on location: west ❖
elana andersen
Shopping Spree PA C I F I C N O RT H W E S T
Oregon Bounty/Greg Robeson
Gourmet pears, fine wines, hazelnuts and artisan cheeses tempt travelers looking to bring home the tastes of Oregon.
canning a trip itinerary with a keen eye to the scheduled “at leisure” times? We all know what that term means....Whoopie, time to go shopping! Oregon and Washington offer a wealth of diverse shopping experiences that range from visiting historic districts and stylish malls to searching out shops that feature local products, manufacturers with on-site company stores, museum shops and local artisan fairs. Brand names and products identified
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36 February 2010
Markets, malls and small-town storefronts in Oregon and Washington brim with gourmet foods, antiques, crafts and other items distinctive to the region
with Oregon and Washington include wines, apples, marionberries, hazelnuts, salmon, artists’ creations, Nike, Nordstrom’s, Starbucks, roses, tulips….the list goes on. Remember that there is no sales tax in Oregon. The success of many artisan and specialty product companies stems from mail-order and gift catalog sales, and they are set up to ship home your purchases and take orders once you get back. Even a fishmonger at Seattle’s 36 October 2009
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Pike Place Market will overnight fresh-caught salmon, halibut or other catches direct to your kitchen.
of these elements are indicative of the eclectic and diverse shopping opportunities in this city. Downtown stores cater to sophisticated urban professionals who are also adventurous outdoor sports persons, so don’t be surprised to see stores featuring both tailored suits and hiking boots. There are five main farmers’ markets and a slew of others scattered throughout the city. The Pearl District, once all warehouses, has been transformed into a trendy community with loft-style living; its streets and plazas are lined with shops, galleries and cafes. The Lloyd Center mall offers several department stores and specialty shops including a Made in Oregon store. Book lovers will want to check out the independent Powell City Books’ main store. It covers a city block with more than a million new, used and out-of-print books. (travelportland.com)
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February 2010 37
Elana Andersen
Oregon Bounty/Greg Robeson
BIG CITIES Seattle’s city center and waterfront are havens for shoppers. This area is divided into several districts, all located a few blocks of one another and each having its own history and shopping experiences. The heart of the downtown retail district is anchored by the country’s Travelers who sample Oregon wines often flagship Nordstrom department end up buying a bottle to enjoy at home. store and two enclosed, skylit malls Square, the International District, also full of specialty shops and nationally called Chinatown, is the area settled by known chains—Pacific Place and Westearly immigrants from China, Japan, the lake Center. The Monorail connects Philippines, Southeast Asia and the PaWestlake Center and Seattle Center cific Islands. The eight-block district of(site of the 1962 World’s Fair), where fers everything from traditional attractions like the Space Needle, Paherbalists to fortune cookie factories. cific Science Center and Experience Tourists make a beeline to Uwajimaya, a Music Project have excellent gift shops. sprawling Japanese grocery/gift store Pike Place Market on the waterfront, with a lively food court featuring a one of the nation’s oldest farmers’ marsmorgasbord of Asian favorites. (visitkets, showcases the bounty from local PEARS, ROSES, APPLES seattle.com) fishermen, produce and flower farmers, & CHEDDAR CHEESE Portland offers a blend of thriving gourmet food vendors and craftspeople. As you explore Washington and businesses, community gathering places, Across the street, the first Starbucks Oregon, you will discover many compacreative arts, outdoor living, trend-setcoffee shop features items with the nies that will help you fill a shopping ting lifestyles and collegiate fan fare. All company’s original mermaid logo. Pike basket with iconic Northwest items. Place has one of the Seattle area’s five Made in Washington stores, which offers wines, smoked salmon, chocolatecovered cherries and other goodies. Also in the neighborhood, check out the delectable sea salt caramels at Fran’s Chocolates in the Four Seasons Hotel (and other Fran’s locations). The Pioneer Square National Historic District, a short walk south of Pike Place, offers a mix of boutiques, antiques shops, art galleries, book shops and dining establishments, many of them in vintage buildings with exposed brick walls, high ceilings and creaky wooden floors. Just blocks from Pioneer Seattle’s Pike Place Market is a browser’s—and photographer’s―paradise.
on location: west ❖
Aplets & Cotlets, bursting with the flavors of fresh apples and apricots, make tasty souvenirs at Liberty Orchards in Cashmere, Wash.
