What’s New

What's New in Portland, Oregon — 2012

For additional details on lodging properties and culinary stories, please request a hotel or dining sheet from the Travel Portland PR team at journalistsonly@travelportland.com.

Public Transportation

Streetcar Bridges East and West — Expansion Opens September 2012

Portland’s public transportation system continues to expand, making it easier for visitors to navigate the “City of Roses.” In 2009, the city started laying new tracks for the Portland Streetcar Loop Project — a 3.3-mile (5.3 km) extension of the popular streetcar system, which will add another 28 stops and serve as many as 3.5 million riders per year. This expansion marks the first time the popular streetcar system will venture to Portland’s east side.

The new Portland Streetcar line will run parallel to the east bank of the Willamette River, offering access to popular visitor attractions such as the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), as well as other eastside shops and restaurants. The line is scheduled to open in September 2012 and development in the Central Eastside Industrial District is being spurred by the extension (see Neighborhoods story).

The Portland Streetcar is a testament to the city’s commitment to sustainable transportation. With its creation in 2001, Portland became the first city in the United States to introduce modern streetcar service. In addition to increasing transit options for residents and visitors alike, the new Portland Streetcar line has created more than 100 jobs at local company United Streetcar, which is manufacturing the cars.

CONTACT
Marcus Hibdon, Travel Portland; 503.275.9769; marcus@travelportland.com

Seasonal Promotions

Winter Blah-Buster

Downtown Portland’s successful Blah-Buster performing arts promotion kicks off its second season in February 2012. For more than a month, arts groups including Portland Center Stage, Oregon Children’s Theater, Oregon Ballet Theatre and the Oregon Symphony will offer two-for-one tickets for events throughout the city.

With performances held in downtown venues such as Portland Center for the Performing Arts and the LEED-certified Gerding Theater at the Armory, the two-for-one deal, combined with ongoing Portland Perks dining and hotel packages, offers affordable access to Portland’s vibrant creative arts scene, even in a short visit.

Full details available at www.downtownportland.org.

CONTACT
Marcus Hibdon, Travel Portland; 503.275.9769; marcus@travelportland.com

June is Dining Month

June is Dining Month in Portland, and that makes it an ideal time for frugal foodies to visit the city. All month long, select restaurants will offer $25 three-course menus every day of the week. In 2011, 61 restaurants participated, including “Iron Chef” winner Vitaly Paley’s Paley’s Place, James Beard Award finalist Cathy Whims’ Nostrana, the lauded Bluehour, The Heathman Restaurant & Bar and more.

So, for those who have dreamed about eating their way through the city that TIME.com recently called “America’s new food Eden,” June is the time to visit. To sweeten the deal, hotel packages offered through Portland Perks offer complimentary overnight parking, breakfast and discounts at select attractions and shops.

CONTACT
Marcus Hibdon, Travel Portland; 503.275.9769; marcus@travelportland.com

Food & Drink

Feast Portland: Celebrating Oregon Bounty

In September 2012, all eyes in the food world will be on Portland as the city welcomes its first top-tier, nationally recognized food festival, Feast Portland. Much to the delight of the thousands of attendees, events will blanket the city from Sept. 20-23 as unique food programming runs from morning to night. Featured events will include classes, tastings, industry panels, parties, gala events and more.

With a goal of showcasing local culinary talent and Oregon ingredients, the festival will bring in internationally acclaimed chefs and culinary professionals from around the country.

Founded by Mike Thelin and Carrie Welch, the inaugural festival aims to lure some of the most influential people in the culinary industry to Portland — the hub of the artisan food movement and the birthplace of James Beard. Thelin, who appears regularly on The Cooking Channel’s “Unique Eats,” has produced events ranging from the Eater Awards to the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival. Welch, formerly with the Food Network, helped create the New York City Wine & Food Festival.

CONTACT
Carrie Welch, Feast Portland; Carrie@littlegreenpickle.com

Portland Distillers Lead Craft Spirits Movement

Portland has long been known as a destination for outstanding microbrews, world-class Willamette Valley wines and exceptional coffee, but now the city is also widely accepted as the epicenter of the craft distilling movement.

Inspired by the local brewing and winemaking traditions, the city's micro-distilleries are crafting high-quality, small-batch spirits with distinctive flavor profiles. From gin and vodka to absinthe, ouzo, whiskey, brandies, liqueurs and eau de vie, each product — whether sipped straight or used to enhance a hand-crafted cocktail — is distinctly different and entirely unique.

