SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2010
GOING OUR WAY
A town where you can eat and drink . . . and walk it all off
St., 503-206-3097,
by K.C. Summers
“One of America’s best walking towns” (Walking magazine). “So green you could serve it as a side dish” (Outside). “Cool, quirky style surprisingly affordable” (Budget Travel). “One of the top 10 cat-friendly cities in America” (CATalyst Council). Okay, so the accolades are get- ting a little wacky. But you get the idea. Portland, Ore., is a much- loved city, celebrated for its local- ly sourced food and wine scene, its vibrant downtown, its walk- able neighborhoods and out- doorsy, laid-back vibe. It’s an ideal vacation choice for Gladys and Howard Sommers, who like to ex- plore smallish U.S. cities and ex- perience the unique flavor of each.
And in a city frequently re- ferred to as foodie heaven, “fla- vor” is the operative word.
Getting there: As always, sign up now for e-mail fare alerts from such sites as
SmarterTravel.com and
FareCompare.com. Other- wise, expect to pay about $400 per person this fall for a round- trip flight from a New York area airport. For D.C. travelers, fares should be about $100 less. (Tip: When checking airfares, remem- ber to search Southwest Airlines separately, since it doesn’t appear on most aggregator and booking sites.)
Staying there: Check the city’s tourism site,
TravelPortland.com, for deals. The Sommerses have frequent-stay plans with Marriott and Hilton hotels, so let’s take a look at a Marriott. A six-night stay for two at the Courtyard by Mar- riott Portland City Center in mid- September would cost $1,001, in- cluding taxes, if booked through the hotel. If you book through TravelPortland, the total is $1,073, but you also get free daily break- fasts, free parking and a discount coupon book.
Packages: Remember that you can sometimes save hundreds of dollars by buying an air-hotel package from an Internet bun- dler. For example, for mid-Sep- tember travel,
Hotwire.com is charging $728 per person double ($1,455 per couple) for a round- trip flight from JFK and a six- night stay at the downtown Hotel Fifty, including all fees and taxes. Purchased separately, airfare for two would be about $800 and the hotel $864. Savings: about $210. For Washington travelers, the same package runs $669 per per- son ($1,338 per couple), for a sav- ings of about $125.
Getting around: No need for a rental car, since you can get just about anywhere on the city’s easy-
www.
laurelhurstmarket.com), a butcher-shop-cum-steakhouse, and Metrovino (1139 NW 11th Ave., 503-517-7778,
www.metro
vinopdx.com), featuring “refined yet rustic” fare.
Two intimate, romantic spots recommended by TravelPort- land’s Hibdon: Castagna, whose Spanish-trained chef, Matt Lightner, was recently named a Best New Chef of 2010 by Food & Wine magazine (1752 SE Haw- thorne Blvd., 503-231-7373,
castagnarestaurant.com); and DOC, specializing in Northern Italian cuisine (5519 NE 30th Ave., 503-946-8592,
www.docpdx.
com).
Check the Oregonian (www.
oregonlive.com/dining) and Portland Monthly (www.portland
monthlymag.com) for more reviews, and for a vegetarian guide, see
www.vegportland.com.
The Portland Streetcar site,
www.portlandstreetcar.org, has a “Ride & Dine” map locating res- taurants near streetcar stops. About those food carts: Port- land is famous for them, and we’re not talking hot dog stands. See
www.foodcartsportland.com for a guide to literally hundreds of carts selling everything from tra- ditional Thai street food to Japa- nese Domo dogs to pork confit sandwiches.
Finally, don’t leave the city without sampling a locally made drink.
And I don’t just mean micro-
ISTOCKPHOTO
St. Johns Bridge spans the Willamette River in Portland, which sports a vibrant downtown, walkable neighborhoods and plenty of good food.
to-use public transit system. The fare from the airport to down- town on the MAX light-rail sys- tem is a mere $2.30 each, and travel throughout the downtown area is free. There’s also the Portland
Streetcar, which links the down- town Cultural District, Pearl Dis- trict and Nob Hill/Northwest neighborhoods, the Portland State University campus and the RiverPlace neighborhood over- looking the Willamette River. All- day fare: $2.
