Showing posts with label Portland Gems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Portland Gems. Show all posts
April 19, 2012
Just Add Western
So, this post isn't groundbreaking or anything (apparently everyone I know goes there all the time), but Landmark Saloon! Have you been? We went last night for the first time and it was seriously like walking into a different world. The Landmark appears to be an old, unassuming house on the corner of 49th and Division, but you step inside and the interior is all warm wood, wool blankets and glow; men are wearing serious cowboy hats (not those frat boy ones you buy at Target), a live band was playing great country music, and few couples were spinning around in front of the band in a mellow country swing. Last night was Whiskey Wednesday (wonderful), which apparently is a weekly thing complete with live music and whiskey specials. They have an enormous patio in the backyard, a corn-hole area set up, and a food cart tucked away in the corner. I didn't have any food but it smelled amazing. We sat in the corner and talked about, I don't know what, spurs and cacti and shooting people in the back, until it was time to go home. I can't wait to go back once the weather is nicer and I can sit outside and pretend I'm on summer vacation. Speaking of summer vacation, Charissa is done with law school. What a journey. Congratulations!
February 29, 2012
Riot Horse
I love horses. Even though I know city horses are pissed and bored, and in the case of police horses, working, I still want to walk up and pet them and you know, run my fingers through their manes. When I was in second and third grade, I stayed after school for a program called CARE. My brother and I would hang out there for a couple hours until one of our parents picked us up. CARE was managed by this lovely hippie lady who read cool books to us and let us hang out and do whatever. At one point, my friends and I played "Jack the Ripper", which involved one person being Jack and the others wandering around the playground unwittingly until they were killed. They were then led by Jack to the jungle gym dome thing and forced inside, where they had to stay because they were dead and in a strange fog-filled purgatory. We loved this game. The odd thing about this game is that I distinctly remember overhearing a man (there was a man observing us on the playground. This is probably a red flag and he may have a Jack the Ripper type, but we are still alive today) say, "Jesus, nice game." He found our game disturbing. I find the fact that there was an adult man on the playground disturbing.
But anyway, the thing that proves I have always loved horses was that during my time in CARE I perfected an accurate imitation of the gallop on my hands and knees. This was not just running on my hands and knees. This was galloping. This skill was developed through watching a lot of horse movies, acting like a horse on a regular basis, and generally being obsessed with horses from a young age. It was uncanny. It was faster than any other method of running on hands and knees, and we regularly put mats out across the gym floor and had horse races. I always won. Always. Because, the gallop.
But anyway, this afternoon Kyle ran into my office to tell me there were horses outside. And there were. Apparently there's an Occupy thing going on down the way (which explains the giant puppet capitalist pig head thing we saw earlier) and the riot police and their riot horses are out. Look at the riot horse gear. So cute. I had to fight the urge to run out there and pet the horses in their riot gear.
That's all.
But anyway, the thing that proves I have always loved horses was that during my time in CARE I perfected an accurate imitation of the gallop on my hands and knees. This was not just running on my hands and knees. This was galloping. This skill was developed through watching a lot of horse movies, acting like a horse on a regular basis, and generally being obsessed with horses from a young age. It was uncanny. It was faster than any other method of running on hands and knees, and we regularly put mats out across the gym floor and had horse races. I always won. Always. Because, the gallop.
But anyway, this afternoon Kyle ran into my office to tell me there were horses outside. And there were. Apparently there's an Occupy thing going on down the way (which explains the giant puppet capitalist pig head thing we saw earlier) and the riot police and their riot horses are out. Look at the riot horse gear. So cute. I had to fight the urge to run out there and pet the horses in their riot gear.
That's all.
February 2, 2012
People I saw at the Graveyard Show, Vol 2.
I never see celebrities in Portland, so when I saw one of the guys from Danava standing around between sets, I totally did the, Oh look, the guy from Danava, right? Right? thing to Sam and he said yeah, and then the guy from Danava looked at me, probably because hearing your band name, even if it's not said very loudly, is kind of like hearing your name in the middle of an otherwise inaudible conversation. He was wearing bootcut jeans and talking to a lady but I didn't notice her because I was too busy focusing on this mild almost-celebrity encounter. Sam asked me if I noticed her later, because apparently she was wearing this nutty white robe thing that maybe came up over her head, or included a head drape portion, or turban, and I had no idea what he was talking about. Apparently that's how excited I get about Danava.
February 1, 2012
People I saw at the Graveyard Show, Vol 1.
