iheartportland

my own private river

2011-09-22T16:35:00.001-07:00

those of you who have been keeping up with my blog since my meager beginnings, may remember this post about my love of portland acquired through many, many viewings of my favorite film ever, my own private idaho.

while i had been to portland several times as a kid, i truly fell in love with our fair city while i was living in albuquerque after i saw the film my own private idaho at the funky little guild theater. it was at that time that i made it my goal in life to one day move here.

after moving here, i have visited and experienced so many places from the film and even have the luck to run into gus and scott green in the neighborhood once in a while. (ok, i still don't know where the chinese restaurant is that they all hung out in the film so if anyone out there knows where it is, i would looooove to know.)

when the film milk was released, i was lucky enough (for once) to win tickets to its premier at the schnitz where both gus and james franco talked about the film. i have been a huge fan of franco's since then because he just seems like a genuinely cool guy. and well, gus...enough said, i will love and adore his shy quirkiness for eva!

so imagine my excitement when i saw advertised in the willamette week that gus and franco will be at the hollywood theater this sunday showing franco's collection of out takes of river from my own private idaho that have been put together in a short film. oh you know i will be there. to see the young and beautiful river in never before seen footage is just about it for me.

the bonus for attending this showing is that the proceeds go to help the renovation of the hollywood theater which is one of the most beautiful theaters in town.

so if you are a portland film buff at all, a fan of gus's films, a fan of franco's, or the much missed phoenix (RIP), i expect to see you there!

the screenings take place at 12 and 12:30 this sunday the 25th and the cost is $35.00per person.

hollywood theater
503.281.4215
4122 ne sandy blvd

the bent brick

2011-07-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

last week my coworker and i were going out for a bite to eat and she suggested checking out this new restaurant called the bent brick.

the bent brick is located in the beautiful brick building that was once home to the oddball/baddoll shoe store. i've always thought that this building needed to be a restaurant instead and i'm so happy it finally is.

there is a great little seating area in the front complete with a giant jengo sculpture. it would be fun to hang out in this lounge over cocktails with friends.

and then the back of the dining room opens up completely. we have so few nice days here in portland and outdoor dining can be somewhat of a challenge. so the perfect solution is just to open up the side of the restaurant. this would even be nice on a rainy night.

we just had a few light snacks but the food is really good. my favorite was the roasted snow peas. these were snow peas in the pods and roasted on the grill. i loved these so much that lorenzo and i went to the farmer's market last week and bought some beautiful snow peas and then roasted them ourselves. this is my new favorite snack. why had i never had this before?

and i can't believe that i didn't get a photo of their wine taps. all of their wines are on tap. now i really need this at home. delicious wines right out of the tap. yes, please!

so get on over and check out the bent brick for yourself. you will be very happy i sent you.

1639 nw marshall
503.688.1655

so long satyricon

2011-07-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

my very first night in portland back in 1998, my best friend picked me up at the ben stark hotel (now the ace) and took me to a "performance" art show over at satyricon. which really was no more than moxy love crux backing up for the strippers.

because this was such a new scene for me, i fell in love with portland and with satyricon that night. well i still love portland but sadly, satyricon has been gone for quite some time for me.

satyricon closed several years ago and then reopened briefly as an all ages venue. that lasted a year or so and then opened back up as a night club. however, fate would hold nothing more for satyricon after the building was set for demolition to become yet another housing project here in old town.

several years ago, we saw the closure of satyricon's restaurant portion, fellini, and that is when we all knew the end was in sight. on any given night at fellini, the average portlander could hang out with band members waiting to play or celebrating after a sucessful show. i actually really liked fellini more than satyricon, as it was not quite so gritty. yet that is what was always so great about satyricon. apparently restaurant codes aren't applicable to night clubs!

and today was the day. my coworker came in my office to tell me the walls were coming down so i had to run out to get a shot of my portland history. satyricon may no longer be here but all of my great memories of that place will always be with me...especially strippers dancing to the moxy love crux.

photos
cxoxs
oregon music news
moi

say it isn't so...

2011-06-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

for those of you familiar with my day job, i thought i would give you a little gift. yes, that's right, pendleton home is having another one of their fabulous opening ceremony sample sales.

this time around, it is the spring oc line and mostly women's wear but there is still some cool men's items, they just need to get here quick. the sale starts at 10 am thursday, july 7th and we will be open for first thursday until 8 pm.

call or email the store if you have any questions.
800.248.8144
pendletonhomepdx@penwool.com
210 nw broadway pdx, 97209

see ya there!

redray

2011-06-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

hey there portland people. i just wanted to give you a heads up that a good friend of mine, ray frazier, is playing tomorrow night at the laurelthirst. ray is a sweet soulful guy who mixes r&b with folk and funk. and all around just a great guy. if you're looking for something to do, stop by the laurelthirst from 9pm-12 tomorrow, june 22nd. what a great way to bring in the summer!

laurelthirst public house
2958 ne glisan
503.232.1504

you don't know jack?

2011-06-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

i know, i know, i have seriously been slacking off on my reports of the haps going on in my beloved portlandia. i really have been getting out quite a bit lately but i haven't had very much time to report back to you all. i promise to do my very best to let you in on all of the cool people and places we have here in our fine city. i mean portland is on fire (not literally, thank goodness) right now and i'm not doing a very good job of representing!

so the first thing we need to talk about is the newish restaurant, st. jack. have you been here yet? if not...go...now!

st. jack is housed in that cute little corner spot on clinton that has seen many a coffee shop come and go. i'm so happy they brought this little spot to life because i've always thought it had so much potential.

the interior is simple and white and sparkly. we were there on a rainy night (go figure)and it was so warm and cozy. the candles on the table have dripping wax hanging to the table and it is the quintessential french bistro complete with beautiful pastries housed under big glass domes.

my bff and i sat at the chef's counter and had the cheese plate and pate to start. both were amazing. then we grazed on a delicious butter lettuce salad, and then decided to share moules frites for our dinner. the service was friendly and gracious and i think we probably had our fair share of white wine. we were just having such a good time we didn't want to leave!

i highly recommend st. jack and can't wait to get over there again, very soon.

2039 se clinton
503.360.1281

photos courtesy of the portland mercury and under the table with jen.

eden love

2011-05-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

sigh...yes, it has finally happened. someone else opened my dream store.

on the plus side, it's the lovely proprietress cindy, of flutter. and on the plus, plus side, it's four blocks away from my work!

eden is cindy's latest endeavour and it opened just today in the pearl. this store is an up-scale flutter, or perhaps even flutter's older sister. but the main thing, it's distinctly different than flutter.

cindy's inspiration came from a book about the 70s english fashion retailer, biba. she also said that the idea came to her while bedridden this last winter with pneumonia. it looks like she put her sick time to good use.

eden is just a lovely, lovely store. i have a feeling i will head over when needing some inspiration in my own store. she has an amazing collection of vintage housewares and apparel, not to mention a fabulous collection of books. i can just see my paycheck going bye bye right now.

i had to get a picture of this tongue in cheek (or shall we say chic) poster in the front of the store. oh that evil, evil mary jane!

eden is at 221 nw 11th ave
503.222.2285

olympic provisions

2011-05-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

last night my friend and i decided to go check out the new olympic provisions west side that has just opened in the old carlyle space.

the decor is considerably different than carlyle's, you would hardly recognize the clean white industrial space.

