy Warhols, The Decemberists, and The Shins, all of whom have ties to Portland. In other words, it's a lot more rock 'n' roll than the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden lets on.

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Love Pirates? Portland Pirate Festival Loves You Back

August 31, 2009 at 12:24 PM | by egw | 1 Comment

What do you call it when a bunch of pirates get together? Well, call it this fall's Portland Pirate Festival, which needs your help setting a world recARRRRRd for the most fully dressed pirates in one location.

The salty sea dogs will board Cathedral Park September 19th and 20th for two days of kraken riding, sea chanteys and grog. Watch an exhibition of Samoan fire knife dancing or pirate belly-dancing (which we must see to believe), or play a role-playing game called Pirates of the Cursed Seas. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the gate ($6/$8 for children under 12).

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Dave Chappelle Breaks It Down for Portland's Pioneer Square

July 15, 2009 at 9:47 AM | by juliana | 0 Comments

Dave Chappelle in Portland

Our favorite comedian before he abruptly left the public eye, Dave Chappelle, is apparently still crazy but this time, his crazy actions benefited thousands of folks who crowded Pioneer Square in Portland, Oregon to see him do a sort of flash mob stand-up routine after rumors lit up Facebook and the Twitterwaves.

The comedian, who suddenly dropped out of a lucrative $50 million contract for his Comedy Central sketch show and the comedy scene altogether, stepped on stage just after midnight and performed for nearly 90 minutes.

From the Oregonian:

Chappelle seemed surprised by the scene.

"This has never happened in my entire career," he said, to a huge cheer. "I'm grateful everybody came out."

Chappelle did squeeze in some comedy. He compared one guy working on the sound system to Scotty from Star Trek, and took an OPB reporter's microphone and said, "Support Oregon Public Broadcasting." At one point, a woman and two men atop Starbucks began stripping as Chappelle gaped and the crowd cheered and jeered.

By 2 a.m., it was clear the sound system wouldn't go, and Chappelle wound things down. He thanked the crowd and shared a few things he learned, including: "Don't tell a secret in Portland."

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The Minor League's All-Star Game Takes Portland Tomorrow

July 14, 2009 at 2:09 PM | by kjb | 0 Comments

If you were busy watching last night’s Home Run Derby, the contest to see which big leaguer was able hit the most dingers, then tonight you'll be similarly glued to the tube when the All-Stars try to impress their fellow players and fans. This year, however, we say give some love for the AAA All-Stars. They are trying their best to make the jump to the majors, so their game will be even better because they want it so badly. Also, their team nicknames are far more amusing than those in the majors—Isotopes, anyone?

The 2009 Cricket Wireless AAA All-Star Game will be held in Portland at PGE Park tomorrow night, July 15. Future stars from the International League and Pacific Cost League will face off against one another in a friendly little competition. Many current big leaguers were all-stars during their time in the minors, so make sure you stay after the game to score some autographs to sell on eBay.

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Portland Has America's Craziest Doughnuts

Where: 22 SW 3rd Ave. [map], Portland, OR, United States, 97204
May 26, 2009 at 1:27 PM | by BS | 0 Comments

Chicago has its street dog vendors. DC has jumbo slice. New York has Pommes Frites. Every half-decent drinking town has that one late-night, greasy, calorie-ridden eating option that any sane, sober person would avoid like the plague, but at 2 a.m. after a particularly arduous bar crawl, sounds like the very best idea in the world.

In Portland, Oregon, that option is doughnuts. Specifically, VooDoo Doughnut, a tiny, 24-7 downtown bakery outfitted with a disco ball and quirky duct tape mural, where a rowdy line inevitably starts forming once the bars start closing.

These hot, freshly baked treats could probably have attracted a following just by keeping it simple, and indeed, their basic frosted chocolate doughnuts rank up there with the best. But what keeps the late-night crowds streaming in here are the much, much crazier options, including doughnuts covered in oddball toppings of the day, from mini-marshmallows to Lucky Charms to bacon strips.

