Call it a test of my own gumption or a simple thirst for adventure:

I’m hopping in my car and hitting the road to explore the American West!

In an effort to banish writer’s block, stir up my routine and physically reconnect with my passion for travel, I’m uncharacteristically striking out on my own to visit:

• The South Rim of the Grand Canyon in northwestern Arizona
• Monument Valley, Arches and Canyonlands in southeastern Utah
• Glenwood Springs, Basalt, Carbondale and more in western Colorado
• Yellowstone National Park Jackson Hole and the historic town of Cody in northern Wyoming
• The Thousand Springs Scenic Byway and Boise in southern Idaho
• Bend and Crater Lake Portland in northwestern Oregon
• The west coast of Oregon
• Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California

Travels With Two

A few weeks back we hit the road to find ourselves some autumn fun in the Pacific Northwest. With the help of our friends, we found it in Forest Grove, Oregon, less than an hour from Portland.

Between huge flocks of birds, a sake tour, wine tasting and a fine mist hanging o’er the hills, I’m sure as heck glad we got off the couch and headed west.

By “west,” I specifically mean west of Portland, where we were visiting our friends Jessica and Chris. Generally speaking, take 26W/NW Sunset Highway out of the city and get off at Exit 59 for Jackson School Road. All told, getting to Forest Grove should take about 35-4o minutes.

Hungry? Well, along the way, we stopped off at the delightfully old-school and clapboard South Store Cafe in nearby Scholls for beautiful cappuccinos, lattes and hearty breakfast sang-wiches. I’d highly recommend the place to get yourselves in a snug, small-town, leap-peeping frame of mind. But right in Forest Grove proper, you could also check out the ornate Ironwork Grill at McMenamin’s Grand Lodge, one of a local chain of über-cool (and undoubtedly quirky) hotel/restaurant/pub/movie theater compounds set in lovingly-restored Portland-area landmark buildings. 

We loved our visit to the Fernhill Wetland, which offered a lovely little stroll around a marsh-ful of five gabillion ducks and geese, a couple of herons and a stoic white pelican who looked almost entirely out of place. We saw fiddlehead ferns drying on the stalk, berries dripping dew, and a fleece-clad couple on the prowl with high-tech birding binoculars. We saw a fuzzy brown caterpillar that I refused to hold in my hand for longer than a second, seeing as it was that creepy kind of fuzzy. We also saw more shorebirds than we’ve ever seen in one pond at one time just burst upward in furious formation, only to land a minute later in the center of a wheaty field as though nothing happened. Absolutely amazing.

Post-wetland, we wafted about the might-be-Europe-if-you-squint grounds of Montinore Vineyards, where Fall was on full display. While we’re already fans of Willamette Valley wines, this was our first trip to the Washington County wine country; Montinore’s warm, glowy tasting room is big enough to serve a crowd, though, so clearly this region has been discovered. After tasting our way through a pinot gris and a variety of elegant pinot noirs, we bought the spicy, fruity ’07 Forest Grove Cellars Merlot ($21) and their not-too-sweet Ruby Pinot Noir Port ($25) to share with our friends. 

We then switched to sake. SakeOne is one of the few sake breweries in the U.S., and was established in Forest Grove by its Japanese parent company in order to take advantage of the area’s high-quality water. I highly recommend taking a complimentary tour here: between the murals of pants-less men, the smoothness of perfectly hulled rice and its sweet fragrance when fermenting, this is a rare experience full of humor, sanitary booties and shiny contraptions.

After our tour, we bellied up to the bar for a Saké Shock, a gorgeous little food-and-sake pairing which matches different types of the brew with spicy chili garlic peas, smoked tuna, goat cheese and more. You can take your rose-colored glasses — I’d rather see the world through pink and sparkling plum sake. (free tours are given seven days a week at either 1, 2 or 3pm; Saké Shock tastings are $10 per person)

Our entire outing took about 7 hours and was one of the best days we’d all had in a long time. Getting out into a little autumn can do wonders for the cobwebs in your head, so give it some thought:

Where do you two want to go to experience a taste of Fall?

