McMenamins: an Adult Disneyland.

by Jill St. George on Jan 5, 2012

The city of Troutdale, Ore., was barely on the map until the emergence of a new destination resort in 1990: McMenamins Edgefield.  That’s when brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin converted an old farm into a mainstay attraction, and the sparsely populated city outside of Portland began attracting visitors from all over the country.

The McMenamins chain of properties now includes more than 50 hotels, brewpubs, theaters and other entertainment venues, all located in Oregon and Washington.  Many are in renovated buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

The brothers began their venture in 1974, when they opened Produce Row Café in Portland. In 1985, they started a brewpub in southwest Portland where they crafted ales with berries – the first brewery in the U.S. to legally brew ale using fruit.

In 1990, they opened a winery at Edgefield. Within a year a movie theater, a brewery, a pub and a rather run-down motel followed. And even though it was located on a remote country road, people gathered for the live music, good company and great beer.

Soon after the brothers’ initial success, the main lodge was renovated into a hotel, including a fine-dining restaurant, artisan shops and more specialty pubs. The grounds of the 74-acre site were landscaped with gardens, a three-hole golf course and spacious grasslands for live music.

They salvaged every building on the property, transforming them with art, antiques and murals, representative of the poor farm’s past. More than a dozen artists turned the once institutional-feeling buildings into whimsical works of art, which have become one of the property’s main attractions.

Edgefield now houses 10 restaurants and bars, including the Little Red Shed, the Loading Dock Grill, Jerry’s Ice House and the Black Rabbit Restaurant and Bar. For those who don’t like beer, the Winery Tasting Room offers a variety of reds, whites and sparkling wines, where you can actually watch the vintners work while you sip.

Visitors don’t have to travel far for entertainment, either.

“You can eat, drink, listen to live music, wine taste and use the spa,” says Renee Rankignacio, McMenamins director of marketing. In fact, there’s even a movie theater located above the Power Station Pub, where folks are welcome to grab a bite or a drink while viewing.

Sip while you shop? They encourage it. You can stock up on spirits from the Edgefield Distillery, purchase a glass-blown vase from the Gorge Glashaus or buy a unique sculpture from EarthArt Clayworks, which was formerly a morgue for the farm.

The grounds also include a heated saltwater soaking pool where patrons can soak in chemical-free water at a balmy 104 degrees while – what else? – ordering a locally-brewed beer, wine or tea from the The Tea House Bar, which opens up directly onto the patio of the pool.

“Even though we are so close to Portland,” says Rankignacio, “people come out here and they are in another world.”

McMenamins Edgefield

2126 S.W. Halsey St.
Troutdale OR 97060
(503) 669-8610

(800) 669-8610

mcmenamins.com

 

 

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Cruising into 2012: Catch the Wave of Travel – in America!

by Christine Corbett Conklin on Jan 5, 2012

As the mercury plummets and the threat of snow hovers continually over the Yakima Valley, it’s a great time to break out the travel brochures — and start thinking about cruising. Even if you’ve already cruised the Caribbean and aren’t interested in Ixtapa, you may be ready for another option in travel that’s making a splash from coast to coast: It’s called cruising America.

From the Northwest’s own Columbia and Snake rivers to the mighty Mississippi, from the Southern Atlantic seaboard and the New England coast to Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands, many Americans are showing interest in this no-passport, no-foreign-currency way to sail.

“Currently, the Columbia and Snake rivers trip is our most popular itinerary,” said Susan Shultz, director of sales for American Cruise Lines. “In June of 2012, we’re expanding to Alaska,” she added, “and in August, we have a new vessel starting on the Mississippi.”

Shultz said the cruise line has seen demand for cruises on authentic paddlewheelers (the vessel that runs on Northwest rivers and in Mississippi) increase, so it added several sailings to this year’s schedule.

American Cruise Lines has made its mark with “small ships” — vessels that carry 150 or fewer passengers and have the flexibility to travel down rivers, canals and into coves and harbors where larger luxury liners cannot go. Other cruise lines, including Princess, Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Line, also ply U.S. coastal waters, with much larger vessels that may carry 2,000 passengers or more.

A passenger’s choice of cruise will ultimately depend on his or her pocketbook, desired destination and the need — or not — for the glitz and galas of the larger ships.