Metal shows are just the best for people watching. You see so many interesting people and for some reason, they just stick out in my memory a lot more than the typical flannel-wearing, soft leather shoe, tortoiseshell glasses types. Take this girl for instance. I noticed her waiting in line for a drink because she had an enormous neck tattoo and I started thinking about how not tough my tattoos are and what I would get if I were to get a neck tattoo. Probably a manatee. And all I could really see was her torso because it was pretty crowded in there (sold out show!). But then, when I walked past her, it turned out that she was wearing these crazy lace bell bottoms and platform boots. Lace! Bell bottoms! Underwear!
January 10, 2012
On shortening up
How do you guys feel about getting your haircut?
In high school I had long, thick hair. It was even longer than it is now, and it didn't have a lot of style to it. I wore it back all the time because it was so unruly. I had bleached one section and always dyed it hot pink or red. That was my style. During my senior year, I ended up doing work study and I worked at a camera shop.One day in the spring I decided to cut my hair. My coworker took photos of me as I chopped it all off at chin length with a pair of blunt scissors. From that day on, I cut my own hair. I always kept it above my shoulders, cut random chunks out of it, and sometimes dyed it black. You could call the style "messy mop". Eventually I decided to grow it out and that's when I realized I needed to bring in an expert. While randomly chopping works well for a short cut, on a long cut it turns into a disaster. I spent about a year in denial, with awkward hair.
When I moved back to Portland I gave in to the idea of professional haircuts and began to go to my stylist Karyn. She's totally awesome and I have always been happy with her haircuts. You can visit her at Gold + Arrow, which is totally, totally awesome. It's a newish salon over in SW and it's impeccably decorated. Macrame rope art, heavy wooden tables, the sweetest wallpaper I've ever seen, and a glass of wine with your cut. You will feel special and stylish. I certainly did.
But here's the thing. I kind of hate getting haircuts. Even though my hair was totally fried and frazzled and needed a cut like no other, it's never quite right when it's freshly cut. After I went home and washed and styled how I usually do (which is to say, not at all. I'm a big proponent of air drying), it just looks weird, and feels unpredictable, like my hair is taking over my head. The good thing is, this feeling always happens after I get a cut and then it goes away. In two weeks' time, I will be so happy I got my hair cut. I just have to wait it out.
In high school I had long, thick hair. It was even longer than it is now, and it didn't have a lot of style to it. I wore it back all the time because it was so unruly. I had bleached one section and always dyed it hot pink or red. That was my style. During my senior year, I ended up doing work study and I worked at a camera shop.One day in the spring I decided to cut my hair. My coworker took photos of me as I chopped it all off at chin length with a pair of blunt scissors. From that day on, I cut my own hair. I always kept it above my shoulders, cut random chunks out of it, and sometimes dyed it black. You could call the style "messy mop". Eventually I decided to grow it out and that's when I realized I needed to bring in an expert. While randomly chopping works well for a short cut, on a long cut it turns into a disaster. I spent about a year in denial, with awkward hair.
When I moved back to Portland I gave in to the idea of professional haircuts and began to go to my stylist Karyn. She's totally awesome and I have always been happy with her haircuts. You can visit her at Gold + Arrow, which is totally, totally awesome. It's a newish salon over in SW and it's impeccably decorated. Macrame rope art, heavy wooden tables, the sweetest wallpaper I've ever seen, and a glass of wine with your cut. You will feel special and stylish. I certainly did.
But here's the thing. I kind of hate getting haircuts. Even though my hair was totally fried and frazzled and needed a cut like no other, it's never quite right when it's freshly cut. After I went home and washed and styled how I usually do (which is to say, not at all. I'm a big proponent of air drying), it just looks weird, and feels unpredictable, like my hair is taking over my head. The good thing is, this feeling always happens after I get a cut and then it goes away. In two weeks' time, I will be so happy I got my hair cut. I just have to wait it out.
October 14, 2011
New Favorite Style Blog
Remember when I discussed the merits of the Urban Weeds style blog? Well, after I did, Caitlin made a comment that the subjects were always so generic and made it look like all Portlanders wear skinny jeans, tall boots, and have children. Caitlin's assessment was true. And we don't all wear skinny jeans, tall boots, and have children. So after that, I really couldn't enjoy the blog. I would notice a new post, click to find a lovely black and white portrait and then scroll down to be completely and utterly deflated by some boring leggings/dress/boots/ peacoat combo. But I still look at it because it's fun to see people in Portland and also because I'm a little bit of an internet martyr (Seriously. There's this one blog I read only because I think the person is really annoying. Why?).