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See also

Portland, Oregon: A (Real Live) Weekend Away

Travels With Two

A bit of the bar at Ping in Portland's Chinatown

Recently spent my (early-October) birthday up in Portland, Oregon, which is just about our favorite city in America.

We stayed with friends, went to a book fair and a radio show taping, toodled around the city, drank wine and stuffed our faces. We wore actual sweaters and jackets to ward off the autumn chill. 

And you know what? It was darn good for the mind, body and soul.

On this trip, we stayed locally with our friends Jessica and Chris. Since it’s highly unlikely that you two would also stay with them, though, I recommend the Heron Haus B & B in Nob Hill (NW), Portland’s White House B & B in Irvington (NE), McMenamin’s Kennedy School near the Alberta Arts District (NE), or the Hotel Lucia in the heart of downtown (SW).

Artwork at the Wordstock book festival; pre-Live Wire radio show taping at the Aladdin Theater

To see what was going on around town for the weekend, Jess visited the Travel Portland site and discovered that the Wordstock book festival and a special Wordstock-themed taping of Live Wire! Radio were happening on my birthday. Since I’ve lately had novel-writing on the brain, the timing felt perfect.

At the Oregon Convention Center we puttered around Wordstock exhibitors’ tables, discovering new books, publishers and funny stickers. We even nabbed a subscription to McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, America’s best-designed anthology of fiction.

Later that night, the two back-to-back tapings of Live Wire were held at the vintage 1920s Aladdin Theater, and between the clever vignettes, performances by local musicians and fascinating interviews with writers, this experience absolutely rocked. You can attend a Live Wire taping just about every two weeks, and I would give it three thumbs up if only I had a third thumb.

Sign along Broadway in Downtown; artwork for sale in a NW boutique

Earlier that day, we’d headed Downtown to explore, and did our best to keep it weird.

Collectively, all of Portland also did its best.

The over-crowded Voodoo Doughnut in Downtown Portland

The only thing that no longer seems weird there is Voodoo Doughnuts. This home-grown haunt has been written up in so many magazines and blogs, covered to death in so many travel shows, that it’s now officially been discovered by the masses. Since I’m spiritually opposed to standing in line for anything, much less a g-damn doughnut, safe to say we didn’t engage; but if you absolutely must snarf some maple bacon ale fritters during your stay, then for the love of God go visit the other Voodoo Doughnut, on the northeast side of town.

Clockwise from top L: the Downtown Stumptown and its cappuccino; the logo at Flying Cat Coffee Company; afternoon tea at Lady Di's; the lemon tart at La Petite Provence; and seasonal cupcakes at The Little T

Aside from crullers, Portland offers a many other lovely ways to mainline wheat products — and caffeine.

Hit industrial-fabulous The Little T for cupcakes and pastries, then worship at the temple of java at any of the five local Stumptown Coffee Roasters. (I have a love affair going with their Holler Mountain, and with their Hair Bender, too.) For a palate cleanser, score a latte and check out the greatest logo in town at the Flying Cat Coffee Company, who threaten to have t-shirts for sale soon.

If you have a spot of tea (and scones and finger sandwiches) in mind, head to Lake Oswego for the almost ridiculously charming Lady Di’s British Store & Tea Room and ask to be seated off by yourselves in the Tea Cozy Room (afternoon tea, $16 US per person). With any luck, it’ll be raining outside and will really feel like England inside. For a stunning breakfast nearby, visit sunny and delicious La Petite Provence, and order any gorgeous omelette on the menu with a side of potatoes, butternut squash and rosemary. Oh, and if you tell them it’s your birthday, they’ll give you a free pastry; I happily chose the truly lovely lemon tart. 

