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Portland Paradise For Summer & FallStory & photos by Stuart Wasserman
Politically the city of Portland has a link to the hundreds of anti-growth initiatives voted on across the country in last November's election cycle. Portland was the first town in the nation to set down a growth control boundary around its environs and stick to it for 20 years. The goal -- to keep farmland productive for local food production but also for its pure aesthetic value. Farmland still lies within a short 20 minute drive from the city center. Portland has also been given top awards as a bicycle friendly place. For popular afternoon or evening gathering spots check out the Pearl Districts Bridgeport Brewing on N.W. Marshall between 13th & 14th, which is the state's oldest operating micro brewery. Add to the list the Widmer Brothers Brewery at 929 N. Russell Street or any of the McMenamin Brothers establishments including the Bagdad Theater on Hawthorne Street or the Kennedy School, an actual grammar school built at the turn-of-the-century that has been converted into a movie theater where you can sit in overstuffed lounge chairs, eat pizza and sample different beers, dine in a selection of restaurants, and even stay overnight in the section of the school that has been converted into a B&B. The rooms at the Kennedy School feature chalkboards with erasers, modern private baths and a heated soaking pool for guests. Portlanders have the McMenamin Brothers to thank for the restoration of the city's classic Crystal Ballroom, which on several nights a week fills up with young or young-at-heart Lindy hop and east coast swing dancers. If you are in town on any Sunday check out the Crystals listings. More than likely there will be a swing dance with a free introductory two-hour lesson beginning at 4 p.m - 6 p.m. with a live band playing swing music until 10 p.m. Dancers range in age from 16 to 60. Price of admission is usually $10.
For a neighborhood with more of a tie-dye Berkeley feel walk along Hawthorne around 35th Street. The Hawthorne neighborhood sports a satellite of Powell's Bookstore. The main location on Burnside and 10th Ave. Northwest is reputed to be the largest bookstore in the country by volume of books sold. Once you enter that store take a map so you'll find your way around. In one corner, a friendly dessert and coffee shop allows customers to sit and flip through magazines before buying.
In the morning or early afternoon browse the downtown Saturday market now misnamed because it is also held Sundays beginning at 9 a.m. Twenty five years ago the fair started with 35 artists but it has grown to include 450 artists and today is considered to be the largest handicraft fair in the country doing $9 million to $11 million in annual sales and attracting 750,000 visitors per year.
Across the way over the mighty Columbia River stands the stately Skamania Lodge which offers from its outdoor Jacuzzi a commanding view down the Gorge. (Use of that facility is free to guests and is available to day visitors at the reasonable day rate of $8 and includes use of an indoor swimming pool and weight room.) 43-year-old Portland resident Rose Martin was sunk up to her neckline enjoying the hot water and tremendous view. "I love the peace and tranquility here. I just wish I didn't have to wear a bathing suit," she said with a wink and a smile. After her sojourn in the outdoor hot tub she was going to retire to an overstuffed chair in front of the fireplace for a warm evening libation. The Skamania Lodge opened in 1993 and although relatively new, it offers the feel of the other historic lodges scattered throughout the Northwest. For more information contact the Portland Oregon Visitors Association: 1-800-962-3700 Skamania Lodge 1-800-221-711 Story & photos © 1999 Stuart Wasserman |
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TM
Portland
can be a little paradise in the summer and fall. The city streets are crowded
with residents
enjoying the neighborhood bistros and coffee shops. And the hopping breweries
have helped change deserted warehouse
districts into thriving night spots. By
mid-June the constant gray mists of
spring have melted away, revealing deep sky-blue summer days. Temperatures are perfect for long evening
strolls. On occasion hot days may send visitors on a journey to
the coast about an hour and a half away or on an excursion to the string of
magnificent waterfalls along the old historic Columbia Gorge Highway located
just 45 minutes away. 
The
Crystal Ballroom is about a 1/2 mile walk from the 21st and 23rd
avenue shops. This neighborhood has quaint Victorian and Edwardian-style
architecture and draws people from the
suburbs to hang out in the craft stores, bookstores and coffee shops. This
street has two Starbucks in a short
three block stretch and a local favorite, Coffee People -- that's how much
people in the Northwest enjoy their daily brew.
The
waterfront park that stretches on the west side of the Willamette River also
deserves a stroll. Here
on any given summer weekend you may hear music. Festivals start as early as
Cinco de Mayo and run through Labor Day when the Oregon Symphony puts on a
summer concert for free. Tourist boats
float up and down the Willamette River
offering visitors meals and scenic views which on sunny days includes Mt. Hood
--- Oregon's tallest peak.
Some of
the most dramatic natural views the area has to offer are only a short drive
from Portland located about 35 miles away in the Columbia Gorge. There a series of waterfalls delight visitor's all year around.
Leave at noon. Head east on Hwy. 84 and then loop onto the Columbia
River Highway (now U.S. 30) which was hailed as one of the country's prettiest
drives when the road first opened in 1915. Just 45 minutes from Portland you
hit the first of many sizable waterfalls. The tallest is the 620-foot-high Multnomah
Falls. A stone lodge offers food and gifts for sale. Almost all the waterfalls are worth a short stop including
Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Horsetail Falls, Triple
falls and Elowah Falls. Some have
trails that lead to the falls to get a face full of mist. For those looking
for a long afternoon day hike Eagle Creek trail is a good choice. Along the way you will see Punch Bowl Falls,
Loowit Falls and Tunnel Falls in a 12-mile round trip walk with less than a
600-foot gain in elevation.