Tag: portland travel

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'Put a Bird on It' and Take 20% Off a Virgin America Flight

May 11, 2012 at 9:50 AM | by | Comments (0)

Oh hey— do you live in California or Oregon? Well, as if you needed any more reason to be excited for the start of Virgin America flying to Portland, the airline has launched a contest called "Arts and Aircrafts" with IFC's hit show "Portlandia." Of course there's a prize in it: a free flight to PDX and the opportunity to party in an airplane hangar.

To enter, go HERE, pick one of your Facebook photos, then, well, YOU PUT A FRIGGIN' BIRD ON IT (as we've done with this photo). Don't worry if you don't understand the reference, you will soon enough. The top-voted photo winners will get a free trip to PDX on Virgin America's inaugural flight in a few weeks, in addition to joining in on the Portland hangar party.

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Taking the Bus Between Portland and Seattle? That'll be $1.

May 3, 2012 at 11:39 AM | by | Comments (0)

Yo yo yo. So you know BoltBus, the Greyhound-owned leather seats-and-wifi bus line that drives you to places like Baltimore, New York, Washington DC and Boston? Well, they've gone bicoastal, launching routes between Portland and Seattle starting May 17.

As is usual BoltBus style, the earlier you book your ticket the cheaper the fare. $1 plus a $1 reservation fee is the absolute cheapest, but the average ticket isn't much more at around $10 each way.

Now let's do some comparison shopping. We checked BoltBus.com for a Portland-to-Seattle one-way on May 31 and found four total departure times, the cheapest costing $6. Over on Amtrak.com, the same route by train is commanding $32 for the same date. The length of trip is about the same at three hours-ish. Only the chance of having WiFi on Amtrak is 50% and the chance of having it on BoltBus is 100% (assuming both are working properly). We'll leave the final decision up to you.

[Photo: Jaunted]

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Virgin America's Newest Routes Will Totally Help 'Keep Portland Weird'

March 13, 2012 at 6:13 PM | by | Comments (0)

Everything happens in threes, and Virgin America's latest route launches follow the pattern. This year so far it's been new flights to Palm Springs, Philadelphia (launching beginning of April) and now—the third "P"—Portland, Oregon.

Just announced today, Virgin America will begin hopping over to PDX from both SFO and LAX beginning June 5. LAX will get two daily nonstops, while SFO claims only one. Whatever—that's plenty to help "keep Portland weird." Rates start at $99 each way, inclusive of taxes and fees. LA and SF people mixing with Portlanders is usually pretty hilarious, and they're pretty much most of the guests at The Ace Hotel PDX, so Virgin's new flights will just help them make the trip to "where the young go to retire" even easier. But that's not all!

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Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen to Make a 'Portlandia' Travel Guidebook

February 14, 2012 at 1:00 PM | by | Comment (1)

IFC's hit series Portlandia has been showing us around Portland's neighborhoods for two seasons, and now they are bringing that expertise to bookstores.

Hachette imprint Grand Central Publishing will release “PORTLANDIA: A Guide for Visitors” later this year. The book will be written like a traditional travel guide, but instead of providing practical information, like prices or reviews, it will take readers on a tour of Portland's landmarks, shops, and restaurants in the same quirky tone Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen use on their sketch comedy show.

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Zombie Survival Camp: Yes, It Exists and Yes, You Can Go

January 26, 2012 at 2:33 PM | by | Comments (0)

Do you want to be prepared for the coming zombie apocalypse? Maybe you need to polish your zombie-fighting or shelter-building skills? Then TrackersPDX in Portland, OR is offering a survival training camp just for you.

The outdoor and adventure specialist have created an intensive 2-day course—taught by seasoned experts who have fought on the frontlines of the zombie epidemic—where you will learn all of the essential skills you'll need in the event of a zombie takeover.

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Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein Move from 'Portlandia' to Springfield for ‘The Simpsons'

January 13, 2012 at 12:18 PM | by | Comments (0)

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein will soon find out if they can put a bird on it in Springfield too. The Simpsons has tapped the dynamic duo of IFC’s Portlandia to guest star on an episode, entitled The Day the Earth Stayed Cool, that will air next fall.

Fred and Carrie will voice characters who are part of a “cool” family which moves in next door to The Simpsons from Portland. In the episode Homer will try to be friends with them, but Marge will remain skeptical about being that "cool."

Simpsons executive producer Al Jean said the Portlandia stars are "the best thing to come out of Portland since everything our show took out of Portland," including Portland native and show creator Matt Groening.

