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BABY BOOMER MUSEUM

The take away from a Baby Boomer Museum is awareness. A visit to a big museum should make you ask, “How do they decide what to keep?” It’s the same question you’ll ask later, wondering why you bought anything in the gift store. Unless you say, “I needed another tea towel,” you need a better […]

KITCHEN TABLE BEER TRAVEL: OREGON TO GERMANY

  Beer travel starts at John’s Market in Multnomah. Culturally aware types emphasize art and architecture for reasons to travel. They love the history, the land, the people. And they can’t stop talking about all the new stuff they learn. If it’s someone you know, you listen like you’re not hearing an endless variation of […]

LITTLE BEIRUT PORTLAND SHOWS UP

  Get ready for Little Beirut Portland the right way. Ask your policeman friends the right questions. + Is it safe? – No, it’s not safe. + Is tonight the night? –  We’re totally hands off. That’s why you see what you see. + Giving up the freeway? –  The big surprise was getting to […]

PORTLAND MOVE REVIEW: WHERE TO LOOK

Things look different before a Portland move. The Portland move is actually a move to Portland, not the Portland of California, the Portland of the midwest, or the Portland of the South. Call it the Portland of Portland. But where do you start with someone else in the car planning a Portland move?

POLYFACE OREGON EVOLUTION

A state of many faces: Polyface Oregon (Inspired by Joel Salatin and Polyface Farms in Virginia) 1. Change your point of view. Is Oregon all about timber, fishing, and farming? Or a high tech mecca on the leading edge of Asian commerce? On one hand it’s a thriving environment for Airbnb, Uber, and OfferUp, start […]

YOUNG ADULT WILLAMETTE WRITERS

How old are Young Adult Willamette Writers?   Writing for the Young Adult market keeps you young. Reading Young Adult literature keeps you young. Agenting for Young Adult writers keeps you young, too. Fiona Kenshole of Transatlantic Agency proved those points talking about Young Adult Willamette Writers in Portland’s Old Church. How did she do […]

A DIFFERENT PORTLAND, A DIFFERENT TIME

Today’s city is a different Portland than anyone expected from it’s past. I walked the hard pavement of NW 14th street toward Burnside, the Mason Dixon Line of Portland. I crossed against the light, skipping past a new chain tavern, leaving behind a music store with too much exposure through its showroom windows. I angled […]

NO OTHER PORTLAND BUT FRESH HOPPED PORTLAND

No city can be the Portland of the north, east, south, or west due to one basic truth. And it’s so obviously Portland. No place on earth is closer to the most valuable ingredient in beer. Hops grow down the road from a city with over 142 breweries in the metro area that pour 53 […]

CATCH PORTLAND FEVER

Once you catch Portland Fever you’re doomed. Drug stores don’t advertise shots in case you catch Portland Fever. It’s not shingles, pneumonia, or the flu. On the other hand it’s not polio, malaria, of tuberculosis. While not fatal, if you do catch Portland Fever, your life is ruined. After a few years in Portland, maybe […]

PORTLAND FEVER CHILL TONIC

What Would Tom McCall do about Portland Fever? Portland, Oregon, more than a map point, destination, or cultural reference, is an infection. And it’s spreading. Once you catch Portland Fever, you see Portland everywhere. Pop a craft beer in the middle of no where and it’s The Portland of No Where. People who’ve never been […]