Escape Wisconsin

Haystack rock at Cannon Beach is an iconic presence on the Oregon coast, and nesting spot to the endangered crested puffin. 
10 Things to Do
in and around Portland

    Portland, Ore., is a city generating a lot of buzz these days.  It doesn't hurt a thing that it is nestled among great scenery with a view of Mount Hood, the nearby Columbia River Gorge, and beautiful Oregon coast along the Pacific Ocean.  Here's a sample of things to do if you go. 
     
    1. Visit a garden. Portland bills itself as the City of Roses, and its famous International Rose Test Garden shows off 550 varieties and more than 10,000 plantings in all.  The Japanese Garden, with a real waterfall and a veiwing platform for the rock garden,  was the inspiration for the Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford, Ill.  The Lan Su Chinese Garden is in downtown Portland and features a teahouse where you can sip Chinese tea and admire the beauty of Lake Zither. 

 
   2. See Columbia River Gorge waterfalls.  You can take a freeway, or you can drive some windy back roads, but either way the scenery of the gorge is beautiful.  One of the highlights is Multnomah Falls, the the star of the mountansides with its 620-foot drop and a historic lodge at its base.  It is the second tallest year-round

waterfall in the United States.  You can dine at the lodge, and if you're feeling energetic make the climb of about

one mile to the top of the falls. Other notables along the drive east of Portland include Latourell Falls and Horsetail Falls, at 249 feet and 176 feet respectively.

3. Take a walking tour. Portland city blocks are amazingly short, making it seem like you’re covering more ground in less time.  One story is that the early city fathers wanted  to make more corner storefronts available, so my having more blocks per square mile there were more corners available.  An average block in Portland is 68,000 square feet, while in Chicago it is 213,000 square feet. You can also rent a bike.  Portland is known as a biker’s paradise. 
    
   4.  Drive up Mount Hood. The view of Mount Hood is part of the attraction of living in Portland. You can't drive all the way to the top of the 11,245-foot peak, but you can drive up to Timberline Lodge, noted for its ski hill and its role in the movie "The Shining."  It was used for some of the exterior shots.    

   5. Visit Powell's City of Books.  Powells operates six stores in the Portland area.  The firm traces its history back to 225 million B.C. "Dinosaurs appear.  Good news for publishing. Dinos=oil, and oil=zippy modern printing presses."  More recently, about 30 years ago, Walter Powell decided to stock all available editions of each title side-by-side, a wonderful idea.  It's also in a way like Milwaukee's Renaissance Books - unique enough to have its own store at the airport, too.  If you can't make it to one of the stores in the Portland area, you can shop on their website: www.powells.com. 
        
    6. Dine out.  Portland is noted for it's cutting edge cuisine.  Try Asian fare at a place like The Sauce Box.  We had the melt-in-your mouth salmon and a braised pork that was one of the specials, worthy of the recommendation our waiter gave it.  The sake pomegranate martini was also a highlight. Even though the waiter dumped a glass of water on the wife's lap at the end of the meal, we would go back.  The food was too good to hold a grudge.  And they are also noted for their sushi. 
     Another dinner at Mama Mia Trattoria near our hotel was worth the visit. 

     7. Admire Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach.  This icon of the Oregon coast is astonishing for its size, but also as a nesting site for a variety of birds, including the endangered crested puffin.  Volunteer guides often set up viewing stations on the beach, and we were fortunate enough to be there to take advantage.  They had a telescope trained on a crested puffin, and we got a chance to see one.  It's a little black dot above the middle gull in this photo taken through a spotting scope, and it stood up and turned a couple of times so that we could see its orange beak. Cannon Beach itself is a charming if slightly toney community that, like Wisconsin’s Door County, doesn't  have any fast food restaurants, big box stores or flashing neon signs.  

 
      8.  Shop. There's no sales tax!  Thinking about getting a new pair of binoculars or a camera to use when you’re sightseeing in Oregon?   Buy it there and you’ll likely save some cash, because there is no sales tax.  It can be a little disconcerting when figuring out a tip at one of Portland’s wonderful restaurants, because there is no sales tax to deduct off the top.  But it’s a pleasant feeling when you spend $10.95 for $99.95 and find out that is ALL that you’re paying. 



    9. Visit a state park along the coast.  Ecola State Park, between Seaside and Cannon Beach, has a broad sandy beach with a rocky line just before it reaches higher ground.  Springs and streams spew forth, cutting through the sand to make their short trip to the ocean. Sea anenomes and starfish make their homes in the tide pools among the rocks.  

    10. Ride the trolley. Portland has an excellent public transportation system, including rail from the airport to downtown.  The 40-minute ride costs about $3, compared to more than $20 for a cab ride. There's also a restored trolley line in the downtown area that you can ride for free.