Peppy Square

Archive for May, 2010

Greyline tours offers a limited selection of tours of Portland and the surrounding areas. The one we took was the City tour combined with the tour of The Columbia River Gorge. It’s a full day tour but it was a lot of fun. They must not get a lot of tourists in Portland or maybe it was the time of year that we visited because this our was only offered on Sundays and they were only 4 of us on a 49 passenger bus.

The City tour was pretty basic. The guide was great though. He knew all the history of the parks and buildings and pointed out all the interesting ones. At least he thought they were interesting. I was having a hard time staying awake looking at buildings.

But then we went to the International Rose Test Gardens. This place was beautiful. It would’ve been perfect if it hadn’t been for all the dog poop all over the grass. There must have been over 200 kinds of roses. Of all colors. Orange, Red, White, Yellow, Purple, Pink, and more. They also had several other kinds of flowers. We went in late May and the roses had just started blooming. So there were a bunch but not as many as there are in June and July when they bloom in full season. I would love to see that.

Portland actually attracts one million visitors in June when they have a month long rose festival. All types of activities go one and it’s a ton of fun. But it’s hard to get hotel rooms so if you want to go, you should book early.

One thing about Portland the guide pointed out was that it rains 9 months out of the year. Wow. How they handle it I couldn’t tell you. But they say it’s a light drizzle not a full ruin. But that’s just as bad in my book.

After the rose garden we were taken to the Chinese Garden in Chinatown. This garden is supposed to be a copy of another garden of Portland’s sister city in China. The garden itself was beautiful. And we were lucky enough to arrive when the tour was starting. By listening to the tour guides you get a much better understanding of all the nuances and symbolism that you would miss without it. The tour made the visit really worthwhile.

After lunch we got back on the bus again for the second half of the tour – the Columbia River Gorge. A gorge is actually a chasm that the river cuts through the land. So the Columbia River Gorge is the name of the Columbia River and the land on both sides. Our first stop on this tour was the local dam and fish counting station. They have fish ladders here and someone actually sits and counts every single fish that swims by. They do this to keep track of the numbers of fish that come back to the area to spawn every year.

Stop number two was a fish hatchery where we go to see how the mass produce fish. Very gruesome. But we also got to see Herman the Sturgeon. He’s a 10 foot sturgeon swimming around in his pool. Herman used to be 12 feet long, but someone came in at night and stole him so he was replaced by another fish who is now called Herman as well. The Sturgeon is the fish we get caviar from.

The best part of the day, in my eyes, was what we did next. We took a scenic old highway and saw six different waterfalls. Each of them unique and beautiful. It was fun jumping out of the bus and taking pictures of each one. Never have I seen so many waterfalls so close together. Multnomah Falls was the highlight. We stopped here for 45 minutes up to the bridge to get a closer view. Nature is just awesome.

The last part of the trip was a visit to the Crown Point Vista House. This area gives you a spectacular view of the whole Gorge from up top. Simply breathtaking.

If you want to see Portland and you only have one day to do it, do this tour. If you have a car though, every place we visited was free except the Chinese Garden. So you might want to go to Union Square, figure out which bus is going on what tour, and follow the bus. They only have two buses so it shouldn’t be hard.

 

The sweet sixteen birthday parties ate changing these days. Some teenagers feel very awkward about throwing a formal birthday party. They like some fun filled parties that are informal. You can make it interesting and fun with a party theme.

 

The tradition of a sweet sixteen birthday party initially started in the US. It was chiefly celebrated for a girl in honor of her virginity. People celebrate their sweet sixteen birthday parties in a grand way in New York. They host the party in a big hotel and spend lavishly. A lot of hotels and event spaces are present in NYC that hosts these parties. Some of the hottest restaurants and event spaces in New York City are:

 

Touch: It is positioned in the hub of the Time Square. Touch is a decadent and classy venue to host a sweet sixteen birthday party. Uniquely designed, it has over 15,000 sq feet of chic lounges and dance floor. An excellent music system along with surprising amenities raises the Touch above all hope.

 

Prime: Close to the beach, this excellent hotel is best for a sweet sixteen birthday party. It has beautiful views and offers all the finest facilities and services to make the party a memorable one. It offers brilliant music system and great dance floor. The lounges and food served is great. It is among the best venues to host such parties in New York.

 

Room Service: Room Service is among the most famous premier nightlife place of New York City. Situated in the Flat Iron region, Room Service is an excellent club like no other with a great class and comfy atmosphere. The well equipped music, huge dance space, great services and other systems make it the hottest venue to host a sweet sixteen birthday party.

 

It is very important to keep in mind- the main aim for the birthday party is that the event star has loads of fun and lots of memories to cherish.

 

 

New York is one of the best destinations to visit at least once in a life time. New York hotel accommodation rates are fairly high and as there is much to do in the city a trip to New York can cost quite a bit. So when planning a holiday to New York, it is best to take money saving tips into consideration.

New York hotel rates fluctuate by the season. Winter is the best time, especially January to March, to find the best bargains as the rates are lower than other seasons. While Christmas in New York is an idyllic way to spend your holiday, hotel prices can sky rocket if you wait till the last minute to book; to avoid this try booking your hotel well in advance. Summer is a good time to visit New York, with lower rates, along with the month of November, just before the Christmas rush. Christmas is the most expensive and busiest season in New York.

Another money saving tip is, to avoid mid town and if possible stay at another location, as mid town hotels are more expensive than other areas in Manhattan. If you have time to travel, this is the best way to save some money for the other activities New York has on offer. Staying outside the Theatre District, where real New Yorkers live in the residential neighborhood, like Chelsea, Upper west Side, Greenwich Village and Murray Hill would be the best value for your money.

Before booking New York hotels, it is better to search for discounts and special rates. Many hotels have different promotions from time to time. Therefore before actually committing to a hotel or agent ask for discounts or search for promotions. If you travel with children, search for ‘children stay for free’ hotels, as there are many hotels that offer children a free stay or special rates.

Be wise to hidden costs and extra charges and take measures to avoid them. Before using the hotel phone, check whether it is included in your room rate or whether it carries an additional charge. Do the same check before using any of the extras such as Parking, Water, Soda, Snacks etc and avoid a huge bill at the end of your stay. It is also better to be up to date on the service charges and local taxes.

Unlike other destinations New York is actually cheaper during the weekends. Most business hotels are empty over the weekends and offer low rates, Sunday night being very cheap. Mondays and Tuesdays are expensive. Some hotels have special promotions for weekends, so that would be the ideal time to schedule your stay and thereby save money.

Book your New York hotels online. Now you can find the best rates online, while comparing the rates from many companies at the same time. Some hotels give very attractive prices for online reservations, sometimes up to 30%-40% less than the normal rate. Once you book you can ask them about any special concerns you may have.