Portland, Oregon
April 14–19, 2022
April 14–19, 2022
About 20 years ago, I was working at the Dartmouth Bookstore (RIP) and met a man named James Thurber. When I commented on his excellent name, he said, “Yeah, he was my great-uncle. I’m named after him. He was a bastard.” Ha! He then went on to tell me about his former life in Portland, ending with, “You should go someday. You’d really love it there.” Well, he wasn’t wrong. Even if I’m catching it after the good ol’ days (which will always be the case with everything ever), that city still has it going on.
Of course, it rained the majority of my time there, but my back was feeling much better. The first night, the boys and I stayed at Champoeg State Heritage Area, a truly gorgeous spot about 35 minutes outside the city. Then we headed to a suburban Hipcamp site in Gresham. It was a cozy spot in a family’s large driveway, with full hookups, access to a large community park area right behind the house, and shared use of their fenced backyard and gas firepit. Mochi especially enjoyed rolling around like a mad dog in the “back 40” fields.
Throughout the weekend, I did a small tour of Portland’s many breweries, including Oakshire, Breakside, and Hammer & Stitch. Deliciousness all around! Friday night was a special treat, getting dinner at Botto’s BBQ and then seeing the Bananas podcast live at the Aladdin Theater. If you haven’t listened to Bananas (“the silliest little podcast that ever was”), I highly recommend it. Saturday I got tasty breakfast at Supernova and bought some even tastier yarn at Close Knit. I cast on a new project that evening while sitting by the Hipcamp’s firepit, as the dogs played in the yard.
Sunday was another treat of a day. I took the boys to Wallace Dog Park, then I took myself to the justly renowned Powell’s Books. I spent plenty of time and an absurd amount of money there, but I have no regrets. That night, I found stealthy street parking in a NE Portland neighborhood within walking distance and got to attend a house show by the one, the only, the Anders Parker. House shows are something I’ve really missed since the world went on lockdown. The show was predictably outstanding.
During the rest of my time in Portland, I strolled about taking photos of the lusciously blooming spring flowers, spent a few hours working from red e café, snagged scrumptious treats from Blue Star Donuts, and paid a magical visit to Outlet, the risograph print shop and studio of Kate Bingaman Burt and Leland Vaughan. I ogled their zine library, took home a few prints and stickers of my own, and picked up some goodies for my dear Laura Young, one of KBB’s biggest fans.
Until next time, Portland!
Of course, it rained the majority of my time there, but my back was feeling much better. The first night, the boys and I stayed at Champoeg State Heritage Area, a truly gorgeous spot about 35 minutes outside the city. Then we headed to a suburban Hipcamp site in Gresham. It was a cozy spot in a family’s large driveway, with full hookups, access to a large community park area right behind the house, and shared use of their fenced backyard and gas firepit. Mochi especially enjoyed rolling around like a mad dog in the “back 40” fields.
Throughout the weekend, I did a small tour of Portland’s many breweries, including Oakshire, Breakside, and Hammer & Stitch. Deliciousness all around! Friday night was a special treat, getting dinner at Botto’s BBQ and then seeing the Bananas podcast live at the Aladdin Theater. If you haven’t listened to Bananas (“the silliest little podcast that ever was”), I highly recommend it. Saturday I got tasty breakfast at Supernova and bought some even tastier yarn at Close Knit. I cast on a new project that evening while sitting by the Hipcamp’s firepit, as the dogs played in the yard.
Sunday was another treat of a day. I took the boys to Wallace Dog Park, then I took myself to the justly renowned Powell’s Books. I spent plenty of time and an absurd amount of money there, but I have no regrets. That night, I found stealthy street parking in a NE Portland neighborhood within walking distance and got to attend a house show by the one, the only, the Anders Parker. House shows are something I’ve really missed since the world went on lockdown. The show was predictably outstanding.
During the rest of my time in Portland, I strolled about taking photos of the lusciously blooming spring flowers, spent a few hours working from red e café, snagged scrumptious treats from Blue Star Donuts, and paid a magical visit to Outlet, the risograph print shop and studio of Kate Bingaman Burt and Leland Vaughan. I ogled their zine library, took home a few prints and stickers of my own, and picked up some goodies for my dear Laura Young, one of KBB’s biggest fans.
Until next time, Portland!
