August 7, 2024

Today’s Forecast

91º | 10% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 6:02 a.m. | Sunset 8:29 p.m.
Full Weather Report | Traffic Report

🦪 Escape to the seaside

Looking up at a long truss bridge spanning a river before it meets the ocean. A stunning sunset has cast everything in varying shades of orange, pink, and blue.

The Astoria–Megler Bridge is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America. | Photo by Olivia Korpi Photography

When you need to beat the summer heat, heading west until you hear the crash of the sea is always a good option. Astoria ups the ante, combining refreshing coastal air with rich history and unique culture a stone’s throw from where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean.

Essential info

Drive time: ~2 hours
Year city was founded: 1811
Est. population: 10,184

A historic county jail building that now serves as a museum for film memorabilia. A black Jeep Cherokee used in the movie "The Goonies" is parked in front. — “ORV... bullet holes? Bullet holes!”
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Photo by Cambrie Juarez, PDXtoday

Experience

“The Goonies”
This 1985 cult classic was arguably the best thing to ever happen to Astoria’s tourism industry. Fans make pilgrimages to the town year-round to visit the many film locations (and perhaps stumble upon One-Eyed Willy’s lost treasure), like Lower Columbia Bowl, Flavel House Museum, and Astoria Coffee Company. Be sure to stop by the Oregon Film Museum where the jailhouse scenes were shot and the ever-famous “Goonies House” at the end of 38th Street.

Astoria Column
Perched atop Coxcomb Hill, this landmark commemorates the earliest inhabitants of the area and its development. The city originally wanted to build an electric monument to rival Paris’ Eiffel Tower; instead, what emerged in 1926 was a 125-ft-tall column wrapped with histogram art. Climb the column’s 164 spiral steps to an observation deck offering spectacular views.

Astoria gif.gif — Explore the Peter Iredale Shipwreck and, if you’re lucky, catch an incredible sunset at Fort Stevens State Park.
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Photos by Cambrie Juarez, PDXtoday

Eat

Fedé
Don’t skip out on this Italian trattoria serving fresh, housemade pasta, salads, and craft cocktails. Expect classics like fettuccine and spaghetti, as well as dishes featuring ingredients like octopus, Calabrian nduja, rainbow trout, and pistachio pesto.

Surf 2 Soul
The menu rotates frequently at this food truck, but you can always count on finding delicious soul food. Frequent offerings include po’boys, a housemade Tillamook cheddar biscuit with fried chicken + gravy, and Cajun-style mac.

Breweries + where to stay

Asked

Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. When was it founded?

A. 1823
B. 1799
C. 1820
D. 1811

Take a guess

Events

Wednesday, Aug. 7

Annual Dahlia Festival | Wednesday, Aug. 7-Sunday, Sept. 29 | 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. | Swan Island Dahlias | Free | The country’s largest dahlia grower invites you to explore nearly 40 acres of rainbow-hued blooms representing 370+ varieties.
Duckworth Summer Wednesdays | Wednesday, Aug. 7-Wednesday, Aug. 28 | 5:30-8 p.m. | Kevin J. Duckworth Memorial Dock | Free | Cool off by cannonballing into “the best swimming hole in Portland’s central city” and listening to a setlist by Bike DJ PopCartPDX.
Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail | Wednesday, Aug. 7-Sunday, Oct. 13 | 24 hours | Locations vary | Free | Track down all 31 decorated sculptures of “Cat” inspired by LAIKA’s award-winning film scattered around downtown Portland; download the app to aid your journey.

Thursday, Aug. 8

Pissarro to Picasso: Masterworks from the Kirkland Family Collection | Thursday, Aug. 8-Sunday, Sept. 15 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Portland Art Museum | $0-$25 | See incredible pieces of art, some of which have not been available to the public for decades.
Portland Plage | Thursday, Aug. 8-Sunday, Aug. 25 | Times vary | 100 SE Alder St., Portland | $15-$200 | This Central Eastside pop-up is a sun deck by day and sunset beach club by night; rent a space in the sand and relax.

Friday, Aug. 9

Zoo Nights | Friday, Aug. 9 | 5-8:30 p.m. | Oregon Zoo | $21-$26 | Spend a summer evening outside with good food, activities for all ages, live music, and opportunities to meet animals that are active during twilight hours.

