Where To Go Now: October
BRITISH COLUMBIA The 29th annual Vancouver International Film Festival runs now through October 15th, featuring 370 films from 75 countries. It’s one of North America’s largest and most diverse film festivals, showing big name movies, small name shorts, and art house gems. Tickets are completely affordable, generally $10-$12 per screening, and are sold at several […]
Scenes of Vancouver
My passport expires in 79 days. Its stamps are sparse. There’s Belize, the trip for which I got the passport in the first place. And Costa Rica. A few from Mexico. And, of course, there’s Canada. I’ll get a new passport, surely. But I’m not done with this one just yet. It needs one more […]
Chasing Summer on San Juan Island
Psst…. get our premier guide to fall travel – Autumn Escapes in the Pacific Northwest. Get inspired to spend your fall weekends combing rocky beaches, savoring the harvest, and hiking scenic mountain trails of Washington and Oregon. Get it here. I can hardly believe that summer is over. Wait a minute– did I really just type that? I’m […]
North Cascades Institute’s BASE CAMP
My sweet son Isaac is almost two, and already his curiosity about nature is blooming. He can pick out a doug fir among cedars. He can identify four varieties of native ferns, and “waterfall” is one of his favorite words. And so last week, we decided it was time to introduce him to our North […]
Striking Gold in Jacksonville, Oregon
Neither Brian or I are terribly decisive people. We can go back and forth for hours, even days, over the simplest of things. And there we were at dinnertime, downtown Jacksonville, Oregon. Never before had I seen a small town spanning only two short blocks with so many enticing options. We chose Bella Union, (okay […]
Summer Syndrome
Many Pacific Northwesterners share a common summertime syndrome. It’s one of those yet-to-be-named disorders, but I have proof that it exists. You may even have it yourself. It is characterized by an overfull calendar of outdoor bbqs, gelato dates and weekend getaways. You may notice that you suddenly have dozens of smoothie recipes lying around–far […]
Meet Me in the Village
I have seven blisters on my feet. Each and every one of them hurts like hell, yet they’re all worth it. Over the past few days, I’ve explored lower Manhattan as if it were my own, on foot. And because it was 90 degrees and horribly humid, I opted for sandals. I’m in NYC for […]
Acres of Green in Eugene
Growing up, I always wanted to live in a college town. The quintessential college town of my childhood was Madison, Wisconsin, with wonderful city parks, real espresso (this was 1990, people), vibrant street scenes, great college radio and rampant campus activism. As a midwesterner, I loved Madison. And now as a Northwesterner, I love Eugene. […]
Tasting the Umpqua
Down in the valley, where the green grass grows, there are over a dozen small, family-owned wineries whose creations range from spicy Syrahs to deep-noted Pinot Noirs. Oregon’s Umpqua Valley wine region is not just one valley, but comprises several small valleys and undulating hills. It’s drier than the Willamette to the north, and cooler […]
Splendor in the Grass at McMenamins Grand Lodge
A couple of tall, frothy IPAs and a basketful of cajunized tater tots sat atop the weathered red picnic table during the Yardhouse Pub’s happy hour. Nearby, our toddler frolicked in a patch of splendid green grass. Although only minutes had lapsed since we’d arrived at the McMenamins Grand Lodge, our vacation was off to […]
