Bend, OR

A shady oasis just a stone’s throw away from downtown Bend, Drake Park is a slice of European charm in the middle of Central Oregon. The buzz of activity, long winding paths, and 13 acres of grassy grounds overlooking Mirror Pond remind me of some of my favorite parks I visited in Europe. This past Saturday afternoon Drake Park was alive with picnickers, bicyclers riding cruisers instead of mountain bikes (a rarity for Central Oregon), and kayakers floating through Mirror Pond’s calm waters.

After parking in a 2-hour lot behind Wall Street, my roommate and I spread out our blankets, unpacked our picnic lunch of Safeway sandwiches and raspberries from the Saturday Market (across from the library on Wall Street), and relaxed in the (finally) warm weather. From our sunny spot we watched the swans majestically float by and laughed at the ducks diving into the water, their little tails tipped up and feet flailing. The presence of ducks is evidently famous in Drake Park because when I was Googling all things Bend before I moved up here, I found a website selling t-shirts that said “I stepped in duck poop at Drake Park.” Fortunately I was able to hop around enough in the grass to keep the t-shirt’s message from becoming a prophetic one, and my time at Drake Park was duck poop-free.

Much like the parks of Europe, Drake Park is a gathering place for a wide variety of people, which makes it a wonderful place to people-watch. I saw families, couples, groups of high school age friends, dogs running alongside bicycles, and downtown shoppers sauntering through the park, recovering from stints of retail therapy.

Drake Park stretches along NW Riverside Blvd, and I have yet to explore its entire 13 acres. I did locate a new-looking restroom near the center of the park while I was wandering around, but I’m sure there are more treasures to be found. The park is a perfect locale for lazy afternoons, family outings, a date night accompanied by wine, cheese and poetry, or a leisurely bike ride. It’s certainly much cheaper than a European vacation- just watch where you step.