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Traveling over Labor Day? Fun new amenities at major hubs make it easier to kill time before, or between, your flights this busy holiday weekend.

If you live in California, Washington, Oregon, or other Western states, you’ll want to know about these new flights.

With pet-friendly hotels and restaurants and plenty of outdoor adventure, these cities will make you and your pup feel at home.

It may even have you praying for a delay.

Tips from a pro on when and how to book your air travel.

Airport food so good that you’ll hope for a layover

Overview

Because you won’t regret it. Whatever Amtrak’s reputation, this has to be one of the best train rides - and the best train services - in the USA. We actually started our rail journey in Vancouver and made our way, haltingly, down the West coast line, but it was the 19-hour stretch after leaving Portland that really astonished us. From the moment you leave the city and head out through the farmlands and small towns of Oregon, the surprises never stop. A spacious and restful observation car gave us the chance to watch the ever-changing scenery go by - hills, woods, even volcanoes, before heading up into the mountains for the spectacular lakes and forests of the Cascades. Once the sun had gone down, and we’d enjoyed a sociable dinner in the dining car, we got a really decent night’s sleep in our two-person roomette (bunk beds). But it was breakfast the next morning that proved the greatest thrill - the landscape suddenly turning to camel-coloured hills, then marshland, then, finally, the sweeping San Francisco bay. Could not recommend this journey more - it’s decent value, too.

This tucked away bistro, hardly one of PDX’s best kept secrets, is a no-frills, saddle-up-to-the-bar-to-order kind of place. Mains range from traditional Pho to the inventive Luc Lac stir fry. Cocktails with names like Summer in Saigon, Pretty Ricky and Luc Lac Lush litter the drink menu. Service is sparse but efficient. Decor, downright depressing. So PDX. There is something magical about the timing in Luc Lac—just when you start to visualize your food getting cold on the serving deck, while you stand abandoned in the din with your “ticket,” the clouds part and the sun beams down on your awaiting table. Moments later it’s time to dig into the Fresh Spring Rolls and Sugar Cane Shrimp. Deliver desires at the cash register, get a number and pray. Try getting a table on a Tuesday night and be prepared to wait and also, brace for your reward. You don’t need to miss a student loan or mortgage payment to live it up at LL. On my last trip with three friends in tow our dinner was fifty dollars—with beers! Why cook, let’s eat out.

Buried in the back corner of the Johns Landing neighborhood, the Corbett Fish House caters to a seafood crowd with a longing for the Great Lakes. The restaurant is in the historic Corbett Building and is filled with the charm of a dinner you’d find in Green Bay. Welcome fish and Packers fans! Corbett Fish House hangs its hat on fresh, whether it’s perch and walleye flown in from Great Lakes, or sustainable catches coming from Alaska & NW coast. You’ll find a great selection of gluten-free fish and chips, fish tacos, and chowders destined to perk up your taste buds. They use a rice-based flour dusting to keep the coating light and allowing the flavors to shine through. The fries are crisp and guilt free. Deep fried never had it so good. The happy hour is worth a spin and the staff have that friendly, helpful air you might find in Minnesota. There is a solid selection of local beer, wine, and cocktail favorites. When you walk in, the green and yellow decor might fool you into thinking it’s some kind of University of Oregon club. Upon closer inspection, it becomes obvious you’ve just dropped into a Green Bay Packer fan’s basement. The place is “packed” during football season and it can feel like a party room for displaced mid-Westerners. It’s a very welcoming, homey environment with some of the best fish and chips in PDX. Come in, get hooked.

The tram gives Portland visitors stunning views of the city, river, and mountains beyond. Grab the streetcar from downtown out to the waterfront. You’re delivered to the lower terminal for the three-minute ride carrying you 3,300 feet at 20 MPH to the upper terminal at OHSU. Linger for photo ops then head back down to explore. If it’s nice, skip the streetcar and walk back along the river. Daily workout, check. Roundtrip cost: $4. At the lower terminal, the Daily Cafe is an easy find in the atrium of the OHSU Clinical building as you disembark the pill-shaped car, built with precision by the Swiss. Head for the river and stroll along the shore in any weather. Double back along SW Bond Ave and consider lunch at Bambuza Vietnamese Bistro. Check out the pricey high-rise condos on the market in the real estate office windows, then relax in one of the pocket parks to people watch. It snows in Portland. A couple of times a winter, even downtown gets dusted and it’s a huge mess. I’ve dreamed about getting my ski gear on, grabbing my boards and heading for the PDX Tram at the South Waterfront. I’d casually climb aboard with the patients and medical folks heading up to “Pill Hill” and blow their minds.

