February is Portland’s dreariest month, so you may be ready for a quick injection of joy. Here’s some of what the city has to offer right now:
🐘 Don’t just ogle the photos in this newsletter or on social media. Go see Portland’s 265-pound baby elephant at the Oregon Zoo. “She came out particularly cute,” says one of her keepers. But she won’t stay (relatively) little for very long. (Plus, there’s a discount on admission through March 7.)
🌸 Plan a day to go visit the cherry blossoms along the waterfront — which will reach their peak in two to three weeks. Maybe combine it with a trip to the Portland Saturday Market, which opens for the season this weekend. Tip: Portland has cherry trees everywhere, so if you don’t make it downtown, maybe all you need to do is stroll your neighborhood. You can also visit the Japanese Garden.
If you actually go you're just like, ‘Oh my city. It's so cute.’
Claudia Meza, City Cast Portland
🍕 Order a last-minute treat since we’re the best pizza town around. Open seven days a week, Lovely’s Fifty-fifty (whose chef Sarah Minick is up for a James Beard award this year) is one excellent dinner option, even last-minute.
Tom McCall waterfront at its peak. (Mark E. McClure)
🐑 Gardening Tips for March
It’s a good time to look forward to the season ahead too.
🌱 If you’re looking to do some planting this spring, the first step might be a gardening class. (Hat tip to Portland City Cast host Claudia Meza for that suggestion.) Your local nursery is a good place to look for classes, as well.
🌳 If you need some mulch, you can it get free from ChipDrop. (Hat tip to City Cast director of digital strategy Bryan M. Vance for this idea and for the next one.)
🌲 Sparrowhawk Native Plants offers plant sales twice a year if you’re looking to garden with native plants. Order (starting March 2) for pickup in April or May.
- Related: Why you should make space for native plants in your garden.
🧅 And don’t forget to consult the official planting calendar from Portland Nursery.