Chop in Portland's HUB Building; the NE outpost of Olympic Provisions

If you like charcuterie, you’ll feel absurdly lucky in Portland. Chop, a butcher counter located inside the HUB Building at the back corner of the splendid Tasty n Sons restaurant, is a great place to cobble together a picnic to eat over in the Rose Test Garden or up at Mt. Hood. Tasty n Sons itself makes a mean meat-and-locally-made-cheese board, as well as a stunning array of creative cocktails.

Olympic Provisions, whose NE location is spread across a sexed-up former warehouse, is absolutely serious about its meat; full of spices and a twisted sort of sausage-love, you’ll definitely want the nola and the saucisson sec, and you’ll want to pair ‘em with creamy cheese from the Northwest. I wasn’t much into the fussy cocktails here, but the full-bodied house red offered a hells-yes hit of cherry. 

Pok Pok Noi in NE Portland

If I only had a couple of meals to spend in Portland, though, I’d hit a link in the local Pok Pok chain. Inspired by the sizzle, crackle and heat of Southeast Asian street food, this is the place for chili and spice and a big ol’ stack of napkins. Try a cocktail with Kampong (Thai brandy) or a non-alcoholic and lightly sweet passionfruit drinking vinegar. Skip the too-tart papaya salad (and definitely skip the addition of tiny pieces of non-shelled blue crab), and don’t miss out on Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings. Between the sweet and crunchy coating and the pickled carrots on the side, I could easily make this my last meal.

At the compact Pok Pok in SE you order at your table, while at Pok Pok Noi in NE, you order at one section of the restaurant, then hoof your cocktails to another and go sit down. Both offer picnic table seating and a casual vibe, while the SE location is across the street from the D-Street Noshery, a kick-ass collection of  food carts where you can make a crawl of it all.

Ping, in Portland's Chinatown

One of my favorite meals of the weekend was Chinese street snacks at Pok Pok’s latest venture, Ping. Preserving its roots as Chinatown’s former stand-by, Hung Far Low (*chuckle*), the decor is a hipster version of 1940s Chinese-America, with old posters, packing crates and antique radios. Ping has the same drinking vinegars and full bar as at Pok Pok, but the light and chewy pork bun, buttery Malaysian roti bread and tea-stained egg are a delicious trip to a very different part of Asia.

Or Portland, as the case may be.

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See related posts
Portland’s Westside, Part 1 – The Pearl District
Portland’s Westside, Part 2 – Downtown
Portland’s Westside, Part 3 – Chinatown & Old Town
Portland’s Westside, Part 4 – Northwest & Nob Hill
Portland’s Westside, Part 5 – Washington Park
Portland’s Northeast Side
Portland’s Southeast Side
Portland On Our Minds
Falling Into the North Willamette Valley
By the Seaside…Oregon
TWT Travel Binder: Oregon

Travels With Two

This past weekend, we took a brief break from some epic spring cleaning to check out The Garden Conservancy‘s first Open Days event of the year in the Los Angeles area.

Held all over the United States each year between March and November, Open Days allow you to snoop around other people’s backyards and/or find landscaping inspiration while simultaneously raising money to provide and preserve garden spaces across the country. It’s a fun, romantic and altruistic outing, whether you’re traveling in a different city or simply exploring your own. Traditionally a mapped route of six private homes in one area that open their outdoor spaces to the public for one day, Open Days provide a unique opportunity to experience a neighborhood through its plantings, design, architecture and history. The volunteers who work these special events can generally answer questions about the people who own the homes involved, tales of the buildings and homes that surround it, why certain design decisions were made, what to call that purple flower over there, and stuff you’ll probably only think to ask once you’re surrounded by absolute floral magnificence.

Open Days gardens range from homey affairs to sprawling estate layouts, English country to low-water plantings, and it’s fascinating to see how truly gifted gardeners incorporate fountains, pools, waterfalls, patios, sculpture, lighting and a myriad artistic details into their designs. For garden and travel lovers like us, it’s also just plain exciting when we discover exotic plants we’ve never seen before.