The scores of spirits made in Portland are not only available at local and national restaurants (Aviation Gin is a popular export); they’ve also been embraced by mixologists who use them to craft new creations or put interesting twists on old classics. Visitors to Portland can experience the craft-distilling scene at bars across the city, or go directly to the source with distillery tours and tastings.

The city’s newest spirit-maker is Bull Run Distillery, located in Northwest Portland near the Pearl District. Here, former House Spirits founder and McMenamins distiller Lee Medoff specializes in dark spirits such as sugar cane rum and whiskey. Medoff’s goal is create an Oregon Whiskey with a unique flavor profile, similar to the Scotch of Scotland and Kentucky’s bourbon. The company also bottles unique spirits from distillers around the country under its Temperance Trader line. Other new distilleries include Stone Barn Brandy Works, which brings a slew of new distillates to the table, and Deco Distilling, known for silver and spicy ginger rums.

Six distillers are concentrated in Portland's Central Eastside Industrial District, an up-and-coming area attracting hip new restaurants, bars, breweries and distilleries (see Neighborhoods story). This group has combined efforts to create Distillery Row — a collaboration featuring common tasting room hours and a walking tour to each location. For $20, the Distillery Row Passport waives tasting fees and provides discounts at nearby merchants like Water Avenue Coffee and cocktail standout, Beaker and Flask. Smartphone owners can also scan QR codes in the passport for additional offers and information on featured businesses. Perhaps most importantly, the passport includes in-depth descriptions of the spirits produced by each distillery so visitors can learn more about the products and look back to see what they tasted and where.

The nearby Jupiter Hotel offers a Distillery Package to complement Distillery Row tastings. The package includes overnight accommodations for two, a passport for two to all five distilleries, a $40 credit to use on Distillery Row, a gift certificate to Water Avenue Coffee and free overnight parking.

CONTACT
Marcus Hibdon, Travel Portland; 503.275.9769; marcus@travelportland.com

Oregon Wineries Go Urban

Portland is a hub for just about every type of craft beverage: beer, spirits, coffee, cocktails, soda, tea and more. While wine has always been on that list, urban oenophiles can now sample the region’s offerings at a number of wineries in the city. Eight wineries located near the city center have recently joined forces to form the PDX Urban Wineries collective, which offers a shared website and schedule of events. Enso Winery, Hip Chicks Do Wine and Grochau Cellars have regular tasting room hours, while the remaining five (Seven Bridges Winery, Helioterra, Vincent Wine Company, Ribbon Ridge Vineyard and Jean-Marc Wine Cellars) are open by appointment and for special events. Aside from those in the collective, Boedecker Cellars (open seasonally) also moved its winery operations from the countryside to the city.

Many of these wineries make wonderful Pinot Noir with grapes from the nearby Willamette Valley, but their location in the city gives them freedom to experiment with grapes from other wine-growing regions as well. Varietals produced by these urban wineries include Mourvedre, Zinfandel, Pinot Blanc and Riesling, to name a few.

CONTACT
Lila Martin, Travel Portland; 503.275.9794; lila@travelportland.com

Downtown’s Dining Renaissance

As with many trends — culinary or otherwise — the latest development on Portland’s food scene is making that which is old new again. In this case, that means a new era in downtown dining.

Portland’s creative culinary scene has been turning heads for more than 15 years, when chefs began embracing the abundance of locally grown ingredients. The city’s reputation as a culinary capital has been bolstered more recently with national and international media coverage of what’s on Portlanders’ plates and how the city’s culinary talent has helped revitalize entire neighborhoods.

Many of the city’s original culinary pioneers located their restaurants on Portland’s west side — including several right in the heart of downtown. Chefs such as Greg Higgins (Higgins), Phillippe Boulet (The Heathman Restaurant & Bar), Vitaly Paley (Paley’s Place), Bruce Carey (Bluehour) and Cory Schrieber (Wildwood) all built their landmark restaurants in or near downtown’s bustling business center 10-18 years ago. As local chefs continued to draw attention from further afield, many chose to open their restaurants in the small neighborhoods on Portland’s east side, where rents were cheaper and plenty of space was available. The new restaurants reinvigorated neighborhoods such as East Burnside with Le Pigeon, owned by 2011 James Beard Rising Star winner Gabe Rucker; and North Williams, with Tasty n Sons, owned by John Gorham, who now lays claim to three eastside restaurants.

