Under the blue sky that shelters our little bend in the Willamette, sits the RiverPlace Esplanade that overlooks the Hawthorn bridge and the RiverPlace Marina. The RiverPlace Esplanade is just now hitting its stride, and already offers some of the city's most elegant dining, casual café hangouts, wine bars and ice cream shops.

Attention Men who need attention. Restless but no plans? Next time you feel the urge to break the pattern and monotony forget happy hour or doing the same old damn thing. Head downtown close to Chinatown for a haircut like no other, a slice of cheese with garlic, and some great local music. Let's not forget to top it off with a visit to the sassiest club in town. Yeah-that's a guy's night on the town!!!

Kissing at The Sapphire Hotel isn't required, but it is definitely encouraged. In fact, historically, the Sapphire is a place where kissing has long been expected. At the turn of the century, what is now The Sapphire Hotel Bar and Restaurant was the lobby of a brothel where travelers and sailors mingled with prostitutes, musicians, gypsies and mystics. For those who wanted to continue kissing and beyond, rooms were cheap and rented by the hour, night or week.