Media Update: August 2007

Greetings from Portland, Oregon. Below is an update on the area’s newest travel-related developments. We hope you will find this information useful. If you prefer not to receive future media updates on Portland, please click here.

AUGUST TOPICS

Cultural – Museum of Contemporary Craft Reopens in New Space

New – Portland Aerial Tram Extends Service to Sundays

Shopping – Portland Shopping/Design Blog Debuts

Tours – Portland Tram and Circle Tour Travels from 1850 to 2007

Museum of Contemporary Craft Reopens in New Space On July 22, 2007, the Museum of Contemporary Craft will reopen in its new home in Portland’s North Park Blocks. This new location doubles the size of the 70-year-old museum, providing generous space for the museum’s permanent collection, an assemblage of more than 1,000 craft objects, including works in ceramic, glass, metal fiber and wood. The galleries will also support significant traveling exhibitions and scale installations. Of special importance to the community, the space will offer flexible, dedicated space for lectures, artist demonstrations, tours, special events, and hands-on art classes for adults and children. The museum’s new location is at 724 N.W. Davis St., Portland, Ore. 97209; 503.223.2654. For more information, visit www.contemporarycrafts.org.

Media Contact:

Wendy Miller, Museum of Contemporary Craft, 503.223.2654, ext. 225, wendy@contemporarycrafts.org

Portland Aerial Tram Extends Service to Sundays

In response to public enthusiasm, the Portland Aerial Tram, which opened on Jan. 27, 2007, will operate this summer on Sundays. (When the tram first opened, it was closed on Sundays to allow for maintenance during winter daylight hours.) However, the increasing number of requests for Sunday service, especially from visitors eager to soak up the tram’s stunning views, persuaded the tram’s operations committee to approve an expanded service schedule. Sunday rides will continue through Sept. 16. Providing one of the city’s best photo opps, the tram offers a bird’s-eye view of Portland and the Willamette River, as well as a regional panorama that includes Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens. Tram hours: Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. (summer only). Tram rides are $4 per person round-trip, although children ages 6 and younger are free. For more information, visit www.portlandtram.org.

Media Contacts:

Gerri Lutes, OHSU, 503.494.4156, lutesg@ohsu.edu

George Mason, OHSU, 503.494.8231, masong@ohsu.edu

Portland Shopping Blog Debuts

Portland’s no-sales-tax shopping has always been a draw for visitors. But with so many neighborhood shopping districts packed into Portland – from sophisticated Nob Hill to funky Hawthorne to the high-design Pearl District – where’s a visitor to start? “Writing” to the rescue is Lisa Radon, fashion editor for ultra, a website focused on fashion, design and culture in Portland. Radon’s new blog, Discover.Portland.Shopping., is an up-to-the-minute shopping guide with the inside line on the newest and best boutiques, upcoming sales and shopping events, and emerging designers and creative entrepreneurs. To find the boutiques and stores most suited to your shopping style, click on “Choose Your Flavor.” Here you’ll find a list of top magazines; find your favorite and read the accompanying descriptions of places whose shopping options best fit each magazine’s profile. For shopping inspiration and more information, visit www.discoverportlandshopping.com.

Media Contact:

Lisa Radon ultra, radon@ultrapdx.com

Portland Tram and Circle Tour Travels from 1850 to 2007

Pack those comfy walking shoes, because the Portland Parks & Recreation Department’s Portland Tram and Circle Tour (through November 2007) stretches all the way from 1850 to 2007. Led by historian Sharon Wood Wortman, author of The Portland Bridge Book, the tour begins in Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown with a look at the historic China Gate and ends with rides on the city’s newest transportation options: the Portland Aerial Tram and the Portland Streetcar. In between, time-traveling history and engineering buffs will enjoy an authentic Cantonese lunch in Chinatown and walk across the 600-foot Veterans Hospital Skybridge (the longest air-conditioned pedestrian bridge in the United States). Pretty cool, huh? As noted, the tour concludes with a ride on Portland’s brand-new aerial tram, which connects the city’s South Waterfront district to the top of Marquam Hill, home to the main campus of Oregon Health & Science University. Dates for currently scheduled tours, all of which take place on a Saturday, are listed below. The tour price, which includes lunch, transportation and handouts, is $28 for adults; $20 for children 14 and younger. For more information on this and other tours, visit

Scheduled tour dates (depending on demand, additional dates may be added):

  • July 14
  • August 25
  • September 8
  • October 20
  • November 17

Media Contact:

Sharon Wood Wortman, author/historian/tour guide, 503.222.5535, sharon@bridgestories.com

riginal Message-----

From: pdc-webmaster@pdc.us [mailto:pdc-webmaster@pdc.us]

Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2007 6:45 AM

To: veronica@travelportland.com

Subject: PDC All - Portland Praise

Portland ranks first in nation for biking to work

The U.S. Census Bureau finds that more people bike to work in Portland than any other city in the United States.

http://www.pdc.us/bus_serv/praises/default.asp