During our was our first visit to Portland I searched online to find the best viewpoints in the Rose City. Not knowing the lay of the land aside from what we’ve seen on 2D Google Maps, John and I like to get above our destination to get a feel for its geography. I found Five of Portland’s Best Outdoor Viewpoints on a blog and we decided to hit two of them in one afternoon, starting with the Portland Japanese Gardens.
Getting There
Staying downtown at the Westin Portland we walked a block south of the hotel to find the red and blue Tri-Met Max streetcar lines. In hindsight, we should have used the Tri-Met Trip Planner and taken a bus instead, but this rookie move led to a scenic detour once we reached Washington City Park.
We purchased transit day passes for $5 a piece from outdoor fare kiosks and hopped on red line street car which ended up carving into the west hills and going underground. We got out at Washington City Park, overshooting our destination, but it was interesting to see another transit system in action, and to ride the elevator 600 feet up from track level to daylight.
While we had passed our stop for the Japanese Gardens, and prepared for a 40 minute walk through the hills, we spotted the #83 bus which was heading our way through the park. We stepped up, were told it was a free ride, and we got dropped off right at the entrance to the Japanese Gardens about 8 minutes later.
Portland Japanese Garden
The Portland Japanese Garden admission coast was $9.50 per adult and this 5.5 acre oasis, reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth Park’s locale in Vancouver, features the Strolling Pond Garden, a 100 year-old five-tiered pagoda, a Natural Garden, Sand and Stone Garden, Flat Garden, and Tea Garden.
Portland Japanese Garden Photowalk
We enjoyed the tranquil stroll over stones and koi-filled ponds, by trickling water and up moss-lined paths, and we did eventually find the overgrown lookout area. We did spot our hotel, which was nice, since we know it’s right beside the giant tower that’s under construction.
The walk through the garden was lovely, and there were many unique features like the raked patterns in the sand and stone, and warm benches on which to sit in the sunshine the peeked through the trees and listen to waterfalls that seemed to come from every direction.
We did a full walk around each path and were ready to head out after that. While the garden provided beautiful photo opportunities, we both felt like we didn’t quite get our money’s worth. Perhaps it’s because we’re so used to feeling much more connected with nature on free hikes and walks in our own parks back home. Perhaps we should have done the complimentary guided tour. Regardless, it was lovely to visit and have this little adventure (even the part where we got lost on transit in the beginning). We found a new-to-us place, had a peaceful walk, appreciated the history and culture, and enjoyed seeing more of Portland.
After exiting we walked through the free International Rose Test Garden as we descended the hill and made our way back to our hotel on foot. This is the oldest public garden of its kind in the United States and it has over 200 rose cultivars that are tested each year.
Roses of all shapes and sizes, with layers upon layers of unfolding petals, released fragrant aromas into the late summer air as they dotted the landscape with yellows, pinks, and oranges. Nearby in the Shakespeare Garden, a wedding party posed for photos.
We kept walking, past a reservoir, past a Sacajawea statue, up another hill, and found ourselves on SW Park just on the other side of Providence Park where we caught the Whitecaps and Timbers FC match the day before. We knew our way home from here and continued on foot, soaking up some sunshine and exploring another neighbourhood before reaching familiar streets and shops back downtown.
Flashdance is coming to Vancouver this fall and Broadway Across Canada is hosting a pre-sale today only! This electrifying live show will hit to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre stage November 11th to November 16th, 2014.
The pop culture phenomenon of FLASHDANCE is now live on stage. With electrifying dance at its core, FLASHDANCE-THE MUSICAL tells the inspiring and unforgettable story of Alex Owens, a Pittsburgh steel mill welder by day and a bar dancer by night with dreams of one day becoming a professional performer. When romance with her steel mill boss threatens to complicate her ambitions, Alex learns the meaning of love and its power to fuel the pursuit of her dream.
FLASHDANCE-THE MUSICAL features a score that includes the biggest hit songs from the movie, including the Academy Award-winning title song “Flashdance – What a Feeling,” “Maniac,” “Gloria,” “Manhunt,” and “I Love Rock & Roll.” In addition to these hits, 16 brand new songs have been written for the musical with music by Robbie Roth and lyrics by Robert Cary and Roth.
FLASHDANCE-THE MUSICAL features a book by Tom Hedley (co-writer of the original screenplay), and Robert Cary with direction and choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Memphis).
Flashdance Vancouver Pre-Sale
Pre-sale tickets are on sale today only and Miss604 readers can use the code OWENS to book online until 10:00pm tonight, using this ticket link. Regular tickets will go on sale Saturday, September 20th at 10:00am.
Follow Broadway Across Canada on Twitter and Facebook for more information about their shows coming to Vancouver in 2014-2015.
The BC Sports Hall of Fame‘s 46th annual Banquet of Champions is coming up on September 25th an in honour of all inductees, past and present, I have dedicated this week’s archive photo roundup to the athletes.
Featured BC Sports Hall of Fame Inductees: Helen and Margaret Callaghan
Inducted 2008 in the “Pioneer” category
About Vancouver sisters Helen and Margaret Callaghan sparkled on the ball diamonds of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1940s and later a PBS documentary on their baseball careers became the basis for the well-known Hollywood film, “A League of Their Own”.
