ART, ART & MORE ART!

Just opened in S.W. Portland's North Park Blocks is the DeSoto Project, an art complex featuring dozens of artworks in the five galleries located in the newly remodeled building. Located there are Augen Gallery, Blue Sky Gallery, Froelick Gallery, Charles Hartman Fine Art and the Museum of Contemporary Craft.

The developer of the DeSoto Project calls the building "an art hub for galleries and nonprofits." The Project is a business condominium, so the art businesses there have the security of ownership of their space in a prime area, right next to the Pearl District and Old Town. The galleries won't face rent escalation because there's no rents.

If you're interested in visiting the galleries in the DeSoto Project, plan on going from noon to 5:00 p.m., when they're all open to the public.

Best of all, if you're staying at The Fulton House, it's easy to get to the DeDoto Project because we too are located in S.W. Portland. Drive there in less than 15 minutes or take public transportation, picking up a bus a half-block from us.

Art rules!

THE MAGNIFICENT COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

If you were to poll our guests at The Fulton House about their favorite day trip, almost all would pick the Columbia River Gorge. We are ideally located for a visit to this spectacular natural phenomenom. Here's how easy it is to get there.

Leave The Fulton House and get on I-84 East, about 4-minutes away. Drive less than 20 miles and cross the Sandy River, a world class steelhead and salmon fishing stream, and enter the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Take the exit that says "Old Columbia River Highway" and proceed to your first stop, Crown Point, an old fort which guarded the river for John Jacob Astor and his burgeoning beaver pelt trade from interlopers in early America, well before Oregon became a state. Today, the original fort has been remodeled into an interesting museum, which explains the history of the area and exhibits numerous artifacts from almost 200 years ago. Since it's high on the cliffs, there's a magnificent view.

Continue on the historic Old Highway and get to the first of well more than a dozen major waterfalls, this one called Wahkeena Falls. Get out of your car and marvel at the scenery or, as Wendy and I did this afternoon, take a short hike on the trail up to Fairy Falls, about 1 mile above Wahkeena Falls.

Continue on the Old Highway and your next stop is Multnomah Falls, the highest in Oregon, with water dropping from a 620-foot cliff, offering a spectacular sight. On a warm summer day, it's great fun to just stand in the mist and cool down.

Next, on to Oneonta Falls, Triple Falls, Upper and Lower Horsetail Falls, Elawah Falls, Metlako Falls and many more unnamed falls. Most of these can be viewed just by stepping out of your vehicle, but some require a short hike.

There are many hikes available to the adventurous. Since you are in a gorge, the hikes tend to be straight up. This makes for a vigorous first half of your hike but an easy second half, when you're going down.

All this natural beauty is so close to Portland that you can leave The Fulton House about 11:00 a.m., visit and photograph the waterfalls, take a hike, and be back in time to shower and go out for a nice dinner.

Only in Portland.....!

BUSINESS GUESTS AT THE FULTON HOUSE

There are at least eleven excellent reasons why business people visiting Portland enjoy staying at The Fulton House:

1. LOCATION. Downtown Portland is in southwest Portland and The Fulton House is located in southwest Portland. You can be in downtown Portland by bus in 10 minutes and by car in 8 minutes. If your business is with Oregon Health & Science University, also in southwest Portland, The Fulton House is about 4 minutes away from the tram to OHSU. We are also close to freeway entrances in any direction.

2. WIFI. The Fulton House offers wifi in every room, as well as on the backyard patio, the front porch and the veranda. You can work on your laptop while relaxing in your private room or any public room in The Fulton House.

3. TELEPHONES. The private telephone in your room lets you call anywhere in the United States and Canada free of charge 24/7.

4. WORK AREAS. Both rooms in The Fulton House offer guests a quiet, well-lit work area with table and chairs.

5. COMPUTER ACCESS. There's a desk top computer for use by guests free of charge.

6. PARKING. Running late for an important client meeting? You don't have to wait while a parking attendent digs your rent-a-car out from the garage. At The Fulton House, just go out the door and your car is in front in easily available on-street parking.

7. RESTAURANTS. If you're tired of expensive formula food at hotel restaurants, we can recommend numerous neighborhood restaurants (Japanese, Sushi, Thai, Pizza, Italian, Mexican, Steaks & Seafood, Fried Fish, Deli, Hawaiian, Chinese, Burgers and Pub Grub), many within easy walking distance of The Fulton House.

8. SERVICES. Need a last minute haircut, styling or manicure? How about access to a full-service bank? Or a dry cleaner? Or the Post Office? Or a gift shop? Or most any other service. They're all within a 2-minute drive from The Fulton House. And at neighborhood prices!

9. MAPS. If you need a map of Portland and the suburbs or of Oregon, or a detailed directory of all Portland streets, The Fulton House has them for your use.

10. PERSONAL SERVICE. Your Fulton House innkeepers, Wendy and John have their residence on-site, so one or both of us are available at a moment's notice to meet your needs. And we don't expect a tip!

11. BREAKFAST. Try one of Wendy's home-cooked breakfasts and you'll never stay any other place in Portland. Today's breakfast included 4-cheese quiche, fresh fruit bowl, home-made biscuits served with Oregon jams, butter or honey, granola with vanilla or plain creamy yogurt, and orange and cranberry juices, milk, coffee or tea.

If big hotel chains don't offer the privacy and free-of-charge amenities you desire when you come to Portland to conduct business, consider a stay at The Fulton House. You won't regret it.