Here are a few places that you may want to include on your itinerary: Harry & David, one of America’s premier and oldest mail-order businesses, is best known for its gourmet pears and fancy food gift packages. Based in Medford, Ore., the company has 2,700 acres of fruit orchards in the Rogue River Valley. Its headquarters campus and Country Village welcome visitors interested in getting a glimpse into its mega-operation, from the storage facilities and packing house to confectionery and bakery kitchens. The Village Store offers the full line of Harry & David gift items, from freshpicked fruit to chocolate truffles, Moose Munch popcorn and other treats made in the company’s kitchen. Plant tours, departing from the Village, are offered four times a day and include free chocolate. (541-864-2277, 877-322-8000 (tour); harryanddavid.com) From home gardens to city parks and annual festivals, roses thrive in Oregon and rose lovers will want to see its blooming displays; visit rose test gardens and learn about new hybrids and vintage stock. At the Jackson & Perkins Test and Display Garden in Medford, visitors learn about the steps in testing and preparing the nursery 38 February 2010
stock for catalog sales. Its garden shop is open year-round and features plants, garden tools and accessories, plant care products, and garden-themed gifts and decorations. (800-872-7673, jackson andperkins.com) Liberty Orchards’ Aplets & Cotlets are bite-sized gels bursting with the flavors of Washington’s Wenatchee Valley’s crisp apples and tangy apricots. Studded with rich English walnuts and dusted in powdered sugar, they are quite a treat. Located in the town of Cashmere, the candy company was founded in 1920 and not much has changed. It’s a family business, and candies are mostly hand-made. The candy menu has been expanded to
include other fruit flavors, with Aplets & Cotlets continuing to be the top seller. Groups can tour Liberty Orchards’ factory and sample candy at its Country Store. Aplets & Cotlets are sold at many gift shops in the Northwest. (800-2313242, libertyorchards.com) Tillamook Cheese has been producing quality dairy products for more than 100 years. The brand is a farm-owned cooperative business representing 110 small dairies in Oregon’s Tillamook County. A self-guided tour of the factory is available, but most visitors go directly to the visitor center to sample its cheddar cheese varieties. Other Tillamook foods include cheese spreads, yogurt, cream cheese and 38 flavors of ice cream. To complement the cheese, a gourmet grocery shop features Pacific Northwest food items, including seafood, meats, jams, sauces and confections. Its gift shop has a large selection of souvenirs and in one whimsical corner is nothing but cow- and farm-themed items. (503-8151300, tillamookcheese.com) MORE TREASURES Pendleton Woolen Mills, a 140year-old family-owned Oregon business, is known throughout the world for its luxurious 100% pure virgin wool fabrics and apparel. The company’s first
The Pendleton store in Portland offers home goods with Native American motifs. LeisureGroupTravel.com
products were wool blankets and robes made for Native American tribes. The fully integrated company handles all steps of the production process from intake of raw wool to making and coloring fabric to designing and manufacturing products. Although Pendleton’s main marketing effort is through its catalog, company stores are located in select U.S. markets. The flagship Pendleton Home Store in Portland features lifestyle products in designer room settings, fabrics displays, fashions and the company’s largest retail collection of Native American blankets. Outlet stores are located in Lincoln City and Seaside, Ore. Guided tours of mill operations are available in Pendleton and Washougal, Wash., and the mill stores carry a full line of Pendleton products. (pendletonusa.com) Talk about antique and collectible
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shopping on overload. The neighboring communities of Wenatchee and Cashmere, Wash., offer a treasure trove of dealers and nostalgia items. Apple Annie’s Antique Mall in Cashmere boasts one of the West Coast’s largest inventories of quality antiques and collectibles, ranging from high-end art glass to 19th and 20th century pottery and crockery. (509-782-4004, appleannieantiques.com). The streets of downtown Wenatchee are dotted with antique shops, including the Antique Mall of Wenatchee, which has more than 175 dealers. (509-662-3671) Stitchery and needlework are popular hobbies. Here are two specialty shops that offer materials and supplies not readily found in most shops: Ana-Cross Stitch in Anacortes, Wash., is the largest yarn and stitchery emporium in the Northwest. Some of
its specialty materials include the latest fashion knitting yarns and hand-painted needlepoint canvases. (877-358-5648, anacrossstitch.com) Pacific Wool and Fiber in Newberg, Ore., specializes in all things for fiber crafts. The product line includes several brands and styles of spinning wheels, drum carders, weaving looms, drop spindles, spinning kits and felting hand cards, plus supplies for spinning, knitting and weaving. The company’s retail shop is open Monday through Saturday.(503-538-4741, pacificwoolandfiber.com) LGT ONLINE EXCLUSIVE For a closer look at Seattle’s festive Pike Place Market, see the Online Exclusive based on a recent visit by Leisure Group Travel’s managing editor, Randy Mink. Log on to http://tiny.cc/I68E5.
