Friends, guess what! I have exciting news for you on this happy Monday. My best friend Ashlyn will be doing some guest posts for us once a month on her Portland adventures! If you've been keeping up with YM for a couple months now, you know that I went out to Portland, OR with Ashlyn to help her apartment hunt. Well, we found her a gorgeous apartment and she's all moved in and ready to explore PDX! So, once a month she'll be on here to give us a Portland round-up of all the exciting things and places she's discovered while living out west.
Ashlyn here - your Yellow Mondays Portland correspondent. I am excited for the opportunity to give you updates on all of the exciting things the Rose City has to offer you in terms of sights, eats, and more!
Speaking of the Rose City, Portland is currently celebrating the 127th Annual Rose Festival! This yearly event was started as a way to brand Portland as “the summer capital of the world, and encourage visitors from all around the country and the world. There are a variety of events throughout the month such as Fleet Week, City Fair carnival, multiple parades, theater performances, concerts, art shows, dragon boat races, and the Rose Show, so it is a perfect time to plan a trip here in terms of activities, family friendliness, and weather!
Speaking of the Rose City, Portland is currently celebrating the 127th Annual Rose Festival! This yearly event was started as a way to brand Portland as “the summer capital of the world, and encourage visitors from all around the country and the world. There are a variety of events throughout the month such as Fleet Week, City Fair carnival, multiple parades, theater performances, concerts, art shows, dragon boat races, and the Rose Show, so it is a perfect time to plan a trip here in terms of activities, family friendliness, and weather!
Although there are many rose centered activities throughout the year in Portland, the annual Spring Rose Show is by far the biggest and most prestigious. Over 4,000 blooms are displayed and judged by the Portland Rose Society (an organization dating back to 1889) ranging in size, shape, color, and display technique. There are hundreds of different categories to explore, such as miniature, climbing, open bloom, and single stem, so I guarantee you will see something completely new! It never occurred to me that there were so many different types of roses out there, so I enjoyed reading the names (Scentimental was my favorite) and exploring the large variety present at the show. Entry is encouraged and open to anyone, and there are categories that reflect the different skill level, such as junior, novice, expert, and even a separate category for members of the Portland Rose Society.
Overall, I really enjoyed the Spring Rose Show. I had never seen so many gorgeous flowers in my life. One of my favorite aspects of the Spring Rose Show was the smell that hit you as soon as you entered the space. I know that roses have a reputation of smelling bad, but the fragrance of all the different types of roses mixed together was really quite wonderful. I probably spent an hour perusing all of the entries. My personal favorites have to have been the Selfridge’s rose which took first place in the white or yellow single stem competition and the displays of Portland’s Best Rose featuring vases of three different varieties of winners from the past nineteen years (see what I mean about crazy categories?). The show is held at the Lloyd Center, which is a large shopping mall. It’s a nice shopping center, but I felt that something as beautiful as a rose show should have been held somewhere else. However, if you have people with you who might not enjoy looking at roses this is an advantage as they can go shopping or ice skating at the mall’s indoor rink. Plus, entry is free so you aren’t out anything! Personally, I learned so much about roses in my time there, and I know I only skimmed the surface! For more on the Spring Rose Show and all of the cool events happening as part of the Rose Festival, visit www.rosefestival.org.
The shopping center is located in the Lloyd District in the northwest part of the city. There are many chain restaurants in and around the mall, but I recommend looking on Broadway for some local lunch options before or after the show. I decided on Milo’s City Café for their variety of unique menu items, reasonable prices, and inviting atmosphere. The menu is described “easygoing America,” and I feel that is accurate. I enjoyed the open face shrimp sandwich with shrimp, cheddar cheese, and herb aioli on a toasted English muffin. I will definitely be going back, however as Milo’s had an extensive breakfast menu featuring six different types of eggs benedict that I am dying to try! To check out the menu for yourself, visit www.miloscitycafe.com.
Follow along on Ashlyn's blog for more Portland adventures!
Follow along on Ashlyn's blog for more Portland adventures!