This is Portland, we do what we like. This is Portland, we do what we like.

Extra socks - check.
Rain expected - check.

Seriously though, where in town will you be staying?

We're renting a little garden apartment on NE 15th. I understand this is Irvington - a few blocks north of the Lloyd Center.

It is indeed Irvington. There are a ton of shops and restaurants near there on Broadway but it is a little more upscale than some other areas. Not Pearl District upscale, but more than other areas.

I think any one of us could send you to any different number of places -- what is it that you are looking to do or are interested in doing?

Like I said, I've never been there, and am open to everything. Not interested in going to the Rose Festival, but I'm hoping to get a feel for the city to see if it is somewhere my wife and I might want to relocate. So places to eat, arts locales (my wife is a fiber artist), and cool neighborhoods that might be nice to live in. I like just walking around with no particular plan, but any tips as to where I should wander would be great. Any "must dos" if I may never be back again?

if i were going to walk someone around i'd choose these streets:

alberta
mississippi
belmont (20th-39th)
burnside (river to 28th)
should probably walk 21st/23rd (burnside north) though all the eastside streets mentioned above are more interesting

Ok. To help you get around, here is a quick primer on how the city is laid out. For the most part the city is divided into 4 sections. Burnside demarcates north and south. The Willamette river demarcates east and west. On the west side of town, the streets are alphabetical going north starting with Ankeny, Burnside, Couch (pronounced 'cooch'), etc. The same thing works on the eastside but more sporadically.

If you stay on the eastside, especially SE, Cesar Chavez (r.i.p. 39th Ave) is your friend.

Some of the neighborhoods I would check out are Hawthorne, pockets of inner Division, Alberta in NE.

Obviously you will need to go to Powell's. Also, if the weather is in fact nice check out Mt. Tabor park.

Places to eat:
Lucky Strike
Pok Pok
Screen Door
Any place that starts with the word "Pho"

One place I forgot to mention if you want to spend a bit more dough for dinner is Le Pigeon. Spendy, but worth it.

Pok Pok

otm

Everyone recommends Pok Pok! It's the only "must eat" thus far.

Thanks for neighborhood tips - I'm taking notes. Please, keep it coming, and if anyone wants a coffee or beer let me know.

Speaking of beer; I know Portland is microbrew endowed - anywhere I need to go? surprisingly, one of the local spots here in the other Portland had a Rogue Imperial Porter on tap this past weekend - mighty fine stuff.

Oh weird, I'll be in PDX over Memorial Day weekend as well.

Pok Pok looks awesome, btw. I'm also hoping to hit up some food carts.

And I'm very much excited about all the craft breweries, though I think my girlfriend and I were also thinking of checking out the annual Memorial Day festival in wine country.

I dig Belmont Station (on Stark & 45th, in SE) as a beer store, they generally have good stuff on tap and tons of stuff for sale. There's also a huge Henry's Tavern on Burnside in the Pearl that's kind of not the best atmosphere but they have a crazy number of beers. It's right by Powell's, where anyone who visits Portland should check out at some point. I think there's a Rogue public house nearby but I've never been to that.

I don't live there, just visit a lot. There are tons of great places to eat - I really dug Red Onion for Thai last time I was there, Clyde Common was really good, Pok Pok is good, Toro Bravo, Indish on 21st near Everett is great, Screendoor, Bunk Sandwiches, and I have a huge list of other places that I've heard good things about but haven't gotten to yet.

Basically I love just roaming around a lot of the neighborhoods listed above. There really isn't anything all that exciting and one-of-a-kind there in terms of tourist stuff, but I love roaming around, eating, getting a beer or coffee (Coffeehouse Northwest on Burnside is my brother-in-law's hangout and the dudes are huge nerds) or good bakery, people watching, and so on.

Koi Fusion and Potato Champion are the number one can't miss food carts. There's so many worth investigating and really I can't even remember most of their names/locations.

Yeah Portland is mostly a find a place to hang out and just hang out sort of city. Walk around. You'll find stuff you like. I'm sure several of us would love to meet up for drinks and etc too!