nate tilden was kind enough to give us a tour of his new wholesale facility. i must admit, we felt really bad that the boys weren't there with us to see this. nate is really proud of all of their meat!

this is the last process of curing the salami. a controlled environment is perfect for the mold they need to finish off this amazing salami.

and here is their finished product. you can buy some to take home with you to have later. we really loved the spicy chorizo salami.

and i love, love, love roast chicken which is what we decided on for dinner. it was amazing, not to mention the accompanying potatoes that went with it.

their dinner menu is really simple but we had a hard time deciding on what we wanted, everything looked so good. we were sitting at the bar and could see everything the kitchen put up.

and nate was so nice to bring us their signature chocolate salami for desert. this consists of fudge with hazelnuts and pistachios that are made to look like salami. it is then served with a citrus marmalade and salt and pepper shortbread. i am not a huge desert person but this was soooo good. that salt and pepper shortbread was to die for, i was wishing there was more on the plate. nate also gave us a sampling of a barolo antica. this is a desert wine of barolo and grain alcohol. i had never had anything like this. it was delish! it definitely warmed me up, suddenly i felt very flush and had to get outside to cool off.

as always, nate and his partner's establishments impress me. it was great food, a beautiful environment and fabulous service. i can't wait to get back to try their polenta.

thank you, nate and team for such a great meal and i hope you and jane have a great trip to spain. i can't wait to see what new recipes you bring back.

olympic provisions
1632 nw thurman
503.894.8136

crystal palace

2011-04-29T12:34:00.001-07:00

this morning i was lucky enough to be given a tour of the latest mcmenamin's endeavour, the crystal hotel.

the crystal hotel is housed in an old portland bathhouse and the former location of the silverado club located in portland's vaseline alley. i must say this neighborhood has made quite a transformation over the years becoming home to an american apparel store and a new johnny fluevog shop.

and while i'm a little saddened by the new squeaky clean look of this particular neighborhood (there is little left of the old portland of the drugstore cowboy and my own private idaho days) however, i'm happy that this small city block has been lovingly preserved by mcmenamin's. this is much better than being torn down to build another giant chain grocery store or condo building!

most of the rooms in the hotel are european style with a shared bathroom but there are a few king suites with bathrooms. there are four large bathrooms on each floor with just 17 rooms sharing them so i'm sure there is plenty of bath space.

the rooms are all named after bands that have played at the crystal ballroom over the years and are decorated with the whimsical mcmenamin's touch. rooms start at $85-$185, which is very reasonable for being located so centrally downtown.

in the basement is the salt water soaking pool. i love the bamboo lined walls in here.

a few cool things to take note of is that if you stay at the hotel, you are automatically reserved 2 tickets to the shows playing at the crystal ballroom during your stay. if you would like to make use of these tickets, you just need to book them more than 48 hours in advance. after that, they open up to be sold to the public. if there is a sold out show you were hoping to catch, you can always book a room to get the opportunity to see that show.

also, there is an all ages venue (up to 10 pm) in the basement of the hotel that you can access through ringler's annex or the hotel lobby. it's a great live performance space and every show played there will be free. i can't wait to catch a show down there!

the crystal hotel officially opens on may 3rd and m. ward will play a series of three shows to celebrate the grand opening.

303 sw 12th avenue
503.972.2670

the hotel is located near every king of public transportation in town so make your stay here car free.

all images from oregon live

sweet pete!

2011-04-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

my friend kjirsten and i went to see pete yorn over at the wonder ballroom sunday night.

it was a great show and ben kweller, the opener was amazing.

the thing that i love about the wonder ballroom is that you can easily get up front and personal at the shows there. i highly recommend this venue.

and don't worry lorenzo, you're way hotter than pete...and that's saying a lot!

hawthorne girl hits williamsburg

2011-03-24T15:59:00.001-07:00

last month when i was in nyc for work, i had just enough time to hop on over to brooklyn and check out williamsburg in hopes of finding jason schwartzman filming bored to death (not really, well yeah, maybe). my bff and i hopped on the subway and and got off at the bedford stop. we didn't have a lot of time and it was pretty cold out but we did manage to find two great spots before heading to downtown brooklyn to visit with my friend gale.

our first stop was the bedford cheese shop. the windows full of cheese drew us in, i had no control over the matter! this was a quaint little neighborhood cheese shop full of cheese, salami and best of all, chocolate. how cute is this little corner shop? we need one of these in portland.

the goods laid out before us.

here i am in my infamous pendleton coat purchasing some mast brothers chocolate. if you have never heard of this chocolate, find some...soon. it is to die for. i'm trying to get some ordered for my shop but i fear i will be my own best customer.

bedford cheese shop is at 229 bedford ave. brooklyn, ny 11211 718.599.7588

as my friend and i were growing thirsty, i asked the gentleman at the cheese shop where a good place to grab a glass of wine would be and he directed us kitty corner to juliette bistrot. i feel as if he truly knew us by sending us here!

juliette is a beautiful restaurant that channels paris in brooklyn.

i loved the little bar area the best (sorry for the blurry pic). i must say, after two glasses of wine here, it was hard to leave.

in the center of the restaurant was a little atrium that reminded me of bronte's rooftop garden in green card. i wanted to get a better photo of it but they were having a staff meeting and i didn't want to interrupt.

here is my bff kjirsten enjoying a rest and a glass of wine after i drug her shopping all over soho. it was a much needed break!

juliette is at 135 n. 5th st. brooklyn, ny 11211 718.388.9222

I have read on their website that they have a fabulous roof-top bar as well so if you find yourself in brooklyn during the warmer months, this would be a perfect place to waste away the afternoon.

historic portland

2011-03-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

back when i had free time to do things like volunteer, i worked with an organization called the bosco-milligan foundation. this foundation is focussed on preserving historic portland artifacts big and small- from the building all the way down to a door knob. bosco and milligan were two gentlemen who's passion was to go around portland collecting old bits of buildings that otherwise were headed to the landfill. they amassed quite a collection of architectural salvage before they both passed away quite prematurely.

for a while the historic preservation league of portland was responsible for their collection but it required more attention than they could give and thus the bosco-milligan foundation was formed and has been run ever since by a close friend of benny and jerry's, cathy gailbraith.

the photo above is a buidling that the two owned and ran their stained glass business out of. for many years it sat untouched lacking the funds it needed to be renovated. if you have been in portland for a while, you will know this building over on se grand ave. well, a few years back, the renovations were completed and the building was reopened as the architectural heritage center and the home base of the bosco-milligan foundation. this building works as a resource center and library for all things old portland.

i mention this now because the archtectural heritage center has some really cool programs on a regular basis and this spring they are hosting walking tours of portland. the tours begin in april and run through the summer. there are some really great neighborhoods on their list of tours-belmont, hollywood, yamhill, vista and reedwood. i can't wait for the reedwood tour, i've always wanted to check out the reed college campus and this tour focusses on the mid-century houses on and near the campus.

many of the tours require pre-registration since there are only so many spaces available. so go to the ahc site for more information and to register for the tours.

when i was in interior design school many years ago, i went on several walking tours of portland and let me tell you, there are some amazing gems in our community often designed by very well-known architects.

so what better way to spend the warm months here than getting out and getting to know the historic neighborhoods of portland!

lucie and the girl

2011-03-14T14:26:00.001-07:00

when i first started iheartportland, i would occasionally torment my readers with cute pics of my little baby girl lucie. well, i decided that i did not want this to become a dog blog so i created lucie's own page, lucie sees. however, yesterday, i took this picture of her that i just had to share with you.

