Month: December 2020

Travis Scott is proving himself a savvy entrepreneur, on top of being an award-winning musician. His collaboration with McDonald’s was so successful that his Happy Meal toy is being re-sold online for $50,000. Now, other companies, like PlayStation, are setting their sights on a partnership with the rapper — and there could be some exciting projects in the works.

Back in October, the game giant announced they had inked a deal with Scott for him to not only contribute to the creative side of their brand but to also spearhead “innovative projects” in partnership with them and his Cactus Jack brand. Per a recent report from XXL, one “innovative project” could include a PlayStation game designed by the rapper, as well as a co-branded console.

While a video game and console could be on the table, some projects that Scott worked on with PlayStation have already seen the light of day. He recently voiced a commercial and also dropped a line of merch with PlayStation.

News of the exciting potential projects arrives following a report from Forbes that Scott’s McDonald’s partnership earned him a head-turning amount of cash. According to the publication, his original endorsement contract was for $5 million but he ended up earning over $15 million from his McDonald’s merch — totaling an impressive $20 million for the entire deal.

You know who doesn’t get enough starring roles? Peter Dinklage. He’s always been one of the best things about any project he’s involved with, from Game of Thrones to The Station Agent to his blistering screen debut, the indie Living in Oblivion, in which he ruthlessly attacked lazy filmmakers who think dwarfism is in itself surreal. And while he gets his share of co-lead efforts, he rarely has the main role to himself.

That, finally, is about to change: As per Deadline, Dinklage has been cast in the lead in a long-in-the-works remake of The Toxic Avenger, the beloved horror-camp-comedy about a dweeb who becomes a roided-up mutant superhero after tumbling into toxic waste. The 1984 original — a staple of USA’s classic trash movie show Up All Night — yielded three sequels, plus a short-lived TV show, a musical, and a Sega Genesis video game.

All of the Toxic Avenger films were made by the proudly low-budget camp horror maestros at Troma Entertainment, and though the company’s legendary co-founder Lloyd Kaufman is involved with the reboot, it’s not clear how close they’ll stick to the original run’s tone. The film’s director is Macon Blair, who appeared in Jeremy Saulnier’s wincingly dark thrillers Blue Ruin and Green Room before embarking on his directorial debut, I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, starring Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood. That film mixed mordant, everyday humor with gasp-inducing shocks, so it should be interesting to see what blend he brings to good ol’ Toxie.

(Via Deadline)

With the 2020-21 NBA season rapidly approaching, there are myriad topics to discuss. For the teams that have not released their “City Edition” jerseys, uniform chatter is also picking up ahead of the downbeat of the campaign and, over the weekend, a new look emerged for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In typical fashion, opinions varied wildly when it comes to the aesthetics of the jerseys, but an intrepid observer did the work to figure out that Cleveland’s ambitious lettering wasn’t just a coincidence.

As you can see, the lettering is seemingly taken from a combination of the Sex Pistols, David Bowie, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Pink Floyd. This might seem a bit odd for an NBA team but, considering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is housed in Cleveland, the picture starts to come together.

It should be noted that, at the time of this post, the Cavs have actually announced these jerseys yet. As such, they haven’t issued the full explainer that often comes with this kind of release, but this makes too much sense to not be the actual explanation, which will lead to real questions if it doesn’t end being touted as the backstory.

The Cavs will be an interesting team in 2020-21, especially after a quiet offseason when compared to many Eastern Conference foes. If nothing else, they will have an intriguing new jersey option, and it seems to mirror a prominent local interest, reflecting the point of the “City Edition” the whole time.

You don’t need us to tell you that 2020 has been a weird one. Society has come as close to an actual dystopia than at any point since the 1970s, if not earlier than that, and we’re still far from out of the woodwork. It seems even Black Mirror — the nightmarish show that’s long argued that technology unlocks humanity’s basest instincts, when we now know all it takes is a demagogue preying upon racial and tribalist instincts — didn’t predict the cluster of clusterf*cks that descended upon the world in the last year. But the show’s creator, Charlie Brooker, may be making amends for that with a forthcoming Netflix mockumentary about our epically crap year.

This comes from a new interview with Hugh Grant, who was speaking to Vulture (in a bit sussed out by Deadline) about his just-wrapped HBO drama The Undoing. When asked about future projects, he blurted out that he was “doing a thing tomorrow, actually,” then mentioned that said thing was the aforementioned mockumentary. He offered few details, and in fact it doesn’t seem the project had been made public before Grant mentioned it. But at least we know who he’ll play. “I am a historian who’s being interviewed about the year,” he said. “I’m pretty repellent, actually! And you’ll like my wig.”

