Northwest Portland Hostel Blog
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Even before the popular TV show Portlandia aired last year, Portland was a weird place, just a lesser-known one. It’s true, a lot of people have chickens in their backyards and homemade pickling stations in their basements next to the fixed gear bikes and beer brewing equipment. Portlanders can seem snobby about things like reusable grocery bags and braking for pedestrians, but really, we are notoriously friendly for “city folk”. Just this morning, I did the daily crossword puzzle with my policeman friend at (one of) the (many) cafe(s) near the hostel. Halfway 
through the crossword, the barista brought us free cookies. It doesn’t get much better than that.
The quirkiness is something we love about this place, so why not show it off! Many travelers visit Portland with the goal of seeing the weird and wacky, so with the help of our volunteer, Caroline, we’ve created the “Quirky Portland Walking Tour”. The inaugural tour was last Thursday, and it included the Lovejoy Columns, North Park Blocks, Mary’s (Portland’s oldest strip club—didn’t go in, but pointed it out), Ground Krontrol Barcade, 24 Hour Church of Elvis, Waterfront Park, Made in Oregon sign, Voodoo Donuts, and ended at Portland City Grill for a drink. The next tour will include Mills End Park (the World’s Smallest Park) and the Pecularium. Caroline also discussed history and interesting facts about Old Town and the Pearl District.
I can’t imagine Portland losing it’s weirdness anytime soon, so the material for the Quirky Portland tour will only grown from here on. From the mustache donuts to public statues of Zoobomber bikes, let us show you what keeps Portland weird and lovable!
Tags: hostel, Portland
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Often, one of the hardest parts about traveling is being away from the ones you love.
This sentiment was expressed by a guest on Skype with his girlfriend in the hostel common area last night. He was showing her the cookie he had decorated, with 
their initials S & R in a red and white icing, and said, “I wish I could just teleport home for, like, one day!”
There are certainly mixed feelings surrounding Valentine’s Day, but why not spread a little love in the form of cookies? This year, we decided to host a cookie decorating party in honor of this sugary sweet holiday. Whether you are a fan of Valentine’s Day or not, we know at least you’ll enjoy the homemade treats.
We gathered the cookie cutters (big hearts, small hearts, Xs, and Os), mixed the sugar cookie 
dough, spread out the icing, sprinkles, and bowls of candy, and went to work. Some guests made construction paper hearts to go with their cookies. One guest in particular made his paper heart to carry around to the pubs, hoping to spot a nice looking girl. He figured if he already had a valentine ready in his pocket, it would boost his odds of getting her attention.
Another guest wrote “I love you” in as many languages as he could come up with without Googling it, which was approximately six (he needed spelling help, but that doesn’t count).
I love you
Je t’aime
Te amo
Ich liebe dich
Ti amo
Saranghaeyo
In how many languages can you say “I love you”?
Happy Valentine’s Day, from the HI-Northwest Portland Hostel!
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Monday, February 6, 2012
January 2012 marked the beginning of our Merchant of the Month Discount Program, where local businesses give significant deals to guests of our hostel and other Hostelling International members. In return, we promote their business around the hostel and online. With so many great small businesses in Northwest Portland, we want our guests to really be able take advantage of what this neighborhood has to offer.
We are pleased to announce that Santa Fe Taqueria is our February Merchant of the Month, offering a discount of buy 1 get 1 free (equal or lesser value), any item on the regular menu. With Whether you choose a classic burrito or one of their specialty plates, their Mexican food is all delicious, and a great deal! They also have events throughout the month, like a Valentine’s Day tequila tasting, “Ukeladies” on February 22nd, neo-soul night on the 25th, and free salsa dance lessons every Thursday!
Make sure to check them out while you’re in Portland. They’re located just ten minutes from the hostel at 831 NW 23rd Avenue (at Kearney Street).
Thanks, Santa Fe Taqueria, for helping connect the many Portland visitors to our awesome local businesses!
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Ten years ago, the idea of filming yourself eating live octopus in Korea and then submitting the footage to a film festival would have sounded absolutely ridiculous. But now, thanks to the smart phone phenomenon, anyone is able to capture anything on film, anywhere in the world, and share it with everyone. This is the premise of the Nomading Film Festival.
