Portland in 72 Hours
If you had a friend from out of town enter the UGB for three days what would your tour look like? Well, for starters, I hadn’t seen my buddy Roland in, well, perhaps a dozen years, neither of us really held the proper count. And showing someone around who lives in the woods outside of the original Portland (ME) I figured this was the perfect counter-culture-imbalanced opportunity to host with cheshire pride. It was nice to have a laidback pal who could relish the fact that in-between things I was engaged in the domestics of laundry, the gym and decorating the new tree (in blues, grey/silver and white this year). I wanted to really provide a special preview of both the quirky and quintessentially Northwest aspects within Stumptown’s radius.
So we ventured out there and with the literal mind half-awake, first stopped into some essential bookshops including Powell’s, Counter Media and Reading Frenzy. A bit of a whirlwind in one shot, but we perused quite a number of varied sections on astrology, art, GLBT, erotica, zines and the like. See the photo above for our peek into the reinvention homage to the original 24 Hour Church of Elvis, a true Portland icon. This fourth (?) incarnation of the “Church” sides the Goldsmith Building in Old Town/Chinatown (on Couch). Drop in some quarters and you’ll hear voices and spy some interesting memorabilia. While en route we wrassled up a cuppa joe at the best bean in town, Stumptown Roasters. With paper cup in hand we then strolled a few doors down to the infamous Voodoo Doughnuts (who also do weddings). And after an eyeful of Tang-covered fried confections rounded the corner towards Fontanelle where Leslie Miller, co-proprietor of this quaint contemporary art space, treated us to a backroom closing peak of Queer Gaze which was a great exchange for all of us.
Over the next few days it made sense to check out the urban-rural delicacies of two very special places dear to me, the ever-quieting power of the Japanese Garden and the petite (and smallest public park in the US) Mills End Park, always different as it invokes our smiles. After cheap happy hour bites at Candy and since it was 1st Thursday we walked through the Pearl to see new shows at PDX Contemporary, Pulliam Gallery (the night’s standout), Blackfish, Beppu Wiarda and meandered down to the Everett Station Lofts to Anka Gallery which had an incredible old-fashioned art walk vibe going on. We also ventured to see/hear the evocative collaboration between Andy Paiko and Ethan Rose at the Museum of Contemporary Craft which requires lesser of a crowd to truly appreciate its subtleties. All-in-all it was a truly great night.
Brunch became us as Fernando joined in the eats at one of our regular spots, the wonderful Caffe Pallino on Division. With lemon curd french toast warming our cockles it was off to another Portland classic, Movie Madness, to ogle Mike’s Museum, the unique costumes and collectibles from movies of yore - now in even nicer museum-style settings. But what trip would be complete without a studio visit-in-reverse! It was a treat to be able to pull out a few flat portfolios to show and tell with my friend. We finally had the opportunity to catch up after so many moons have passed, and as we looked and chatted about some photographs and drawings I realized how important it truly is to get an outsider’s perspective. More food for thought. So to fill the gap later in the evening it was off to one of bridgetown’s most coveted eating establishments nestled under the Morrison Bridge - speaking volumes of the breadth of this town, Montage. I barely let anyone get away without experiencing this true gem amongst us. I am forever tickled to hear the yelp of ‘5 Oyyyssttteeerrrss‘ and the parting gleen of tall and oddly shaped tin foil caricatures filled with leftovers. I just can’t resist the Spold Mac, man oh man!
And on Saturday before heading towards the coast we stopped at one of my old hangouts, The Side Door, for a bagel and caffeine. A straight shot out to Astoria had us to and fro within five hours, stopping only for lunch before hightailing it back to catch the Trailblazers last night. Winning by a single point against Houston in the last minutes of the game, even despite Greg Oden’s fall and subsequent knee injury which will have him out for the remainder of the season. The drive was crisply gorgeous and the sky was shades of blue. But most of all it was great to see an old friend and show-off the wealth of our goods!
Tags: 24 Church of Elvis, Astoria, First Thursday, Fontanelle, Montage, Portland, Portland Trailblazers, Powell's, Reading Frenzy, Stumptown Roasters, The Side Door, Voodoo Doughnuts