Posted: 10/6/2010 1:19:55 AM EDT
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First time ever visiting OR. I'm going to visit some family for a week in Keizer. Is there anything special to do? Gun/Outdoors/Ranges/SHTF equipment stores to visit? Any local eateries to try?
I hale from AZ, so I'll pretty much be awe struck from the green vegetation alone. 
I appreciate any suggestions you can provide me. |
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Well, Keizer is to Salem as Canada is to the US. It's basically Salem's hat.
There aren't a whole lot of ranges out here because most people just head for public land to do their shooting. Keizer has a pawnshop that sells guns, but if you're looking for a real gun store, you're going to have to go to Salem. Not that big a deal as it's a five minute drive. Blackwater Tactical is located at Cross and 12th streets in Salem and is worth the stop. Guncrafters is nearby there at 13th and Hoyt, but the BS gets pretty deep there. Ole's is a little hole in the wall on the east side of town, but it is my favorite gun shop in town. You can also hit Wholesale Sports at the south end of Lancaster but that place is just for lookin' at. As far as food, well, there's not a whole lot in Keizer that's not a chain. There are two really good Thai restaurants, though. Both are on River Rd. One is in an old house and the other is in a somewhat newer strip mall. I can't remember their names because I just call them "Old House Thai Resaurant" and "Strip Mall Thai Restaurant." Again, though, there's more choices in Salem. For Mexican, though you may not be interested considering you point of origin, you've got La Margarita downtown, Los Baez on Commercial St., and La Hacienda Real further south along Commercial. Since Buster's left town and the Smokin Swine closed a few years ago, the only game in town for barbecue is Adam's Rib at 12th and State. If you go there, I'd recommend hitting them at night or on the weekend for lunch. It's within walking distance of just about every state office so lunch during the week can be a wait. For Chinese I really only recommend Kwans near the south end of Salem's downtown. Salem also has a pretty incredible Thai restaurant in Thai Beer that is stuck in the parking lot of Winco/Shopko/Wholesale Sports. For Italian food, I usually say, fuck Olive Garden. I have heard good things about Caruso's which is actually in Keizer, but I've never eaten there. DaVinci's in downtown Salem is good. Gepetto's on Lancaster in Salem is good and they've been around forever. Although eating there makes you want to go out and act like a character from Goodfellas afterward. They have a buffet at lunch that is hit or miss, but on the hit days it's worth it. A lot of people say Allesandro's downtown, but I think they're overpriced and overrated. For a burger a lot of people swear by Court Street Dairy Lunch. You may also want to take the twenty minutes or so out of your way if you head to the coast and go into Monmouth and try Burgerville. Get whatever shake is in season there. A lot of folks say that The Ram has good burgers, but the atmosphere in there drives me up the fucking wall. You will really be missing the boat if you don't hit Busick Court in downtown Salem for breakfast one day. There's usually a line so if the weather looks like shit, bring a coat. Plus across the street from them is one of the better pawnshops in Salem. If you want something a little more upscale, go to Prudence Uncorked in the Pringle Park Plaza at the south end of downtown or Morton's Bistro across the river in West Salem. For pizza, I tell people to go to Pietro's, but since they put in the lazer tag and mini golf, they're only good for take-out according to me. I'm sure I've missed a few places to eat but I think I've covered most of the bases. I'm pretty sure anymore that you can get menus for just about any of these places online even with the weakest of Google-Fu. Now, since you're from Arizona you may want to check out the Oregon Coast. We don't typically call it "the beach" too often around here because that brings to mind sun, sand and bikinis. We only have one of those three where the ocean meets Oregon. The water is damn near too cold to wade in even in August. Blue waves they ain't. They're cold and grey and they will grab you with some of the most vicious undertows if you're not careful. It rains at the coast most every day, but late spring and early fall are actually your best bets for sun, so you may luck out. If not, at risk of sounding like a total fag, even on the stormiest of days the Oregon Coast does have its own rugged beauty. It's hard to recommend a certain spot since it runs the whole west side of the state and you're going to be somewhat close to dead center, but I do think that at that very northwest corner of the state Fort Stevens is a cool place to visit. Some of the old artillery batteries are still there and it is I believe the only place in the continental United States that was attacked by the Japanese during WWII. It's also very close to Ft. Clatsop where Lewis and Clark spend a winter and you can see them both in a day. For just walking up and down the beach and not being bothered, go to Neskowin. For people trying to sell you garbage, go to Lincoln City or Astoria. You may also want to get on to eastbound Highway 22 and drive up the Santiam River Canyon a ways. Hell, keep on going once you merge with Highway 20 and go all the way over to Bend. From I-5 to as far as you want to go east it's pretty country. It goes from temperate rainforest in the foothills to the mountains as you pass over the Cascades and then into high desert, which might not be that much of a novelty to you. If you get here before Halloween you may want to go to the haunted house put on by the Oregon School for the Deaf. It's a pretty big deal usually, but this year the whole school was just refurbished by Extreme Home Makeover a couple of weeks ago and the haunted house was christened by Rob Zombie. I don't spend a lot of time going out drinking or hitting the titty bars, but I'm sure someone here can give you a recommendation if you need one. Also, you may not want to turn on the news. It all comes out of Portland and will make you think the whole state is run by liberal socialists at best. If you've got any specific questions, let me know and I'll try to help you out. |