Mind you, we don’t know if Grant’s the star or one of many stars, or what approach it will take or, really, anything beyond the three or four details the beloved actor let loose upon the world. And since Grant is still doing some filming for the show, you may have to wait to learn more.

In the meantime, you can always look back at a rosier time by watching old episodes of Black Mirror, when our main worries were things like Twitter and Facebook-like social media apps and an optical device that allows you to literally block anyone you don’t like. Ah, life of, like, one year ago…

(Via Vulture and Deadline)

Miami-born Dominican-American singer DaniLeigh started out as Prince’s protege, even earning the chance to direct his video for “Breakfast Can Wait” at just 18 years old. But she’s now making moves of her own. On the heels of her sophomore album, Movie, which boasted appearances from big names like DaBaby, PartyNextDoor, Gunna, and Fivio Foreign, DaniLeigh shares a video alongside her track “Monique.”

Things kick off with DaniLeigh riding around in a powder blue Jeep, delivering her verses while taking laps and climbing on top of the vehicle. The video then cuts to a scene of the musician in a contract negotiation meeting, complete with a table scattered with cash and jewelry. Knowing her worth, the singer refuses to sign and kicks the businessman to the curb. “Ice out the Rollie, roll down the streets / Flooded ’cause life is a beach / You cannot hear me ’cause I’m out of reach / All type of designer is packed in my brief,” she raps.

Before the release of her latest video, the singer also stopped by Uproxx Studios to perform a rendition of the track. You can check that out here. And you can watch DaniLeigh’s “Monique” video above.

Movie is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.

President-elect Joe Biden has sweeping plans for expanding LGBTQ rights when he takes office in January 2021. Among them, a plan to reverse Donald Trump’s near ban on allowing transgender people to serve in the military.

In 2016, President Obama allowed transgender individuals to serve openly in the U.S. military and have access to gender-affirming psychological and medical care.

However, the Trump administration reversed course in 2017, when Trump dropped a surprise tweet saying the military “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”

The Trump administration used the cost of gender-confirming medical care as an excuse to discriminate against transgender Americans, but the numbers don’t add up.

“Well, it is what it is,” Trump told Piers Morgan. “Also massive amounts of people going in and then asking for the operation, and the operation is $200,000, $250,000.”

Dr. Joshua Safer, the executive director at Mount Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, disputed Trump’s claims in an interview with Time. He says that the real cost is closer to $25,000 on the low-end to as much as $100,000.

A 2016 report by Rand found that providing gender-affirming care to transgender troops would cost between $2.4 million and $8.4 million annually. In comparison, the Defense Department spends $80 million a year on medication for erectile dysfunction.

The Trump administration’s policy change went into effect in 2019 and although it wasn’t a complete ban on all transgender military personnel, it drastically limited the enlistment of transgender individuals.

Under the new policy, currently serving transgender individuals who have already received a diagnosis of gender dysphoria can continue to serve under the gender which they identify and receive gender-conforming treatments.

However, after the new policy took effect, anyone with a gender dysphoria diagnosis who is taking hormones or has undergone a gender transition was not allowed to enlist.

via Ted Eytan / Flickr

“The policy is insidious in operation but designed to be as comprehensive a ban as possible,” a report from the nonpartisan Palm Center, which studies LGBTQ military issues, stated.

“In that sense, it is a perfect parallel to the failed ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, also sold as not being a ban although designed to systemically push gay people out of military service — or at least keep them silent and invisible,” the report continued.

Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, says that reversing the Trump policy should be as easy as “pushing a button” and she expects it’ll be “one of the first things he does.”

Biden has said he will direct the Pentagon to allow transgender troops to serve and get medical care because it’s what’s best for all Americans. The Trump policy is “discriminatory and detrimental to our national security,” Biden’s campaign website says.

In addition to reversing Trump’s transgender ban, Biden has pledged to support efforts to ban LGBT conversion therapy and reinstate Obama administration guidance directing public schools to allow transgender students to access bathrooms.

Biden’s top legislative priority for LGBTQ issues is to pass the Equality Act which would extend anti-bias protections to LGBT individuals as they apply to housing, public accommodations, and public services.

