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June 1, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 10
May 27, 2010
A delegation from the Port of Portland visited the Port of Tianjin in Northern China today. We are working with them to develop an executive exchange program. The Port of Tianjin is on reclaimed land (that’s what the Dutch call it…we would just say landfill) and it is enormous. 300 million cubic meters of fill were used to create the Port area which has marine terminals, warehouse and distribution facilities, a cruise terminal, housing and recreation facilities. Read more »
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June 1, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 9
May 26, 2010
We visited the Chinese car maker BYD. They are rapidly becoming a leader in electric vehicle technology and production. They are also the fastest growing auto brand in China. BYD began as a maker of cell phone batteries and has expanded into cars (including electric vehicles), solar panels and related technology, smart energy, net energy homes and most recently, electric buses. The Port first visited BYD about 3 years ago and was visited by BYD at about that same time.
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June 1, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 7
May 25, 2010The delegates on the Governor’s Asia Trade mission were treated to a water-side tour of the port area of Hong Kong harbor, one of the busiest in the world. That was followed by a visit to the Hutchison International Terminals’ logistic center, an enormous building with 5 million square feet of space devoted to stuffing containers with manufactured goods from Hong Kong and southern China. Many, many household and electronic items that you and I purchase everyday pass through this facility. Read more » -
May 26, 2010
Prepping for the Haiku Trip of a Lifetime
Okay, so I don’t have all the details for my trip to Japan sorted out, even though I’m leaving on May 27th, but I think that’s part of the adventure. What I do know is that Nick and I will be spending our first five days in Tokyo, then catching a JR train to Kyoto to see the old capital and the surrounding areas for a few days. We plan on finishing our trip somewhere on the coast. We’ll be spending a total of eleven days in the country and I hope to travel by bullet train – known in Japan as the Shinkansen – at least once. Read more »
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May 21, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 4
Here are two different perspectives on Japanese bullet trains. One on the outside and one from the inside looking out. These trains connect all the major cities of Japan and travel at speeds of approximately 180 miles per hour. Read more »
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May 21, 2010
Flying the Good Flight: Part 3
Asia Trade Mission Blog #3 (05/17/10): The attached video shows members of the Governor’s Asia trade delegation test driving the Mitsubishi I-miev, their plug-in electric auto. Mitsubishi intends to introduce this vehicle to the US in 2012. The Governor is hoping that Mitsubishi will choose Portland as the launch site for North American sales of the I-meiv which goes over 100 miles per charge. Each charge costs roughly $2.00 in electricity costs. Read more »
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May 10, 2010
Photo Diary: Bookstores
The love of literature runs deep in Portland, Tokyo and Amsterdam, and the surrounding book culture at each of these destinations is hard to miss.
Fostering a culture of coffee drinking, poetry writing, and literary appreciation is the world’s largest independent book store, Powell’s Book Store. This Portland icon is conveniently located for locals and visitors alike to peruse miles of books themes from rock legend biographies to graphic novels, vegan cooking, international travel and rare books. Take a virtual tour of Powell’s: Read more »
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April 26, 2010
7 Great Phone Apps for a Smooth Trip
In the age of technological efficiency, travel would not be complete without the accompaniment of smartphone apps. Whether you’re an iPhone, Android, Palm or Blackberry user, there are an assortment of applications to make your travel experience much smoother. Read more »
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March 1, 2010
From Art Galleries to Chicken and Rice, International Tourism Boosts Local Industry
What a destination! Over the past 3 years that I have worked with Travel Portland, I never cease to be amazed by this city’s pride and commitment to the high quality tourist experience for domestic and international visitors. The success of the tourism industry is largely dependent on the success of the city’s transportation systems. Portland is fortunate to have multiple access points from train and bus to light rail, and, of course, the airport. Read more »
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January 4, 2010
Losing Nonstop Flights Affects Local Business
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), headquartered in Portland, represents the German automotive giant’s global truck brands Freightliner, Western Star, and Detroit Diesel. As a member of the world’s largest producer of commercial trucks, our staff is networked with Daimler colleagues across Europe and Asia. Our professionals are responsible for engineering, purchasing, and information technology. Our senior executives from both sides of the Atlantic comprise a large portion of the business class passengers on the now-suspended Lufthansa service. Read more »