The ultimate hotel resort-Edgefield

The history of McMenamin’s Edgefield hotel:

As hard as it may be to believe today, Edgefield, built in 1911, served for several decades as the Multnomah County Poor Farm. Residents operated a self-sufficient environment, raising hogs, poultry, growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, operating a dairy, cannery and meat packing plant as well as working in the laundry, kitchen and hospital.

In 1947, it was renamed the Multnomah County Home and Farm and in the late fifties the farm operation was eliminated. In 1962, the facility was renamed Edgefield Manor and for the last two decades of operation, functioned as a nursing home and eventually closed in 1982.

McMenamins purchased the property from Multnomah County in 1990. In phases lasting over four years, the condemned buildings and land were transformed into a unique European-style village, including lodging, a pub with a movie theater, fine dining, a winery, a brewery, distillery, golf course, gardens, vineyards, artwork, meeting, wedding and banquet space, and special events year round.

The historic Georgian-revival style Manor dominates the village atmosphere and is surrounded by numerous smaller buildings that now share a role in entertaining visitors. Local artists showcase their artwork on doors, walls, and ceilings celebrating the history of Edgefield and the Columbia Gorge. The sculpted grounds and gardens tie the 25 acres together, making Edgefield a warm, relaxing and enchanting place to visit.

Last weekend Colin and I celebrated my 23rd birthday together at McMenamin’s Edgefield, which is located in Troutdale, Oregon. If you have not gone or stayed at this great historic resort, here are some on site attractions that may help you decide whether or not to visit it.

There are over 100 European-style guestrooms and hostels for affordable deals. In these skillfully crafted rooms there isn’t a television nor a telephone (WiFi is available); therefore, many other amenities on site await guests to divert from boredom.

There is a fine dining restaurant, a classic pub and several small bars all over the property. One of my favorite little bars is called The Little Red Shed. This is tucked away, but is very cozy- if you like a good stogie and whiskey on the rocks once in a while. You can sit by the fire, which was an incinerator back when it was poor farm days, and have an intimate time with others.

A theater. Here you can purchase a movie ticket, order some delicious food and beverages from the bar and watch a newly released motion picture. Gotta try the specials and of course the cajunized tater tots.

Ruby Spa. This is a new addition to the hotel. This is an awesome spot to have a nice massage and get some spa treatment. Directly behind the spa is the salt water soaking pool,” free of chemical treatment.” This pool is exclusive to guests and individuals who use the spa.

A Winery. Here you can do some wine tasting and enjoy some live music while doing so. What is even more awesome is if you are an employee, and you bring your pay stub, you can experience wine tasting for free! You have to try the Black Rabbit Red, one of my favorites!

Concerts on the lawn. Not only is McMenamins pretty popular for its fabulous catered weddings, it is popular for the concerts that go on at Edgefield! Colin and I went to the John Butler Trio and G. Love & Special Sauce. It was very entertaining, just don’t forget your blanket and a cushion for your tooshie.

There are tons of things to do, you can’t visit each place and have a enjoyable time in one day. So, don’t forget to visit the 32-hole Golf Course, the Distillery, the Water tower, the pool hall as well as viewing the original, amazing art all over the resort!

Flight of the Concords

This is just plain funny…Enjoy.

Such a smart ad

This is  one of the smartest ads I’ve seen!  60 voices to record the sounds of a Honda Civic! Of course it was crafted by one of the most amazing advertising agencies out there, Wieden +Kennedy.

Click here if you want to see behind the scenes.

A great story

Yay, another date night with Colin had arrived.
We recently just saw one of the best movies I have seen in a long time, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, this fiction film beams a selfless story about an infant born old named Benjamin Button.

It was nominated for 5 golden globe awards and has won many others. I definitely recommend it.

Here are some great quotes from the movie that are quotable-

“Life can only be understood looking backward. It must be lived forward.” – [from the trailer]

“You never know what’s coming for you.”

“It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed, is you.”

“I want to remember us, just as we are now.”

“In the end, you have to let go.”

“I look a lot older than I really am.”

“We are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss”

“You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went, you can curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.”

“We were meant to lose people. How else would we know how important they are?”

“Along the way you bump into people who make a dent on your life. Some people get struck by lightning. Some are born to sit by a river. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim the English Channel. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people can dance.”

The letter to his daughter:

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”

Benjamin Button: I was thinking how nothing last, and what a shame that is.
Daisy: Some things last.

To A New Year, To New Beginnings

It has been so long since my last entry….So, where have I been ?? I have been searching for, what I still hope for, is a career in design/production. However, without enough work experience and due to the recent downward spiral of the economy, it’s tough to just get a plain jane J.O.B. Even achieving that is an accomplishment in itself.

Thankfully, these last five months I have been quickly learning the front desk duties and responsibilities as a guest service agent at the Clarion Hotel near the Portland Airport. I accepted the position in hopes to learn all aspects of a receptionist in order to utilize the skills at an advertising agency in the future, which would be a way of getting my foot in the door as well as a way to get into the business. Starting from the bottom up, right?

However, my curiosity and willingness to learn more about the hotel industry as well as potential management/supervisory positions that may be offered, this business shows a lot of potential for success.  Hopefully that time will come sooner or later.

Gigs..posters…

Sitting at the computer all day at my internship I overheard my fellow co-worker reminiscing about how cool some website was. Immediately I went to the site and it’s pretty cool! GigPosters.com encompasses a huge collection of concert posters that accepts submissions of digitized concert posters, handbills and flyers from designers as well as collectors. I typed in Led Zepplin and there are dozens of awesome posters.
According to the site, there are over 92,00 posters and over 86,300 designers! There are some really creative and original designs. So, I guess if your brain stops working and you need some design help, just spend some time looking at all the amazing work on the site!

Here is one I made…but have not submitted. haha (I have more of my work in the “MYwork” tab at the top! Check it out!)

Working 2 jobs..

I have a lot of respect for those out there who work more than one or two jobs to make a living. This past month I have been experiencing that very concept. I recently got a job working as an intern for a small business called, Campus Marketing Specialists, helping the art department design promotional items for college campuses all over the United States.

My typical day: wake up at 6:05 AM, get ready, then drive to Sunset Max Station. Once I get to the Max Station I take it to the Yamhill District in Portland. I usually arrive around 7:30 AM ( I don’t start work until 8 AM). During that half hour I read Harry Potter. I just finished the first book! (Oh, Harry!) From 8 AM- 4 PM, I help design posters, carabiners, pedometers, flyers, t shirts etc. Then I go home OR I go straight to McMenamins on the Max.

Therefore, I also just finished training to work in the kitchen at McMenamins on Broadway, located downtown Portland. At this particular restaurant, the employees are required to learn aspects of being a server as well as a kitchen person, I guess the chef to be more technical.

Working both in one day can be draining, but it will be all worth it because I will pay off some big bills.
The thing is…. I just don’t know how much more my body can take…

My Story

When I was in the New Venture Champions class during my last year in college, Professor Morrison assigned us to tell her “our story” through visualizations, powerpoints, whatever we wanted. This is what I came up with designed in InDesign. Check it out

mystory

Frozen

On behalf of Improv Everywhere, over 200 people froze in place on cue in Grand Central Station in New York. It was an awesome project!!

Elevator Psychology

Going into an elevator, one would never think to look at the rear while waiting to get to the next floor. What if you were in an elevator and the people in it were all facing the same way, but not toward the door? Would you be pressured to do the same as the rest or maintain your individuality?A bit awkward…the following clip is pretty hilarious to demonstrate this “elevator psychology.” Enjoy.