These are some glimpses of this past Sunday’s Open Days event in Pasadena, California. Be sure to check out the entire Open Days schedule to see where you might catch some cool gardens in your area — or on your next vacation.

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Open Days are held around the U.S. between March and November,
on Saturdays and Sundays between (generally) 9am and 5pm.
No reservations are necessary, and all tours require self-driving.
Each Open Days event provides a starting point address where you can pick up a map of the day’s gardens.
Tickets can be purchased online in advance, or in person at any stop along an Open Days route.
Ticket prices: 6 for $25 US for non-members, or 6 for $15 US for Garden Conservancy members.

Travels With Two

Photo by Roadsidepictures

The popular travel blog TripBase has started a tag-you’re-it game across the travel blogosphere.

The goal is to collect an amazing list of across-the-globe travel secrets from as many travel bloggers as humanly possible.  Someday soon, this list will be a Creative Commons roundup that I’ll be sure to share with you!

For now, I’ve been tagged by two of my favorite travel bloggers, Sheila of GoVisitHawaii and Isabelle of Isabelle’s Travel Guide to contribute my own best kept travel secrets.

So, here we go:

1.  Attend a charity fundraiser, sign up for the travel raffle, and be creative.

For years we’ve attended the summer food-and-wine fundraiser for a wonderful organization, the Los Angeles Free Clinic.  (We think it’s a great idea to provide free – or at least affordable – health care to the working poor.)  Their summer fundraiser, a literal extravaganza of food and wine excess, generally costs about $150 for both of us.

One year, I saw that the big raffle prize was a trip to Paris (Air France flights and a stay at the Four Seasons Hotel George V) and decided to enter us into the big prize raffle for an additional $100, paying by credit card via fax.

I took a few extra minutes to doodle all over said fax page, scribbling cartoon renderings of Parisian monuments on every bit of white space.  I also wrote “Oooh la la!” and “Oui, sil vous plait!” and, well, there was more, but you get it — I’m a dork.  My reasoning was this:  Whomever was on the other side of that fax machine was sitting in a busy, humorless office piled high with pieces of white paper.  And who doesn’t love a little funny in their day?

Flash forward several weeks, and we were declared the winners!  For $250, we had just nabbed that warm feeling you get from doing good, a fabulous horde of treats and the means to a kick-ass vacation (that I’ll be writing more about very soon).

Surely there’s an organization in your town that you admire?  Do a little web research, make a call, see what events are out there.  Many organizations know their raffle prizes ahead of time and will happily tell you, to stoke your interest.

Who knows how far this could take you?

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2. There lies a sea of flowers in northwest Oregon.

We’re big fans of gardens, and found one of our favorites in sleepy little Canby, Oregon, 8 miles from Portland. From August 1st -September  30th each year, the 40-acre flower farm at Swan Island Dahlias explodes with pom poms, dinner plates, collarettes and more.  Bring along a picnic, stroll the rows hand in hand, even order tubers for your own perfect dahlia garden.

Dahlias will grow just about anywhere you find 8 hours of daily sunlight in summer, but if your area freezes in the winter, you have to dig up the tubers and replant them in spring.  Sound like too much work?  All the better reason to come here and revel, labor-free, in a seriously romantic profusion of blooms.

Travels With Two

Domaine Serene, in early October

A simple search of the Travels With Two archives will tell you how much we love Portland, Oregon.  But, truly, we also sing the wine country praises of the nearby North Willamette Valley.

Of course, the singing usually comes an hour into tasting pinot noirs…

To get a feel for the North Willamette (pronounced WillAMette), click here for an interactive map.  The map doesn’t print very well, so I’d highly recommend contacting the vintner’s association to request a free copy.

To get to the wine country from Portland, we’d recommend two routes:

• For the most direct, take the 99W straight out of town for about 50 minutes.
• For the most leisurely, at 1 hour and 10 minutes, take the 26W to the Glencoe Road/219 exit, and head south into Newberg.  On this route you’ll see small towns and lots of farms.