HOW TO CHOOSE A B&B

The web is a great place to begin when choosing a B&B. Whether you're from out of town and don't know Portland well or have not visited the area before, or you're from close by but never stayed at a local B&B, here's how to find the ideal Bed & Breakfast for you.

First, make a short list of what you want in your Bed and Breakfast:
1. Is a private bath a must?
2. Where do you want to go during your stay? For example, if being near downtown is important, make a note to check addresses and ask the innkeeper how many minutes it takes to get to city center. Is it important that there are nearby restaurants and a food store?
3. Is food important? Make a note to question the innkeeper over the telephone about breakfasts. Ask what was served that morning.
4. Is price an issue? Are you willing to pay more for something special, or do you just want the lowest price available?
5. Do you have special needs? Many B&B's don't allow pets or smoking and are not suitable for youngsters or wheelchairs.
6. Do you have absolute must requirements? Some B&B's offer wi-fi throughout the facility. Some offer unlimited telephone calls anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, so you can check on things back home at no cost to you. Some offer individual refrigerators, so you can store fruit or doggie bag leftovers from yesterday's dinner. Some offer cable TV with all the premium channels. Some have a hot tub.
7. How about public transportation? Are there nearby buses? How about light rail, trolleys or the tram?
8. Can you walk to a park or to the Willamette River? If you're a morning or evening jogger, you'll want to know about nearby trails.

Next, log on to www.portlandinnkeepers.com Some of your questions will be answered there. Narrow your list down.

Pick your top three choices and log on to their individual websites. Many of your questions will be answered.

Then, telephone your final choice(s). Question the innkeeper carefully, and don't be afraid or embarrassed to ask questions about items that are important to you. Ask about extras: Does the refrigerator have free soft drinks, bottled water and perhaps even a complimentary bottle of wine? Are there free afternoon or evening snacks, like home-baked goods or chocolate cookies? Does the B&B provide a bathrobe for each guest? Take notes so you can compare.

And when you've made your choice, book immediately. There aren't that many quality B&B's in Portland and they fill up quickly.

This advice provided by The Fulton House innkeepers, based on our past experience talking to guests and potential guests, in person or on the telephone. Hope our advice helps you plan your stay at the Portland Bed & Breakfast of your dreams.

DON'T DIET HERE!

If you desire gourmet breakfasts, The Fulton House is the place to stay.

Here's what's on tap tomorrow morning: 3-cheese quiche; granola and 2 kinds of creamy yogurt (vanilla and plain); home-baked fresh biscuits with preserves, jams, butter and honey; fresh fruit bowl (cantaloupe and honeydew, strawberries, peaches and orange sections); coffee (decaf or hi-test), tea, milk, and orange and cranberry juices. This is a typical breakfast, served every day from 7:30-9:30 or just tell Wendy or me what time works for you.

You can eat at our beautiful formal dining room table (Stickley dark oak), in your room, on our back patio where it's cool, outdoors on our front porch, or in the sunroom for two.

We always have incredibly delicious cookies (double chocolate and white chocolate with macadamia nuts) as well as a coffee cake or other sweet baked surprise available for a late afternoon treat.

Your refrigerator, a private one for every room, is loaded with soft drinks, bottled water, individual juice packages, and a bottle of wine for your enjoyment, all complimentary. (Take that, Hilton Hotel with your tremendously over-priced snacks and drinks in your guest rooms!) Or you can purchase the bottle of your choice of fine red or white varietal or table wine from California, Oregon, Washington or imported from our extensive wine cellar.

For lunch and dinner, there are more than a dozen restaurants, from gourmet to neighborhood, from American to most ethnics, all in the neighborhood, many within walking distance. And, if you really develop a thirst in the afternoon, there's one of Portland's famous microbreweries within walking distance of The Fulton House. You can enjoy a pint or two with no danger of a DUI. There's also a gourmet grocery store with all sorts of deli products a three-minute walk away, if you want sandwiches and cheeses on our patio.

Finally, if it's downtown dining you crave, it's about an 8-minute drive to Portland City Center from The Fulton House or about a 10-minute bus trip, starting only a half-block from us.

So, please, don't start a diet when you visit us.

WHERE ELSE BUT PORTLAND?

Yesterday, my wife Wendy and I decided to take a hike and enjoy some cool air. So, about noon, we set off on the short drive heading towards Mt. Hood and parked at the Mirror Lake turn-in about an hour and a half later. We grabbed a day pack with sandwiches and lemonade and hiked 1-1/2 miles to the lake, following a wide trail with a gentle upward grade.

There were very few people at the lake, so we grabbed a prime spot in the sun -- it gets much cooler at the altitude we were at -- and ate our lunch, staring at beautiful snow-covered Mt. Hood, which was only a few miles away.

After eating and relaxing for a bit, we debated hiking an extra 1-1/2 miles to Tom, Dick and Harry Mt., with a ridge with several volcanic buttes just above the lake. Since we only had sneakers not hiking boots on our feet, we decided against it, fearing that the sharp basaltic rocks would make fast work of our casual footwear.

We headed down on the trail to our vehicle, drove down to a small town at the bottom of the slope where there's a Dairy Queen, and enjoyed an ice cream cone each. Then we drove home, making it in about 90 minutes.

Is there any other major city in the U.S. where a person can do this? In a single half-day we left The Fulton House, took a relatively short drive, hiked a forest trail, lunched at a deep blue mountain lake, and then returned to a metropolitan area featuring dozens of great restaurants and entertainment venues.

The Fulton House has a terrific map collection, including many "Recreation Opportunity Guides" published by the U.S. Forest Service, which we're happy to loan you for your adventure with Mother Nature.