the timing is actually perfect because between my portland blog, my fashion blog, and my work blog, i have been having a hard time keeping up with little lu's blog.

and hence, a few weeks ago, i came to the decision to throw cute photos of lu into my portland blog again and retire lucie sees as it just isn't getting as much attention as it deserves.

i apologize to those of you who are not dog people (do you really live in portland?) but alas, it is my blog and lucie is a part of my portland life. so i ask that you tolerate my completely self-indulgent photos of my baby once in a while. and i ask you, how can you not love this face?

murder in portland part 2

2011-03-11T14:35:00.001-08:00

i know i have mentioned the author cara black on i heart portland before. she writes a series of murder mysteries based in paris starring the stylish and smart yet not so great decision maker french detective aimee leduc. aimee inevitably finds herself in some sort of bad predicament in paris usually due to the fact the a criminal has pulled on her heartstrings yet again. oh aimee, when will you ever learn?

sometimes the stories are a little far-fetched for me and end like the da vinci code (completely unrealistic), but there is something so endearing to me about cara's novels. most likely the fact that they take place in and around paris, of which cara knows very well due to the help of great friends and the paris prefecture as well. it really is like taking a little vacation through the quartiers of paris.

cara will be in portland again on the 26th of march speaking at the alliance francaise. if you have not been to an event at the alliance and you are even remotely a francophile like i am, you should check it out. it is in a beautiful old victorian house in goose hollow that the alliance runs its programs out of, and there is no better place in portland for cara to transport you to paris than here. hop on the alliance website to register for the event because it is a very intimate space.

cara will be in town reading from the 11th installment of the aimee leduc series, murder in passy.

antler art

2011-02-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

speaking of antlers. i was perusing besotted and came across these beautiful images by the artist anne siems.

aren't they beautiful and ethereal? the would fit perfectly in little bird!

le petit oiseau

2011-02-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

last night i was finally able to dine at little bird, gabriel rucker's newest restaurant here in portland.

it's really close to my work but i hadn't been able to try it yet, mainly because they reccommend getting reservations. my freind and i were planning on getting together for dinner so i thought this would be the perfect opportunity to check the place out.

let me tell you, it was soooo good, i really should have gone there sooner!

first off, the interiors are so cute with the perfect mix of woodsy portland meets french bistro. i especially loved the robin's egg blue walls and sparkly candle light reflected in the huge mirrors that frame the main wall of the restaurant.

my friend and i dined in the upstairs dining room which was great because we had a full view of the dining room downstairs. upstairs, i loved the addition of the antlers to the mix. i know the whole antler thing is working it's way out of fashion but it's such a portland thing, i totally love it. i even have a little roe deer mount in my office at work. even if i'm not the least bit outdoorsy, i can still appreciate the decor, right?

anyway, back to our great meal. we started with duck liver mousse, then had moules frites, and their cod beurre blanc for dinner. it all was delish. a fabulous glass of white cote du rhone accompanied our meals nicely. however, i think the best part was the basil leaf creme brulee and one of the best cups of coffee i have ever had. i'm not a huge dessert person but i rarely pass up creme brulee and this was definitely one of the best i have ever had. in fact, i think i need to get back for some as soon as possible. i also can't forget to mention the great service. our server leiv was fantastic.

so if you are even remotely a francophile like i am, check out little bird. c'est tres, tres bien!

portland at the grammys

2011-02-14T15:53:00.000-08:00

congratulations to portlander esperanza spaulding with her best new artist win at last nights grammy awards. this beautiful and talented girl is really incredible and i hope (or should i say espero, j'espere, etc) that we see a lot more of her in the future.

i tell you, i would kill for her hair (coming from the girl with the straightest hair ever!).

congrats esperanza!

hawthorne girl takes new york

2011-02-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

it's only fitting that this be the follow up to my last post, written over a month ago. january was a crazy whirlwind of work on the road and i can't be happier to be back in portland.

i received a call from my boss on saturday night while waiting for my flight to leave newark that my coworker and i were in the sunday style section of the new york times. yes, it appears as though our crazy pendleton meets opening ceremony coats caught the eye of bill cunningham while we were walking the shops along madison avenue. i must say we were quite the spectacle in a sea of black with our bright colors...and it looked like it paid off!

when all is said and done, it was the best trip to new york ever and this was just the icing on the cake. i met so many incredible people and drew so much inspiration i was excited to bring the experiences back home and implement them into my life and work.

i apologize for my slacking on posts and hopefully will get the blog back up and running. thanks for hanging in there!

boots glorious boots!

2011-01-07T16:32:00.001-08:00

hello my portland peeps, how is everything so far this new year? we wrapped up the holiday season (literally) in the store and are ready to move on. it's crazy but next week i'm heading to atlanta market to shop for ornaments for next holiday season. let me tell you, it's hard to look for ornaments in january!

and while atlanta does not seem like it would get very cold, last year i absolutely froze my arse off so this year i'm planning my wardrobe accordingly. not to mention that i'm heading to new york at the end of the month and we all know what new york is like in january. warm togs are definitely in order.

so i decided i wanted to use my holiday money from lorenzo on a new pair of boots. i'm heading over to johnny sole right now to get these beauties, the frye melissa riding boot. i love frye boots because they are stylish, last forever and i can stand in them all day.

i also just purchased this crazy pendleton meets opening ceremony coat at a sample sale. i think it will keep me plenty warm layed over some key pieces. that and i'll definitely stand out in a snow drift!

i'm not really a hat person but i figure that if i'm going to wear something that i don't normally wear, then i can be a little outlandish. so i'm going on the hunt (ha ha) for a furry hat like this. (image from garance dore)

and then i'll need a chunky scarf like this to tie everything together...oh i'm so clever. and then i think i just may be ready for my east coast travel. (image from the sweet 7)

let me know if you have any suggestions where i can find great accessories like these in portland.

and i hope you all have a fabulous weekend. tgif!

happy new year!

2010-12-30T16:09:00.001-08:00

happy new year all of my portland people! what are your plans for tomorrow evening?

i think i am going to ring in the new year at a friend's house with lorenzo and our pooches but if i were going to go out, i'd definitely be going to see sallie ford and the sound outside (above). i just love her sound and personality.

she's playing a show at the doug fir if you still don't have anything planned. i'm sure it will be a lot of fun.

alas, when you work in retail, by the time new year rolls around, it's time for a little breaky poo.

any resolutions for the new year? one of mine is to spend a little more time and effort on my blogs. i'm so lucky to have my devoted readers and i admit, i've slacked off this latter part of the year. so that will be my goal...and to get a new camera with my tax return which will help said goal.

so thank you, thank you for staying tuned and i hope you all have a wonderful and safe new year. no drinking and driving, just have a sleepover where ever you find yourselves, k!

xoxo hawthorne girl, lorenzo, lulu and roy

image courtesy of willy week

sigh...

2010-12-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

look who stopped in to shop in my store today. yes, sam elliott! oh he's just so cute, and that voice is to die for.

little bird is here!

2010-12-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

i'm so excited that gabriel rucker's latest endeavor, little bird has opened right down the street from my work.

some coworkers and i popped in for luch last week but they were all booked up so i'm hoping to get there next week to give it a try.

we did scan the menu and everything sounds so good including a daily foie gras special. i love me some foie!

and the interiors are so frenchy and pretty. the walls are painted in robin's egg blue, there are big chalkboard menus and beautiful sparkly mirrors. i'll try to post some pictures when i finally am able to give it a try.

i hope you all hare having a great holiday season and i'll try to get some more posts and pics up soon.

happy holidays!