Now many of latest culinary developments are happening downtown again; a trend that has only gained steam since Clyde Common opened in the Ace Hotel nearly five years ago, with Nel Centro following in 2009. In late 2010, Chris Israel opened the Alps-inspired Grüner, to instant success: GQ named it one of the 10 best restaurants of that year. Little Bird, Gabe Rucker’s sister restaurant to Le Pigeon, headed up by Andrew Fortgang, also opened in 2010. In the last year, numerous noteworthy places have followed the trend: Tommy Habetz opened a downtown outpost of his gourmet sandwich shop Bunk; Cathy Whims of Nostrana opened her new Pearl District restaurant Oven & Shaker; the Portland outpost of esteemed Seattle-based pizzeria Via Tribunali debuted in fall 2011; the westside outpost of the beloved Olympic Provisions opened a few short blocks west of the Pearl District; and the esteemed Vitaly Paley is set to open a new, yet-to-be named restaurant downtown in 2012.

CONTACT
Marcus Hibdon, Travel Portland; 503.275.9769; marcus@travelportland.com

Lodging

National Treasure Timberline Lodge Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Seventy-five years ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the iconic Timberline Lodge as a ski lodge at the 6,000-foot level of Mount Hood. On Sept. 28, 1937, Roosevelt made the trip to Mount Hood to dedicate the lodge (see image). In 1977, the lodge was recognized as a prime example of American craftsmanship and the finest example of the Northwest region’s Cascadian architecture when the lodge was declared a National Historic Landmark. Still used for its original purpose, the iconic Timberline Lodge welcomes more than two million visitors annually, thriving as a source of pride for Oregonians who enjoy passing time by the fireplace, exploring the 1930s craftsmanship or simply taking in the mountain views. Inside the lodge, visitors find lots of public space, cozy fireplaces and quality resort amenities such as fine dining.

As the lodge celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2012, it is worth noting the developments outside as well. Over the years, the property and its owners have contributed significantly to the advancement of winter sports like skiing (the 1939 Magic Mile chairlift was the second in the nation and the first ski safety bindings were used at Timberline) and snowboarding (Timberline led the U.S. embrace of snowboarding in the 1980s through summer camps and skills parks). In addition, Timberline Ski Area pioneered the concept of summer skiing in North America high above the lodge on Palmer Glacier in the 1960s and offers the longest ski season in North America.

Located just an hour’s drive from Portland, Timberline celebrates this special year with lodging deals, Heritage Week (April 8-15), which includes a gathering of The International Skiing Heritage Association and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame; an interactive online historic timeline; and a free Labor Day concert and heritage fair honoring the music of Woody Guthrie in conjunction with his centennial celebrations nationwide. Visit www.timberlinelodge.com/a-tribute-to-tradition for more lodge history.

CONTACT
Jon Tullis, Public Affairs Director, Timberline Lodge; 503.272.3134; jtullis@timberlinelodge.com

Grove Hotel Gets New Life

Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown will soon be home to a vibrant new shopping, dining and budget lodging destination. The Grove Hotel — a three-story landmark built in 1907 — is being transformed into an Asian-themed international youth hostel complete with retail space, a restaurant and a bar. With a development team that includes Ace Hotel co-founder Alex Calderwood and Wieden+Kennedy advertising executive John Jay, the property will feature cutting-edge art and design while honoring its Chinatown heritage. In Ace Hotel tradition, the 158-bed hostel will include a communal space to be enjoyed by guests and locals alike; in Portland tradition, this green building project is aiming for LEED Gold certification. Located in the heart of Old Town/Chinatown just steps from the renowned Lan Su Chinese Garden, the property also will offer easy access to the MAX light rail and bus lines. The project is slated for completion in 2012.

CONTACT
Ryan Bukstein, PR Manager, Ace Hotel; 503.546.9772; ryan.bukstein@acehotel.com

McMenamins Opens Crystal Hotel Downtown

Music fans, microbrew lovers and value seekers are still celebrating the spring 2011 arrival of the Crystal Hotel in downtown Portland. McMenamins Hotels, Pubs & Breweries — a Portland-based company with a penchant for rescuing, renovating and repurposing historic buildings — transformed a 1911 structure into a full-service, and rather quirky, boutique hotel. The triangular footprint of the Crystal Hotel encompasses 51 guest rooms; the Zeus Café offering breakfast, lunch, dinner and outdoor seating; a subterranean saltwater soaking pool; and Al’s Den, which offers live music nightly, features McMenamins’ own spirits, wine and beer and connects to McMenamins’ Ringlers Annex Pub next door. Tucked neatly into Portland’s West End, the hotel is adjacent to the Pearl District and a five-minute walk from Portland’s downtown city center.

