Note: This post was updated on 11/1/2018.
Whether you are Dutch or not, moving to a new area brings along a lot of excitement. There are new places to visit, events to attend, food to try, and people to meet. However, some things are irreplaceable, and don’t travel with you. Because what about friends, familiarity and food?
Discovering Portland on foot was high on our to-do list. After our trip to the Oregon Brewers Festival, which included successful parking near PDX and riding the MAX to the center, we already knew that our car had no business downtown. Since I am a huge fan of the London Walks, I figured it would be fun to do a guided walk in the “City of Roses” as well.
As a Dutchman I probably have an exponentially large love for electronic music. A.k.a. EDM, dance or whatever it’s called these days. It’s what I grew up with. Here in the US it is gaining more traction as a popular music choice. If you have some catching up to do: there has been some epic stuff throughout the years. A current song by Disciples refreshed my good memories about this certain type of electronic music. These songs get under your skin in a good way, with a bass line that keeps going long after the song has stopped. The vocals, if present, seem to float on the river of beats. From Technotronic to Disciples, these are the dance tracks that prove that this genre has classics that can stand the test of time.
As soon as I found out that this year’s Oregon Brewers Festival would feature a brewery from the Netherlands, I was out the door. What a great excuse to spend a sunny summer day in Portland. The Red Line of the MAX Light Rail conveniently stopped just a block away from the festivities at Waterfront Park.
Update 8/31/2018: As the Eagle Creek Fire anniversary is around the corner, it’s important to realize that the area surrounding Multnomah Falls is still recovering from this natural disaster. The beautiful trails (Wahkeena Falls and Larch Mountain) that we used to see all the waterfalls, are still mostly closed. The same goes for adjacent trails, such as Devil’s Rest and Angel’s Rest. The United States Forest Service estimates that these trails will be open at the end of this year. However, the lower portion of the Larch Mountain trail (the part we ended with) is already open from Multnomah Falls Lodge to Benson Bridge.
Hopefully, reading this blog will get you excited about taking this hike yourself once the trails reopen!
