The town of Bend lies in Deschutes County in the centre of Oregon, USA, a journey of three hours south of Portland or just 45 minutes east of Mount Bachelor. It grew up as a lumber town in the 'Old West' and its population has since grown to almost 70,000. There's a small airport in the neighbouring town of Redmond, and Highway 97 goes right through the heart of Bend.

Around Bend

The town has a rather large hill called Awbrey Butte. Everyone who lives on it is very rich.¹ The community college is also situated here. Its dorms are filled with starving artist types who will criticise your tastes in comic books; one must agree, however, that Goodbye Chunky Rice is better than Blankets.²

There are about 300 days of sunshine; when it does rain it's often accompanied by terrific thunderstorms. The four seasons are in full swing in Central Oregon.

The town has hippies, yuppies, groupies, hipsters³, hicks⁴, trollops and librarians...but perhaps most of all, it has enthusiasts of alternative sports. If you somehow end up here, take advantage of the splendiferous outdoors, if you can, and eat some 'real' burritos.⁵

Food and Drink (Free and Otherwise)

The residents of Bend have an incredible fascination with burritos, and have therefore erected a number of burrito stands and dug many a burrito-centric hole in the walls, nearly all of which are fabulously cheap. The following two are especially recommended.

• Los Jalapeños. If you're coming in from the north on the highway take a left on Greenwood (if approaching from the south, go right, obviously!). They sell large burritos at a very cheap price.

• Taco Stand is near downtown and any knowledgeable-looking Bendite will be able to point you to its specific location.⁶ They sell medium-sized burritos that are very inexpensive. Of particular note are Taco Stand's superior sauces. The chunky salsa is fabulously perfect and fresh - ask for 'Extra!' at no additional charge - the green sauce is delicious and the 'monster' sauce is for those of you with extreme tastes.

More Dining Recommendations

• One for late nights would be Shari's in the north (but the south one is okay too). It has a fantastic late-night atmosphere and almost certainly some interesting or amusing people will come through. Ungreat food, though. Shari's is best for coffee, strawberry lemonades and paper napkins on which to draw time-travel diagrams. They are okay about refills too.

• Roberto's 24-hour burrito shops are the only other late-night, non-bar recommendations. There are two: one located on the highway, the other on the Westside.

• Downtown on Bond Street is Great Harvest Bakery that'll give you a free thick slice of awfully good bread each day.

• Big O'Bagels is located on the Westside⁷ and they put their two-day old stock out by their dumpster⁸ each day. Feel free to stop by!

• Pizza Mondo is downtown on Wall Street. You can pay a couple of dollars for one of the best slices of pizza you'll ever have (veggie combos are particularly good).

Bars

Of course, there are bars all over the place. Wander about and you'll find plenty, although be warned: some bars' clientele is dominated by hicks. Here are a few recommended establishments.

• The Grove, downtown on Bond Street, is decidedly funky and eclectic. There are lots of events and music (largely techno). Very hip... A lil' pricey though.

• JC's, near the corner of Franklin and Wall Street is also downtown. It is lively, serves good drinks and sports streetside-seating, as well as all types of people.

• The Astro Lounge on Minnesota Avenue is a good singles bar and there is another (for all) next door.

• At the Bond Street Barber Shop a customer is given a free beer with his haircut. On Saturday mornings Jim, the proprietor, will even fix you up a Bloody Mary.

• If you wish to purchase your alcohol elsewhere, be advised that in Oregon, it is sold only through government-owned liquor stores that close at 10pm.

(Note: if you find yourself about to toss some money to a homeless guitarist in front of the Pine Tavern, you may wish to know that he is, in fact, not homeless and owns a convertible. However, he is dedicated to his corner. Decision's yours.)

Wi-Fi Cafés

The modern counterpart of the Internet café⁹, the one in front of Bellatazza, downtown, is best. Incidentally, it's a good coffee shop, although perhaps a bit overly hip and trendy.

Places of Interest

• Drake Park is right downtown and really lovely. There are a number of different waterfowl making various absurd noises, and many diverse public events take place here.

• Humane Society thriftstore is a choice thriftshop, just about across the street from Los Jalapeños on Greenwood Avenue.

• Juniper Aquatic and Fitness Center is where you can pay a small amount of money and take advantage of their showers as long as you like. It's off of Greenwood: a little green sign saying 'Public Pool' will point you to it.

• The Pretty Pussycat is naughty lil' shop on the highway, between Greenwood and Revere, or so I believe!

• The Cosmic Depot is a hippy/oddity/fun shop with some pretty good caffeinated drinks.

• FoodMart, a convenience store on the highway (across from one of the previously mentioned liquor stores), has a good atmosphere, pleasant owners and is next to a tavern.

Incidentally, the last three locations sell glassware, which may be of interest to some.

• Pilot Butte is a rather large, round hill that pops right out of the landscape and is extremely hard to miss. It's probably the landmark of Bend, and is on this list because Central Oregonian sunsets are sublime. If there are some good-looking clouds in the evening sky, then you are urged to drive to the top of Pilot Butte (you reach there via Greenwood Avenue), for you will get an incredible view of the town and the sun disappearing behind some glorious mountains. Seriously, when you see pictures in calendars of mountain sunsets, this is often where they are taken.

Events

First off, pick up a copy of The Source: it's a free local paper that'll clue you in on all the goings-on for the week (plays, bar events, local concerts, indie movie showings...all that stuff). You can pick it up virtually everywhere, burrito shops included.

During the summer in particular, Bend is bubbling over with events. Every summer Thursday in Drake Park, half of the town comes, listens to reggae and buys crafts and food. Beware oncoming frisbees! (Seriously.) This event is called 'Munch 'n' Music' (and yes, there is a beer garden).

Every Wednesday in the summer is the Farmers' Market at the top of the park. It is full of delicious produce at surprisingly good prices.

From late August to early September is the Cascade Festival of Music. Bring your towel, sit out on the grass and listen to classical and world music in the twilight hours. (Very lovely.)

On summer Sundays there are free concerts at the Les Shwab Amphitheater - although these tend to have rather forgettable acts.

During the winter you're pretty much expected to be snowboarding, going to bars or local concerts, and playing boardgames. Alternatively, some attach frying pans to their feet and grasp a rope that is then secured to the bumper of a car. They then proceed to do dangerous things on icy parking lots... Sure, there's the Bend Winterfest¹⁰, but in the winter you have to make some of your own fun!

But the Thing Is...

Bend is all about the outdoors. There are ice caves, lava fields, large expanses of forest, billowing waterfalls and mountain lakes. Whitewater rafters, rock climbers and mountain bikers find a lot to like about the area. Indeed, the great outdoors of Central Oregon is beyond the scope of this entry. However, it's important to mention, as it is a deeply enrooted aspect of Bend's culture.

For visitors to Bend, there is a tourist centre on Highway 97 near the northern end of town (a big sign, hard to miss).

Related Websites

• www.ci.bend.or.us includes links to the Bend Chamber of Commerce and more.

• www.visitbend.com has useful information on what to do and where to go.