The new hotel is just one block from McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, a historic venue that has presented live music and dance acts since the 1920s. With artists ranging from Rudolph Valentino and the Grateful Dead to Modest Mouse, this famous neighbor serves as inspiration for the hotel’s name as well as its artwork. Each room in the hotel is named for a song by a band that has played at the Crystal Ballroom, and song lyrics are quoted liberally throughout. The hotel’s evolution from pioneer residence to a live jazz club to a bath house in Portland’s historically gay district is reflected in original artwork and historical photographs featured throughout the hotel. Perhaps best of all, overnight guests get dibs on tickets to the Crystal Ballroom, even for sold-out shows.

Brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin, pioneers of craft brewing, have a history of reinventing spaces (a former elementary school and an abandoned poor farm have become wildly popular dining and lodging establishments). This new venture offers equal amounts of whimsy, comfort and value. For additional information, visit www.mcmenamins.com/CrystalHotel.

CONTACT
Renee Rank, Marketing Director, McMenamins Hotels, Pubs & Breweries; main 503.492.5457; direct 503.669.8610, ext. 257; rrank@mcmenamins.com

Neighborhoods

West End Wonders

A pile of bicycles (it’s a functional sculpture, actually) marks one entry to Portland’s bustling West End. Long anchored by the venerable Jake’s Famous Crawfish (est. 1892) and the Fish Grotto (est. 1891), this downtown neighborhood has blossomed in recent years with the opening of the Ace Hotel, Clyde Common (scene of the world’s first barrel-aged cocktails), the drink-and-dine movie house, Living Room Theaters, and most recently McMenamins Crystal Hotel (with its subterranean Al’s Den featuring live music nightly).

Indie boutiques abound in this neighborhood just south of Powell’s Books and the Pearl District. Frances May and Radish Underground feature local designers and artisans such as MapleXO’s recycled skateboard jewelry. Tender Loving Empire does a brisk business in local music and art, “upcycled” clothing and cute crocheted Yarbles. Portland’s Dayna Pinkham, an internationally recognized couture hatmaker, has just moved her celebrated Pinkham Millinery into the neighborhood, and Alder & Co., Canoe and Woonwinkel offer finely curated selections of high-design housewares and jewelry from around the world. Grüner (named one of 2010’s Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America by GQ magazine) sustains shoppers with Alpine-inspired fare while its sexy sibling Kask showcases local cocktails. Take a spin on a rental from West End Bikes or peruse their stash of Portland-made Beloved bicycles and urban wear that works as well in the office as on two wheels.

Chic factor readings have gone off the charts at Southwest 13th Avenue and West Burnside with the opening of the Black Box, brimming with local and international fashion boutiques. Isaac Hers features clothing designed in the open studio within the shop. Tanner Goods (and its brother Woodlands around the corner) offers belts, bags, footwear and toys for men and Solestruck, the largest online shoe retailer in the nation, enters the mix with on-trend shoes in its one and only retail location. Sweden’s Dunderdon and Seattle’s Blackbird showcase men’s fashions, as well as Northwest tree stamp sets and hardy Portland-made Poler gear (their Napsack outdoes the Snuggie any day). Nearby, the lauded drinking chocolate of Cacao gives visitors plenty of energy for the next adventure.

CONTACT
Laura Guimond, Travel Portland; 503.799.4672; laura@travelportland.com

Central Eastside Draws New Forms of Industry

With the pending debut of the city’s newest streetcar line, the area known as the Central Eastside Industrial District continues to be one of the city’s hottest and most dynamic neighborhoods.

The district is about a 15-minute walk from most of downtown Portland and is accessible by crossing the Hawthorne, Morrison or Burnside bridges. Soon the streetcar will connect the entire area to downtown’s grid and provide light-rail access throughout the district.

The south end of the Central Eastside District is anchored by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Nearby, long-revered restaurant clarklewis has been joined by Bunk Bar, which features the inspired sandwiches of Tommy Habetz (a Mario Batali and Bobby Flay restaurant alum) in a laid-back lounge setting. Boke Bowl serves up some of the city’s most flavorful ramen dishes with creative twists such as the option to add Korean fried chicken.

Around the corner, Water Avenue Coffee roasts beans on-site in a 1974 French Samiac 20-kilo roaster and also operates the attached American Barista and Coffee School. Next door, espresso-philes can ooh and aah over the curated selection of high-end coffee accoutrements and home espresso machines at Clive Coffee, where they also roast small batches of beans.