2010-12-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

hello my loyal portland readers! i'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to get back with the program here. so many things going on in life and i just haven't made my little blogs much of a priority, especially lu's.

so what exactly has been going on? well, let's see. i started doing bikram yoga which was a much needed addition to my life, however, takes up quite a bit of time. i've been keeping the shop running and we have been doing very well this year with lots of fun and exciting new collaborations, my family is happy and healthy and everyone is doing great, i had another birthday last week and spent it with friends at toro bravo, pix and then mother's, lucie got a good bill of health (her eyes have not gotten any worse), roy hurt his leg and was laid up for a while but is doing much better now. and oh yeah, my camera is dead and therefore, the lack of pictures (i'm pretty much just using my iphone).

so today, i was missing all of my blogs and hopped on to see how they are holding up in this dry spell. i felt so bad to see that you, my friends, are still hanging in there and still check in on a regular basis. so, thank you so much, i really do love my portland blog. i mean, how easy is it to gather inspiration in this amazing city? and yet, i have not been doing my part. so i hope to get back to it and share with all of my friends just what i am doing around our fair city these days.

and speaking of beautiful portland, have you heard our very own lovely band pink martini's holiday album "joy to the world"?

my bff down in new mexico sent it to me for my birthday and it made me sooo happy. i put it right on and it put me in such a festive mood. i've been playing it in the store every day now.

the one thing i love about the album is that it is not your same old same old holiday album. it's totally been pink martini'd. with traditional and non traditional songs, songs i've never heard of and of course songs in exotic foreign languages. this is a definite must add to your holiday collection. i'm sure you can find it at music millenium.

i hope to be back with you much sooner but in the meantime, have a great holiday shopping season--shop, eat, drink and be merry all over portland!

before she was famous...

2010-10-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

before she was a famous winner of project runway, gretchen jones was slinging duds for the company i work for.

work it girl!

love her or hate her, this local girl's got talent. congrats gretchen!

she and him

2010-10-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

last friday at the schnitz, she and him played a fabulous show. i really hope you all were able to go. it was one of my all time favorite concerts. zooey was amazing, i'm in love with m.ward's voice and their two sister/back-up singers were the cutest thing ever.

the best part was zooey's 90 something grandparents from lake oswego were there. they came in right as my friend and i were entering the auditorium. how sweet is that to go see your granddaughter who happens to be zooey deschanel play a show at the amazing arlene schnitzer theater? it was pretty priceless.

if you ever get the chance to see them, you must!

nell's diner

2010-10-12T17:40:00.001-07:00

last weekend was a quintessential portland weekend which means one thing--breakfast.

when the weather here gets yucky, do what portlander's do and head inside for some great coffee and good food. one of my favorite places when i'm craving weekend breakfast is cafe nell.

cafe nell is a little over a year old and resides in the space that formerly housed cafe des amis. i loved cafe des amis as well but the new owners of the space have really done an amazing transformation. what was once tiny and closed in, seems bright and open and spacious thanks to creative interior design and the big wall of mirrors. it may be dark and gloomy outside but certainly not inside this beautiful restaurant.

i like to sit in the bar so i can look out the window into the neighborhood. i also got a good look at the fabulous bloody marys they were making behind the bar.

nothing gets better than a cup of coffee while watching the rain outside.

for breakfast, i ordered the huevos rancheros. i generally do not order huevos in restaurants because being from new mexico, i'm usually disappointed with the huevos up here. well, the waiter assured me they were delicious so i went ahead and tried them because new mexican comfort food was really sounding good to me. and guess what, i was pleasantly surprised! they were really good with the chunky ranchero sauce and just the right amount of kick. the eggs were cooked perfectly and it really hit the spot.

i'm not sure if i'm ready for this everyday but sometimes it's nice to just sit and watch the rain. and cafe nell is a great spot to do this in.

it is located at nw 20th and kearney 503.295.6487

they also have a small parking lot in back which is great when visiting the nw neighborhood.

portland as brooklyn?

2010-10-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

sometimes during down time, i like to pop on over to the selby and voyeurize (is that a word?) the homes of fabulous creative people.

today i discovered a post on the photoshoot of the cole haan fall catalog shot in both brooklyn and portland.

i have often thought to myself that there is this strong tie between brooklyn and portland and it was so strange to see it out there in the universe. i mean, i've always felt this, so clearly others must have as well.

what do you think? are portland and brooklyn just their own unique places that happen to have a similar vibe or is portland to seattle as brooklyn is to manhattan? i like to think we are our own unique places with just a great collective of similar minded open and creative people. i think there was a brief time that portland was the younger sibling to seattle but i really think we've gone out on our own and created our own feel. and i love seattle but i'm still happy that i chose to come to portland instead. besides, we need a good road trip city!

anyway, check out the cole haan shoot. it's really beautiful and fun to see portland shots side by side with brooklyn. see if you can tell which is which!

any day now...

2010-10-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

i am anxiously awaiting the opening of the h&m store in pioneer place. i'm not sure of the exact date but it is slated to open fall 2010! 700 sw 5th ave 503.228.5800

oh my god, i die!

photo of my girl lou at the champs elysees h&m opening, courtesy of rdujour.

it's baack!

2010-09-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

so last week i was walking through chinatown and saw this in it's former home (now ping restauraunt)which was once the hung far low restaurant, an old town/chinatown must see. it was removed several years ago when hung far low moved out to 82nd street. it turns out people make a special trip to chinatown to see the sign and there have been many disappointed tourists upon finding out it was no longer here. therefore, the owners of ping began a movement to bring it back.

this morning i was driving into work and snapped this shot. what's the deal? no fanfare? no glory? it just reappears like it was never gone.

although it has been painstakingly restored and looks even better than ever.

oh hung far low, how we have missed you!

go here to read the most recent oregonian article.

portland visitor

2010-09-07T16:28:00.000-07:00

sorry i'm still a little behind on my posts here lately. i promise i'll get more coming here soon.

i was on the internet last week looking for pictures of my store and came across this great post about portland. i thought if i'm not posting right now, i might as well share this terrific post on portland though a londoners eyes. check out her blog as well, i really like it.

and yes, there was a photo of my store in the post...and it looked really messy. hmph!

the blog is called this is naive.

p.s. i had to post my old header 'cause i really miss my sweet old volvo named blanca! (but not that bad)

look who was in the store today...