Travel on the larger ships tends to cost “significantly less than small ships,” said Rosemary Saunders, office manager for Travel Leaders in Yakima. “Everybody’s heard about them [larger ships] or have friends who’ve done the trips.” Part of the draw of large ships is the expectation that you can eat as much as you want and enjoy entertainment, including Broadway-style shows or a casino, she said.

American Cruise Lines capitalizes on a “personalized” approach and a history theme — what Saunders calls “edu-tainment” — with an on-board author, historian and/or naturalist providing background along the route. Some speakers even dress in period clothing.

“People sometimes forget how rich we are in history, right in our own backyard,” Shultz noted. Today, many cruise patrons are “finding something closer to home,” she said, and then coming back again to cruise with their children and grandchildren.

Travel Weekly, a travel industry magazine, recently heralded “The Return of American River Cruising.” According to the magazine, the Great American Steamboat Company helped fill the cruise void left on the Mississippi River, a void that began after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

For Central Washington residents, cruising is available close to home, on the paddlewheel vessel that navigates the Columbia and Snake rivers between Clarkston and Portland. Another option, said Saunders, are Alaska cruises on larger vessels that leave from Seattle and have enjoyed “huge popularity” in the past several years.

Both Lorene Lenseigne, service center manager for AAA Washington’s Yakima office, and Lloyd Johnson, co-owner of Cruises Aweigh in Yakima, agreed that Alaska is a popular cruise destination. “Some people don’t want to fly, so all they have to do is drive to Seattle,” Johnson said.

On Northwest rivers, the seven-night paddlewheel cruises feature a close-up look at natural beauty, with optional excursions such as a jet boat through Hells Canyon or bus rides to the 620-foot Multnomah Falls and Mount St. Helens. There’s a trip to the Barnard Griffin Winery in Richland, a Wild West Show in Pendleton, Ore., and a city tour of Portland. History comes alive through excursions to Pendleton’s Tamastslikt Cultural Institute with its Native American art and living cultural village, or the Nez Perce National Historic Park in Spalding, Idaho.

Shultz admitted that compared to travel on some of the larger ships, travel on American Cruise Lines is “more expensive.” Costs range from $3,110 for a six-night itinerary with standard double occupancy to $11,765 for an owners suite on a 14-night itinerary. Early bookings and groups larger than 12 will help discount the rate, and meals, a cocktail hour, dinnertime wine and beer and snacks are included in the ticket price. Shore excursions usually run “between $10 and $75.” That’s generally less than the competition, she said.

American Cruise Lines voyages tend to draw passengers age “55 on up,” Shultz said. My own family and I discovered this on a 2010 cruise from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., along the Delaware River and the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. I’m in my 50s, and we appeared to be the youngest passengers on board.

“There weren’t a lot of activities on board, such as a swimming pool, or dancing lessons, arcade games,” observed my 23-year-old daughter, Erin Conklin. (I also found the “small ship” décor — described by one company rep as more like “a private yacht” — to be more basic.)

 

However, as we slowed our usual hectic pace, and met our friendly, gray-haired shipmates over a leisurely meal of beef tenderloin and chocolate ganache tart, or on launch rides to ports, we heard many favorable comments.

“It’s a little different, just as good,” said Carolyn Collins of Toccoa, Ga., comparing our American Cruise Lines trip with cruises she’d taken on other lines. “You don’t have long walking distances. You can meet passengers more easily.”

George Charbonneau of Indianapolis agreed.

“Their hospitality system is excellent,” he said. “I think (the passengers are) reluctant to travel overseas, spend a lot of time in the air, (with) a lot of uncertainty at the other end.”

“In this industry,” said Shultz, “it’s about offering a lifetime experience.”

American Cruise Lines • 800-460-4518
americancruiselines.com

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John Gorman: Goodwill Ambassador for Yakima

