BACK TO THE FUTURE AT 60

What was the song of the day? Johnny B. Goode, what else?

Back To The Future Or How’d You Know It Would Turn Out Like This?

By 1985 the oldest baby boomers were around 40 years old. They were old hippies by then, or peppy preppies if they cut their hair and learned how to trade bonds.

Yes the boomer generation was settling in quite nicely toward middle age, much like the GenX hipsters of today.

Looking back thirty years too fast causes whiplash, so let’s go slow. Nice and easy is the rule.

The changes the happened from 1985 to 2015 are too much to log in one post, but we have wikipedia to cover three decades worth.

My own story is a Portland tale. From my cheap as hell NW Portland apartment, (hard to believe you could get a one bedroom in the neighborhood for $150, but you could) change was apparent.

Single man life was changing due to a steady date, AIDS was taking a huge toll across the land but not enough to mobilize a full bore health fear like Ebola, and Bud Clark became the bartender mayor.

The Portland Building still had that new car smell and Michael Graves was still a genius instead of the guy who created a package wrap style building that would need millions and millions of dollars to keep it, or else tear it down.

Portland’s history with iconic buildings is checkered. Some buildings stay, some don’t.

The Portland Hotel took a dive. Henry Villard probably rolled around his grave on that one, but the man who started building the place had already made his mark on Oregon.

From oregonencyclopedia.org:

Villard supported other Oregon interests as well. In mid 1881, through his friend Judge Matthew Deady, he learned that the University of Oregon in Eugene was deeply in debt. Villard prevented the institution’s closure by donating a substantial sum in railroad stock and cash, with specially designated funds for library books, chemical laboratory equipment, scholarships, and several faculty salaries. In March 1886, in recognition of Villard’s generosity, university officials named the school’s new second building Villard Hall.

Call him the Phil Knight of his day.

In 1985 Air Jordan’s arrived, changing the shoe biz and handing Mike Jordan millions of dollars since. The latest number is $100,000,000 a year from Jordan Brand.

By 1985 the beer world took a turn for the better.

From oregoncraftbeer.org:

1984 By May 1st, 4 brewing companies are incorporated: Portland Brewing Company, Full Sail Brewing Company, Widmer Brothers Brewing and BridgePort Brewing Company(these are the current names for each brewery)
•1985 Oregon State Legislature legalizes the ability for a brewery to sell the beer it makes on premise over the bar starting the brewpub movement-the bill is signed by the governor in July and in October-MeMenamins Hillsdale becomes the 2nd brewpub in US.
•1985 McMenamins opens the Hillsdale Brewery and Pub, the first brewpub in OR.

Cool shoes, a cool building, a hep cat mayor, and the best beer in the world. Is it any wonder Portland turned out the way it has since 1985?

What’s your Back To The Future story?