What to do: Stop in at the visi- tors center in Pioneer Courthouse Square for info on city attractions, and by all means do the biggies: the Saturday Farmers Market, the Lan Su Chinese Garden, the Port- land Art Museum, etc. Bookahol- ics should add the legendary Pow- ell’s City of Books to that list. Also,
Who: Gladys and Howard Sommers, 58 and 57, respectively, of East Brunswick, N.J.
Where: Portland, Ore. Why: Urban getaway When: September for a week
Budget: $2,500
“We like city activities — walking tours, museums, theater, dining at good restaurants.”
FAMILY PHOTO
allow plenty of time to walk or bike around town. One popular trail: the 1.5-mile pedestrian and bicycle path in Tom McCall Wa- terfront Park, with great views of the city’s skyline and access to four of the bridges that cross the Willamette River. Bike rental in- fo:
www.portlandspoke.com. Get to know the city’s neighbor-
hoods: the Cultural District for parks and public art, Nob Hill for trendy boutiques (no sales tax!), the Pearl District for restaurants, wine bars and galleries. Marcus Hibdon of
TravelPortland.com es- pecially likes the Mississippi Av- enue area in the northeast por- tion of the city. “It was a bit of a down-and-out neighborhood that
Where to eat: You’ve got some
tough choices to make, but here are some suggestions to get you started.
According to a readers’ survey at Portland Food and
Drink.com (“Throwing ourselves on the gre- nade of bad food to save you”), two excellent choices are Laurel- hurst Market (3155 E. Burnside
has gone through a rebirth,” he said, and it’s notable for its “great collection of food carts” (more about those later), restaurants and shops. One store to seek out there: The Meadow, which spe- cializes in chocolate, flowers, wine and hundreds of kinds of salt, and offers frequent tastings and classes (3731 N. Mississippi Ave., 888-388-4633,
www.atthe
meadow.com). Salted caramel class, anyone?
brews and wine, although you should certainly try those: Start with an award-winning ale at BridgePort BrewPub (1313 NW Marshall St., 503-241-3612, www.
bridgeportbrew.com) or a pinot noir from a Willamette Valley winery (see www.willamette
wines.com for info on tastings and tours). But you can also knock back a blue plum brandy and other spirits made from Or- egon fruit at Clear Creek Distill- ery (2389 NW Wilson St., 503- 248-9470,
clearcreekdistillery.
com); an espresso at the revered Stumptown Coffee Roasters (sev- eral locations,
www.stumptown
coffee.com); or an oolong at Smith Teamaker (1626 NW Thurman St., 503-719-8752,
www.smithtea.
com), where Tazo founder Steven Smith crafts small batches of high-quality blends. See what I mean? Flavor.
Cost: The trip is doable for $2,500, especially if you purchase an air-hotel package for less than $1,500. You can always head to a food cart if the budget starts run- ning low.
Interested in having us help plan your trip? Go to
www.washingtonpost.com/
goingourway.
KLMNO
F3
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
This week’s best travel bargains around the globe.
LAND
At Blue Horizons Garden Re-
sort in Grenada, get 30 percent
off on stays in May, June, Septem- ber and October. Rate, after dis- count, starts at about $109 a night double, plus 21 percent taxes and fees. Bookings for two include welcome drink, use of chaise lon- gues at nearby Grand Anse Beach, and greens fees at Grenada Golf Club. Stays of at least seven nights also include a dinner and glass of wine at the resort’s La Belle Creole restaurant. Info is available at
www.grenadabluehorizons.com,
but offer must be booked by call- ing 473-444-4316 or e-mailing
blue@spiceisle.com.
