America's Best Small Ski Towns, Bend Oregon

Alpenglow Vacation Rentals is pleased to announce that Bend Oregon was featured in the Travel & Leisure Magazine in their article "America's Best Small Ski Towns".  The following is an excerpt of that article:

Travel & Leisure Magazine, December 2008; America's Best Small Ski Towns

Bend Oregon

Lying on the dry side of the Cascades, Bend has the best of all worlds: it’s well-watered by the Deschutes River but avoids the coastal drizzle; bluebird skies are the norm. Come Winter time, that means plenty of snow atop nearby Mount Bachelor —and plenty of sunshine. Factor in 2 million acres of adjacent national forest, and it’s no wonder Bend consistently ranks as one of America’s favorite multi-sport adventure towns. Fortunately, though the city has quadrupled in population over the past 20 years (an estimated 70,000 people live here now), its 1920’s core—a district of Craftsman and other kit-built bungalows abutting a gorgeous river front park—remains charmingly intact.

In Town:

Bend ’s growth has led to a flourishing culinary scene: an impressive number of talented chefs are among the new arrivals. “It’s phenomenal how many restaurants there are for a city this size,” says Gavin McMichael, chef-owner of Blacksmith (dinner for two $140). McMichael, who worked in the kitchen of Southwest cuisine pioneer Stephen Pyles before moving to Bend in 2001, adds Mexican influences to a foundation of American frontier-style cooking: his “rancher’s rib eye” is marinated for 24 hours in a barbecue rub and served with a wild-mushroom–pinto-bean ragoût. For breakfast, McMichael heads to the Sparrow Bakery (breakfast for two $25), a tiny café with a passionate following for its smoked-sea-salt bagels and its trademark “ocean rolls” (like a cinnamon roll, but with a cardamom kick). This being Oregon , the locals are also mad about beer; no fewer than five brewpubs serve up an innumerable variety of local drafts. Some of the most creative ones flow at McMenamin’s Old St. Francis (doubles from $104), a former parochial school reimagined as a quirky pub and a movie theater offering at-your-seat drinks and dinner service. The 19 rooms and four cottages at the attached hotel are personalized with photos, memorabilia, and even student artwork from the building’s previous incarnation.

On the Slopes:

Of course, around here you don’t want to stay indoors too long. Nearly 3,700 acres of terrain surround the treeless, conical summit of Mount Bachelor (lift ticket $55). You can also trek over to the nearby Oregon Trail of Dreams (one-hour trips $75), where musher Jerry Scdoris leads daily dog-sledding excursions.

America's Best Small Ski Towns

Alpenglow Vacation Rentals says "Thank You!" to Travel & Leisure Magazine for recognizing that Bend is an incredible place to visit! 

Come and stay in one of our beautiful affordable luxury vacation rentals while you come to visit one of America's Best Small Ski Towns!

http://www.AlpenglowVacationRentals.com