However, there is relief from the khaki-clad, squeaky clean of Urban Weeds. I have found a new go-to style blog: Portland's Pretty. Marissa is funny, doesn't take herself too seriously, and finds a wide variety of looks that she sees fit to print.
Here are some recent shots from her blog:
However, there is relief from the khaki-clad, squeaky clean of Urban Weeds. I have found a new go-to style blog: Portland's Pretty. Marissa is funny, doesn't take herself too seriously, and finds a wide variety of looks that she sees fit to print.
Here are some recent shots from her blog:
September 22, 2011
The Swifts
Oh wow. I saw the swifts last night for the first time. My friend Colin was extremely disappointed to learn I had lived in Portland for several years now and hadn't seen them.
For those of you who don't know, Vaux's swifts are migrating south right now. At sunset they find a large, hollow place for their entire traveling party to nest. Fortunately for us, the Chapman School up in NW has this giant chimney that has been designated one of their spots. There was festival atmosphere up at the school. Children were sliding down the hill of dried brown grass on cardboard boxes, people were enjoying picnics with goat cheese salad and white wine, and slowly but surely the swifts began to gather in a cloud over the school. I arrived about half an hour before the sun began to set. There were a few flocks of birds circling high overhead but as Colin and I chatted, the flock grew and expanded and you could see groups wheeling in the sky, converging from various directions, and growing in mass. They're tiny birds and at times they almost disappeared in the sky, depending on the angle of their wings against the last bit of light. As the sun began to set, they zeroed in on the chimney and the flock became tighter and more intense. Finally, a single bird picked up the courage and they were all diving in, spiraling down in a gigantic tornado of birda. It kind of looked like this, but far more magical:
The swarm continued for ages at a dizzying consistency. At one point a hawk swooped by and the crowd booed, but who could blame it? It was like the best kind of swift buffet. As it got darker, there were only a few lonely stragglers attempting to find a place inside the chimney which I can only imagine was stuffed to the gills.
If you haven't see the swifts, you have to. Go now, before it's too late.
For those of you who don't know, Vaux's swifts are migrating south right now. At sunset they find a large, hollow place for their entire traveling party to nest. Fortunately for us, the Chapman School up in NW has this giant chimney that has been designated one of their spots. There was festival atmosphere up at the school. Children were sliding down the hill of dried brown grass on cardboard boxes, people were enjoying picnics with goat cheese salad and white wine, and slowly but surely the swifts began to gather in a cloud over the school. I arrived about half an hour before the sun began to set. There were a few flocks of birds circling high overhead but as Colin and I chatted, the flock grew and expanded and you could see groups wheeling in the sky, converging from various directions, and growing in mass. They're tiny birds and at times they almost disappeared in the sky, depending on the angle of their wings against the last bit of light. As the sun began to set, they zeroed in on the chimney and the flock became tighter and more intense. Finally, a single bird picked up the courage and they were all diving in, spiraling down in a gigantic tornado of birda. It kind of looked like this, but far more magical:
The swarm continued for ages at a dizzying consistency. At one point a hawk swooped by and the crowd booed, but who could blame it? It was like the best kind of swift buffet. As it got darker, there were only a few lonely stragglers attempting to find a place inside the chimney which I can only imagine was stuffed to the gills.
If you haven't see the swifts, you have to. Go now, before it's too late.
July 21, 2011
Something to do
I'm going to see Missile to the Moon tonight. That is, if it isn't raining. If it is raining, I will probably be inside somewhere, complaining about the weather. That's what I do now. I talk about the weather.
We saw Troll 2 last year at this very same rooftop movie series and it totally exceeded my expectations. The experience should be slightly different this year, as Filmusik is putting it on. Besides being oddly spelled (does it make you feel slightly exasperated when K is substituted for C for dramatic effect?) the group creates magical original performances combining film with live music, dubbing, and sound effects. Charissa's boyfriend Scott wrote an original score for Missile to the Moon and will be conducting tonight. Troll 2 did not have a live score. It was the original score and dialogue in all its glory: "Nilbog is goblin spelled backwards!!!! "I'm going to pee on our dinner!!!! Grandpaaaaa!" Anyway, I need to let go of Troll 2. It was great, but I'm sure Missile to the Moon will be great too.
