Funky Portland Oregon

OVERVIEW OF PORTLAND, OREGON

According to travelportland.com, "Portland is big on livability, big on visit-ability, and is very accessible."

Downtown Portland, Oregon is busy yet beautiful; full of trees. There is a height limit on buildings. There is plenty of boutiques, galleries, coffeehouses, and pubs.

The beautiful city of Portland, Oregon has the largest forested wilderness in the nation (Forest Park) and the smallest dedicated greenspace, (24-inch Mill Ends Park).

Portland is very bike-friendly. Ride your bike in the city or parks!

Portland is heaven for walkers, too. There are miles of nature trails, parks and 200-foot city blocks. Parks Galore in the Metro Area: 37,000, including the 5,000-acre Forest Park.

Some of Portland's highlights include the Old Town, an area of 1890s architectural designs. Portland has a China Town which has been thriving since the 1880s; the carnival atmosphere at the huge weekend Saturday market near the lovely Skidmore Fountain; the Oregon Maritime Center and Museum which charts Portland's long history as a seaport and shipbuilding center; the Portland Art Museum's exhibit of Northwest Native Indian carvings; and the country's only showcase devoted to the art of promotion - the American Advertising Museum.

Powell's City of Books in Portland, Oregon with nearly one million books is a bookstore with the largest number of volumes in the United States. One of the coolest features of Powell's is that new books are on the shelf right next to used, so you get a choice.

Oregon's largest city is encircled by lovely forests, volcanoes and situated between and around the Columbia and the Willamette rivers.

Portland, Oregon is near the top of the USA's `most livable cities' list. Statues and fountains are everywhere. Buildings are designed with modern architecture.

Portland is known nationally for its progressive politics, relaxed pace and its love of the outdoors and the environment.

There are 1.6 million people in the metro area (471,325 within city limits, with 100 neighborhoods). It only takes about 3 hours to get to the Pacific Ocean.

Average temperatures are:
33.5 degrees (January)
79.5 degrees in (July)

Average Precipitation: 37 inches. It tends to sprinkle on and off rather than pour and pour. Most local wear a jacket with a hood in the rainy season (you'll look like a tourist with an umbrella) and the summer is many warm, dry, and sunny.

THINGS TO DO IN PORTLAND

Portland Art Museum

The oldest museum in the Northwest, the Portland Art Museum, is internationally renowned for exciting art experiences. Located in the heart of downtown's cultural district, the Museum's campus includes an outdoor sculpture court and historical interiors. Tour the world and travel through history in magnificent permanent collection galleries, six stories of modern art and special exhibitions that include: Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration (Oct. 6, 2007-Jan. 6, 2008) and The Dancer: Degas, Forain and Toulouse-Lautrec (Feb. 2-May 11, 2008). Check out lectures, tours, art making and activities for the whole family.

Part of the Portland Attractions Pass-your ticket to 10 top attractions-at a fraction of the combined regular price!

1219 S.W. Park Avenue
Portland, Ore. 97205
503.226.2811
www.portlandartmuseum.org

Portland Children's Museum

Visit Portland Children's Museum and get creative with hands-on exhibits and art studios for children and their families. Tile a roof, landscape a garden , make a splash in water works, role-play in the kid city market and café. Also live performances or sculpting from clay, face painting, or take center stage!

Open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays, September-February.

Part of the Portland Attractions Pass-your ticket to 10 top attractions-at a fraction of the combined regular price!

Washington Park
4015 S.W. Canyon Road | Portland, Ore. 97221
503.223.6500
www.portlandchildrensmuseum.org

Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub
112 SW Second Ave. Portland, OR
Phone (503)227-4057
The most popular Irish pub in Portland featuring live Irish music.

Portland Saturday Market
108 W. Burnside St.
Portland, OR 97209
(503)222-6072
Very cool outdoor arts and crafts market. Food and music too.

Powells Books
1005 W Burnside St.
Portland, OR 97209
(503)228-4651

A HUGE bookstore taking up an entire city block. Powell's Books is the nations largest independent bookstore with millions of new and used books. Gifts and coffee shop too.

Oregon Zoo
4001 SW Canyon Rd.
Portland, OR 97221.
(503)226-1561

A Beautiful zoo with a train ride and summer concerts.

MORE TO BE ADDED SOON!!!

Portland, Oregon is fun for all ages and a great family vacation destination. Following are some good places to go that adults and kids will enjoy together as a group.

There are lots of fun family activities and places to visit in Portland, Oregon. Whether traveling on a vacation, or a local family or group with children to keep busy, everyone in the group will like these enjoyable things to do as a family.

* OAKS AMUSEMENT PARK

From the Oaks Park website: "Surrounded by the same stately trees for which it was named, The Oaks, in Portland, Oregon in 2005 will celebrate its 100th consecutive year of operation, making it one of the oldest continuously operating amusement parks in America."

Not exactly Disneyland, this smaller carnival-type amusement park is still packed with great fun for all ages. There are thrill rides, little kids rides, bumper cars, an old-time shooting gallery, and even carnival games. In addition, there is a real-wood-floor roller skating rink.

Rides are open mid-March through September, with varying hours. Admission prices are a free gate admission, a $14.00 charge for a deluxe ride bracelet, and $11.25 for limiited ride braclets. Go-carts are extra. Skating is included.