2010-08-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

the cute boys of vampire weekend who will be playing mcmenamin's edgefield tomorrow night.

update

2010-08-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

hi everyone, i just wanted to say hello and give you a quick update on the blog. i will be continuing with posts but after a very busy summer, i just needed a little break. i will be back in a few weeks after the hustle and bustle of summer is over and i hope to have some more really great posts up for you all...or maybe you could just come to portland and explore all of the great places on your own!

enjoy these last few weeks of summer, i'm sorry to see it go.

mmm... beer

2010-08-06T17:04:00.001-07:00

lorenzo and i discovered our new favorite beer joint, hopworks urban brewery, over on se powell. it's been around for a few years now but i just had never made it in. one sunday we were getting together with friends so we thought we would give it a try and, it's pretty cool.

in another location i think it would take on a whole different persona (ie the pearl) but being that it is located over on the strip of powell blvd between downtown and 39th, it gives it a little more of a working class/industrial flavor.

the owner, christian ettinger, traveled the world trying different bars to research creating the perfect brewery and bar. this is his dream business and you can tell in all of the little details.

behind the cashwrap is this well-stocked cooler of beers. wouldn't you like one of these in your pool room at home?

what a pretty use for an old keg. this is what you call a flowery beer.

the bar has this whole bike theme going on and we loved the custom light fixtures made out of bike frames.

here's a close up.

so on these hot days of summer, what better way to spend it than having great organic beers amongst friends over on powell? if you haven't checked it out yet, do it. one thing that i loved about it is even though it was pretty full that night, it's got a lot of seating so you're bound to get a good table.

we already can't wait to go back with friend's again soon.

hub is located at 2944 se powell blvd
503.232.4677

ahhh astoria

2010-07-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

sorry for the lack of posts this week. i'm now unpacking from the big move and on vacation for the week. however, i'm needing a little break so tomorrow the girl and the dogs and i are taking a drive out to the coast. i'm hoping we can stop for lunch in astoria at my favorite cafe, the cannery cafe.

what i love about the cannery cafe is it's right on the waterfront. the food is delicious and it's in my favorite sea side town, astoria.

ever since i was a little girl, astoria has been my favorite place on the oregon coast. there is just something about it's scandinavian charm. once my parents took me on the little trolley ride that talks about the history of the town and as hokey as it seemed, i really enjoyed it. there is such great history in the town and i can't wait to head out in the morning for another visit.

if you are passing through astoria, check out the cannery cafe at #1 6th st 503.325.8642

hawthorne i love you

2010-06-24T14:58:00.001-07:00

when i decided i wanted to write a post about hawthorne, i started to look for images of the heart of hawthorne and came across this one and decided that it is perfect for my ode to hawthorne. i've driven past this mural on the side of a bookstore at about 31st and hawthorne for so many years and i've always had a fondness for it, particularly because it featured one of my favorite tormented authors, sylvia plath.

why am i writing an ode to hawthorne? because as of june 30th, i will no longer reside in my much loved portland neighborhood. it's funny to think about because i thought i would live out my days in this little "quarter". but alas things change and people move on. if not, we would never evolve, right?

it is decidedly so that i have outgrown my sweet pied a terre and before my poor landlord who lives below me kicks me out of the building due to late night, wine induced tromps up above, lucie jumping up and down all day, or a big dog howling every time someone walks by my window, i have decided it is best if i leave on good terms, that and the fact that i have an amazing guy who has an amazing daughter that i want to spend as much time as humanly possible with, and this means moving out to the country to be with them.

so how do i begin to pay tribute to my home of 11 years (i cheated on hawthorne for 1 year over on corbett and quickly came back)? i wouldn't even know where to begin but here are a few things that i will always look back on fondly...

standing outside of the bagdad theater in the pouring rain the first week i lived here wondering what in the heck i had done.

great times with raney down the street in her amazing apartment.

the reunion with my dear friend racheal at the cup and saucer cafe.

hanging at the barley mill with raney, kelly, tim and marin, amanda and frank, and jessie and vince.

st. patrick's day at biddy mcgraw's.

working sunday nights at the italian joint (rip).

countless birthdays at the bombay cricket club with kjirsten and megan.

my favorite safeway and the sweet people that work there, as well as the springtime drycleaners whose owner worries about me if i forget to come pick up my drycleaning (granted i leave it there a ridiculously long time).

and there are so, so many more things i love about my neighborhood that i won't bore you to death with but will always cherish, yes, i have had some good times on hawthorne!

and by the way, i am having a huge moving sale this sunday the 27th so come on over, buy some crap so i don't have to move it, or you can just say hi! (12th ave two blocks south of hawthorne).

in the words of sylvia plath (or gwyneth paltrow playing sylvia) my life in hawthorne has been a "pot boiler", and yes, i will always be a hawthorne girl!

image from todd mecklem
mural by jane brewster

i want my maple bacon bar...

2010-06-21T13:12:00.001-07:00

i feel like i've been on a whirl-wind tour myself. things have been pretty busy here in p-town and i'm not sure when the end will be in sight.

between packing, moving, catching whatever music i can and oh yeah, working, i've been pretty busy the last few weeks. i caught the psychedelic furs show last night which brought me back to my teen age years and then this week i'm just gearing up for a visit from one of my dear friends, finish moving, have a yard sale and host one last soiree in my much loved hawthorne apartment. whew!

luckily, with all of this mayhem, there has been some fun mixed in there to keep me going and tonight is one of those nights...i'm going to see anthony bourdain at the bagdad theater.

i have wanted to see him the previous times he came through portland but could never get it together to make it happen. so a big thank you to my friend joel for taking charge and getting us tickets.

he will be reading from his latest book medium raw which will definitely be on my summer reading list.

let's just hope he gets his voodoo maple bacon bar before the show so he isn't pissed off!

the bagdad theater is at 3702 se hawthorne 503.236.9234

ccccold!

2010-06-18T10:54:00.001-07:00

what the heck is going on with the weather up here? this reminds me of the famous mark twain quote "the coldest winter i ever saw was the summer i spent in san francisco (sub portland)."

you know, we only tolerate the crappy weather all year because our summers are so beautiful that it makes it all worth it. i can't help but feel a little short changed.

i'm moving this weekend so cross your fingers it doesn't rain as much as the forecast says it will. oh rain rain go away!

i can't believe i forgot to mention...

2010-06-16T21:45:00.001-07:00

that the band that is opening for the brian jonestown massacre is really amazing.

if you are a fan of the spaghetti western, or the sadies and have never seen federale, it is worth it to check them out tomorrow. they play around portland pretty regularly too, though.

dig it!

2010-06-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

have you ever seen the movie dig! about the dandy warhols and the brian jonestown massacre? well you should.

i was not really a fan of the local portland band, the dandy warhols, but after seeing the film, i have a new appreciation for them as they seemed to carve out a niche for their sound and worked very hard.

the film follows their relationship with the band the brian jonestown massacre and their "friendly" competition with this band. i checked out the music of brian jonestown after seeing the film and i really liked it. i'm not so sure of their new stuff (there is a constant rotation of bandmates). lorenzo really wanted to go see them, just to check them out, i on the other hand, think i will pass since it's a work night and wait for his report back.

whether you like either band or not, i highly recommend the film dig! for it's character study of the respective musicians.

the brian jonestown massacre is playing tomorrow night at the crystal ballroom.

my one and only thrill

2010-06-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite singers today, melody gardot, is performing this friday night at the aladdin theater. i've had so much going on that i still haven't bought tickets. i'm hoping there will still be seats available because i will be bummed out if i miss another great show.

anybody else going to this one?

the aladdin is at 3017 se milwaukie ave 503.234.9694

psyched!

2010-06-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

i'm pretty excited about the fact that i will be seeing the psychedelic furs this sunday, june 20th at the crystal ballroom.

yes, i am a product of the 80's and john hughes and the furs were a huge part of my life. where would i be had it not been for molly ringwald in pretty in pink showing us that the poor little artsy girl can get the cute guy after all? oh and i wanted a karmannghia so bad after seeing that movie!

so lorenzo and i will be donning our 80's finest and heading over to the crystal to relive our lost childhood. i wonder if they serve wine coolers?

the crystal ballroom is at 1332 w burnside 503.225.0047

GOAL!!!