As Vice President, Joe Biden was lauded by the LGBT community for coming out in favor of gay marriage even before President Obama. It appears as though, as president, he’s going to give the LGBT even more reasons to celebrate.

The NFL’s grasp on its season continued to slip on Monday, as a Thanksgiving Day matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens was delayed a third time. And now the league has apparently lost a prime time television slot out to a really big tree.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed on Monday that the game would be moved from Tuesday night to Wednesday, an unprecedented decision in and of itself. But then things got even weirder: the game would be played at 3:40 in the afternoon.

It was a confusing call to say the least, though it does mean the turnaround for some potential Monday afternoon games to follow wouldn’t be as harsh, travel-wise. But eagle-eyed people online wondered if the game — which was to air on NBC on Thanksgiving night and remains with the network — was put in the afternoon because of the scheduled tree lightning ceremony the network planned to air in prime time.

And, indeed, Schefter reported on Monday night that NBC essentially picked a very lackluster tree over a beleaguered NFL game.

If there were ever a situation where television networks and their sway over the National Football League were more evident, it would take some searching to find it. It’s also worth noting that the NFL’s initial delay of the Thanksgiving game to Sunday would have put its kickoff past the traditional 1 p.m. start on the east coast, presumably so the game’s final minutes would still be happening after the other early games were over so NBC would get a late bump in ratings.

Now, thanks to a Christmas spectacular that simply cannot be moved, it will apparently compete with the likes of daytime soaps and, in some markets, Dr. Phil.

No one can deny that Elon Musk is a master at building his own lane. He did it with PayPal, changing the way we buy things online forever. He did it with Tesla, making electric cars cool and desirable (something the Prius could never do). He’s doing it with SpaceX, likely beating NASA in the quest to build the first landable and reusable rocket. Dude knows how to win.

So when Elon Music semi-jokingly suggested he’d be throwing his hat into the tequila game with “Teslaquila” two years back, it just seemed like yet another thing he was sure to succeed at. (If the stoner actually followed through.)

Turns out producing Tequila is a little bit more complicated than electric vehicles and space travel though, at least if you want to call it “Teslaquila” and not, you know, “tequila.” The Verge reports that soon after Elon’s April Fool’s tweet announcing Teslaquila, a legal representative attempted to register the brand in Mexico, which was followed up by an objection in February of 2019 by the Tequila Regulatory Council, the body responsible for authorizing the manufacture, consumption, and trade of tequila, and later rejected by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property.

The main issue with Teslaquila was that the name was too similar to the word tequila, which is a designation of origin and can only be rightfully used by the tequila agribusiness. Calling a tequila Teslaquila might cause confusion about where the product comes from, something the Tequila Regulatory Council takes very seriously. Meaning if Elon seriously wants to get in the tequila game, he’ll have to call his product something else.

Which is good because that name is dorky as f*ck.

Ever the early adopter and quick adapter, Teslaquila has pivoted to Tesla Tequila and is officially registered in both Mexico and the United States and is associated with the Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, in Tequila, Jalisco, a legit tequila distillery. While much of this tequila is still shrouded in mystery, we at least now know the name. We’ve also learned that the original idea for a lightning-shaped bottle, modeled after the Tesla GPS charging station icons, is unlikely. The glass bottles have been called “impossible to mass-produce” by The Verge.

So Elon is 0-2 in the tequila game. But if Tesla Tequila turns out at least half as good as the car company that shares its name, it just might be able to compete with other celebrity-driven agave spirits expresions, which range from The Rock’s tequila to the Breaking Bad duo’s famed mezcal.

It’s not that Quibi, the about-to-die “quick bite” streaming service, never trended on Twitter. It’s that it only trended when the news about it was bad. Back in late October, a mere six months after launching, the company announced it was shutting up shop, with the death date set “around” December 1. The day before that proposed day, social media finally started talking about Quibi again — but it wasn’t even to mourn any of its many real shows, which still need to find another home.

On Monday, Twitter seized upon a Quibi show entitled Jack Sparrow House, whose Wikipedia page describes it as a reality television show concerning “fourteen Jack Sparrow impersonators in a single family home who were eliminated if they broke character.”