by Melissa Labberton on Jan 5, 2012

The cool and breezy August evening didn’t stop Yakima’s John Gorman from playing the consummate host to a group of business associates he’d invited to his Yakima home for dinner last summer. Folks had traveled from Washington, D.C., Singapore, Malaysia and Katmandu just to enjoy his hospitality — which speaks volumes about the man.
As senior director of sales for John I. Haas Co., Gorman, 69, has spent his entire career working in the brewing and hop industry — and traveling around the world. Haas is a sister company of the Barth Hass Group, the largest supplier of hops and hop products in the brewing industry.
But he loves his hometown so much that when he’s on business trips he takes on the unofficial role of goodwill ambassador, making sure to show photos of the Yakima Valley and extolling the virtues of Eastern Washington.
Gorman’s the guy you see chatting with friends at the local coffee shop one day, and the next he’s on an international flight to almost anywhere in North America, Europe or Southeast Asia.  His territory is global, giving him a chance to make friends in the farthest reaches of the world.
His trips are also filled with adventure.
In Katmandu, Nepal, where Gorman does business with Mount Everest Brewery, he has endured rolling electrical blackouts, wild jungle animals and 105 degree temperatures — all part of the Katmandu experience. During his first trip, in March 2008, he quickly learned the pitfalls of picking a hotel off the Internet, finding himself in less than one-star accommodations. Today he stays at Nepal’s Yak and Yeti Hotel, and although that might conjure visions of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the property was a favorite of the famous explorer Sir Edmund Hilary.
On that first visit to Katmandu, Gorman also met Shrestha Shanta, managing director of Mount Everest Brewery, when Shanta picked him up for the 18-minute flight (that’s six hours by car) to the brewery. Shanta’s first words: “I must treat you like a god. That’s my duty.” Overwhelmed by his client’s declaration, Gorman has attempted to return the favor ever since.
“I love the business, and along the way customers have become friends.” he said.
“I try to learn everything about a culture before I go there,” Gorman explained. That might be a lesson learned from a trip to Singapore, when Gorman handed out travel alarm clocks as gifts. After the presentation, the organization’s supervisor thanked Gorman, but said in his culture, “When you give a clock, you’re waiting for their death.”

A 1964 graduate of Boston College with a B.A. in English and History, Gorman’s no stranger to the beer business. His father worked as sales manager for the Schaefer Brewing Co. in Brooklyn, N.Y. After a bit of gallivanting after college, Gorman followed in his dad’s footsteps, apprenticing to become a brewmaster.
Working in the field, he learned the industry inside and out. His gift for gab, along with a knack for making friends, helped him realize that sales was his talent. But with sales comes travel, and Gorman explained, “I was putting 1,500 miles a week traveling around five states and living in hotels. I was so regimented that on Monday I’d leave and not come back until Friday.”
Although his schedule was taxing, Gorman loved every minute, since it allowed him to meet new people all over the Northeast. “The brewery industry … people were wonderful.” Because of his many contacts, Gorman eventually met the owners of Western Hop Co. of Yakima, and they offered him a job in 1983. He quickly flew his family to Yakima and it was love at first sight. After a few years, he moved his family to Wisconsin to take the position of vice president of sales for the Schreier Malting Co., now Cargill Malt.
“But I never stopped dreaming about Yakima,” Gorman admitted.
Fortunately in 1988 a job with Haas brought Gorman, his wife and his two children to the Yakima Valley for good.
Because of his frequent travels, Gorman treasures the time spent at his Yakima home with his wife, Patsy. In fact, he loves it so much that he turned even an unfortunate event into a positive: When his house was burglarized 22 years ago, instead of ranting, he quickly joined the Yakima Police Department as a reserve officer. He has patrolled the Yakima streets during his free time since then, recently retiring as a lieutenant. It’s hard to imagine anyone doing that difficult job after jetting around the world all week, but John Gorman makes it look easy.

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Retro Richland

by Robin Salts Beckett on Nov 9, 2011

Richland is surprising.
One of the three communities in the nearby Tri-Cities, Richland has its own small-town, “retro” vibe, with a good bit of architecture recalling the ‘50s and ‘60s. And since it’s just over an hour away, Richland makes for a quick — and fun — getaway.

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Ellensburg Film Festival

by Robin Salts Beckett on Sep 8, 2011

Ellensburg Has a Film Festival of Its Own

by Scott Klepach Jr.

Come Oct. 7, Ellensburg’s streets will be alive with the sound of film buzz. That’s when the city hosts the seventh annual Ellensburg Film Festival.

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Eha! Grab a hat and head to Leavenworth’s Oktoberfest

by admin on Sep 8, 2011

 

 

 

By Erick Peterson • Photos by Stephanie Fry

When visitors describe Leavenworth’s annual Oktoberfest, they often use the word “magical.” And when 30,000 visitors overrun a town of 2,000, many of them donning crazy hats, you know there’s magic in the air. People are having fun.

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