Book any Circle Line boat tour and receive up to 50 percent in discounts on 20 other New York City sightseeing trips and en-
trance fees. Discounted attrac- tions include the CitySights All Around Town double-decker bus tour ($38 per person; savings of $16); Madame Tussauds wax mu- seum ($25; savings of $14); Em- pire State Building’s observatory deck ($16; savings of $4) and the Beast speed boat ride ($11.50; sav- ings of $11.50). Circle Line tours range from a 75-minute harbor cruise for $26 to a three-hour ex- cursion around Manhattan for $35. Info: 212-563-3200, www.
circleline42.com.
SEA
General Tours World Traveler is
offering free cruise upgrades on
its Yangtze Sampler tour. Book a trip that includes four nights aboard the Yangzi Explorer and receive an upgrade to a Wu deck suite, a savings of $440 to $636 per person, depending on sailing date. The trip starts at $2,499 per person double for the June 10,
July 15 and Aug. 19 departures ($2,699 for other departure dates) and includes seven nights in five- star hotels in Beijing, Xian and Shanghai; cruise from Yichang to Chongqing; sightseeing tours; 23 meals; three internal flights; and taxes. Book by May 31. Info: 800- 221-2216,
www.generaltours.com.
Azamara Club Cruises has ex- tended its discounts on all 2010 European sailings. The promo in-
cludes two-for-one pricing, $500 per-cabin onboard credit and $500 per-person air credit. Pric-
ing and savings vary by itinerary. For example, an ocean-view cabin on a seven-night cruise from Bar- celona to Rome departing Sept. 12 now starts at $2,049 per person double, plus $206 taxes and fees. The shipboard credit is valid on such extras as spa services and the gift store. To qualify for air credit, flights must be arranged via Choi- ceAir, Azamara’s airline booking tool. Credits apply to ocean-view and higher-category staterooms only. Book by June 30. Info: 877- 999-9553,
www.azamaraclub
cruises.com.
AIR
Fly business class to Europe for less than half price with a
sale from United. Fares vary by destination. For example, round- trip nonstop flights from Wash- ington Dulles to Brussels is $2,248, including $58 taxes; busi- ness-class fare is typically about $5,300. Depart July 5-Sept. 5 and return by Sept. 9. Fares are valid Sunday-Thursday; Saturday-night minimum stay required. Book by May 31 at
www.united.com, or pay $25 more by calling 800-864-8331.
Virgin America is offering sale fares from Washington Dulles to
Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Round-trip fare to either city is $279, including $21 taxes; other airlines are matching. Fly Tues- day, Wednesday or Thursday by
Aer Lingus Vacation Store has
extended its Dublin City sale,
with prices starting at $499 per person double, plus $146 taxes. Lowest prices apply to Monday and Tuesday departures from New York through June 15. Trip includes round-trip, nonstop air- fare and four nights at the Re- gency Hotel. Priced separately, the trip would cost about $370 more per person. Info: 800-495-5192,
www.aerlingusvacationstore. com.
—Carol Sottili
Submit travel deals to whatsthedeal@
washpost.com. Please include your phone number and e-mail address. Prices were verified Thursday afternoon when the Travel section went to press, but deals sell out and availability is not guaranteed. Restrictions such as blackout dates and advance purchase may apply.
June 30; 14-day advance purchase required. Sale does not apply to flights on May 28 and 31. Book by May 17 at
www.virginamerica. com, or pay $15 more by calling 877-359-8474.
PACKAGES
Springboard Vacations is offer- ing a 3 Nation Vacation package to
the Cook Islands, Australia and New Zealand starting at $1,925
per person double, including $150 taxes. Trip includes flights from Los Angeles to Rarotonga, capital of the Cook Islands, to Sydney to Auckland, with return to Los An- geles; four nights with breakfasts at the Muri Beachcomber in Raro- tonga; four nights at the Ibis Wharf Hotel in Sydney; four nights at the Mercure Auckland; three sightseeing tours; and air- port transfers. Deal applies to Sunday departures July 4-Oct. 24. Priced separately, airfare and ho- tels alone would cost about $530 more per couple. Info: 866-447- 7746, www.springboardvacations.
com.
You, too,could have home delivery.
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