NoFF was created with the belief that anyone with a camera, fancy or not, can be a filmmaker. In the words of the NoFF team themselves, “We believe that stories caught on film, while traveling, are some of the most entertaining, educating, beautiful, and authentic. These are stories which should be shared, acknowledged, and awarded”.
Last summer, the Nomading Film Festival had their inaugural event in New York City at Hostelling International-New York. The event was such a success, with over 80 films submitted and 11 chosen as finalists, the NoFF team (Mikey, Bassam, Josh and Andrew) decided to put together a Winter Recess on the west coast. Luckily for us, they chose Portland! The event was held last Saturday, January 28th.
NoFF’s Winter Recess included a day of screening the 11 finalists films from their event in NYC, a raffle, and a question and answer session with three of the filmmakers (Caitlin from Travel Yourself, and Tawny and Chris from Captain and Clark) held at the McMenamins Mission Theater. Over 100 people attended, a great turn out. The collection of films were entertaining, inspiring and creative, and no two were alike. One of the most astonishing films was of a newborn baby elephant taking its first steps with the help of its mother.
After a break in the afternoon, the festival-goers reconvened at Boothster in NE Portland for the Benefit After Party. Ticket sales went to the various non-profits supported by NoFF: Teen Living Programs, ProjectExplorer.org,100 Cameras and Matador Youth Scholarship Fund.We danced, drank free Widmer beer, and hung out with travelers and filmmakers from the Northwest. Hostelling International USA even gave away 3 free hostel stays to a couple lucky raffle winners!
All in all, it was a fantastic festival, bringing people together to share the love of travel with the creativity of independent film-making . Plans for NoFF WinterRecess 2013 are already in store. We’ll keep you posted!
Check out the photos, courtesy of Jennifer Harju
Tags: hostel, Nomading Film Festival, Portland
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Sandy Diedrich’s lived the mission of hostelling—dedicating her life to building a community of locals and travelers wherever she called home. When Jim, now the owner of the HI-Northwest Portland Hostel, first met Sandy in 1980, he was opening his first hostel in the small coastal town of Bandon, Oregon. In her spare time, Sandy used her incredible organizational skills to create a quaint, yet thriving tourist hub out of the sleepy little town Bandon once was. When she and her husband, Bob, moved to Portland in 1997, Jim recruited her to sit on the board of directors for hostelling. She went on to serve at President of the Board for years.
Sandy lived and worked in Northwest Portland, using her skills and personality to mobilize the community and her neighborhood. She served for many years as a board member of the Northwest District Association and then became President. She also received the NW Examiner’s Citizen Award for her commitment to the NW neighborhood.
Before her death in August, 2007, Sandy was a major supporter of Jim and Britta’s hostel, and became a close friend. In Jim’s words, “We miss her dearly, but her spirit will always live on in our neighborhood and our hostel.”
The lower common room of the historic Elliston building was named after Sandy, to honor all she’s done for the Northwest Porltand community and the hostel. Currently, the common room is being redesigned, and as things are moved around and redecorated, it’s nice to take a moment and remember a special person who made a significant impact on the hostel that operates today. The bright painting is hung in the common area in her memory, portraying Sandy and Bob together (see below). Jim was right, her spirit continues to live on in our city and inside our walls.
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Thursday, January 19, 2012
One word: ChocolateFest.
This is the 7th annual Portland ChocolateFest, and like most other events in Portland, people expect the unexpected. Only the weird and wacky gets attention, and ChocolateFest-goers can expect plenty of weird and wacky concoctions at this year’s festival. Ever tried quail drizzled in chocolate sauce? Neither have we. But after this weekend, that will all change. Just in case you aren’t already sold on this event, profits go to benefit the World Forestry Center, so you can eat chocolate AND feel good about saving the planet.