Oaks Park also offers birthday party and other group packages and deals. Oaks Park can accommodate 25 - 5000 guests in 25 different picnic areas.

* OREGON MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY (OMSI)

This huge 219,000 square feet hands-on museum includes a five-story Omnimax theater, a planetarium, rotating special exhibits, and fun educational activities in the chemistry lab, robotics lab, science playground and goodies for all ages. This place is so cool, kids will beg to return and will not even realize they are learning. Omsi is one of the nation's top ten science museums (OMSI website, About OMSI).

There is a casual cafe inside (overlooking the Willamette River), or bring a sack lunch.

Expect OMSI to be an all day experience. OMSI's hours vary by time of the year, but they are generally open daily, except for Mondays. Admission is $11.00 for adults (ages 62), $9,00 for Youth (3-13) and Seniors (63+) or buy a year-long pass and have unlimited visits to hundreds of science centers all over America. Extra events, such as planatarium shows and Omnimax movies are a additional charge.

* LLOYD CENTER MALL IN PORTLAND

Lloyd Center is a shopping mall with a twist. It has a full-sized ice-skating rink right in the middle of the building. Adults may join kids in skating, or for those who would rather grab a cup of coffee or a snack, there are many points around and above the rink where adults can relax and still keep an eye on the children. Beyond the rink, this large shopping center also has a glass elevator, many varieties of food, and movie theaters. Catch the Max trains outside the mall and zip around downtown Portland in style.

Center hours are generally 10am-9pm

* OREGON ZOO

The fun and beautiful Oregon Zoo is relaxing for adults and exciting and interactive for children. In the zoo, use a free map to follow trails to visit bears, otters, giraffes and zebras, elephants, hippos, bats, and, of course, a variety of apes and monkeys.

A good and fairly frugally-priced place to eat is in the AfriCafe, overlooking a lovely aviary filled with lots of colorful birds and lush tropical vegetation. Be sure to visit the Lorikeet aviary as well, were nectar is sold in little feeding cups and guests can hand feed the colorful birds. Another highlight is the Zoo Train, which travels throughout the zoo.

Make a graceful exit by steering children to the terrific zoo gift shop, featuring everyone's favorite animals on postcards, as plush stuffed toys, in books, and more. With a little goodie in hand, walking out of the zoo gates is a little less sad.

April 15 - Sept. 15: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Grounds open till 7 p.m.

Sept. 16 - April 14: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Grounds open till 5 p.m.

Admission:

Adults (12-64) $9.75

Seniors (65 and over) $8.25

Children (3-11) $6.75

Infants (2 and under) FREE

Parking $1

NEAR THE ZOO: See the World Forestry Center and the Children's Museum.

More About Having Fun in Portland

* All of the places listed above have websites with more information, for visitor use.
* Also consider visiting nearby Vancouver, Washington (and the rest of Clark County), just across the Columbia River from Portland.

© Janienne Jennrich, Feb 7, 2008
Photo: Oaks Amusement Park Ride, Photo Courtesy Oaks Park Website

ELEPHANT'S DELICATESSEN
Fabulous Eating in Downtown Portland, Oregon

A review by Janienne Jennrich

The main Elephant's Deli location in Portland is at 115 NW 22nd Avenue. Unique even on the outside, with a rounded front, colorful green and reddish paint, a patio with umbrella-covered tables, and a dish of water just for canine visitors. It is easy to see why this Portland eatery has become an out-of-the-way popular treasure with the locals.

Once inside, one must take a moment to take in all the alluring sites and tempting aromas that suddenly surround you. There are cute curtained tables for two, a huge rustic wooden table for ten or twelve, and a coffee and drink bar sporting cool stools. Part of this drink bar is portioned off with myriad breakfast buffet items, an anti-pasta bar or the treats of the day for dinner.

Further on are large deli cases. On one side are casseroles and hot dishes like vegetarian lasagna, old-fashioned Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Enchiladas Verde, Squash & Black Bean Enchilada, and much more. In the other cases one finds cold freshly made salads and side dishes such as Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad, Elephants Chicken Caesar Salad, Orzo Greek Metala Salad, Nutted Wild Rice and Classic Cobb Salad.

There are also a bakery, a real fired pizza oven, a sandwich spot (where they make yummy paninis), a cheese section galore, a cold drink and take out item fridge, and a freezer full of take-home entrees and appetizers... all freshly made then frozen.

Elephant's has very cool gifts too. Candies in fancy packages, delicious baked goods, fine wines, homemade breads of many types, tableware in awesome colors and styles, and other neat presents one won't find just anywhere.

If you're in the area, drop in for a cup of coffee, snack, a great meal, or take-out beyond any other take-out. Oh, and if you have a party in the plans, check out the lovely Garden Party Room. Perfectly beautiful.

For Garden Party Room bookings and information, contact:
Allison Lew
Tel: 503-299-6304 ext. 216
banquetroom@elephantsdeli.com

Elephant's Delicatessen
www.elephantsdeli.com/
115 NW 22nd Ave, Portland 97210

Tel: 503-299-6304
Fax: 503-274-1025

Store hours:
Mon-Sat, 7:00 am-7:30 pm
Sun, 9:30 am-6:30 pm

The two best ways to describe Elephants Delicatessen?
"Extraordinarily Delicious and Enormously Divine"

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