Are you going to feel good about eating a bacon-covered doughnut the next morning? Absolutely not, but that's hardly the point.

Related Stories:
· Voodoo Doughnut [Official Site]
· Get Dat Donut [Jaunted]
· Do-Nuts So Old School, They Won't Drop the Hyphen [Jaunted]

[Photo: kimberly marie lawson]

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Three Tourism Twitter Accounts We Don't Want To Shake Our Fist At

April 6, 2009 at 3:41 PM | by egw | 1 Comment

When Travel Portland launched its associated Twitter account, it added a little something longer than 140 characters -- a mission statement:

If what you’re doing is planning a trip to Portland — or just looking for cool places and happenings around town — you should follow Travel Portland. We share tips on making the most of this city we love, and we’re happy to answer any questions you may have, whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned pro.

In an ideal world, all tweeters would have to justify their existence. Oh, if only it were that easy! But since we're all about separating signals from noise: here are three travel-related Twitter accounts who know what they're into.

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Portland Will Ride It Out on the 'Worst Day of the Year'

February 9, 2009 at 11:51 AM | by BS | 0 Comments

There are two approaches one can take to travel this time of year. You can let the snow and the cold get to you and hunker down indoors, or you can just embrace it and hit the road anyway.

A few thousand enthusiastic athletes will take the later sentiment to the extreme this month as they gear up for the eighth annual Worst Day of the Year Ride. The 18-mile cycle race takes place in Portland, Oregon each February 15, celebrating the all-around bad weather that hits the Northwest this time of the year, culminating in the region's most miserable day.

The city flooded on this date 13 years ago, and way before that, recorded its lowest temperature ever, negative 54 degrees. So participants break out their umbrellas and vow to get in a good day of cycling, rain or shine (hopefully rain).

Lest you think this is some crazy endeavor just for tough guys with a masochistic wish for pneumonia, the Worst Day of the Year Ride comes complete with roadside pick-me-ups like hot cocoa, warm cookies, and a raucous finish line party, with special prizes for those who come in costume.

· Worst Day of the Year Ride [Official Site]
· Bicylcing coverage [Jaunted]
· Weird travel coverage [Jaunted]

Photo: [Worst Day of the Year Ride]

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You Look Like Peter Pan

December 8, 2008 at 8:37 AM | by Todd | 10 Comments

Chasing Racers is back, with a brand new Amazing Race 13 mashup. This map will update the morning after every new episode. Send along tips, rumors, gossip, locations and spoilers to our map editors, become a member and comment on the stories below and add to the Jaunted-Flickr photo pool to get in on the fray.

Remember to zoom in, out and around on the map--with so much happening in each episode, it's easy to miss a map point.

It's the finale, and we have to look back. Eleven teams set out from Los Angeles, California, in a race of nearly 40,000 miles and across five continents that took 23 days to complete. Teams experienced highs and lows, and 16 racers fell to the wayside. Ken and Tina came on the race with hopes of repairing their seriously broken-down marriage. Over the course of the race, they rediscovered each other--and we found out how nag-tastic Tina really is and what a whipping boy Ken has become. Not pretty!

Andrew and Dan have bumbled their way through the race, and with a lot of luck and tenacity, they've found themselves, almost accidentally, in the final three. Meanwhile, Nick and Starr have been the model of consistency, winning six first-place finishes. When the pressure is on, will Nick's calming influence be enough to keep them on track? Will Ken and Tina power through to a first place finish or will Andrew and Dan beat all the odds and win The Amazing Race? Which team will win lucky season 13, and $1 million?!

LET'S FIND OUT!

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C'mon Ride The Train: New England Drivers Hip to Downeaster

July 22, 2008 at 1:50 PM | by egw | 0 Comments

It's hardly shocking that as gas prices rise, more commuters are looking to public transit options they may not have considered earlier. But the Amtrak train leading in gains may surprise you: It's not the soup-to-nuts Northeast Regional or the posh Acela trains, but the Downeaster, the Portland-to-Boston route which picked up 947 extra passengers a day over last year.