[Photo: BomBlog]

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Winter Warmers and Holiday Ales for All at Three Seasonal Beer Festivals

November 16, 2011 at 12:35 PM | by | Comments (0)

It's the most wonderful time of the year—or at least that’s how the song goes—so what better way to celebrate the season than by downing a few cold ones. The winter ales and lagers have arrived, and it's almost time to enjoy each and every one of them. Pumpkin ales are shelved and there's more winter fun to be had in 2012, but for the remainder of 2011 here’s where to find some of the best seasonal beer festivals:

· Holiday Ale Festival 2011 – Portland, Oregon:
The very best of the bunch might just be in Portland, Oregon, as the annual Holiday Ale Festival is set to arrive in Pioneer Courthouse Square between November 30 and December 4. That’s right—there’s five total days in which to celebrate, and even if you attend each day you’ll probably miss a beer here or there. In total there are more than 40 breweries expected to be in attendance, and they’re bringing stuff you won’t find at the grocery store or bodega. We’re already thinking about Papa Noel’s Moonlight Reserve from Alameda Brewing and Drunken Elf Stout from Columbia River Brewing—although the Chocolate Mint Stout from Gilgamesh Brewing is tempting too.

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Train Stations That Still Got It: Portland, Oregon's Union Station

Where: 800 NW Sixth Avenue [map], Portland, OR, United States, 97209
July 26, 2011 at 1:41 PM | by | Comments (0)

In yet another argument for improving the rail network of the USA, we turn to the impressive Union Station in the Chinatown section of Portland, Oregon. Even if you aren't arriving by the Amtrak Cascades, Coast Starlight or Empire Builder trains and you flew in to this here town, the station is worth a visit for its historical and architectural significance (not to mention that sweet Romanesque clock tower).

As you can see in the above image, the stations is undergoing something of a refurbishment. Sadly, this won't be to add more train services—oh how we'd love to see some hi-speed trains making stops here—but to add housing in places where railroad track used to be.

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Talk About an Airport That Knows Its Demographic...

June 30, 2011 at 11:30 AM | by | Comment (1)

What's the first thing you think about when you think Portland, Oregon? Is it Mt. Hood? Maybe it's clean, crisp Pacific Northwest air or coffee snobs. For many however, Portland is a bicycling haven, a dreamworld where bike lanes are spacious and chatting up a stranger with talk of U-locks isn't lame at all.

From the moment a travelers arrives at Portland International Airport—more popularly referred to by its airport code PDX—the biped influence is immediate. Signs lead arriving passengers down to baggage claim, to the oversized luggage claim area and finally out to a sea of airport bike racks, complete with a bike assembly area.

This surprise amenity isn't necessarily just for Portland locals, who've traced elsewhere with their bikes. It's for tourists too, who head out this way with their trusty 10-speeds to test the environment.

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8,003 Miles from Portland, Oregon You'll Find...Kangaroos

June 24, 2011 at 4:32 PM | by | Comments (0)

Are you a traveler who's gotten over buying souvenirs everywhere you go? Maybe you're even totally done with posing for photos of yourself in front of world landmarks? Regardless, there's one sort of touristy thing we—as beyond frequent travelers—are powerless to resist, and that's waypoint signs.

You'll find these posts with arrow directions at places like trailheads, airports and heavily-trafficked plazas in urban city centres. It was at the latter we photographed this one, which takes pride of place at the entrance to Portland, Oregon's Pioneer Courthouse Square.

While the statue of Portlandia may only be five blocks away, the opportunity to hug a kangaroo is more like 8,003 miles away. Timbuktu? 6,726 miles. Walden Pond? 2,530 miles. Portland, Maine? 2,540 miles. It never gets old!

[Photo: Jaunted]

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Always Choose a Window Seat When Flying to Portland, Oregon

June 22, 2011 at 4:41 PM | by | Comments (0)


Mt. Hood

The more you travel, the more possibility there is that you'll learn something (or many things) new every day. Our latest little discovery? No matter which side of the plane you're sitting on during a flight to Portland, Oregon, entering from the east, you're going to have awesome views. Just make sure you score a window seat, or else risk straining your neck and camera above a stranger seatmate.

Specifically, the two great views while on the descent into PDX are of Mt. Hood (on the left) and Mt. Rainier (on the right). Both are volcanoes, and both are active though Mt. Hood is very much less so. Pick your seat based on which one holds more interest for you: Mt. Hood that towers over Portland, or Mt. Rainier which, though further away, holds the greatest danger. Cloudy day? No problem; these massive wonders of geologic insanity easily tower above the clouds.

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Three Restaurants for Discovering Harissa, Portland's Foodie Obsession

June 16, 2011 at 12:39 PM | by | Comments (0)


The Harissa at Zeus Cafe

What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks is Harissa? This mystery ingredient features on a rather high percentage of menus at Portland's better restaurants, but you're liable to even run across it scribbled as an offering at a food truck. It's seemingly kicked out ketchup as an accepted condiment, but why? Simple—Harissa has its own kick.

A typically Tunisian specialty, Harissa is actually a savory garlic and chili paste that packs the heat. It's something that can be easily housemade, thus the creative cuisine of Portland has turned to embrace it. On a recent trip to Portland, we pretty much pigged out on the stuff, and narrowed our favorites down to three stand-out dishes at these three PDX restaurants:

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