2010-06-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

oh yes people. it's that time, the time i have been counting down to for the past four years. it's WORLD CUP SOCCER!

i love world cup and aside from tennis, it's the only sport i will get up to watch and ungodly hours of the morning. and i must say, for this next month, it's all about world cup for me. i have to get my fill in to tide me over for the next four years.

the last world cup i was all about portugal and when they were out of the series i was pulling for forza italia. i am happy with either one making it to the finals. who is your team?

i got on line to see where i may be viewing my early morning games and found that beulahland has a really easy to navigate schedule listed and three big screen tvs, so i may start my viewing there this year. besides, they have great cheap breakfast and awesome biscuits and gravy.

beulahland is at 118 ne 28th ave 503.235.2794
here is their soccer schedule

le troubadour

2010-06-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

our local french troubadour, eric john kaiser is playing a free show this saturday night, june 12th at one of my favorite venues, the someday lounge.

if you like all things frenchie, you will love his music. it will completely transport you to paris, mais oui!

someday lounge is at 125 nw 5th ave 503.248.1030

my crying heart

2010-06-09T15:26:00.001-07:00

be sure to check out one of my favorite local tormented artists, willy vlautin and his band, richmond fontaine playing tomorrow night, june 10th at dantes.

because sometimes we all need to cry tears into our beer.

dantes is at 1 sw3rd ave 503.226.6630

save the dolphins

2010-06-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

perhaps it's because my second all time favorite movie (after my own private idaho) is the big blue, i've been obsessed with dolphins and their capacity to communicate with the human race. so i was shocked by the fact that they are mass killed every year in japan.

i don't know if you all have seen the cove yet, but i highly recommend seeing it if you haven't. and for you locals, there is a benefit to end the slaughter of dolphins going on this thursday the 10th at the someday lounge starting at 6pm.

lorenzo and i are planning on checking it out. i'm not sure if they are going to screen the oscar winning film on thursday but you can find it on netflix. i just want to know what we can do to keep this fight alive and end this horrible killing of the dolphins.

the someday lounge is at 125 nw 5th ave 503.248.1030

i'm breathless!

2010-06-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

i was so excited to hear today while reading the english muse, that one of my all time favorite french films, breathless, has been remastered and will be re-released to celebrate it's 50th anniversary. and even better, it will be showing in august and my favorite portland movie theatre, cinema 21.

i'll be sure to remind you when it will be showing but i just had to share with you my excitement.

hop on le train

2010-06-04T13:02:00.001-07:00

i was so excited to get an email from one of my fav on-line stores, portland's own, le train bleu. it seems they have installed a pop up shop in their headquarters and will be open this weekend hosting a sale.

i really miss their storefront as they closed it a little over a year ago so i definitely will be heading over tomorrow to check out the selection.

the sale is going on today, tomorrow and sunday from 11-6.
le train bleu 1905 nw 26th (at upshur)

fleet week

2010-06-03T15:31:00.001-07:00

it's fleet week in portland when thousands of drunken sailors emerge upon downtown where hopefully they will be shanghai'd back into the seas from whence they came.

oh let the rose festival begin!

love to smile

2010-05-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

lately on my drive to or from work, signs like these have been popping up in different places. i'm not a big fan of graffiti but this just puts it all in perspective for us...especially while driving in the car.

se burnside

hawthorne bridge

hopefully it helps to cut down on road rage!

rolling

2010-05-25T17:43:00.001-07:00

the television show leverage is filming across the street from work this week so i got a few shots of the crew in action. the funny thing is i guess it's supposed to be boston, there are boston cop cars all over neighborhood but they all have oregon license plates!

here, tom skerritt waits for his scene.

and christian kane in action.

still no timothy hutton sightings for me, though.

ps. tom skerritt stopped in to shop in my store on wednesday. he's a very sweet man and likes his western shirts!

got milk?

2010-05-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

my friend vince reminded me that last week, may 22nd, was harvey milk day. i don't know if you have seen the movie "milk" by my fave director gus van sant, but if you haven't, you really should check it out.

i was so lucky to get to go to the portland premier where gus and james franco were present and each shared a personal story of what harvey and the film meant to them. it was a very touching and moving film and i highly recommend checking it out. the final scene was just incredible.

i generally try not to get all political but i just can't believe that we are still fighting for equal rights for the gay community. have not all of our lives been inspired or touched by a friend or family member that is gay? why do we not push harder for equal rights?

a few years back, gay marriage was allowed here in portland but only ever so briefly before it was voted out. i don't think the way it was implemented was the right way(it was decided by our city council and not put on a ballot to begin with) but i was really surprised that so many people are still against this in our day and age.

oh when will church and state ever become separate?

songbird

2010-05-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

look who popped into my store yesterday. turns out she grew up in happy valley. who knew?

i absolutely love her!

golf pro...

2010-05-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

...i am not! in fact until this weekend, i had never played a real game of golf in my life. not that what i played at mcmenamin's edgefied could be called a "real" game but for me, it was a far cry from the putt putt i used to play as a kid at the phoenix metro center course.

i have loved edgefield ever since i moved to portland and my friends first took me there. i don't make it out as much as i used to but i do try to make it once or twice a summer because nothing beats a lazy summer weekend hanging out around the little red shed drinking rubies or "rubinators".

so the fact that this time i actually played golf was an entirely new experience for me. luckily, i good coaches and after a few rough starts, i was able to get my first swing onto the green.

and the course is absolutely beautiful looking down the hill onto the edgefield grounds. you really couldn't beat the great weather we had out on saturday, it was a clear blue sky day.

i really hope i can get out to edgefield a few more times this summer. i'm not sure if another golf game will happen, i don't know if i have the attention span to play even nine holes but i definitely hope to make it out for some music like willie nelson or pavement. oh i can't wait for summer!

mcmenamin's edgefield is located at 2126 sw halsey st troutdale 503.669.8610

photo 1 courtesy of eats and interest
photo 2 courtesy of macgeek

shop vintage portland

2010-05-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

as i mentioned over here on my other blog, i'm trying to get more into vintage shopping. i think my mother tortured me as a kid by dragging me to so many flea markets and thrift stores that i vowed i would never shop in a thrift store again. well i do and i will, hopefully even more.

working in the retail industry, i see so much of the same thing out there over and over again. if you want something truly unique, vintage is the way to go.

yesterday i was on line looking for vintage stores and i found this terrific blog called shop vintage portland. this is just want i need, someone to tell me exactly where to go. they list all of the vintage shops in town and have a section for the new vintage stores that are always popping up.

if you enjoy thrifting and vintage shopping in portland, i highly recommend this website to help you navigate your excursions.

funky foster road

2010-05-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

last week i was running errands out on southeast foster road and was amazed by all of the great restaurants and shops that have popped up over there lately. but i about slammed on my brakes when i came to an open lot on the corner that had the coolest funky vintage furniture on it. i saw a truck parked next to the lot that said grandma's funky furniture.

sadly, i was in a hurry and did not have time to stop but as i continued heading west on foster, there on the left hand side was a storefront called grandma's funky furniture. behold, i could see inside some of the coolest wares i have seen in a long time.

did you all know about this store? how have i just now found this? i looked on-line but all there was about this fabulous portland gem was a small yelp listing.

well let me tell you, the next day off i get, i'm heading over to foster road to spend the day checking out grandma's as well as the other great new places foster has to offer. i'll let you know what i find!

