Nifty New Places on 4th St!

Hello Everyone!

There are always new and excited things happening in Corvallis and here are a few!
First Ti Amo Lingerie opened up two doors down from Platinum Nightclub at 116 SW 4th Street!
This place is really fun and off beat it is not your average lingerie shop! They stock Lucy B (vintage inspired) and Ed Hardy intimates footy pjs for grown-ups and lots of other fun stuff. And the best part is although you can drop a pretty penny here like I was tempted to do with some Ed Hardy loungewear you can get a cute bra and panty sets for as little as $16!

In other openings The Vibe Internet Café has opened up also right near Ti Amo at 134 SW 4^th.

Serving some fun coffee drinks including the “Johnny Cash” this place specializes in vegan eats. The Vibe has a great “Build Your Own Sandwich” menu and also offers a few salads and soups! Furnished with vintage and vintage inspired décor this place not only has a great vegan menu but also has a great vibe (that was a totally unintentional pun)!

I hope you get to try one of these new places soon!

Enjoy!

$10 Plates!!!

Iovinos, a fantastic Italian restaurant downtown is currently offering special $10 dollar plates! They always have incredible food and this deal is sure to be a bargain. If you've never been to Iovinos, make sure you go; along with great food, they have neat decorating inside and out with sidewalk tables facing Corvallis' renowned riverfront. Bring a friend and make sure you don't miss out on this deal, it's no longer too expensive to go out to dinner and a glass of wine to one of Corvallis' finest restaurants!

Corvallis Birding

First time visitors to Corvallis are usually very suprised to learn about the abundance of bird life in the Willamette Valley. In addition to this the mild climate of corvallis makes birding a fun year round activity. The Audubon Society has counted over 125 species of birds in a 15 mile radius around the city. Some of the places that are considered “hot spots” are Chip Ross Park, Avery Park, Bald Hill, Willamette Park, and the Jackson-Frazier Wetlands. The latter on the above list has constructed boardwalks and bridges across a beautiful marshy area that is close to town. The Audobon web site has further information about birding in and around the Corvallis area, for more information please visit www.audubon.corvallis.or.us

This Weekend is Gonna be Good!

One of my fav bands
poitín & stout

will be playing at Block 15 on Saturday (1/10) at 10 PM. Which is awesomely right when Happy Hour starts! And this won't be just any show; it is their CD release party! Featuring raffle prizes and oh so good music!
Plus there is no cover! And...
Block 15 makes some amazing beers and while I'm on the topic I should tell you that they discount Growlers on Sunday to $7 per fill (provided you have a growler) for any of their beers!
Anyway; I'll see you there - Celtic music is really something and here in the PNW we are fortunate enough to have some talented people to listen to!
Cheers!

Gifts You Can Feel Good About Giving!

This time of year I always feel… guilty

…joyful yes but also guilty.

For me it is hard to walk the line between being a good steward of the earth and giving gifts that my loved ones will enjoy. I hardly every buy new things for myself and I actually am so overwhelmed by the consumerism that I get the spins when I go into a Target or a WalMart; maybe that is why I live in Corvallis. Needless to say this presents a challenge when Christmas shopping. Most years I have enjoyed making Christmas gifts for everyone on my list or finding one of a kind vintage items for example antique barware for people on my list but this year that just didn’t happen.

So I began to panic and ask “what do other anti-consumer people do for the holidays?”

It was then I remembered a fair trade store I went to in Corvallis awhile ago.

They had some great stuff!

I like to give ornaments to the people in my life i dont know much about but appreciate so this angels (above) are great they are made by AIDS orphans to support their orphanage.

For the entertainer they have recycled Venetian glass (above) which YES you can eat off of and block printed tablecloths (below)!

For kids they have several educational gifts like a Morse Code kits (to the right) and some other fun stuff. For little kids they also have some great eco-friendly toys like this tea set (to the left) that is all recycled plastic and was named the number one toy in America by Parenting Magazine!

For the guys they have some awesome shirts printed with clay inks with cool images (see close up of bicycle image below)!

They also have a large variety of bracelets which makes stocking suffers easier for me with girls and really well made recycled silk scarfs and purses!

So now there is no guilt and everyone has fun presents to receive on Christmas morning!

All of these gift ideas and many more are from
Many Hands Trading on Monroe Av. in downtown Corvallis! For hours and more information call them at 541-738-0808

Corvallis has its own currency?

Check out this great program Corvallis has called the hours exchange which uses a local currency to encourage a working form of the buy local movement. Click Here for more information and YES some establishments in Corvallis accept the currency - most importantly Oregon Trail Brewery and Corvallis Brewing Supply both do :) High quality beer and cheese here we come!

Sightseeing is Free and Relaxing...

There are some beautiful sights to see in Corvallis...

Take a day get some coffee from one of our local coffee shops and enjoy the sights and sounds of Corvallis...

One of my favorite things to do on a lazy morning is to grab a cup of coffee and walk along the riverfront in Corvallis. It is so relaxing and the birds are singing.

Then I take a walk through downtown and enjoy some of the architecture. I love old architecture and have read about some of these buildings online. There is also a walking tour of historic downtown.