Would you watch a show about Johnny Depp-in-Pirates of the Caribbean impersonators, especially if each episode was a mere 10 minutes long? Of course you would. Alas, it was not to be. Not only is Quibi about to shuffle off this mortal coil, but Jack Sparrow House never existed. It was some yukster’s dumb Wikipedia joke. Here’s some more of its absurd Wiki description:

“Quibi head of content Colin Davis described the show as ‘more of an endurance contest than a true talent competition.’ Quibi head of brand and marketing Megan Imbres described the show as ‘the source of a significant amount of litigation.’ Three contestants were kicked off the show after separate public defecation incidents and one contestant was forced to withdraw upon discovering the house was within 500 feet of an elementary school.”

Quibi wasn’t without worthwhile shows. The Anna Kendrick sex doll show was one. The Reno 911 revival was another. The short-form streamer content may have struck a nerve in another age, when people once again are able to leave their homes and kill time waiting on lines. Its radical form of narrative storytelling may get to be explored again, in a better tomorrow.

But for now, people have little but jokes for a streamer that never took off, whose owners wasted over a billion dollars to get nowhere. And they couldn’t enough of a show that, despite being fake, seemed like the perfect distillation of what Quibi was, in its too short life.

And people had jokes about Quibi itself.

Some pointed out that Quibi’s Twitter account is currently locked to non-followers.

And there were those who sincerely mourned the many writers, directors, actors, crew, etc. who believed in Quibi as next-level content, and whose hard work may not have a home for quite some time.

In the meantime, enjoy Quibi while it lasts — if you ever signed up for it in the first place. If it’s not gone first thing December, it still won’t be around by the time the 45th American president formally concedes.

Travel will return. That’s a foregone conclusion. Vaccines are on the horizon (though their full rollout worldwide may take years). Once hitting the road is on the table again, expect things to be different. The industry has been rocked by the pandemic, going back to the way things once were would be ridiculous and ill-advised.

Hopefully, when travel does come back in full, we’ll be ready to travel smarter, more sustainably, and with a real purpose. Doing it “for the ‘Gram” isn’t reason enough (though adventure and fun certainly are). One way that we see travel evolving is a continued emphasis on thinking local, accessible, and neighborly. The era of constantly flying around the globe for every vacation — even for the span of a few days — should be on pause. At least until a less climate-punishing way to fly comes along.

That means more trips around this nation. Including visits to America’s small towns.

Why small towns? For years now, the places in between the big cities, the big monuments, and the big attractions have been overlooked by tourists chasing IG fodder. It’s time to slow down and look at what’s available away from the spots everyone has spent the past five years snapping endless photos of. There’s so much more out there, folks. And when traveling safely is part of our lives again, it’ll be time to find the spaces in between the tentpole destinations.

To help us breakdown some of the great small towns in the U.S., we reached out to professional travelers who see the world for a living. There was really only one parameter here: Think small. Places like Truckee (NV) not Reno; or Oxford (MS) not Jackson. The largest population on this list is around 77,000 people; the smallest is 298. Check each entry out below and add your favorites to your rapidly-lengthening travel wish list.

Scranton, PA — Melanie Sutrathada

WHY IT’S SPECIAL:

I first found out about Scranton, PA, because it was the setting for the TV show The Office. If I’m honest, I kind of imagined (and maybe hoped) that Dwight Shrute and Michael Scott might be waiting for me around every corner, ready to shout “The Electric City!” While that didn’t happen, I did find a magical town with beautiful rolling hills, charm for days, and a sense of history and pride that can’t be beat.

ONE CAN’T-MISS ACTIVITY:

You have to take the Steamtown Fall Foliage Train Excursion if you’re in Scranton in the fall. The tours take you throughout Lackawanna County and have the most breathtaking scenic views you could imagine. Seriously, you’ll never look at the changing leaves in the same way after this tour in Scranton.

ONE SPOT TO EAT and/or DRINK:

Go back in time at Madame Jenny’s, the speakeasy inside the Bittenbender Building on Franklin Avenue. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a great cocktail and live music after hours.

PRO TIP:

Scranton has so much to offer in terms of the great outdoors. Whether you live for zip-lining or are looking to ride ATVs for the first time, Scranton is the place to be! Set aside a few days to kayak down the river or hike for hours and hours on end. You will not regret it.

Racine, WI — Phil Calvert

WHY IT’S SPECIAL:

About 40 minutes south of Milwaukee and an hour twenty minutes north of Chicago, lies a beautiful town in-between called Racine. This is an amazing Midwest city with plenty of activities from outdoor sports to museums to beaches, and some quality nightlife (in non-pandemic times, anyway).

