Graduate Eugene

Just under two hours down the Willamette Valley from Portland is Eugene, Oregon, a small city that is, in its capacity as the home of the University of Oregon, one of the hippest college towns in the western United States. And with the advent of the Graduate Eugene, its hotel scene has grown measurably hipper — this one-time Hilton in the city’s downtown district, a few blocks from the campus proper, is now decked out in Ducks green, and its reception desk is a display case featuring dozens of historic Nike running shoes.

The now-famous shoe brand was born here in what’s called TrackTown USA, and it turns out Graduate founder Ben Weprin is a bit of a collector. Upstairs, the rooms go heavy on Pacific Northwest atmosphere, with plenty of wood grain and saturated green. And the university’s duck mascot is everywhere, as are stills from Animal House, the John Belushi college comedy that was shot here in Eugene.

And it wouldn’t be a Graduate without some inviting social spaces. Poindexter, the café, serves hot breakfast sandwiches, smoothies, pressed juices, and of course strong Northwest-style coffee, while the Trophy Room, the lobby-level restaurant and bar, is a tribute to the university’s storied athletic history.