Saturday, Aug. 10

Pet Portraits Presented by Quantum Fiber | Saturday, Aug. 10 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | O.O. Howard House, Vancouver | Free | Get free digital portraits of your pooch taken by pet photographer Robert Holcomb, then treat them to a whipped cream pup cup.
PDX Hot Sauce Expo | Saturday, Aug. 10-Sunday, Aug. 11 | 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | OMSI Bridge Lot | $15-$100 | Spice up your life with hot sauce tastings, craft beers + cocktails, food, and enter an extreme eating challenge on the Stage of Doom... if you dare.
Jade International Night Market | Saturday, Aug. 10 | 3-10 p.m. | Portland Community College Southeast | Free | Shop local food and retail vendors and enjoy performances from groups like White Lotus Lion Dance, Hula Halau ‘Ohana Holo’oko’a, and Portland Taiko.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Arts

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is raising money and changing its funding model after the city of Portland terminated its contract with the organization. RACC, which provided art grant services on the city’s behalf for decades, will continue to manage the city’s and county’s public art collections. (Portland Business Journal)

Biz

Standard TV & Appliance will close its showroom in the Kerns neighborhood and open a new one in Wilsonville this fall. The Portland-born company cited “crime and homelessness” for the decision. Its other retail store on Southeast 82nd Avenue, as well as its Southeast Portland warehouse, will remain open. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Plan Ahead

Portland’s friendly troll, Ole Bolle, invites you to celebrate his first birthday next week, Aug. 11-18. Nordic Northwest planned a packed agenda of fun activities centered around the 19-ft-tall wooden sculpture, including an outdoor film screening of “The Boxtrolls,” crafting, Troll beer from Ridgewalker Brewing, Danish layer cake, and more. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Concert

Alternative rock band Ween has pulled the plug on its upcoming Portland shows. The concerts, which were scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Pioneer Courthouse Square, were sold out. Ween said it was “disappointed” to cancel but didn’t provide a reason; tickets will be refunded. (KOIN)

Real Estate

A rare opportunity to own a home designed by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi has presented itself. Nestled in a quiet suburb of Forest Park, the Joss House is a three-story master class in “eloquent simplicity” with floor-to-ceiling windows, vaulted wood ceilings, and cedar-clad walls in a tranquil forest setting.

Fun Fact

Did you know the “dog days of summer” have official start and end dates? The phrase gets its name from a star in the constellation Canis Major — Sirius, aka the Dog Star — which is at its brightest July 3 to Aug. 11. Wait a little longer to blast Florence and the Machine. (KOIN)

Olympics

Cole Hocker is the Olympic record holder and gold medal winner in the men’s 1,500 meters. The former University of Oregon runner finished with a time of 3:27:65. US women’s basketball featuring Sabrina Ionescu plays against Nigeria in the quarterfinals today at 12:30 p.m. PT. (KGW)

Sports

As Oregon Duck fans count down the days remaining until kickoff, Locked On compares this year’s schedule to 2023 — and how demanding the Big 10 could be compared to the Pac-12. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Wellness

Focused on staying hydrated? Most hydration products contain more sodium than you need. Enter: Native Hydrate’s essential amino acids, branched-chain amino acids, and electrolytes for hydration and health.*

Olympics

Thorns’ Sophia Smith notches game winner to send Team USA to Olympic women’s soccer final

Soccer star Sophia Smith runs toward the ball during a 2021 USWNT game. — Happy early birthday to Sophia Smith, who turns 24 on Saturday, Aug. 10 — the day of the gold medal match.
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Photo by Erik Drost

Smith scored in the fifth minute of extra time to break a 0-0 tie through the first 90 minutes. Here’s the story from KGW.

The U.S. women’s soccer team beat Germany 1-0 on Tuesday to advance to the Olympic finals against the winner of Spain and Brazil.

After the first 90 minutes, just like the United State’s previous match against Japan, the two were in a 0-0 deadlock with both teams being unable to capitalize on chances near the edge of the box.

Four minutes into extra time, Portland Thorns star forward Sophia Smith broke the tie, notching the ball bottom right to put the U.S. up 1-0.

After 25 more minutes of stress filled gameplay for U.S. fans, Team USA emerged victorious as a few late defensive substitutions locked down the German attack for the U.S. to narrowly pull out a 1-0 victory, sending them to their first Olympic gold medal game since 2012.