Greetings from Portland, Oregon. Below is an update on the area’s newest travel-related developments. We hope you will find this information useful. If you prefer not to receive future media updates on Portland, please click here.

FEBRUARY TOPICS

Quirky Stuff – Portland Prepares to Move World’s Smallest Park

Hotel News – Hotel deLuxe to Open in May 2006

Arts & Culture News – Portland Center Stage Transforms Historic Armory Building

Portland Prepares to Move World’s Smallest Park

The world’s smallest park – as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records – is about to move… but only temporarily. Due to road construction, Mill Ends Park (24 inches across and located at the intersection of downtown Portland’s Southwest Taylor Street and Naito Parkway) will be moved 80 feet from its current location. The park will reside in the plaza area of Portland’s World Trade Center complex for approximately six months. According to Portland Parks & Recreation officials, a move was necessary to protect the tiny green space from the threat posed by the much larger construction equipment. (What Portlanders won’t do to protect the environment.) When the Naito Parkway roadway improvements are completed in six or seven months, the park will be moved back to a new location on Naito Parkway, 7.5 feet east of its current home. The big – or little – move takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Some sort of “mobile platform,” perhaps an all-terrain vehicle, will be used to move the park in its entirety. Mill Ends Park, which was dedicated as an official city park in 1976, is one of 200 parks managed by Portland Parks & Recreation. Note: At this time, the city has no plans to move Portland’s 5,000-acre Forest Park.

Media Contact: Pete Schulberg, Portland Parks & Recreation, 503.823.5300, pschulberg@ci.portland.or.us, www.portlandparks.org

Hotel deLuxe to Open in May 2006

In January 2006, Portland’s historic Hotel Mallory closed its doors to undergo a more than $8 million renovation and modernization project. When the hotel reopens in May 2006 it will be called the Hotel deLuxe. In addition to its new name, the 1912 building on the quiet fringe of Portland’s downtown district will boast high-speed wireless Internet service, all new furnishings and carpets, modern bathroom fixtures, a pillow menu, a spiritual menu, 24-hour room service, 24-hour business and fitness centers, and a Hollywood-noir décor. A 13-foot LCD screen in the lobby will feature glamorous black-and-white stills of Hollywood stars (the images will change every few hours), while the hotel’s hallways will be lined with additional shots of movie stars and famous directors. One thing that won’t change – much – is the hotel’s famed Driftwood Room. The tiny lounge’s wood paneling, brick wall and dark ambience – which were ultra-cool in the ‘50s – have transitioned to hipster-kitsch. While most of the cozy bar’s elements will remain untouched, the lounge will see a few cosmetic changes: new lighting, carpeting and chairs. For more information on Hotel deLuxe, click here.

Media Contact: Dina Nishioka, Aspen Hotel Group / Hotel deLuxe, 503.295.2122, ext. 223, dina@aspeninvestments.com, www.hoteldeluxeportland.com

Portland Center Stage Transforms Historic Portland Armory Building

With its turrets and faux parapets, the Historic Portland Armory building looks like a castle. And by fall 2006, the royalty residing within will be the cast and crew of Portland Center Stage. Founded nearly 20 years ago, Portland Center Stage has evolved to become a major player on Portland’s arts scene. The company (currently a tenant of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts) has long desired its own performance space. That dream will be realized following a $36.1 million renovation of the castle-like Romanesque Revival armory, which was opened in 1891 to house local units of the Oregon National Guard. The building, located in Portland’s Pearl District and accessible from downtown via the Portland Streetcar, has a dramatic façade and a cavernous main room that make the structure a perfect fit for theatrical endeavors. In typical Portland fashion, the armory’s renovation is being done as a pioneering “green” project. Portland Center Stage is striving to become the world’s first historic renovation to earn a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum rating. Even the new name of the theater reflects “green” sensibilities: the newly christened Bob and Diana Gerding Theater in the Historic Portland Armory honors one of Portland’s visionary “green” developers and his spouse, both of whom are also strong arts supporters. For more information on Portland Center Stage’s transformation of the Historic Portland Armory, click here.

Media Contact: Kathy Budas, Portland Center Stage, 503.274.6583, kathyb@pcs.org, www.pcs.org