Here's NW Film Center's synopsis:
In this wonderfully absurd sci-fi tale—definitely not made by rocket scientists—scientist Dirk Green catches a couple of escaped convicts hiding out in his backyard rocket ship and forces them to help pilot his ad-hoc flight to the moon. As plot thickening would have it, another scientist and his fiancée happen to climb on board at launch time too. After Green dies in a freak accident caused by a meteor shower, the makeshift crew finds there is cheesy life on the moon after all: oddly ambulatory rock-monsters, the sinister female ruler Ledo and her scantily clad moon-babes, and awesome giant spiders that look like they may have been made by inspired, but only moderately gifted, third graders.
I love third graders.
June 24, 2011
Tunnel Vision
Oh my, I am excited for the weekend. I'm going up to Seattle to visit my friend Alexa. She recently returned from Australia where she got a Masters in urban planning, and in a flurry of activity, moved to Seattle for an internship. That's all exciting but the really exciting thing is that she was just offered a real job with them. Hurrah!
I won't be around this weekend, but if you're in Portland, you should most certainly go to this. That is, if you love being awesome and looking at (and possibly purchasing) awesome things.
I won't be around this weekend, but if you're in Portland, you should most certainly go to this. That is, if you love being awesome and looking at (and possibly purchasing) awesome things.
June 15, 2011
A New Contender
I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I've been sick. BUT I'm back with good news. I have found a great new patio. Actually, I need to credit Jocelyn with this discovery. She lives right down the road and had already told me it was her new favorite bar. We went there for her birthday last week. I would hate to take all the credit, especially from a recent birthday girl.
Side note: I could have discovered Maui's. A few months ago, Sam and I went on an ill-fated adventure that took us past Maui's newly opened doors, but we decided to avoid the tiki theme and went straight to little Ethiopia. That turned out to be a wonderful but also unfortunate choice.
Maui's on Williams (otherwise known as Maui's)
Drinks: Cheap! Great deals! Happy hour provides you with $2 pints of microbrews.
Food: Not bad. Jocelyn hadn't eaten there yet, because she didn't want to spoil the illusion that this was her favorite new bar. Fortunately for her, the mac n' cheese was actually really tasty and it had bacon. Kyle ordered a corn dog and the mac n' cheese and I sampled both. I would eat there again.
Service: Pretty good. The bartender remembered what I had ordered when I went back for the second round. It's a small detail but aren't small details what separate the horrible bartender from the good?
Patrons: Melting pot. For once, you can hang out and pretend you don't live in the whitest city ever.
Patio: 10 points for safety: patio was covered in a thick layer of bark chips, 10 points for ample picnic table distribution, 10 points for ping pong table.
Random points for sparkle wire. We were sitting at a picnic table talking about how much we liked the patio, and then noticed that the barbed wire-topped fence had white christmas lights wrapped around it. Festive. After making various jokes and comments about this, christening it "Sparkle Wire" and basically running the conversation into the ground, Kyle Carnes piped up with, "They should put christmas lights on the barbed wire." He was sitting right next to it. He had been there for the entire conversation. "Kyle," I said, "They have." (Despite abject listening skills, Kyle is a talented photographer and has a really great blog).
Also, random points for extremely spirited game watching. There was yelling and screaming and arm waving going on when I got there. It's always nice to find a new place to watch a sports game. Because, you know, I do that all the time.
Side note: I could have discovered Maui's. A few months ago, Sam and I went on an ill-fated adventure that took us past Maui's newly opened doors, but we decided to avoid the tiki theme and went straight to little Ethiopia. That turned out to be a wonderful but also unfortunate choice.
Maui's on Williams (otherwise known as Maui's)
Drinks: Cheap! Great deals! Happy hour provides you with $2 pints of microbrews.
Food: Not bad. Jocelyn hadn't eaten there yet, because she didn't want to spoil the illusion that this was her favorite new bar. Fortunately for her, the mac n' cheese was actually really tasty and it had bacon. Kyle ordered a corn dog and the mac n' cheese and I sampled both. I would eat there again.
Service: Pretty good. The bartender remembered what I had ordered when I went back for the second round. It's a small detail but aren't small details what separate the horrible bartender from the good?
Patrons: Melting pot. For once, you can hang out and pretend you don't live in the whitest city ever.
Patio: 10 points for safety: patio was covered in a thick layer of bark chips, 10 points for ample picnic table distribution, 10 points for ping pong table.
Random points for sparkle wire. We were sitting at a picnic table talking about how much we liked the patio, and then noticed that the barbed wire-topped fence had white christmas lights wrapped around it. Festive. After making various jokes and comments about this, christening it "Sparkle Wire" and basically running the conversation into the ground, Kyle Carnes piped up with, "They should put christmas lights on the barbed wire." He was sitting right next to it. He had been there for the entire conversation. "Kyle," I said, "They have." (Despite abject listening skills, Kyle is a talented photographer and has a really great blog).
