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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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One Airport's Plan To End Bird Strikes And Rid Runways Of Frisky Fowl

August 17, 2009 at 10:24 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

People are sick and tired of birds screwing things up not only at New York-LaGuardia, but also at the Eugene, Oregon airport, and they are going to do something about it. Instead of nets or supersonic noisemakers, airport officials are evicting the foul fowl. After all, it’s the airport’s land now, so if you don’t pay the rent you’re out at the end of the month.

The airport is considering filling in a couple of ponds around the runways. The thought is, that without a place to call home, the troublemaker birds will pack up and get the hell out of town. They can’t just call the local dirt dude though, they are requesting permission from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the State Department of Lands—who knew you had to get so much permission?

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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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Fold Up A Box of Goodies at Harry & David

Where: 1314 Center Dr. [map], Medford, OR, United States
April 29, 2009 at 12:14 PM | by egw | 0 Comments

Become an informed consumer while still on vacation! Check out Jaunted's newest series of the Best Factory Tours the world over.

We were not reassured when we discovered that mail-delivery food company Harry & David manufactured its monthly fruits in Medford, Ore. Oh, what's that you say? They just package the fruit there and make all the other goodies like truffles and popcorn? Well, carry on then.

Packing and wrapping experts assemble the gift baskets you'll want to borrow off the conveyor belt and take home with you, which must be why you watch them from the safe distance of a balcony. Onto the bakery, where you can see cheesecakes being glazed and chocolates poured into molds. And yes, you'll get a bit of chocolate to take home with you.

Tours cost $5 and run Monday through Friday at 9:15, 10:30, 12:30 and 1:45. E-mail tours@harryanddavid.com to make your reservation in advance. There's a store at the end of the tour, but why pick something up there when you can just get it mailed home?

Related Stories:
· Tour the Kitchens of Harry & David [harryanddavid.com]
· Allegiant Will Fly From L.A. (To Medford) In May [Jaunted]
· Luxury Lodgings to Arrive In Oregon's Wine Country [HC]

[Photo: ZakVTA]

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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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'Twilight' Geeks Can Now Play in The Vampire Baseball Adventure

March 10, 2009 at 9:04 AM | by cmb | 0 Comments

Parents across the country will be faced with an age old dilemma this summer, spend that precious vacation time getting your "Twilight" geek on or take the obligatory family road trip. Thanks to "Twilight" Fan Trips, you don’t have to choose. Now, you can pack up the whole family for A Vampire Baseball Adventure.

As the company’s website explains, “this trip combines the best in 'Twilight' fan experiences with opportunities to experience some of most notable Washington and Oregon Landmarks for a well rounded summer vacation”.

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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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Toast Your Thanks In Oregon

November 19, 2008 at 1:00 PM | by egw | 0 Comments

To deal with holiday stress, some of us reach for the bottle. Turn stress-induced drinking into a learning experience with the Willamette Valley Wineries' Wine Country Thanksgiving.

Over a hundred wineries are throwing open their doors over the holiday weekend for wine snobs and "Sideways"-watching amateurs alike. How to choose? Check out the incentives some vineyards are offering: At Carabella Vineyard in Newberg, you can buy wine "futures" to get a great deal on next year's vintages along with this year's bottles; Stag Hollow Wines in Yamhill promises chocolate pairings with your vino.

Remember: Be safe and use a designated driver. Try sweetening the deal by offering to get them a Black Friday treasure like a Blu-Ray player!

Related Stories:
· Active Travel: Willamette National Forest [Jaunted]
· Portland Avalon Hotel and Spa: Don't Call the Town Car A Drunk Bus [HC]
· Set the Poker Table Instead of Mom's [Jaunted]
· Breathe! Restful Retreats At Home and Away [Jaunted]
· Thanksgiving coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: themarioblog]