These are the places you DO NOT want to miss.
When you think of a chain of hotels or a chain of restaurants, your eyes tend to immediately gloss over and the first thing you think of is BORING…right? You think of sterile, cookie-cutter establishments, such as Marriott, Hilton, Best Western….or IHOP, Applebees….blah, blah BLAH. But try to imagine a chain of hotels AND pubs/restaurants…
Updated May 10, 2024. In all of my travels, I have not been in (or heard of) any other city in the world that has as many diverse food carts as Portland, Oregon. These are some of the best places to eat in Portland on a budget. Food trucks in Oregon, in particular Portland, are…
In response to my previous article about what NOT to do in Portland, I was strongly advised to do a follow up one about Seattle. The Emerald City is so different from the Rose City, so it is unfair to raise the question about Seattle vs Portland. Yet, there are things in Seattle that you…
One of the things I really love about northwest Washington state is that there are a multitude of attractions within a very small geographic area. The best of several worlds collide in that you get to experience the culture of a large metropolitan area (Seattle), as well as mountains, rainforests, islands and ocean. All of…
Portland is one of the few cities in America with a vibrant and active street art scene, thanks to the Portland Art Alliance. The benefits of street art are two-fold: not only does it bring together a community (businesses and artists can come to an agreement on where and what gets put on display), but the…
The last Ice Age left us some pretty cool stuff. In the deserts of Central Washington State, there are so many phenomenal geological wonders to explore. Among these is Dry Falls and Soap Lake. I’ll attempt to show you the beauty of these lands: my feeble photographs do not adequately capture what I experienced. You’ll…
Weather you’ve been exploring Portland all day, working hard for ‘THE MAN’, or hell, even cooped up in your home office working working on your novel (instead of actually working), it sure is nice to go down to one of the local cocktail bars and let out some steam. Right? Portland is a city bursting…
Have you ever been to a naturally occurring hot spring? How about actually soaking in one? A perfect hot tub brought to you by mother nature! Many hot springs have built-in minerals in the water that can aid in overall health. Not to mention, a good soak will really get the kinks out and…
Victoria, B.C. has such an inviting and picturesque waterfront, with its majestic Empress Hotel and a delightful downtown area full of wonderful shopping and restaurants. But venture north past the main tourist area, and one runs into the exotic wonder that is Victoria’s Chinatown.
Hazy morning sun rays break through the clouds on a crisp fall day, illuminating the glassy sheen of the beach just north of Cannon Beach, OR. A stroll early enough in the morning affords one exclusive access to this beautiful place. Where when you look out into the ocean far enough you cannot tell where…
Here I go again, flying by the seat of my pants. As I stood staring at the makeshift park trail information board, my heart sank a little. For the privilege of hiking this particular trail, the Elwah Trail just east of Lake Crescent, I needed the America the Beautiful Pass. But what was that?
The text message read “You will find the key in the mailbox under the deck.” Sounds like a treasure hunt, was my first thought. Will the key hold other clues to lead me on my adventure?
Mississippi Avenue is one of Portland’s most vibrant districts. I hopped off of the Number 4 bus to meet my friend at one of our favorite restaurants there, Miss Delta. My mouth began watering as I envisioned pulled pork, shrimp with cheesy grits, and homemade corn bread in my near future. Miss Delta is southern…