Also, random points for extremely spirited game watching. There was yelling and screaming and arm waving going on when I got there. It's always nice to find a new place to watch a sports game. Because, you know, I do that all the time.
June 8, 2011
Next stop, Voodoo Doughnuts
Sam's parents are in town. They are staying with us. This initially elicited a lot of joy on Sam's side and a sense of impending doom on my side. Not because I don't like Sam's parents. I do. They're great. But I get stressed about guests. I'm not great with the whole host, showing you around town thing. Past guests of mine have been subjected to a wide variety of activities: dirtbag bar tours (began at Sandy Hut, went on to Chopsticks, ended at my bedroom floor with a bag of Doritos), late night bike rides, weird reggae shows, OMSI, jogging through the Lloyd Center, snowboarding, music festivals, Scrabble and brunch in a snowstorm, the requisite beach trip, or just visiting my parents and sitting on their deck for five hours. Basically, whatever I happened to already have planned. But you can't do that with visiting parents. You have to do fun things that they might like to do too.
I was also worried that Sam's mother would judge my housekeeping skills. I imagined her getting on the phone with friends and family and saying things like, "Oh, you will not believe the state of her pantry. Organic white beans, only one box of cereal, and a Cup o' Noodle," or "It looks like they haven't cleaned their toilet in least two days." I want to be clear. Sam's mom isn't like that. I just tend to go for worst-case-scenario in my head.
The good news is, their visit has been great so far. Sam's mom doesn't care about our pantry. We went to Multnomah Falls, we went to my parents' place in Newberg for the THE MEETING OF THE PARENTS and it was not painful or awkward, and we're having a big dinner tonight. My only complaint is the general lack of really cool attractions/tourist traps in Portland. There are a million great things about Portland, for sure, but when a doughnut shop is considered a major attraction, I feel like we have some work to do. Where is your favorite place to take visitors? I'm open to suggestions.
I was also worried that Sam's mother would judge my housekeeping skills. I imagined her getting on the phone with friends and family and saying things like, "Oh, you will not believe the state of her pantry. Organic white beans, only one box of cereal, and a Cup o' Noodle," or "It looks like they haven't cleaned their toilet in least two days." I want to be clear. Sam's mom isn't like that. I just tend to go for worst-case-scenario in my head.
The good news is, their visit has been great so far. Sam's mom doesn't care about our pantry. We went to Multnomah Falls, we went to my parents' place in Newberg for the THE MEETING OF THE PARENTS and it was not painful or awkward, and we're having a big dinner tonight. My only complaint is the general lack of really cool attractions/tourist traps in Portland. There are a million great things about Portland, for sure, but when a doughnut shop is considered a major attraction, I feel like we have some work to do. Where is your favorite place to take visitors? I'm open to suggestions.
June 3, 2011
Momo's
You may recall my promise to review summer beer drinking patios around town. Well, I've been shirking my duties. But not without good reason. You know when you have one of those nights that would be better left undone? The kind of night that starts with you going straight to happy hour without eating dinner? Those nights never turn out well, and I've been avoiding discussing this one, due to the unfortunate memories associated with it. However. I've put it off long enough.
Momo Bar Maximo (otherwise known as Momo's)
The Barfly review for this place is not particularly favorable:
Overpriced drinks, garish crimson interiors, crowds ranging between (weekends) scattered pockets of proto suburbanites and (weeknights) the bartender and her paramour watching The Parkers at top volume - Momo’s doesn’t exactly invite adventuring.
It goes on to mention E-dates grimacing through appetizers and C-list fratboys misplaying pool, but does recommend the magical patio in the back, a completely unexpected surprise. The patio IS totally sweet. It's like a little oasis in an otherwise typical bar often filled with bad art. I headed over to meet a crew of friends, got mildly lost and managed to drop my bike on a person in a wheelchair (yes, really). I was looking forward to a drink on that patio. But you know how Portland is in the spring. People freak out on a sunny day. The patio was totally full and there wasn't a seat to be had. We did end up taking over the picnic tables in front and then Carin befriended some Canadians on vacation who may or may not have been involved in the adult film industry. They became our new best friends and brought out a round of tequila shots. And really, it all went downhill from there.