Unfortunately, what is amazing for some is not for others. Racine — along with Milwaukee and Kenosha — is among the most racially segregated cities in the region. After the shooting of Jacob Blake, though, it’s impressive how many initiatives to support Black-owned businesses and the Black community have been launched. Go support them.

ONE CAN’T-MISS ACTIVITY:

Go check out the blue waters of North Beach (Certified Blue Wave clean beach!) or the must-see Mahogany Gallery, a premier art exhibition dedicated to some dope art and history.

ONE SPOT TO EAT and/or DRINK:

Definitely Mrs. Betty’s Kitchen! The Jerk Chicken Noodle Soup is phenomenal. For dessert, you can’t go anywhere other than Yogi’s Pud’n for the best pudding in the world!

PRO TIP:

My second home outside the U.S.A. is Denmark, and Racine has the largest North American settlement of Danes. So you have to absolutely try “Wisconsin’s Official State Pastry,” the “Kringle,” which is a delicious Danish pastry.

Two Harbors, CA — Kinga Philipps

WHY IT’S SPECIAL:

Catalina is only 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles yet absolutely worlds away. It’s a nature lover’s paradise with a rich history of Native Americans, movie moguls, and wild bison roaming the hills (left behind after a western film was shot on the island in the 1920s).

ONE CAN’T-MISS ACTIVITY:

You can hike, mountain bike, camp, kayak, boat, and fish. But the must-do is diving the magnificent kelp forests and looking for the California state fish, Garibaldi (giant black sea bass), leopard sharks, and ubiquitous bat rays.

ONE SPOT TO EAT and/or DRINK:

Pretty much only one option: Harbor Reef Restaurant & Saloon. Try the Buffalo Milk. It’s a mix of vodka and cream. No real buffalo used.

PRO TIP:

Book the tent cabin camping in Two Harbors well in advance. For sunset, climb to the top of the barbed wire hike for spectacular views and a reveal of why it’s called that. Emerald Cove is a must for a swim. Its name is true to its color. Say, “hello,” to the two resident octopuses who live there.

Union, WA — Zach Johnston

WHY IT’S SPECIAL:

Union is one of those places that you can easily miss by simply staying on Highway 101. That’s a shame. The town is tiny and stretched along the misty shores of the Hood Canal. There’s a small store, a Tex-Mex joint with a bar, a few antique shops, a small tavern in an a-frame next to hotel cabins in the woods, a harbor, a deli with a pizza bar, and the Alderbrook Resort.

That’s actually it. The rest is misty rainforest hikes and cold, inky, and calm seas.

ONE CAN’T-MISS ACTIVITY:

In essence, Union is a home base for digging into the wider world of the Hood Canal and eastern reaches of the Olympic Peninsula and national park. You can hike around the immediate area, thanks to trails supported by Alderbrook Resort. You can also rent boats and go out on the water for fishing or just enjoying the scenery — the southern Olympic Mountains are in full view from the water. This is the sweet spot for diving into the best of small-town western Washington with the sea, forests, and mountains at your doorstep. I guess that’s two can’t-miss activities but they go hand-in-hand in a town as small as Union.

ONE SPOT TO EAT and/or DRINK:

The bar and restaurant at Alderbrook is the spot. I post up at the bar almost every night I’m in town. The cocktails are on point, big, and not expensive. The bar menu highlights local seafood from Hama Hama Oysters to fresh-caught Dungeness crabs to locally smoked salmon. Don’t sleep on the clam chowder either. It pairs nicely with a local craft beer or wine with a view of the Canal outlined by the firs and cedars leading up to the craggy peaks of the Olympics — on a clear day, that is.

PRO TIP:

Day trips are the key to a stay in Union. Two trips are a must while you’re there and both are around 30 minutes away — by car — from Union.

One, head up the 101 to Lilliwaup and the Hama Hama Oyster Saloon. Along the way, stop off at Skokomish to pick up some smoked salmon. The Oyster Saloon is the perfect way to spend an afternoon eating seafood harvested literally a few feet away, drinking local wine and beer, and making new friends around firepits.

Two, head to Hoodsport and then up to Staircase to access the rainforests of Olympic National Park. It’s a very accessible way to get into the park and enjoy the moss-laden firs and cedars, vistas across Alpine valleys, and great hiking — though, you’ll probably need raingear.