Actually, the lobby of the Sapphire Hotel is as far as you’ll get when you visit these days. And for all intents and purposes, it’s far enough. The Sapphire maintains the edge its enjoyed since its inception in the early 1900s. Then a gathering place for the quirky and lightly mannered; cool before cool was cool, it now is the great-grandparent of PDX hip. The candlelit scene keeps the conversation low and the alcohol levels, therapeutic. With cocktails like: You’re Not My Real Dad, Retrosex, Winter Isn’t Coming and Floozie, what could possibly go wrong. The hotel rooms are long gone, but the kitchen still hangs around. The menu maintains a simplicity and charm of another era. An order of the salmon corn cakes with a Sapphire salad will easily sustain, but why stop there. Go for the fully-loaded Sapphire burger, have another pop and regroup for the ginger-vanilla bean creme brûlée. The best thing about the Sapphire is the hang time. It’s out on the bleeding edge of Hawthorne, so once you get out there, you’ll tend to want to linger. The atmosphere encourages it with a sharp wait staff supported by bartenders that roll the dice to delver concoctions you can’t get just anywhere. Happy hour tends to evolve into happy evening, even happy night. I’d say it was a gem, but that would be stating the obvious.

I believe we have ourselves a trend here in PDX with the notion of gourmet Mexican cuisine. While that may sound a bit oxymoronic, there has been room for years in the Mexican food scene to step up the game. Enter Xico (pronounced chico), with a style and a flair that’s as hot as some of their salsas. Out in the hinterlands of SE Division in a chic (pronounced cool) upscale remodel of an old Eastside house, Xico serves up some serious, innovative dishes which certainly have their roots in Mexican culinary culture. The Oaxacan art of mole is traditionally represented in dishes like the Mole Amarillo con Pollo which graces the specials board. Starters beg for the Sopapillas and a round of mezcal margaritas. Move up with Quesadillas con Rajas and the Brisket Barbacoa. Crush the evening with the flourless Woodblock Chocolate Cake. The space at Xico is split between a comfortably stark interior and an extravagant patio that is a delight during the warmer weather. Happy Hour gives you a small sampling but begs you to just dive into the main event. Xico remains true to the tastes of MeXico, while instilling refinements to make them more than just spicy. The flight of salsa delivers a subtle variety of flavor and an education in the art of the pepper. Use them to draw out the characteristics of the food in front of you. Sunday Brunch is an easy way to go beyond the typical Huevos Rancheros. Arriba!

Portland makes no apologies for the rain or the alcohol. More breweries and distilleries per square inch than anywhere, period. It leaves locals and visitors with an abundance of choice when it comes to having a drink. Duff’s Garage is a great stop for Friday happy hour for a couple of reasons. It’s a neighborhood haunt attracting both regulars and newbies. It’s is a full bar and live music venue attracting local and regional acts. For a dance hall, it’s on the small side, but packs a pleasant musical punch from blues to country western. For economical tastes, $2 cover at the door for the early show on Friday’s is the perfect way to kick off the weekend. The selection of local craft beers and distillates leaves ample variety to amuse for the two one-hour musical sets. The elbows start flying around the dance floor during the second set as the pace picks up. Duff’s serves limited bar food, fitting of the decor. The good news is the proximity to the food carts up on Hawthorne after the music is over. Or, hang around for the main act for the evening, when things get crowded, usually with an everyone-welcome feel. Duff’s in PDX on Friday. Post a repeating event on your calendar and enjoy.

While I’ve never been to Peru, I do find it convenient having a restaurant importing the flavors of that country so seamlessly into the competitive PDX culinary market. Andina has withstood the test of time with its sustainable menu and creative presentation of what would normally be standard fare on the streets of Lima. The flavors fly past the Mexican mundane and deliver unique and, from what I hear from Peruvians, authentic dishes. This is another Portland haunt where I find myself drawn to the bar. The energy and service are electric. People watching abounds. And you’re that much closer to the extensive selection of libations. The one drawback is the beer selection, but this food is more deserving of a full-bodied Cab or Pinot. The tapas can be the beginning of the journey or the destination itself. Try the stuffed peppers and potato torta then meander from there. The main dishes vary with the season and there is always a great fish and lamb choice. The quinoa rissotto should be ordered as a side and shared with everyone at the table. There is music on the weekends in the bar making it a bit loud. My friend Roddy, who lived in Chile for five years, and I tried to close the place down one evening after a particularly long day of shooting interviews for NBC. We kinda overstepped our per diem that night, but it was well worth the added expense.