About the Author

Samantha Bakall

Samantha Bakall is a freelance journalist and photographer specializing in diversity-based food issues. She currently calls Portland home. A Chinese-American native of Chicago, Bakall has been obsessively eating, writing and making people wait while she takes pictures of their food since she was a teenager. Her work has appeared in The Oregonian, where she was the food and dining writer for more than four years; The Takeout; The San Francisco Chronicle; and others.

How to Play at Mt. Hood Sno-Parks

November 15, 2018
Winter is a magical season in Oregon, when much of the state slumbers beneath glistening powder, and the majestic mountains gleam like icy beacons. Skiers and snowboarders famously flock to the slopes of Mt. Hood as soon as the white stuff starts to fall, but winter fun doesn’t stop at the bottom of the hill. More
found in
Mt. Hood & Columbia River Gorge , Government Camp , Sno-Parks ,

Taste Oregon’s Most Iconic Ingredients

August 30, 2018
Home to evergreen forests, arid deserts, snowy peaks, grassy prairies, rocky coastlines and almost every ecosystem in between, this sprawling state is a wonderland of potential ingredients. Our bounty — from grass-fed beef in Eastern Oregon to sweet Dungeness crab harvested from beds of eelgrass off the Coast — feeds an ever-evolving and growing dining scene, permanently enshrining its place amongst the upper echelons of culinary destinations. More
found in
Portland Region , Portland , Eat & Drink ,

Cool Lakes for Summer Retreats

May 31, 2018
When the dog days of summer come, we head for the lakes. From painterly alpine lakes to quiet multi-fingered waters, here are seven lake retreats all across Oregon, where you can float, boat, hike, cast a line — or do nothing but chill. More
found in
Lakes & Reservoirs , Favorite Trips ,