grandma's funky furniture storefront is at 6852 se foster rd 503.975.6362
the open lot is about eight blocks further up foster on the northwest corner.

photo courtesy of flickr

cafe velo

2010-05-06T13:45:00.001-07:00

i needed to go run an errand today during lunch and took a side street that i don't take very often. this cute little cafe caught my eye on the corner of sw 6th outside of the the big pink and right on the transportation mall. several different lunch counters have occupied this space in the past but i love what this one has done for the curb appeal.

i popped in just for a minute to look over their menu, which sounded really good. when i got back to work, i googled this little gem and this is what i found out about our new neighborhood business.

cafe velo started as a mobile coffee cart over at the portland farmers market in the south park blocks. the owner, rick wilson, quit his high tech job, purchased a european bakfiet bike (the cool three-wheeled kind that looks like a boat) and opened up shop. he felt that this was the perfect business for portland because it involved a bike, coffee, and sustainability. it turns out he was right. his business is booming at the farmers market and now he has a permanent home as well, referred to as cafe velo 2.0.

at cafe velo 2.0, he still offers made-to-order drip and french press coffee by stumptown, but also offers a few other varieties of coffee as well. i have not yet jumped on the portland made-to-order drip coffee bandwagon but now i think i'll give it a shot to see what all of the fuss is about. however, what really caught my eye was the great lunch menu he boasts at the tiny cafe.

the menu is based on rick's time living in paris when he encountered the diverse ethnic selections of parisian street food. he offers flatbread sandwiches, falafel and hummus, soups, tagines and one of my favorites-paella. i cannot wait to go back and try some of these wonderful flavors of spain, morocco and tunisia right here in our very own neighborhood!

cafe velo is at 600 sw pine 503.719.0287 and is cash only. there is a menu listed on their website cafe-velo.

little birdies in my tree

2010-05-06T13:41:00.001-07:00

this morning as i walked into work, the tree outside of my store was talking to me. i looked in to see what it was and here they were, 1-2-3 little baby birds looking for their momma!

what a nice way to start the day.

what's in a name?

2010-05-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

you all know that i'm fond of a guy named lorenzo. i happen to also love a restaurant named lorenzo's. now if i could only get them together at one time i would be in heaven! (that would be the guy lorenzo in the restaurant lorenzo's).

lorenzo's is this quaint italian restaurant over in my second favorite pdx hood, mississippi. any time i'm over in the neighborhood for lunch, i drag whomever i'm with in for lunch. they have the best lunch specials where you can try a sampling of the dinner menu for a fraction of the dinner menu's cost.

lorenzo's specializes in fresh made pasta, local hormone free meat and local organic ingredients whenever possible. the rustic raviolo is to die for. it's a giant home made raviolo with a special daily filling. the last time i had it the day's filling was roasted asparagus and a tomato/cream sauce. yum!

they also have one of the best caesar salads i've had in a long time. i do consider myself a caesar aficionado and i rarely come across many good ones these days. most restaurants offer the same watered down version with not nearly enough garlic for my liking. lorenzo's caesar is his own version made with arugula and fennel. two ingredients i fell in love with when staying in italy. and while it still is not garlicky enough for me, it's really damn good.

and i'm not sure why but i don't have any shots of the dining room other than this one of the cute little lounge area. the rest of the restaurant is just as comfy.

so if you haven't tried lorenzo's yet, head over for your own little taste of florence right here in portland. great, now i'm hungry!

lorenzo's is at 3807 n mississippi 503.284.6200

abby's table

2010-04-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

a few times last month i took a different route home from work because there has been so much construction going on over on mlk and i've been curious about this community kitchen that i just noticed. it's at 609 se ankeny just down the street from the j&m cafe.

well then last week a friend invited me to her birthday dinner and guess where it was? yes, right there at the same community kitchen.

the space that abby's table is located in is shared by at least three other businesses and she runs her vegetarian/gluten free kitchen and dining room there on wednesday and saturday nights.

i had no idea what to expect but was so excited to try something new. i was told that the dinner would be $18 per person and that it was byob. well that sounds pretty good to me so i grabbed some cash and a bottle of wine before heading over to dinner.

the interior of the space is very simple, clean and open but still really warm and cozy. there were 25 of us so we were set up at two tables due to space but it would have been great to be at one long table. however, they were so laid back that they did not mind at all the fact that we were constantly getting up and moving around so as to mingle better.

before the dinner service began, they brought us a wine key so we could start opening our bottles and let us just go over and grab our own glasses. this is ideal for a large group because then there is no waiting around for drinks. it really felt like you were at a catered house party because they were just so relaxed and easy going, yet communicated with us how to go about getting what we needed.

the dinner was a five course meal and we started with these beautiful roasted vegetables. abby is know for her dips and sauces that she sells at the farmers market and around town and this pesto dip with the veggies was delicious.

after the veggies, we were served a spinach salad, ravioli, the entree of dover sole and portobello mushroom and then a deliciously sweet cake for dessert. my favorites were the veggies and the portobello mushroom.

at the end of our meal, you just stuff your cash in the jars on the table and abby splits it with the all volunteer help in the kitchen.

when it comes down to it, i still love my bread and cheese but the atmosphere was so fun and it was such a unique dining experience that i would definitely go here again. especially with a large group, it's perfect for that.

reservations are required because it is such a small space and you can reserve on line on her website.

a horse of course

2010-04-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

it used to be that when i walked through the pearl district, i would notice these little horses on a regular basis. after some investigation, it turns up that they were the creation of the artist scott wayne indiana who decided portland needed to put it's horse rings back to use. i don't see the horses very often any more, it turns out people would steal them when they came across them, so i don't think they last as long as they used to.

but then this beauty turned up over in my neighborhood, ladd's addition. i've only seen one other horse in the neighborhood so it made me so happy to stumble upon this one. i hope portland can keep the horse project going, nothing brightens your walk like finding one of these little guys.

que pasa?

2010-04-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

hey everyone, what's up? i'm sorry i've been so lacking in posts lately. i have been out and about and taking some photos but it seems i have not had time to get them to my blog. i had a very busy week at work last week and the time seems to be flying by, i hope i can get back into my routine soon.

in the meantime, what do you think of my fab new look? i absolutely love it and i want to give a big shout out to my great friend alissa who did this for me. i think it turned out so great and i love it. thank you so much alissa!

xoxo hawthorne girl

charlotte rocks pdx

2010-04-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

i caught the charlotte gainsbourg show at the wonder ballroom last night and i must say it was amazing.

charlotte entered the stage shy and nervous and by the end was comfortable and rockin. she performed most of the songs off of her new album irm as well as a few off of 5:55. i really love 5:55 so i was so happy she threw in a few of those tunes as well. she said this is her first tour and thus the first opportunity she has had to perform any of 5:55 live. i was glad i was there to see it.

throughout the show, charlotte played percussion and keyboards which mixed it up a little. (sorry for the bad iphone pics)

i have always loved her casual sense of style and last night's attire did not disappoint. she wore her signature tank top and designer skinny biker jeans as well as her trademark cowboy boots. and i must add the she is even more beautiful in person than she appears on film and is very gracious as well.

the highlight of the evening is when she "dared" (her words) to perform her father's song melody nelson. she did a great job with her band (which is also part of beck's band) backing her. she definitely has her father's musical chops. she also sang a beautiful version of bob dylan's just like a woman.

the wonder ballroom was full but not packed so we were able to get up close and personal. all in all, it was a great night and i'm glad i was there for her historical first tour.

who hearts pdx?