Vancouver Archives# CVA 99-126. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.
Featured BC Sports Hall of Fame Inductees: 1914-1915 Vancouver Millionaires
Inducted 1977 in “Ice Hockey”
About The 1914-15 Vancouver Millionaires were the first BC team to win the Stanley Cup.
Featured BC Sports Hall of Fame Inductee: Harry Jerome
Inducted 1966 in “Athletics”
About Harry Jerome was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Athletic Hall of Fame in 1967, and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. Harry was invested with Order of Canada in 1970. In 1959, Jerome broke Percy Williams’ thirty-one year old Canadian record for the 220 yard dash.
1932. Vancouver Archives# CVA 371-1728.
Featured BC Sports Hall of Fame Inductee: Duncan McNaughton
Inducted 1966 in “Athletics”
About McNaughton then won gold at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles in the high jump.
Featured BC Sports Hall of Fame Inductee: Mary (Stewart) McIlwaine
Inducted 1966 in “Swimming”
About Before the age of seventeen, Mary held every Canadian freestyle and butterfly record in all distances up to 220 yards. She also held American records for the 100m and 100-yard butterfly in 1961-62.
For more information follow the Hall on Twitter and Facebook. Miss604 is the proud Social Media Sponsor of the Banquet of Champions.
Canuck Place is hosting their sold out Gift of Time Gala on September 27th. This is the 10th annual Gift of Time Gala, bringing together community supporters, families, businesses, and friends for a black tie reception and dinner all for an amazing cause.
What: Gift of Time Gala
When: Saturday, September 27, 2014 from 5:30pm until late
Where: The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, Grand Ballroom, 1601 Bayshore Drive
Tickets: Sold out! Presented by TELUS, the Gift of Time Gala will feature dinner in the Westin’s Grand Ballroom, cocktails, musical entertainment, live and silent auctions, and inspirational stories of courage and compassion.
I attended my first Gift of Time Gala last year and I’ve never been so overwhelmed by the generosity of attendees and the courage of the guest speakers at an event, I must remember to pack tissues this year as I return as the Social Media Sponsor.
I live-blogged part of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice CEO Margaret McNeil’s speech:
“When people find out where I work, they often pause and then say ‘Ahhh. That must be a hard place to work. How do you do it?’. I tell them that I work in a place of awe and wonder. I live in awe of our staff who are present with families and kids every moment of every day, regardless of what is happening with their child. Our nurses, physicians, counsellors, therapists, cooks and housekeepers and every volunteer is there to listen, to support, to enjoy, to help every family, every child, regardless of what is happening with that family. I live in awe of our families. They hold hope and reality in their hands at the same time. I see the joy and pain of parenthood, and I see the love for their children in every action.”
Donations help fund respite care, medical care, pain and symptom management, meals, recreation therapy, education, art, counselling, music and play therapy for children with life-threatening illnesses and the families who love them. With these generous gifts, Canuck Place can provide care for newborns, children, and teens with respite days which is a large part of what they do. There are currently over 560 kids and families in the Canuck Place program right now.
You can support Canuck Place at any time through online donations, volunteer opportunities, or a wealth of other avenues. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information about their organization, their work with BC families (including the new Abbotsford Canuck Place) and ways that you can get involved.
The Vancouver Trolley Company has just announced the dates of their upcoming Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tours. These spine-tingling tours will run four times a night in mid- to late October, taking guests to ghoulish sites around the city, sharing local history and lore.
Photo by Aaron Aubrey, courtesy of Vancouver Trolley Tours
What: Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tours with 2.5 hours of Vancouver ghost stories and featuring stops at Vancouver Police Museum and Mountain View Cemetery.
Where: Departing from Canada Place
When: October 15th to October 31st, four times daily (excluding Sundays and Mondays) at 6:30pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm and 9:30pm
Tickets: This tour is for Adults only (13+) at the rate of $40.00 per person including tax. Reservations are required with payment by credit card over the phone (604) 801-5515 ext 100. Book in advance as dates are limited and we always sell out!
Your host will tell the gruesome tales of The Castelanni Milkshake Murder, The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s Lady in Red and more. You will drive through eerie locations such as Stanley Park to hear about The Babes in the Woods and continue through the winding roads and murderous mansions of Shaughnessy. The tour stops to visit Mountainview Cemetery where the troubled spirits occupy their time. When you arrive at the Vancouver Police Museum you will climb the stairs to the city of Vancouver’s first city morgue where over 15,000 autopsies have been performed, including Errol Flynn. You never know if you will stumble onto another autopsy already in progress….
This ghostly tour is also available for private group tours at the rate of $600 including tax and an additional $5 donation per person to the Vancouver Police Museum (maximum 33 passengers), departing Canada Place at 6:00pm, 7:00pm, 8:00pm and 9:00pm.
Win Your Way In
Once again this year the Vancouver Trolley Company has offered up a pair of tickets to one lucky Miss604 reader and their guest to enjoy this seasonal tour. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Thursday, September 25, 2014. The winner will be able to choose their preferred tour date/time (based on availability). Follow the Vancouver Trolley Company on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their scenic tours and tour packages.
Update The winner is @jeffserheniuk on Twitter!