Avalon, CA — Justin Walter

WHY IT’S SPECIAL:

If you’re itching for a European escape but bummed a U.S. passport likely won’t do the trick for a while, I’ve got your solution! Just an hour boat ride from Los Angeles is the island escape of Avalon. This 2.9-square-mile area of Catalina Island will transport you to a Mediterranean-style getaway at the fraction of the cost and travel time (plus, no passport needed). With crystal clear Croatian-like turquoise waters, Avalon is an oasis for a post-pandemic unwind or a hot spot for adrenaline-pumping outdoor adventures.

ONE CAN’T-MISS ACTIVITY:

One thing that’s a must, scuba diving at Casino Point Dive Park. Not certified? No worries! You can do a PADI discovery dive in Catalina’s world-class kelp forests and coral reefs.

ONE SPOT TO EAT and/or DRINK:

When it’s time to dry off, celebrate your underwater excursion with tropical drinks at a tiki bar. Luau Larry’s offers live music and views of the harbor to help you continue living your best island life…in Los Angeles County!

PRO TIP:

If you’re not sold on experiencing Catalina underwater, do it from above — via parasailing, zip-lining, or suspended ropes courses.

Leavenworth, WA — Steve Bramucci

WHY IT’S SPECIAL:

The best Christmas of my adult life was spent in Austria. And while Leavenworth isn’t an exact facsimile of the German/ Austrian holiday experience, it’s incredibly close. It’s not just the distinct Bavarian winter charm that the city recreates, either. It’s also the small-town friendliness.

There are so many cheesy travel slogans about places that feel welcoming, but this is one spot on the globe that lives up to all of them. It’s so folksy — with locally made toffee, rich hot chocolate, and hearty stews around every corner — that it practically makes your teeth ache. Leavenworth also nails other key aspects of the Bavarian winter experience, namely the sledding, the beer, and the spas.

Seriously, make your plans now (as you can see, I recommend a winter visit). This is a true gem and a genuinely unique small-town travel experience.

ONE CAN’T-MISS ACTIVITY:

If you’re looking for luxury, the Leavenworth Post Hotel spa offers serious bliss. The subterranean pool and healing plunge tubs are the next best thing to Austria’s famous Aqua Dome. The rooms are minimalist and incredibly cozy — exactly the mix of warmth and sexiness you crave at an adults-only property like this. (Oh, and yes — it’s very Instagammable.)

ONE SPOT TO EAT and/or DRINK:

München House has all of the Bavarian beers and foods you crave on a trip like this, the service is friendly, and the vibe is charming. That said, Leavenworth Sausage Garden has the widest range of sausages in town and has the exact convivial energy of a Bavarian beer tent come holiday-time.

PRO TIP:

Get a plastic sled before rolling into town. If there’s snow on the ground people will be sledding everywhere and that’s the sort of community-based fun you don’t want to miss out on.

Hood River, Oregon — Steve’s Pick 2

WHY IT’S SPECIAL:

There’s no need to Google them all, Hood River (OR) is on literally every best/most liveable/ most adventurous city list ever made. In the winter, it’s cozy and in easy striking distance of world-class ski runs. In the summer, it’s a cruisy, folksy little surf/ ski town more than a hundred miles from the ocean.

The surf that Hood River is famous for is wind/kitesurfing. It’s also renowned for paddleboarding, sailing, and foil riding. When you’re not tearing across the famous Hood Canal, there are hikes just about everywhere you look, with waterfalls, plunge pools, and cliff jumps all in easy driving distance.

This being Oregon, there’s no shortage of eating and drinking options when your adventures are done for the day. The quaint shops and friendly locals only add to the small-town energy of the place.

ONE CAN’T-MISS ACTIVITY:

My favorite hike in the United States is the nearby Oneonta Gorge — where you walk up a stream, through a mossy slot canyon, and up to a dramatic waterfall. My biases aside, Tamanawas Falls and Punchbowl Falls are in the same area and both similarly stunning. So while the no-brainer answer here is “get out on the river”, I’ll assume you’re doing that and add “go for a hike.”

ONE SPOT TO EAT and/or DRINK:

Hood River Distillers produces an incredibly diverse array of spirits and liqueurs, all of which can be tasted at their tasting room in town. The staff is friendly and the range of what you can try is nearly unparalleled. Don’t miss the Elderberry Liqueur or the Old Delicious Apple Brandy.

PRO TIP:

Adventures are exhausting. And they always take longer than you thought. Plus you’ll want some rest and you might have some rusty mornings thanks to the breweries in town. So here’s the tip: Book in at the very cool, highly stylized Hood River Hotel and plan on an extra night. Maybe two.