Eugene in May… To get a good view of the town, drive up Spencer’s Butte. If you’re there on a Saturday, take in the Saturday Market/Farmer’s Market downtown at E. 8th and Oak. Everything sold at the market must be made by the seller or a member of the seller’s family. Be sure to have a Sara’s Tamale while you’re there. Close by is the new public library, which is quite attractive, as well as 5th Street Market (located on 5th Avenue). There is a bike path along the Willamette River that’s very pretty. University of Oregon has nice grounds–it’s at E. 13th between Agate and Alder, more or less. Though rhododendrons are beginning to bloom now, they might still be blooming in Hendricks Park in May. Various Ken Kesey and Prefontaine memorials are dotted around the place. A guidebook will tell you where. Keystone Cafe is a classic hippie breakfast joint. Be sure to try some Euphoria Chocolate (available at many small groceries as well as at their three locations). If you’re out by Valley River Center (the mall), park at the Totota dealership and look at the ponds nearby. You might see nutria swimming in the water or sunning on the banks. Good restaurants in the moderate to slightly expensive range include Mona Lizza, Cafe Zenon, Glenwood, Shoji’s, Flying Dogs Cafe, Poppi’s Anatolia, Soriah and Beppe and Gianni’s.
Traveling on Rte. 126 from Eugene to Florence you’ll pass through some wildlife viewing areas after leaving Eugene’s limits. You can often spot water birds, especially on the right (North) side of the road: ospreys (look for nests on the platforms), great blue herons, scaups, mergansers, hawks, and in the last year, white pelicans (a flock out of their normal zone). You might also look for yellowheaded blackbirds, brownheaded cowbirds, stellar’s jays, scrub jays, and varied thrush. When 126 dead ends and you turn left, notice Alpha Bits, a commune-run shop on your left. They often have good pie. As you travel toward Rte. 101, notice the river to your right–it is the setting for Sometimes a Great Notion. Watch for kingfishers on the telephone wires.
Many people eat at Mo’s in Florence; it’s one of those things that you can do and say you did. I think the food’s okay.
On the coast, while you can spot sea lions on your own (notably, lounging on the wooden docks behind the stores in Newport), and while Sea Lion Caves is a little pricey (which, by the way, is called “spendy” out here), the caves are worth the price of admission. My father compared it to a Dantean hell. There are also, if memory serves, blue-footed boobies or something else with blue feet in the caves. If the tide is low, you might want to stop at a wayside and look in tidepools for starfish. Bring a light sweater or sweatshirt–while it may be a beautiful warm day, it can be windy and cool on the water.
In Newport, Canyon Way Books is a lot of fun, as is a tour of the rooms at the Sylvia Beach Hotel if you can swing it. You may be a bit of season for whales, but again a guidebook can tell you. Newport has a nice aquarium.
If you have the time, Portland is a lot of fun, especially Powell’s City of Books, the Museum of Art, and the Japanese Gardens.
Good wine: King Estate.
Good beer: Many. It’s a regional specialty.
Delicacies: Salmon, fresh and smoked. Locally grown spring vegetables that are not yet growing where you are, and don’t travel well in any event. Anything prepared with wild mushrooms.
What brings you to the area?