Just north along Water Avenue, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company serves its critically acclaimed beers. Produce Row Café, a longtime hangout for locals, has been reinvented with a sleek remodel and a menu featuring creative beer and whiskey pairings. Further north, in the shadow of the Morrison Bridge, sits the renovated Olympic Mills Commerce Center and Olympic Provisions, where house-cured meats from Portland’s first USDA-approved salumeria draw lunch and dinner crowds alike. Nearby Coava Coffee sells meticulously sourced and roasted beans and recently won both the 2011 Northwest Barista Competition and the 2011 Northwest Brewers Cup, besting other Portland and Seattle coffee companies.

Dig A Pony and Rum Club are two new bars gracing this popular nightlife area, joining Green Dragon Pub, Beaker and Flask and Cascade Brewing Barrel House, among other options. The district is also home to Distillery Row — a co-op of several local distilleries located just a few blocks from one another (see distillery story under “Food & Drink”).

The Central Eastside Industrial District also includes the portion of East Burnside Street commonly called Lower Burnside. Here, veteran businesses and attractions mix with newcomers. The 811 Building houses some of Portland’s fashion-forward indie boutiques like Sword + Fern. Visitors to this area will find plenty of restaurants, including popular Le Pigeon, Noble Rot and Simpatica Dining Hall, along with the Japanese izakaya-inspired Biwa and new ramen joint Mirakutei. The Jupiter Hotel provides hip and modern lodging in the area, complete with the Doug Fir — a restaurant, lounge and live music venue that draws indie rockers of all types. High-end cuisine and craft beers draw crowds to Burnside Brewing Company.

CONTACT
Marcus Hibdon, Travel Portland; 503.275.9769; marcus@travelportland.com

North Williams on a Roll

Follow any bicycle commuter heading across the Willamette River from downtown Portland, and there’s a good chance they’ll lead you up North Williams Avenue. A cosmopolitan cousin of nearby hot spot North Mississippi Avenue, this strip’s chic eateries, shops and cafés make it a destination in its own right. At the heart of the renaissance is the eco-built Hub commercial center — bookended by James Beard nominee Jenn Louis’ Lincoln, where Bar Camp classes take the fear out of mixing cocktails, and John Gorham’s Tasty n Sons, where brunch is as renowned as dinner. In between, visitors can peruse fine housewares at Ink & Peat, drop into Yoga Shala for a class or find a pick-me-up a Ristretto Roasters.

Nearby, shoppers will delight in the vintage fashions and décor at Lodekka (housed in a London double-decker bus) and Wanderlust (nestled into a 1968 travel trailer) and the contemporary styles of Queen Bee Creations, where purses, wallets, diaper bags and bicycle panniers are made on-site and sold around the world (tip: you can get yours here tax-free). Join with locals to sample site-made brews at Fifth Quadrant (note the rooftop grain silo), play shuffleboard at the unmarked Vendetta bar, check out free music at The Waypost and indulge in the sweet temptations of Pix Pâtisserie until the wee hours. New on the block, but already gaining a lot of buzz, is the Peruvian street food at Las Primas and the specialty cocktails and upscale pub grub at cozy The Box Social.

The arrival of BikeBar, the second Hopworks Urban Brewery created much excitement on this busy bicycling corridor. Brewmaster Christian Ettinger, an avid bicyclist and sustainability advocate, launched the world’s first all-organic brewery in Southeast Portland and this new location features his signature farm-to-fork fare, Portland-made bicycle frame décor and plenty of dedicated bicycle parking. Stationary bikes out front give imbibers the opportunity to burn calories while generating electricity for the building.

CONTACT
Laura Guimond, Travel Portland; 503.799.4672; laura@travelportland.com

Attractions

Go Wild on the Mountain, and in the City

Mount Hood’s Sandy Ridge Trail System just got more accessible — and more environmentally friendly — with a new shuttle service from Portland Bicycle Tours. Developed in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management to decrease the total number of vehicles in the area, the shuttle offers access to 15 miles of single track trails on the west side of the mountain. Roundtrip shuttle service costs $89. The trail system is open seasonally, usually from April through October.

Meanwhile, Pedal Bike Tours has removed the bike from the equation as they expand their offerings in the wintertime and early spring to include Scenic Snowshoe Tours on Mount Hood. The six-hour excursion departs from downtown Portland and heads up to Timberline Lodge for a scenic trek through the peaceful alpine forest followed by a gourmet lunch in the historic hotel. All-inclusive tours are $149 per person.