Drinks: Strong and tasty. Avoid the strange line that happens at the bar (what is it about over-polite people in Portland standing in single file lines at bars? It kills me) and just go up to the bar. Trust me. They'll serve you.
Food: See above. I didn't really eat. But Kyle Arthur did get a chicken strip basket. It looked pretty standard.
Service: Great. The guys are always friendly, overpour the shots, and once the bartender discussed scotch with us and poured a taster just because he was a nice guy.
Patrons: Mixed bag. There is definitely a southwest crowd (overly polished, popped collars, aging greek system) but I was initially introduced to Momo's by dirtbag skater kids, so I think it's pretty variable. You are guaranteed to be cooler than at least one person there, so that's always kind of an ego boost.
Patio: As I said, the magical oasis had already been claimed by the unemployed and the 8 to 4 crowd. Next time. The sidewalk was a good consolation prize.
Random points for generous, weird Canadians. Girl was like, 'What's the deal yo? We don't want to be tourists. We want to knoooooow where to goooooo."
Jocelyn said, "I'm going to the farmer's market tomorrow. "
Canadian said, "Oh."
And the conversation died.
Momo Bar Maximo (otherwise known as Momo's)
The Barfly review for this place is not particularly favorable:
Overpriced drinks, garish crimson interiors, crowds ranging between (weekends) scattered pockets of proto suburbanites and (weeknights) the bartender and her paramour watching The Parkers at top volume - Momo’s doesn’t exactly invite adventuring.
It goes on to mention E-dates grimacing through appetizers and C-list fratboys misplaying pool, but does recommend the magical patio in the back, a completely unexpected surprise. The patio IS totally sweet. It's like a little oasis in an otherwise typical bar often filled with bad art. I headed over to meet a crew of friends, got mildly lost and managed to drop my bike on a person in a wheelchair (yes, really). I was looking forward to a drink on that patio. But you know how Portland is in the spring. People freak out on a sunny day. The patio was totally full and there wasn't a seat to be had. We did end up taking over the picnic tables in front and then Carin befriended some Canadians on vacation who may or may not have been involved in the adult film industry. They became our new best friends and brought out a round of tequila shots. And really, it all went downhill from there.
Drinks: Strong and tasty. Avoid the strange line that happens at the bar (what is it about over-polite people in Portland standing in single file lines at bars? It kills me) and just go up to the bar. Trust me. They'll serve you.
Food: See above. I didn't really eat. But Kyle Arthur did get a chicken strip basket. It looked pretty standard.
Service: Great. The guys are always friendly, overpour the shots, and once the bartender discussed scotch with us and poured a taster just because he was a nice guy.
Patrons: Mixed bag. There is definitely a southwest crowd (overly polished, popped collars, aging greek system) but I was initially introduced to Momo's by dirtbag skater kids, so I think it's pretty variable. You are guaranteed to be cooler than at least one person there, so that's always kind of an ego boost.
Patio: As I said, the magical oasis had already been claimed by the unemployed and the 8 to 4 crowd. Next time. The sidewalk was a good consolation prize.
Random points for generous, weird Canadians. Girl was like, 'What's the deal yo? We don't want to be tourists. We want to knoooooow where to goooooo."
Jocelyn said, "I'm going to the farmer's market tomorrow. "
Canadian said, "Oh."
And the conversation died.
May 20, 2011
RIP Club 834
An era has ended. Club 834 has been a wonderful home since September 2009. Its University of Oregon-themed walls have seen the initial excitement of my arrival to Portland, combining forces with Heidi and decorating a new home, interviewing Craigslist roommates, Will's reign of terror, dust bunnies, R. Kelly on the porch, serious conversations over dinner, chaise lounge sleepovers, Charissa's welcome presence, gardening and tanning on the berm, floor-shaking dance parties, Heidi's homemade fancy cocktails, potlucks, nail painting parties, and lots of laughter. I will miss Club 834. And living with Heidi and Charissa. It's the end of an era.
The big purple house.
The big purple house.
Halloween at 834.
My tiny room was basically a giant closet.
Party on the porch.
Garden on the berm.
Reenactment of a photo at the Celebration of Summer Party.
Heidi at the Onesie Party
Stairs of doom.
Where's Charissa? The Christmas edition.
Kewpie doll and dust bunnies
May 17, 2011
River Rodent
I saw a beaver yesterday!
Now, when a typical Portlander makes this statement it's pretty safe to assume they were frequenting one of Portland's many strip clubs. I believe that we have the most per capita, though I would have to double check that statistic. But no. Never fear, dear reader, I was not at a den of sin last night. Not even close.
