My post-collegiate niece will be spending July and August studying ballet and dance intensively in Portland, OR. She’ll be staying with another female college buddy, and presumably they’ll have a car.
So what should she absolutely not miss? Ballet and dance, as mentioned, turns her crank the most, but visual arts, classical music (she plays the cello), and museum-y things also generally get a look-in, as well as the funkier tourist meccas.
These are cool little hotel/bar/reastaurant locations. The Kennedy School near downtown is actually an old school converted into a hotel, bar, and restaurant.
I also love the Edgefield location, which is an artsy, relaxing resort unto itself. I could spend a week in Portland and never leave the Edgefield campus. It’s a poor farm, converted into a rest home, converted into a hotel. It has many quaint little bars, two restaurants, wine tasting, gardens, mini golf course, etc. It’s just a wonderful place to go.
For example, the little old incinerator building on campus is now a mini bar. You’d never know it until you are walking around the beautiful campus, then you stumble onto this little building and ask, “What’s in here?” When you go in, there’s some friendly guy in there ofering you a drink and a cigar. I love it.
Mrs. Flag and I love it so much, we had our wedding there on one of the outdoor patios.
Oh, and the Edgefield location is about 20 minutes east of downtown, on the way to the Columbia River Gorge. Don’t miss it!
… and you don’t have to be a guest at McMenamins to enjoy it.
Powell’s, of course. (Fabulous bookstore.)
I believe one of the Bodyworlds exhibits is in Portland for the summer. She’d probably find it very educational, since she’s into dance.
Oh, didn’t notice the part about having a car.
She should stop by the Evergreen Aviation Museum to see the Spruce Goose.
A good weekend trip would be to go out to Astoria (funky old town–also the end of the trail for Lewis & Clark), then down the coast to Tillamook. It’s a great drive if you don’t get stuck behind an RV. Tillamook has the cheese factory, and there’s another aviation museum that shouldn’t be missed, if only to see the building–it’s a blimp hangar from WWII, and I think it’s supposedly one of the world’s largest wooden structures.
If she gets a chance, she should also go out to Bend and Crater Lake.
On the north side of the Columbia above Astoria is Cape Disappointment (museum & lighthouse).
Seattle would also be doable as a weekend trip.
I’m probably not going to be the only one who suggests this but the Oregon Coast is only about 90 minutes away and ideal for a day trip. If she’s looking for funky tourist meccas, there’s Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Astoria–towns that vary in degrees of funkiness and touristiness. And, if she *really * likes cheese, there’s Tillamook.
Oregon Country Fair. Aka Burning Man for wanna-be hippies and some real hippies and squares from the city. Woo-woo [waves smudge-stick and bong about in the air]. Not as cool as it used to be but probably still fun.
Portland Art Museum is ok-- small city ‘meh’ museum but worth a couple of hours.
Crater Lake is pretty cool. Maybe pop in on the Shakespeare festival in Ashland, whenever that is. The high culture performing arts scene in Portland will be ok-- small city stuff-- but finite enough that what ever’s happening, she can’t miss it, so no secrets there.
capy:
Nine months out of the year, I believe. Wonderful stuff. (I went to school—and was a theater major—in Ashland.)
Maybe it’s a good time to buy stuff… no sales tax.
The Portland Saturday Market is fun for people watching, if nothing else.
First Thursday - http://www.firstthursday.org/
The Columbia Gorge for day trips.
If she’s younger, places to go out for fun in Portland - The Goodfoot, the Pearl District…
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) has the Body Worlds 3 exhibit this summer - it is primarily a children’s museum, but my husband and I both enjoy it. As a dancer, she may really enjoy being able to see the mechanics of motion - how all of the muscle groups look. Their web site is omsi dot edu, and the images might not be safe for the workplace - its essentially skinned plasticised corpses. Very cool.
The Shakespeare festival can be fun, but I think thats about it to do in ashland (I lived there for 24 years).
She should definately see the Gorge, Multinomah falls, Mt Hood (not that you can miss it). If she likes beer McMinamins is a definate fun stop. Kennedy school even has a theatre and you can drink beer and sit in couchs while watching. OMSI is hosting the Body worlds 3 that was mentioned earlier.
There are numerous concerts coming to the area, but what I dont know.
The coast is worth the drive, it is truly magnificent.
Fry
Just went to the Gorge this weekend to climb Multnomah Falls. A beautiful area. There are all the Willamette Valley wineries (my wife’s job). And I recommend the Chinese Classical Gardens. Beautiful, with a really great teahouse inside.
The Japanese Gardens.
Washington Park and the beautiful Japanese Garden inside the park.
Oregon Brewers’ Festival. We were there some years ago and had a jalapeno beer that was to die for!
Wow, thanks all! I knew there was some kind of Shakespeare festival thingy, but all the rest of the stuff is great. 