Search Results for: blog portland or where to stay

Perusing Portland

Portland, Oregon might be one of the most laid-back cities I have ever visited (and that’s saying a lot given that I was born and raised in Hawaii). Which is why I am not surprised that the city consistently ranks high as being one of the best places to retreat for some much needed R&R. From its natural beauty to its stunning architecture and cultural gems, the city of Portland offers visitors an oasis from their hectic lifestyles. Natural Beauty Portland is known the world over for its spectacular gardens. Whether you prefer smelling the roses, tiptoeing through the tulips, … Continue reading →

Fall Travel: Where To Go and Where To Stay This Season

LOUISIANA Two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, New Orleans is getting a shot in the arm from Smithsonian Magazine. The publication is teaming up with the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism to host CultureFest on October 26-28th in “The Big Easy.” CultureFest is one of the magazine’s signature events, which showcases a particular state’s history, cuisine, arts and more. It typically draws several thousand visitors. In years past it has been held in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Portland, Oregon. If you are planning to make the trip to New Orleans next month for CultureFest, you may … Continue reading →

Portland, OR: Places You’ll Need a Car

Portland is a great place to visit on foot or by bicycle. But unless you bring your vehicle, you’ll miss some of it. Split your trip if you can, doing a day or more by car and another day or two (or four) on foot. Traffic can be horrendous in the downtown area or on any freeway during commute hours. Try to plan your vehicle trips between nine and four, or after 7 pm. Here are some places to visit by car: Lloyd Center – This is a huge shopping mall with an ice skating rink and a movie theater. … Continue reading →

Portland, OR: Where to Stay

It’s always the big question, isn’t it? Where to stay in a city that you’re new to. Being part of a chain will give you some idea, but all hotels are not created equally. First read the blog about bidding for travel. If price is your primary concern, that’s the method to use. It’s the lowest price you’re going to get, but you can never be sure which hotel you’ll end up with. We like Portland and go there frequently. My husband also goes a lot for his music. Together, we have a lot of experience with the area hotels, … Continue reading →

Portland, OR: Put on Your Walking Shoes!

Portland is one of our favorite day trips. It’s about three hours from us, and worth the drive. It’s even better when we take the train and don’t have to worry about parking or traffic. The City of Roses is one of the cleanest cities in the United States. Part of that is because it’s nearly impossible to drive downtown. Almost everyone bikes, walks, or uses the free public transportation. That’s not a bad thing, but you should plan it into your day. Parking can be quite expensive, generally more than a dollar per hour. It’s best explored in 2 … Continue reading →

Portland, OR: The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)

One of our favorite Portland destinations is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, more often known by its initials OMSI. OMSI is geared toward the 6-12 crowd, but children of all ages will enjoy it. There are tons of hands-on displays demonstrated different aspects of science. Chemistry, physics, and computer labs are manned by professionals who help children explore their interests. Upstairs is a paleontology lab and reptile room (yucch!). There are static and changing displays to challenge and ignite your child’s mind. My favorite permanent exhibit there is one on reproduction and fetal development. The babies are real. … Continue reading →

Hotels Helping You Stretch Your Dollar

With many hotels pushing back check-in time until 4 p.m. and moving up check-out time to 11 a.m., many travelers wonder if they are really getting their money’s worth. After all, if you are spending $250 per night on a room, you’d like to be able to use it for at least 20 hours. Some hotels are cognizant of this complaint, so while they cut back in one area, they try to compensate in others. Competition to snag travelers is heating up, especially with the busy holiday season approaching. Consequently, select properties around the world are offering free amenities to … Continue reading →

Tre Arrow Strikes Again

Tre Arrow is an eco-terrorist, or green anarchist if you will. He takes extreme, often illegal, measures to get his green point across. He started his environmental activism in the late ‘90s, but first made the headlines with his actions in 2000. He was upset that the U.S. Forest Service planned to log near Eagle Creek, Oregon, so what did he do? He scaled the forest service building in Portland, Oregon to protest. But, he didn’t just scale the building. He stayed on a nine-inch ledge for 11 days. Crazy you say? He has his followers. As a Pacific Green … Continue reading →

Insurance Podcast Roundup – Week of September 27, 2011

When you are looking for an entertaining podcast to listen to, the first topic that comes to mind probably isn’t insurance. However, if you want to stay informed with the news that could affect the cost of your current insurance policies, then the weekly Insurance Podcast Roundup can help you to find insurance related podcasts that will keep you up to date with the current changes. NPR has an episode of “Morning Edition” that was released on September 26, 2011. A hospital in Falmouth, Maine, allows patients to pay for their health care in “time dollars” (instead of health insurance, … Continue reading →

Calling in My Assistant Dog Wranglers

As much of a handful as my dogs can be at times, I’m mostly able to take care of them without too much extra help. But this April, I’ll need the dog care backup team to take care of Moose and Lally for me. In case you don’t follow the Health Blog, here’s a quick recap: I’ll be having a hysterectomy thanks to some rather sizable fibroids (one is the size of a mandarin orange, one is the size of a football). The surgery requires a three to four day hospital stay, plus a grand total of ten days with … Continue reading →