The Inn at Northrup Station in Portland, Oregon, earned a spot on my list of favorite hotels. Here’s what you need to know abut it if you’re thinking of visiting Portland.
Travel Flashback
Wandering Justin Elsewhere Online
Hey, I wound up in the New Times! They wanted to know what sort of edibles I’m slurping into my gullet. Check out Justin Schmid, What are you eating?. It features a photo of me menacing the camera with a half-eaten possum pie at the Sandfly Cafe somewhere between Franz Josef and Nelson in New Zealand.
Rene, our bus driver was thrilled as only a Naked Bus employee can be. During our break at the Sandfly Cafe, he went up to all the other passengers telling them that I was eating possum pie … he had very distinct “see, he ate it and didn’t die” tone in his voice. It was hysterical. When he was done telling everyone else, he wanted to talk to me about it.
“It’s easy to eat, i’n’t, mate?” he kept repeating.
Awesome guy. Best bus driver ever.
The post also has me extolling the virtues of Sun Up Brewing, golden beets and other cool things I like eating.
Trip Flashback: Aboard Song of America
Back when I was a teenager, I considered cruises the ultimate vacation. Think about it: All sorts of activities, all sorts of food, all sorts of girls. I would’ve been happy with a ship that sailed straight into the ocean and didn’t touch ground for seven days. Alas, I had to deal with cruises that had the putting people ashore interrupting my skirt-chasing and carousing (in as much as teenagers can carouse). With my trusty wingman, Art, covering me, I had many good times aboard ships. I’ll be nice enough to Art to spare him a recap of the super-cheesy line he used on two girls within hours of boarding, and a description of his shambolic dance moves.
Cruising the Mexican Riviera
I’d say our finest time was on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Song of America. By the standards of the time (the time of the cruise being 1992, when the ship was 10 years old), it was a good-sized ship. We sailed from LA through the Mexican Riviera, which included Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan. I have to be honest – the ports didn’t do much for me. In fact, I got stung by a blue bottle in Puerto Vallarta. But Art and I had our usual shipboard antics, which included dragging a passed-out shipmate back to his cabin after he vented the contents of his stomach on the club’s dance floor (we were old enough to know how to avoid such a fate). We met a ton of fun [...]