Longhorn cattle on the way to WillaKenzie Estate

We’ve been twice to this agricultural heartland of Oregon, once on an August weekend, and again last October;  we’d agree that while summer is full of flowers, Fall is an even better time to go.  It’s a little sunny, a little cloudy, a little chilly, and sometimes, a little warm.  Furry cows graze in fields bordered by last-of-the-season blackberries and tangles of grapevines.  The nostalgic smell of burning leaves wafts on the breeze, and apples fall faster from the orchard trees than anyone can catch them.

Imagine, if you will, driving through a great big pie.

Both times we’ve journeyed here, we’ve made a day trip of it from Portland, leaving town by 10am and heading back by 5pm.

Once you’ve arrived, we’d recommend having an early lunch at the casually elegant Dundee Bistro.

Note that wine tasting rooms in the North Willamette Valley stay steadily open throughout the Fall, generally closing only for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve/Day, and New Years.

To taste area wines, visit:

August Cellars

August Cellars: This architecturally eco-friendly space belongs to family farmers and offer mostly pinot noirs and riesling through their own label, as well as wines from a few area micro-wineries like Toluca Lane, Laura Volkman, and Et Fille.

Argyle: In a tasting room set in a renovated Victorian house, indulge in classic Oregon pinots and the surprise of sparkling pinot noir blends.  Argyle’s beloved tasting room kitty, Snowball, has died since our visit last year, and a special flight dedicated in his honor benefits area cat adoption efforts.

Sokol Blosser: Their beautiful tasting room is set up on a hill amongst heavy old trees, and their lovely wines never disappoint

Domaine Drouhin: Yes, it costs $10 to taste a mere 4 wines here, but half the experience is the stunning tasting room and the best view of the NWV we’ve yet seen.  The sister winery to Burgundy’s exquisite Joseph Drouhin, DD’s French-style wines are generally dry, sophisticated, complex and more often than not, a bit too dear for our wallets.  C’est la vie…take a seat on the side porch and the

Just one view from Domaine Drouhin

pain will ease.

Domaine Serene: Possibly even more elegant a tasting room than Drouhin, this dreamy place is literally a castle (see the first photo above).  It borders on a bit too touristy: The parking lot can accommodate buses and you can book a $40 VIP tasting tour, tell-tale signs of corporate vino-pimping.  However, with 6 different versions of pinot noir on offer, this is a good place to see the range of the NWV’s terroir.

Archery Summit: For your steep drive uphill to the parking lot, you’ll be rewarded with the second-best view of the NWV.  The vibe here isn’t super friendly, but their vineyard/caves/bottling room tour is a relative bargain at $25, and they generally offer a staggering 10 takes on pinot noir…as it’s all they do up here.

The old grain mill in Carlton

Carlton Winemakers Studio: To be honest, we didn’t love any of the wines here, but we give this collective of ten vintners props for fantastic architecture, an ethos of sustainable farming, and a peaceful setting.

WillaKenzie Estate: Gorgeous area, fantastic longhorn cattle, but a madhouse; come here for a rest on the patio, and if you can manage to get your hands on some wine, all the better…but highly unnecessary.

If you’d rather not drive an hour home after a day of tooling around and tasting, it’s safe to say that staying out here would be dreamy. Vintners we’ve met in the area recommend three places to stay, but you can always check them out for yourself on TripAdvisor:

Black Walnut Inn
Abbey Road Farm B & B
McMenamin’s Hotel Oregon

**If by now I’ve swayed you both to visit this Fall, keep the following in mind:

Travels With Two

Our fantasy city is Portland, Oregon –
the perfect creative and eco-minded alternative to our hometown, Los Angeles.
But we also love the wine country, beaches, rivers, forests, people…
…and Tillamook cheddar cheese. 

 

Here are some resources to help you plan your own “travels with two” to Oregon.