To echo what everyone else is saying, yeah it is super easy to roam around. Likely has to do with the blocks being small and the lack of sprawl. So, just get in your car -- or take Tri-Met -- to wherever you want to go and just get out and walk around.

Oh, and one more thing: Portlanders are crazy about going out for breakfast/brunch. Unless you go early or really late, be prepared to wait for up to an hour if you go to one of the more popular spots.

whenever i go to portland my friend always tries to get us to go out to sunday brunch. we stand around outside a spot for 45 minutes and i think the whole time GOD DAMN IT I COULDA COOKED A POUND OF BACON BY NOW

There should totally be a Memorial Day PDXFAP

As long as it's before Memorial Day proper I'll try to attend - my flight home leaves late Sunday night.

Speaking of beer; I know Portland is microbrew endowed - anywhere I need to go?

Hopworks on Powell has some great microbrews.

If your wife is interested in the local art scene, I would definitely check out the Alberta area and some pockets of downtown - tons of galleries in these spots.

whenever i go to portland my friend always tries to get us to go out to sunday brunch. we stand around outside a spot for 45 minutes and i think the whole time GOD DAMN IT I COULDA COOKED A POUND OF BACON BY NOW

Yeah, this sucks. We now make a point to frequent the spots the local papers ignore.

wish I could afford to visit again this summer.

fucking kitzhaber. fucking saltzman. :(

so it goes.

at least i can comfort myself with the fact that the field against saltzman all were terrible candidates with the only thing going for them being the fact that they aren't dan saltzman, but i was really pulling for bradbury

Enh, i would have been happy with either bradbury or kitzhaber. I wound up voting for the latter. Still, nice to see the measures passed.

Wonder how Adams taking the Police Bureau from Saltzman may have garnered some sympathy votes. Probably didn't matter though -- no one ran a strong race against him.

Did anyone see the republican debate on the local news a few weeks ago? Hilarious! If I wasn't registered as a Democrat I would have voted for the nutjob who wanted to make everyone live in domes and put stop signs everywhere. He was awesome.

ha, who was this?

kitz brings pretty much nothing to the table. obv, I'll vote for him, but I strongly doubt I'll campaign for him like I was doing for bradbury.

I can't remember the guy's name, but I tried googleing him the following day and he was totally "off the grid" as it were. They must have just let him out for that single event. He also had some unconventional ideas involving making everyone house in the U.S. worth exactly $5,000. What a character!

There's a tech job fair on the east side that I'll be at tomorrow. See ya then.

http://pacificnwtech.org/attendees.html

Hey, it doesn't look like it will rain this weekend. Now if only the city doesn't float away.

This spring has been irredeemably shitty in terms of weather. Even for longtime Oregonians.

I am going into this vacation assuming it will rain the entire time, so any respite from that will be a nice surprise.

There should totally be a Memorial Day PDXFAP

― langston hoos (The Reverend), Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:16 PM Bookmark

I'm on my way! In Chicago, only one more flight to go.

Yeah what's goin on, let's do a thing. I vote DRINKING.

yeah, I'd be down for a FAP. What and where, and it better be on the east side.

can hang, whats the timeframe?

This spring has been irredeemably shitty in terms of weather. Even for longtime Oregonians.

OTMFM

*aheh-hem*

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Memorial Day PDXFAP

Sam's Good Food & Drink
NE 41st & Hancock
7:00 PM

BE THERE

(subject to modification if necessary, obv)

My schedule is quickly filling up with stuff I want to make sure I do when I'm in town, so I may not be able to make this, but it's possible. Main question: what day? Memorial Day itself?

yes

Rev, how is Sam's?

Not cheap. Also, jukebox can be good if you're there on a night w/ no assholes.

Not expensive either, tho. Only been there once tbh. I do most of my drinking on the westside. Thought I'd pick a place in my own neighborhood.

so we are all down for this, yeah?

I'll be there.

Sure

gonna try for it

cool.

good to meet you guys, thanks Rev for making it happen