Recently I went to Oregon for the first time. In my past work as a consultant and during vacations I’d been to 48 states – but not Oregon or Hawaii. We started out in Portland and traveled around most of the state and it was a good time, with a lot of odd insights.
The architecture in Portland was spectacular. I am a fan of the “Dwell” type house; a modern look with lots of glass. Portland had many older houses (Victorians) along with a lot of great new construction, especially in the downtown area.
Oregon in general had many older cars, often in pristine condition. I saw a lot of older pickup trucks off the main roads, still working hard for their owners. Not sure why but generally it must be that they don’t salt their roads.
There were a lot of strange looking folks in Portland. Nose rings were very common, and not just the “stud” kind, and tattoos were everywhere. I was too polite to take a lot of pictures but here’s some funny looking cars and dogs.
I’ve seen the show “Portlandia” and they have the “Women’s and Women’s First Bookstore” which obviously isn’t real but isn’t as farfetched as you might think. There were a few funky new age bookstores in the Northwest side of Portland near our hotel.
But here’s something from Portlandia that is real… Voodoo Donuts which had a line that stretched a long way in front of the store, and people bought big pink boxes of donuts. This looked like the “Krispy Kreme” craze before that played out as they over built the chain across the USA.
Cross posted at LITGM
In Portland the dogs drive Subarus?
In Oregon the dogs may, or may not, drive Subarus. But one thing I know is that it’s illegal for the dog’s owner to pump gas in said Subaru. Safety concern they say. Apparently too complicated for Oregonians to maneuver.
Surprised you didn’t mention all the good beer! If you have time travel on the Washington side along the Columbia River Gorge to the tri cities – has to be one of the top sightseeing roads in the country (next to our Hwy 1 of course)
Kelly’s Olympian made a fine Bloody Mary as I recall, served by an “interesting” young lady. Voodoo was great, but you had to be there when it was open or not mobbed. Like to go back someday.
Voodoo Donuts also conducts wedding ceremonies, and I have friends who were married there. (Long story – the bridegroom was visiting from far away, the highly organized bride had uncharacteristically assumed they could go to the courthouse, but it turned out the justices all had long waiting lists and for some reason in Portland the clerk of the court isn’t allowed to preside over a wedding ceremony, and all the private wedding chapels said things like “Our elopment package is available on just six weeks’ notice”… unclear on the concept… anyway, it was either get hitched at Voodoo Donuts or delay the wedding another six months, with consequent delay for her residency application in the bridegroom’s home country.)
Considering that it was conducted by a Universal Life Church minister at a donut shop, the ceremony was brief but surprisingly moving. (They threw in a dozen donuts for a wedding feast.) The happy couple is doing well.
The “Women’s and Women’s First Bookstore” is actually a spoof of a Chicago bookstore called “Women and Children First”.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/women-and-children-first-chicago
Fred Armisen spent some time in Chicago where he was involved with Blue Man Group.
Did they get married at the Vodoo Dounuts downtown or at the one on East Sandy Blvd?
My wife was blown away by people offering her a seat on the Max or the bus. You certainly don’t get this in NY- well not very often anyway.