February 2010 39
West on our radar
From Texas to Hawaii, new opportunities await group tour planners seeking fresh ideas for 2010 and beyond
These are just a few of the developments on the Western horizon: ARIZONA The Musical Instrument Museum, opening in Phoenix this April, will be one of the largest museums of its type in the world. Between 300 and 350 permanent exhibits will feature musical instruments from every country in the world, allowing visitors to fully experience the music that each instrument can create. Visitors will be provided a wireless headset for an integrated audio and video experience to appreciate the sounds of instruments on display. In addition, the world-class museum will have a theater featuring live, ticketed performances throughout the year. (themim.org) CALIFORNIA San Diego Wild Animal Park’s new zip line adventure, Flightline, provides guests the opportunity to soar like a California condor over the wildlife conservation park. The 1.5-hour experience features a brief behind-the-scenes narration as guests are transported in a special vehicle to the top of the long run. After reaching the top of the mountain, 400 feet above the Nairobi Village, participants embark on an aerial adventure across the Asian and African field exhibits and land at Kilima Point, almost a mile away. (760-747-8702, sandiegozoo.org) HAWAII Construction is under way on a new Disney resort that will open on the Hawaiian island of Oahu in 2011. The 21-acre oceanfront resort will be located at the Ko Olina Resort & Marina development on the island’s western side. It will feature 1,066 guest rooms, suites and villas, a full-service spa and extensive recreation amenities. The lagoon setting and white sand 40 February 2010
beach will provide the backdrop for other water delights like ornate water gardens and a signature pool complex. Swimming adventures will include a saltwater snorkeling lagoon brimming with marine life. On-site cultural programs will immerse guests in Hawaiian
OREGON-WASHINGTON Starting this summer, American Cruise Lines will operate seven-night Columbia and Snake River itineraries aboard the recently acquired Queen of the West. The 120-passenger, U.S.flagged cruise ship is the only authentic
Fly high above San Diego Wild Animal Park on a new zip line adventure.
experiences that explore music, dance, history, arts and crafts, and environmental education. (321-939-7129, disneymeetings.com/hawaii). NEVADA The Virginia & Truckee Railroad, known as the richest short line in American history, has completed a 12.8-mile track restoration project. The railroad carried the 1860s Comstock silver load from Virginia City to Carson City, and this new line has not been in operation for 70 years. Scheduled steam train tours of the new route will be available this spring. Passengers may see exposed silver ore veins and wild mustangs, along with such points of interest as mines and mills, a restored 1869 depot and the site of a gold and silver mining town that lobbied to become the state capital during the Comstock era. (800638-2321, visitcarsoncity.com)
paddlewheel, overnight passenger vessel operating in North America. Several different itineraries will depart from Portland, Ore., and Clarkston, Wash. Stops along the route will include the Columbia River Gorge, Multonomah Falls, Mt. St. Helens, The Dalles, Hells Canyon and Astoria. (800814-6880, americancruiselines.com) TEXAS The George H.W. Bush Gallery just opened as part of a $14.5-million expansion at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg. The new complex of exhibits includes the “Island‐hopping Campaign” as the Allied troops advanced to Tokyo, plus several home front exhibits – the Japanese‐ American internment camps, Gold Star Mothers, wartime factories and shipyards, and the USO and Red Cross. (830-997-4379, nimitz-museum.org) LeisureGroupTravel.com