Travels With Two posts
on Oregon

Oregon Guides
Oregon State Tourism Guide
National Geographic
Conde Nast Traveler
Fodors
Frommers
Anthony Bourdain
Globe Trekker
Travel + Leisure: Portland

Oregon Articles
Sunset Magazine: Oregon search results
Conde Nast Traveler: Whistle-Stop Tours
NGT: Historic Places Rated: Ashland, OR
Travel + Leisure: Driving the Oregon Coast
Cooking Light: Cruise the Coast of Oregon
Cooking Light: Crater Lake National Park

Oregon Travel Agents & Tours
Pacific Northwest Journeys

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Have an Oregon tip, story, or blog post you’d like to share?

Travels With Two

Mural detail at the Kennedy School

Portland, Oregon’s northeast has a certain scruffy elegance.

We split our 2006 Portland visit between two different lodgings in this part of town, and it’s so residential that you can’t help but feel at home here. Visit a farmer’s market, walk to a casual restaurant, go see a movie…y’know, all the stuff you’d do in your own neighborhood if you only had the time.

To get a taste of tony Irvington, we stayed in the historic mansion known as Portland’s White House. This 1911 Greek Revival and antique-filled B & B on NE 22nd Avenue has sweet little rooms with four-poster beds and garden views, and drop-dead killer breakfasts where you eat family style at a long dining room table.

Walk out the front door and you can ogle your way around Irvington’s period houses, or there’s the NE Broadway business district two blocks away. We were lucky enough to stumble into Thai Pod for some really good, fresh Thai food.

Just east of Irvington is nineteen-acre Grant Park, famous for two things: memorializing Ulysses S. Grant’s three visits to Portland and the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden, featuring bronze statues of characters of children’s author (and Portland native) Beverly Cleary. The life-size Ramona is very cool, in a way that says, “Hey, maybe sixth grade wasn’t so bad.”

Which is pretty much the whole point behind McMenamin’s Kennedy School. A quirky hotel set in a former elementary school, this is one of the most fascinating and fun places we’ve ever stayed. Local artists have covered almost every wall with murals that evoke both fantasy and historical Kennedy School photos.

The rooms aren’t renowned for comfy beds, but instead for details like chalkboards and closet cubbies. There’s a mosaic-tiled pool (if it’s ever warm enough in Portland to swim), and in the school’s former cafeteria, a cafe that serves almost everything you could want (we wanted hummus and Greek salads, and lo, there they were on the menu).

In the former auditorium, you can watch second-run movies on cozy couches while drinking Oregonian wine and eating food from the cafe. You can come to the Kennedy School’s theater even if you’re not a hotel guest, it just costs a little more.  In our (2006) case, we rolled right from our room in comfy pants to stretch out and see a double feature of Thank You for Not Smoking and The Break-Up.

Not far from the Kennedy School, the Alberta Arts District is pulling itself up from working class grit towards a corrugated steel charm. This isn’t the loveliest part of town (*understatement alert*) but there’s beauty to be found in galleries like Talisman and Guardino.  If you can wrangle it in your travel schedule, known that the District has an open house every last Thursday of the month from 5:30-9pm.

While you’re over here, have breakfast or lunch at The Tin Shed (which has really friendly service) or Vita Cafe (which has beautiful vegetarian food).

If you’re up early on a Saturday, wander over to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market (east of Grant Park on NE Hancock between NE 44th & 45th Avenues) to live like a Portland locavore.

The Hollywood District has two other cool things to visit: the 1926 Hollywood Theatre, which serves as both an screening space and film education center, and even more fun for any Angeleno, Hollywood Bowl. The latter never hosts The Who in concert but always has…bowling.

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See related posts
Portland’s Westside, Part 1 – The Pearl District
Portland’s Westside, Part 2 – Downtown
Portland’s Westside, Part 3 – Chinatown & Old Town
Portland’s Westside, Part 4 – Northwest & Nob Hill
Portland’s Westside, Part 5 – Washington Park
Portland’s Southeast Side
Portland On Our Minds
Falling Into the North Willamette Valley
By the Seaside…Oregon
TWT Travel Binder: Oregon

Travels With Two