I was on the mighty Willamette in a canoe.
I am participating in the Pole, Peddle, Paddle this weekend. It's a race from the top of Mt. Bachelor to Bend comprised of downhill ski/snowboarding, cross-country skiing, cycling, running, rowing, and sprinting legs. My company put a team together last year (we got 15th in the corporate division!), and we're going back for the glory this year. Last year I did the downhill snowboarding portion. In an unfortunate turn of events, I missed the start by about four minutes and was miserably late. This year, I'm trying the whole snowboarding thing again (if I don't make the start I'll probably get fired), plus the canoe portion with my coworker Jerry.
We went out on the Willamette to practice last night and it was beautiful. We saw herons, baby Canada geese, Dragon boaters, and the aforementioned beaver. It swam parallel to us for a bit and then slapped the water with its tail and dove under. Nature is so exciting. Way more exciting than strip clubs.
Now, when a typical Portlander makes this statement it's pretty safe to assume they were frequenting one of Portland's many strip clubs. I believe that we have the most per capita, though I would have to double check that statistic. But no. Never fear, dear reader, I was not at a den of sin last night. Not even close.
I was on the mighty Willamette in a canoe.
I am participating in the Pole, Peddle, Paddle this weekend. It's a race from the top of Mt. Bachelor to Bend comprised of downhill ski/snowboarding, cross-country skiing, cycling, running, rowing, and sprinting legs. My company put a team together last year (we got 15th in the corporate division!), and we're going back for the glory this year. Last year I did the downhill snowboarding portion. In an unfortunate turn of events, I missed the start by about four minutes and was miserably late. This year, I'm trying the whole snowboarding thing again (if I don't make the start I'll probably get fired), plus the canoe portion with my coworker Jerry.
We went out on the Willamette to practice last night and it was beautiful. We saw herons, baby Canada geese, Dragon boaters, and the aforementioned beaver. It swam parallel to us for a bit and then slapped the water with its tail and dove under. Nature is so exciting. Way more exciting than strip clubs.
April 14, 2011
Hunting Season
Well, technically spring is here and I should be saying goodbye to things like fuzzy pants, mac n' cheese, and weeping to Disney movies while wrapped in blankets. Time to move on to white or pink wines, bare legs, and tan lines. I hope.
So, the challenge is to find the best patios in town for after work drinks. Otherwise known as happy hour. I have my standards in rotation but I'm looking forward to finding some new gems. I will spend the next couple months throwing out the pros and cons of various drinking establishments and their sunny patio offerings. You recommend it, I'll review it.
First up: The Standard
This place is hard to find if you haven't been there before. It's on 22nd, across from Ole Ole, tucked behind a fence. That's where the outdoor seating is. When it's sunny they open up the garage doors in front, so there's sun pouring over the pool tables, and the jukebox warbling outside. Picnic tables are scattered across the patio, as well as a mysterious game that looked like a cross between cornhole and beer pong.
Drinks: Cheap and stiff.
Food: Hand-made mini-corn dogs! Don't order the sweet potato fries if you're hungry. Jesse did and it was a pretty stingy serving.
Service: Awesome. Old ladies with crazy laughs and lots of sass. Recently my friend Molly and I bemoaned the fate of the fortyish female bartender. She isn't getting tips for dressing in skimpy clothing and looking cute but is often still trying. She isn't old enough to get the respect gray hair inspires. She's just kind of there. These ladies are not in that category.They call you sweetie.
Patio: Not bad. Taken over by thugs, dudes in polar fleece playing the mysterious game, and old people (one had a walker). We got the table with the most shade, but it was nice to know we were outside enjoying a beer.
Random points for the photobooth, Big Buck Hunter, and the red-headed orphan who tried to get Sam and I to adopt him. We were hanging out in one of the shredded vinyl booths doing the couple in love thing, and he kept coming up to tell us how awesome we were. This culminated in him begging us to adopt him. We might have. I'm not sure how that works.
Next destination?
March 25, 2011
Mighty Market Delights
This is going down from 6 to 9 pm at 4047 N Michigan Avenue. See you there!
March 24, 2011
Triple Feature!
Mississippi Studios has three great shows in a row for the next three nights. I would highly recommend checking out at least one of them.
Tonight
Esben and the Witch: Sounds like the name. Haunting, dirgelike, some psychedelic noise stuff happening in the background, overly and awesomely dramatic. If I didn't already have plans to eat soup with Liz and Gabe and watch Auntie Mame I would totally be there.