We're pleased that we may have reached the tipping point for new public transportation options to be developed nationwide, although the initial result will just be more crowding. (A Midwestern friend of Jaunted says the Milwaukee-Chicago "Hiawatha" service is in dire need of another car per trip, as workers used to driving the 90 miles kick back on the train instead.)

Related Stories:
· Amtrak's Downeaster Ridership up 28 Percent [AP, via Yahoo]
· The Downeaster [Official Site]
· Amtrak coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: herzogbr]

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Movie Set Travel: Untraceable

January 25, 2008 at 9:10 AM | by sedona | 0 Comments

In the world of viral videos, YouTube and all else, this week's movie pick was inevitable. Untraceable focuses on secret service agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) who gets involved in a cat and mouse game with a serial killer--who commits his murders via an "untraceable" website.

The more people who visit the website, the quicker the victim dies. Yikes. We're not sure about this one just yet--we're hearing it's like a drawn out CSI episode and that Diane Lane's unimpressive--but if you're looking for a weekend scare, this is it.

The cool thing about this flick? It was all shot in Portland, one of our favorite cities! Check out what you shouldn't miss in Portland:

Where To Stay: Heathman Hotel We don't say this often, but this hotel's got it all: an awesome location right downtown, an award-winning restaurant (with a James Beard celebrated chef) and a serious on-site art collection which includes a Galle, Warhol and Pander. You can select from a comfy "bed menu" or grab a book from the well-stocked library to go with afternoon tea.

Where To Eat: Paley's Place Paley's is a true local spot, a cozy bistro serving Pacific Northwest-inspired cuisine like halibut, chilled oysters and a delicious winter squash salad. Think fresh as Gourmet named it one of the country's 10 best farm-to-table restaurants last year. Keep in mind that they're closed for quick kitchen renos from February 18-29.

What to See: The Grotto Even if you're not religious, you'll appreciate this stunning outdoor cathedral among 62 acres of woods. The grotto itself was carved out of the base of a 110-foot cliff that's surrounded by views of the Columbia River and the Cascades. You can imagine what it looks like done up at Christmas. It's a non-profit organization supported solely by donations and sales from the gift shop so be sure to buy something.

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2007 Awards: Best Domestic Airport

December 31, 2007 at 9:30 AM | by Jaunted | 1 Comment

We've spent a lot of time this year digging up airports with free WiFi. And though lots of smaller airports have wireless--and don't get clogged with too many flights--we have to give this year's award to a major airport that's just great: PDX.

Portland International goes so far to let you set up a VPN so you can handle secure data. The airport also has plenty of plugs and seats around; you won't have to set up shop on a dingy patch of floor. Add in the fact that we have fond childhood memories of PDX and that it's so close to great skiing and you've got a winner.

[Photo: web_guy94301]

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Best Raw Bars :: Dan & Louis in Portland

Where: 208 SW Ankeny St. [map], Portland, OR, United States, 97204
November 8, 2007 at 3:05 PM | by pbb | 0 Comments

A friend of Jaunted checked in from Portland, where he's been passing a week's vacation among nature. He even got a chance to check out the city's bike scene, which he says is even better than we reported.

But the real reason he got in touch was to tell us about Dan & Louis Oyster Bar, a killer raw bar celebrating its centennial this year. What made it so good?

I got a dozen oysters for $9.95, and threw in a glass of wine and a big tip for a bill that came to $22. Had some Yakima Bays--an East Coast transplant oyster--and Oregon Kumamotos. It's my second time there, and I'm only in town for a week.

Sounds like the kind of place we want on our raw bars map.

Related Stories:
· Dan & Louis Oyster Bar [Official Site]
· Best Raw Bars Map [Jaunted]
· Portland coverage [Jaunted]