Held at the Oregon Convention Center, ChocolateFest is an opportunity to sample from some of the Northwest’s finest chocolatiers and candy connoisseurs. January 20-22nd, 2012. Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $8 for students (13-college, student ID required), and $7 for children 5-12. More information can be found here.
image courtesy of portland.daveknows.org
Everyone’s second favorite thing (after chocolate) is a good mustache. You can’t turn a corner in Portland without seeing someone wearing a mustache t-shirt, eating a mustache shaped chocolate, pasting a mustache sticker on their bike, or simply just carrying a mustache on a stick. The mustache’s slighly less popular (but just as important) best friend is the beard, and this weekend, Portland is celebrating them equally with the 2nd Annual West Coast Mustache & Beard Championships. Whether you sport a mustache and/or beard or not, you don’t want to miss this event. Come enjoy some of the most creative and inspirational facial hair artwork on the West Coast, from the natural mustache to the freestyle beard, and everything in between. Saturday, January 20th, 2012. Crystal Ballroom.
Check out pdxpipeline’s event page for more information about this not-to-be-missed event!
image courtesy of pdxpipeline.com
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
The HI-Northwest Portland International Hostel reached 500 awesome facebook fans earlier this week, and to celebrate we hosted an all-you-can-eat ice cream sundae social in the main kitchen.
Currently, the hostel is filled with musicians visiting town for Portland’s Old Time Music Festival, and the sound of guitars, banjos and basses fill the hallways and common spaces throughout the afternoon and evening. It definitely livens up the hostel during the winter months!
Tags: hostel, Old Time Music Festival, Portland
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Sunday, January 8, 2012
The hostelling movement has greatly evolved and grown since Jim Kennett, owner of HI-Northwest Portland International Hostel, opened his first hostel over twenty years ago. Here is a brochure from the first hostel he opened in 1980 in Bandon, Oregon: the Sea Star Hostel.
Even though the prices have changed a bit, the mission is still the same, to bring together communities of travelers to gain a greater understanding of the world and its people.
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Happy New Year to all you travelers and explorers! We hope 2012 is treating you well so far, wherever you may be.
We have an exciting new program at the HI-Northwest Portland Hostel, which not only saves our guests and HI members money, but also helps build connections between locals and travelers visiting our city. January 1st, 2012 marked the beginning of our Monthly Merchant Discount Program, which features significant discounts from different local businesses in the Northwest Portland neighborhood each month. Kicking off the program is Tea Chai Té, an award-winning, unique tea house located on NW 23rd Avenue and Johnson Street. If you present your Hostelling International membership card, or a key card from our hostel, you will receive the special “buy one get one drink free” discount.
Make sure to check them out next time you’re in Northwest Portland, and tell them the hostel sent you!
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Friday, December 30, 2011
Traveling during the holidays can be hard for some, being away from close friends and family. You might not celebrate in the same tradition as if you were at home, but, as hostellers know, being away from home for the holidays opens the door for new opportunities to create new traditions with new friends from around the world.
Here at our HI-Northwest Portland Hostel, we have a few ways of bringing together the travel community during the holidays. Locals and hostellers alike are welcome to our events, connecting our many international guests to travel enthused Portlanders.
This year, we hosted a gingerbread house decorating party, our 9th Annual Holiday Glühwein Party (see previous post), and a potluck Christmas dinner. Each event was a huge success, and it is safe to saw we made one of the most beautiful and creative gingerbread houses in hostel history!
Check out some of the photos from the gingerbread house party and Christmas dinner below.
Wishing you happy holidays, safe travels, and much adventure in the new year!
Gingerbread House Decorating Party
Potluck Christmas Dinner
Tags: Christmas, gingerbread house, holidays, hostel, Portland
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Even before the popular TV show Portlandia aired last year, Portland was a weird place, just a lesser-known one. It’s true, a lot of people have chickens in their backyards and homemade pickling stations in their basements next to the fixed gear bikes and beer brewing equipment. Portlanders can seem snobby about things like reusable grocery bags and braking for pedestrians, but really, we are notoriously friendly for “city folk”. Just this morning, I did the daily crossword puzzle with my policeman friend at (one of) the (many) cafe(s) near the hostel. Halfway 
through the crossword, the barista brought us free cookies. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I can’t imagine Portland losing it’s weirdness anytime soon, so the material for the Quirky Portland tour will only grown from here on. From the mustache donuts to public statues of Zoobomber bikes, let us show you what keeps Portland weird and lovable!
