Travel

Forest Grove, Oregon claims to have the world’s tallest barber pole, apparently presented by the Portland Area Barbershoppers in recognition “Ballad Town USA’s” role in promoting and encouraging barbershop quartet singing. It stands in Lincoln Park (visible from sat photos!) just north of Pacific University. Barbershop poles and quartets they may have, but the barber […] » about 100 words

Oregon City apparently boasts one of only four municipal elevators worldwide. One hundred thirty feet tall, with an observation deck at the top, it seemed to be worth stopping for. Jason wrote in to Roadside America explaining: It began as a water-powered elevator in 1915, but was upgraded to an electric-powered elevator in 1954. It […] » about 200 words

Above: tonight’s sunset view of Mt. Hood from atop Mt. Tabor, an ancient volcano. Roadside America claims: this is the only volcano located within a city limit in any US city. You can view the cinder cone and a few feet away from the parking lot is a kids play area. mt. hood, mt. tabor, […] » about 100 words

What you can’t tell about the photo above is that the eagle is huge, and made of spray foam. It stands at Sprayfoam Inc., just off the I5 at Millersburg. Don’t miss the cornucopia-like sign, or the completely enfoamed Sprayfoam-mobile. art, foam, sprayfoam, sprayfoam inc., spray foam, millersburg, oregon, millersburg or, sculpture, eagle » about 100 words

So here I am looking up things to do in Oregon and I come across the Tillamook Chamber of Commerce‘s guide to local attractions and its note about the Pig-n-Ford races: Vintage vehicles, daring drivers and squealing porkers. Mixed together, the outcome can only be described as frenzied farm-style fun. Most people would agree that […] » about 200 words

If I didn’t like flying, or at least if I couldn’t tolerate it, I wouldn’t making my third distant trip in as many months. And though I know many others spend a whole lot more time in planes than I do, I still think Vasken has a bit of a point in the following: I […] » about 200 words

Perhaps it’s just because I’m now scouring Roadside America for tips on what to do in the 35 hours after the end of code4lib and my flight home, but I got a hoot out of this AP story about “Roadside Giants”: A Pittsburgh-area couple find “Roadside Giants” historic, attractive, a boon to local economies… and […] » about 900 words

You won’t get your salad dressing on the side in San Antonio. I don’t know what it says about a place, but in New England it’s so common I never learned to ask for it on the side, it just happens. Not so in San Antonio. You’ll also have trouble finding a place to eat […] » about 400 words

I’m in San Antonio for ALA Midwinter and enjoying the benefits of wide-area mobile internet access via my Treo and and the power of local search. This is sort of a test for me and my Treo, as I passed on all the usual trip prep I do and entirely I’m depending on what I’ll […] » about 300 words

Steve Wynn could probably have had any show he wanted, but he chose Avenue Q, the Sesame Street and Muppets-inspired show that has to include a disclaimer denying its roots in the program and advertising. What the show’s creators don’t have to disclaim are the three Tony Awards the show won in 2004 for best […] » about 200 words

Vegas knows liquor. Vegas knows drinks. They go well with cards and dice and slot machines and such. And even though the cards and dice and slot machines and such aren’t my reasons for going to town, I do enjoy a drink. Above, center you see the West Wing Bar’s Sidecar with cognac, triple sec […] » about 400 words

We didn’t get to go to Barstow as planned, but I couldn’t leave Las Vegas without a peak at the desert. Fortunately, Red Rock Canyon isn’t far from town, and the Blue Diamond Highway does a nice loop there and back. Along the way I found that the town of Blue Diamond has a new […] » about 200 words

The wind along Las Vegas Boulevard was blowing hard, so it hides the fact that I’m currently sporting one of the worst haircuts of all time. I’ve been meaning to take a picture of this damn sign for years — and more so after seeing beatnickside‘s collection of Vegas photos. welcome sign, welcome, sign, neon, […] » about 100 words

Nobody’s saying what caused it, but things didn’t go as planned at the MGM Grand Sunday night. We were told our room wasn’t ready when we tried to check in a little before midnight, so we ambled over to the cafe for a midnight breakfast on the house. Then at 3 AM, when our rooms […] » about 200 words

The Bellagio is all done up for the holidays, Vegas-style (which means it’ll give you a headache). 2005, holiday, holiday cheer, holidays, nevada, postcard, las vegas, nevada, las vegas nv, winter, happy holidays » about 100 words

Edward Gorey is known for having created the Gashlycrumb Tinies, an alphabet of ways young children can meet an early end. That, and the bumper animations for public television’s Mystery! (here, have some games). Gorey is dead now, but his house in Yarmouth is open to the public. Admission is $5 for adults (http://edwardgoreyhouse.org/, phone […] » about 200 words

Karen has the smart-sexy-funny thing going on, but that doesn’t stop her from eating donut after donut or beating Will and me in every white-knuckled kart race we ran last weekend. Drivers sit only an inch or two off the ground in karts that are said to go 40 miles an hour. Eight minute races […] » about 200 words

Dick Porter, of Onset MA, has been building his collection of over 5000 thermometers since the mid-80s, though the collection has nearly doubled since 1998 when it was just over 3000. He calls it the world’s largest and only thermometer museum. He’s certainly passionate about them, and he’s been an invited speaker at more than […] » about 300 words

I learned of Harmon’s Lunch from a mention on The Splendid Table a few weeks ago. I wrote down the following quote from the show from memory, so it may not be entirely accurate: They have two things on the menu, and nobody ever orders the other one. They serve hamburgers, and the only option […] » about 300 words

The text of what appears to be the press release (online at Alpine Avalanche): The Fort Davis Merchants Association and the Jeff Davis County 4-H Club encourage everyone to come join the fun as they host the Second Annual West Texas Beautiful Burro and Mule Contest Saturday, Nov. 12. The contest will be held on […] » about 300 words

I don’t remember exactly why I found myself looking up Moscow‘s Ostankino Tower, a 1772 ft (540 m) tall radio-television tower. Compared to the world’s tallest buildings, it’s taller than all the greats: the Taipei 101, the Sears Tower, Empire State Building, though some people keep towers — even those with observation platforms — in […] » about 300 words

Treehugger alerted me to the rather surprising story of this light bulb, burning continuously since 1901. Yeah, at least that’s the story here, at the Centennial Light Bulb Committee’s website (a partnership of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department, Livermore Heritage Guild, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, and Sandia National Laboratories). The bulb is said to have been […] » about 200 words

A visit to The Paper House will run $1.50 and takes you out to a beautiful corner of the Massachusetts coast, 52 Pigeon Hill Street Rockport, MA 01966, just up the hill from Pigeon Cove. Call (978) 546-2629 if you’ve got questions. More info at Odd New England. Pictures tell quite a story, so take […] » about 300 words