Friday Night
Foster the People: Um, Mississippi Studios calls it "chillwave". I think that's awkward. I don't think any musical genre should have "chill" in its title and combined with "wave"?. Ugh. Nevertheless, let's call this summery California pop that pretty much sounds like car dancing (you know, dancing around in your seat and waving your arms around while passing fast food signs and palm trees and old ladies walking dogs) with the windows down. Unfortunately, it's sold out. Good thing they're playing at Sasquatch.
Saturday Night
Castanets: I'm really excited about this. I've been listening to Castanets for awhile and haven't seen a live show yet. This is Raymond Raposa's one-man band, but apparently he brings in a rotating cast of musicians for his live performance. I like the recorded stuff but I imagine a live show will be quite a bit different and equally if not more awesome.
Tonight
Esben and the Witch: Sounds like the name. Haunting, dirgelike, some psychedelic noise stuff happening in the background, overly and awesomely dramatic. If I didn't already have plans to eat soup with Liz and Gabe and watch Auntie Mame I would totally be there.
Friday Night
Foster the People: Um, Mississippi Studios calls it "chillwave". I think that's awkward. I don't think any musical genre should have "chill" in its title and combined with "wave"?. Ugh. Nevertheless, let's call this summery California pop that pretty much sounds like car dancing (you know, dancing around in your seat and waving your arms around while passing fast food signs and palm trees and old ladies walking dogs) with the windows down. Unfortunately, it's sold out. Good thing they're playing at Sasquatch.
Saturday Night
Castanets: I'm really excited about this. I've been listening to Castanets for awhile and haven't seen a live show yet. This is Raymond Raposa's one-man band, but apparently he brings in a rotating cast of musicians for his live performance. I like the recorded stuff but I imagine a live show will be quite a bit different and equally if not more awesome.
February 15, 2011
Overlooked and Delicious: City State Diner
I can't believe this place isn't busier but I'm really glad it's not. City State Diner is great. Sam and I went yesterday for a Valentine's Day breakfast. We both ordered the hazelnut french toast (I got the deluxe edition with banana and coconut rum syrup) and it was amazing. Their coffee is good and the servers are always quick to refresh your cup. They do a lot of stuff in-house and all it's all fresh and delicious and the menu is interesting. I haven't even been for lunch yet, but they have some appealing options. It's on the way to work for me, on NE 28th just a couple blocks north of Burnside. Sam and I were one of three couples in the entire restaurant, but I'm pretty sure things won't stay that way forever. Next time you want breakfast and don't want to wait in the rain for an hour, check this place out.
February 12, 2011
No, but seriously
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| From Awkward Prom Couples |
February 4, 2011
What Happens at Ron Toms
So, I'm sure you've all been at Ron Toms (600 East Burnside) at some point or another. It's a pretty great bar. I'm not going to say it's my favorite but it provides a reliable mix of random people, decent music, strong drinks, and weird interactions. You can play ping pong there. They have a patio. You hear it all there. Guys in little beanies ramble on about the healing powers of fixed gear bicycles on bad knees (yeah right), people from the Northwest apparently don't get sarcasm (okay smug guy from New York with your gold chain), random really drunk girl tells me, "I'm wearing my slut shirt", adults in nice clothes from the outer ring (Beaverton, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego) come into town to get drunk and drive home, men come in wearing suits, cool kids come in wearing costumes on days that are not Halloween, it's pretty much a free-for-all. It's loud and seating and flow and the line-up for the bar always feel kind of haphazard but that's okay. I feel like it's a good place to take someone from out of town if the Sandy Hut would bum them out. Not that I actually associate with people like that.
I was digging around in my photos today. I never post photos directly after the fact, but I'm working on it. These photos are from last fall a few days before Kale and Rachael got married in September. We braided Kale's hair in french braids and drank shots of tequila and celebrated celebration.
I was digging around in my photos today. I never post photos directly after the fact, but I'm working on it. These photos are from last fall a few days before Kale and Rachael got married in September. We braided Kale's hair in french braids and drank shots of tequila and celebrated celebration.
Celebration, kind of. There is one really sad face in this collective.
Jocelyn and I demonstrating our french braiding skills
Kale is notoriously bad at smiling for photos. I'm not sure what happens.
That guy in the leather jacket is not someone anyone knows. First he was the photographer, then we made him join in. Ron Toms is a great place for picking up people for group photos so it looks like you have more friends than you actually do. I like this photo because of Kale's joyful smile.
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