OFF CAMPUS ACTIVITIES
BY IAN VAN ORDEN
photo by Victoria Tinker
Well known for its oddities, it’s only natural
that there would be a lot o f interesting
things to do in the Portland area. From art
museums to the hundreds of parks that dot
the Portland metro area, it’s difficult to run
out of interesting things to explore, if you
are willing to look.
O ne such landm ark is the P o rtland
Japanese Garden. Accordingto the garden’s
website, it was previously proclaimed to be
“ the most beautiful and authentic Japanese
garden in the world outside of Japan,” by
Nobuo Matsunaga, the former arnbassador
of Japan to' the United States. Though the
photos available on the site give a taste of
what the garden has to offer, it is only a
fraction of its actual beauty.
Portland is.also hom e to one o f the
country’ s largest urban forest reserves,
Forest Park. The park covers more than
5,100 acres of land and holds about 70 miles
o f recreational trails, along with more than
150 species of birds and mammals. One of
its most unique features is its proximity to
the city itself. Only a few miles from thecity
center, the park is an excellent example of
one of the many things that make Portland
different - fits people’ s dedication to the
wonderful environments surrounding them.
The city’s wonders do not end with parks.
Portland is also home to several fascinating
m useums, including the Oregon Museum
of Science and Industry» known as OM SI,
and the Portland Art M useum . Both have
consistently interesting exhibits, such as
the art m useum ’s exhibit, “ Constructing
Iden tity: Petrucci Fam ily Foundation
Collection of African-American A rt,” and
the “ American Photographs” exhibit, an
exploration o f A m erican photography
throughout the 2Qth century.
Beyond the arts, the city is also hom e
to a ridiculous am ount o f unbelievable
food options. One o f the m ost unique is
the availability of food carts. Throughout
the city, ‘ Cart Pods* are found in areas
specif ically designated for food carts. One
of the largest in the city is the Alder Street
Food Cart Pod.
Also found downtown is Ground Kontrol,
arguably, one df the best arcades remaining
in the country. Doubling as a bar, many of
the best arcade games from the “ golden
age o f arcade gam es” can be found here.
In addition to the available gam es, the
background music sports a different theme
based on the day o f the week, m ixed by
various DJs, such as Wednesday’s “TRONix”
electronic m usic and Sunday’ s “ Black
Sunday” heavy metal music.
Beyond the arts, the
city is also home to
a ridiculous amount
o f unbelievable food
options.
Whether you are a newcomer to the city
or someone who has lived here all of your
life, Portland never runs out of new sights
to see, new things to experience. Whether
your interest is art, music, food, nature, or
a/million other things, you are sure to find
something of interest in this city.
The Farmer’ s M arket is another great
place to spend the day, especially with the
nice weather approaching. The Oregon City
Fanner’s Market takes placeevery Saturday
from 9 a.m . to 2 p.m . At die market, you will
find a variety of vendors selling handmade
nu t-bu tters, artisan cheeses and m uch
more. The market is a great place for family
activities, offers hot food and drinks, live
music and kid friendly activities at every
event.
Top: Visitors enjoy festivities at
Saturday’s Happy Valley Farmers
Market.
Bottom: Visitors get a cup of coffee at
the Oregon City Farmers Market.
Alexis Wagar contributed to this story.
photo bV Alexis Wagar
Clackamas Print MAY 10,2017 theclaekamasprintcom 7