Pedal Bike Tours also recently added to their tour offerings a self-guided ride through the 5,000-plus acres of Portland’s Forest Park. The Forest Park Ride sets off twice daily with a shuttle up into Portland’s wilderness for an 11-mile ride on unpaved Leif Erikson Drive. The trail emerges into leafy Northwest Portland where cafés and watering holes await. The tour costs $49 and includes bike and helmet.

CONTACTS
Evan Ross, Portland Bicycle Tours, 503.360.6815; portlandbicycletours@gmail.com
Todd Roll, Pedal Bike Tours, 503.243.2453; todd@pedalbiketours.com

Arts & Culture

Portland Celebrates Mark Rothko

A retrospective of the work of abstract expressionist Mark Rothko will be on view Feb. 18 through May 27 at the Portland Art Museum. While the museum hosted Rothko’s first museum exhibition in 1933-34, this is the first survey of his life’s work to be held in the celebrated artist’s hometown. Rothko spent his early years in Portland, arriving from Russia in 1913 at the age of 10, and he took his first art classes at the Museum Art School. This exhibit traces Rothko’s development as an artist from early representational pieces to the large color-field paintings for which he is best known. Rothko’s family is lending objects to the exhibit, which is organized by the Portland Art Museum’s chief curator Bruce Guenther.

Other arts groups are joining the celebration of Rothko’s life and work. Portland Center Stage will present the acclaimed drama “Red,” about Rothko’s struggles as an artist, and modern music ensemble Third Angle will perform “Rothko Chapel,” featuring music and words by composers inspired by the abstract expressionist movement. See www.rothkopdx.com for visitor and program information surrounding this landmark exhibition.

CONTACT
Laura Guimond, Travel Portland; 503.799.4672; laura@travelportland.com

City of Roses (and Pickles) Takes a Starring Role

Portlandia, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s send-up of all things Portland – and then some – has resumed its run on IFC Fridays at 10 p.m. The second season promises more quirky fun (think artisan pickling gone wrong) with guest stars including Jeff Goldblum, Tim Robbins, Eddie Vedder and Kristen Wiig. A behind-the-scenes “love letter to Portland” served to whet fans’ appetites in the off-season.

The city’s cache on the small screen is clearly on the rise. TNT’s Leverage, filmed here but set in Boston for its first four seasons, authentically portrays the City of Roses in season five (Sundays at 9 p.m.). Meanwhile, NBC’s fantastical crime drama Grimm, which casts a surreal glow on the city’s natural areas, has developed a loyal following on Fridays at 9 p.m.

Feature films also contributed to the busiest year for film and television production in Portland history. Lakeshore Entertainment’s Gone, filmed in the central city, will be released in February, while Laika, the Portland animation studio of Coraline fame, brings a boy’s epic battle to save his town from zombies to the big screen in Paranorman, due out in August.

CONTACT
Laura Guimond, Travel Portland; 503.799.4672; laura@travelportland.com

Meeting & Event Space

Oregon Convention Center Goes Outside

For years, meeting planners who fell for Portland’s parks, green spaces and miles of trails had to leave the convention district to find an outdoor venue option for their groups. That changed last fall as the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) unveiled a 30,000-square-foot, fully landscaped, multi-use outdoor space directly across the street from the center’s main lobby. The OCC Plaza has power and water hook-ups, and balances an 11,000-square-foot paved area — perfect for booth set-ups or open-air receptions — with tree-lined streets and a grassy area. When not in use for an OCC event, the space will be open to the public and will offer a peaceful urban setting for convention delegates.

In other OCC news, all affiliated visitor venues now offer craft specialty coffee from Portland Roasting. This means that delegates busy with convention commitments can still experience Portland’s coffee culture even if they can’t get out to a local coffee shop. Like the center itself, Portland Roasting has earned a reputation as a sustainability leader and innovator. They are keeping that commitment to sustainability alive through emission-free delivery (via electric Nissan Leaf) and compostable bags.

CONTACT
Stephanie Soden, Metro Visitor Venues; 503.797.1818; stephanie.soden@oregonmetro.gov

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Sections

What’s New

What's New in Portland, Oregon — 2012

Public Transportation

Seasonal Promotions

Food & Drink

Lodging

Neighborhoods

Attractions

Arts & Culture

Meeting & Event Space

Public Transportation

Streetcar Bridges East and West — Expansion Opens September 2012