2010-04-14T14:35:00.001-07:00

nyc hearts pdx. and guess what nyc? pdx hearts you back!

my friend jessica who hails from nyc but now calls pdx home shot this photo last summer at a street fair over on mississippi. i thought it was such a great shot i borrowed it from her for my post today.

please stay tuned

2010-04-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

sorry for the lack of posts these past few weeks. i'm reformatting this blog a little and will be back as soon as possible with a fresh new look.

i can't wait to see what you think!

xoxo hawthorne girl

go seth aaron!

2010-04-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

when it comes to indie fashion design, portland seriously rocks. our own leanne marshall has already won project runway a few seasons back and now seth aaron in in the final mix. i have not been able to keep up with much of this season but i can't wait to watch tonight's episode and see what happens with seth aaron.

after winning, leanne moved to the big apple. do you think designers have to make that move to truly make it big? portland does have it's share of great local designers who have been able to stick it out for years and stay in this city but they are still somewhat small. i would love it if the winner of project runway could stay in their hometown and make a name for themself.

let's really put portland on the fashion map. good luck seth aaron!

rain rain go away...

2010-04-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

as i stated last week, i needed a little sunshine on my face and headed down to the southwest.

did i accomplish my goal? why yes i did as a matter of fact!

but now i'm back home and, portland, as much as i love thee, i am really ready for this rain to go away.

(photo courtesy of cafe mama)

a shot of sun

2010-03-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

oy my friends, hawthorne girl here. life has taken an unexpected turn for the better and I find myself at a crossroads (denver international airport). so many new and exciting changes on the horizon that I need a bit of sun on my pale portland skin to put it all into perspective. I will be back in touch, my loves, when I have dried out a little and can think a little clearer after the margaritas have worn off. i'll be in touch very soon!

xoxo

murder in portland

2010-03-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

i've been so busy this week that i completely forgot to tell you about a book signing that i am going to tonight at the alliance francaise portland.

cara black is the author of the aimee leduc murder mystery series that is set in paris. aimee is a private investigator who focuses on computer security but seems to always find herself in the middle of solving a murder case. each book's case is based in one of paris' quarters.

the stories can sometimes get a little far-fetched but aimee is an entertaining heroine who has the horrible luck of getting involved in situations she perhaps should avoid. she also has a weakness for bad boys, wine and couture. her graphic tours around the paris neighborhoods makes you feel as if you were right there with her.

unfortunately, tonight's event is sold out but i encourage you to get on the alliance francaise email list if you are at all a portland francophile like myself. they will notify you of upcoming events which range from readings to films to wine tastings.

cara's books can be purchased at the fabulous murder by the book over on hawthorne.

guess who's coming to town...

2010-03-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

charlotte gainsbourg! she's playing the wonder ballroom on april 15th.

and guess who has tickets...moi!

streets of portland

2010-03-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

sometimes when i'm out and about in portland, i see things that i love that i just want to post for no particular reason. i'm going to call these posts, streets of portland.

here's a scooter that i see around town that i would kill for. the occupant of the sidecar is a big black lab.

the gordon house

2010-03-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

i'm looking forward to the weather getting a little better so that we can head down to silverton and tour the frank lloyd wright designed gordon house.

i was able to see it in it's original location in wilsonville before they moved it down to the oregon gardens but i have not yet been able to go tour it again since the move.

this is the only flw house in oregon and i highly recommend checking it out, it's very unusual. it doesn't look like much from the outside but when you stand in the living room and look out, it has a really amazing feel. he was the master at connecting the interiors of his homes to the natural landscape and exterior of the house.

the house is in silverton at 879 west main 503.874.6006

it lists on the website that tours are on the hour between 11am and 5pm, may through october and 12pm to 4pm november through april. i would call first, though because the last time we went down, they were requiring reservations made ahead of time so we did not get to tour it.

i'm sure it will be very beautiful here in the next few weeks after more has bloomed so i'm going to wait a little bit longer before visiting it.

quilting bee

2010-03-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

several months ago, i came across this great picture from elizabeth dye of the english dept. isn't this a great shot? oh i'm so looking forward to spring!

no place like home?

2010-03-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

lorenzo and i recently went to see crazy heart over at the moreland theater (one of my favorites). i really loved the movie, especially the scenery of the southwest which left me wondering, can you ever really leave home?

there were so many scenes of the big, blue new mexico sky and it left me yearning for my home state. i know, i know, this blog is about my love of portland so why am i writing about the place i left behind many years ago? well, i'll tell you...

when i was two, my family moved from albuquerque, where i was born, to prescott, arizona. we lived in prescott for ten years before moving up to southern oregon for a new beginning. we lived there two years and then moved back to new mexico where i finished junior high, high school and then college. even though we had gone back to new mexico when i was young, we still visited the northwest every opportunity we had and i had grown to love it here, too.

after i graduated from high school, my parents moved back to the northwest (olympia) and i figured eventually i would join them up here after i finished college. well, after i finished, i worked in albuquerque a few years and when the time presented it's self to move to portland, i took it. however,by the time this happened, my parents had moved back down to arizona.

i think it was due to all of these moves that created this yin and yang in me that causes me to feel a little unsettled when i'm in one place and not the other. i don't think i could entirely live back in new mexico again and i love portland so much, i can't imagine permanently leaving here either. i have a family here and friends and a job that i really believe i couldn't have found there.

part of my original plan of moving to portland (which i still think was the best thing for me) was to eventually spend part of the year in new mexico. i still have a lot of family and friends there that i love dearly and miss very much. i even work for a company that does the majority of their business in the southwest so it should be a perfect fit. i haven't quite figured out a way to implement this plan but i just have to believe that when it is meant to work out, it will.

still, it leaves me thinking, is it possible to have more than one home? is this what it feels like to be an expat living in another country? well at least it's a lot closer for me to go home than taking an international flight!

well, i'm happy to say that i will be heading down south at the end of the month. i will have a wonderful time there soaking up the beautiful sunny skies and being with the ones i love, and then i will come home to you, portland, and take in the soothing rains and be with the ones that i love.

and p.s. go see the movie, it's really great!

fenouil ou non?

2010-03-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

i have a wonderful group of work-related girlfriends who get together about once a month for happy hour. while we have our great old stand-bys, it's always fun to try a new place. and, since we all get out between 5 and 5:30 pm, we prefer those happy hours that extend past 6.

i had been meaning to try fenouil for quite some time but it wasn't until our last happy hour outing that i finally gave it a try and i am happy to say that they have a fabulous happy hour that runs monday through saturday from 4 to 6:30 pm and on sunday from 2 to 9 pm.

fenouil opens out onto the pearl's jamison square and i can't wait to go back when the weather is nicer. however, i have a feeling, one of those outside tables may be hard to come by when portland's sun finally decides to come out. but that's ok, because the bar is beautiful and cozy, too, and sometimes i prefer the bar anyway.

there were five of us together for happy hour and their extensive menu listed enough options for each of us to pick something different. and while the portions were not very big, the prices were low and it turned out to be perfect for sharing. we each had small samplings of everything and ordered extra pommes frites to tide us over until dinner.

i highly recommend fenouil for happy hour (i have not tried dinner here, yet) and i look forward to the next girl's night out so we can go back again!

the entrance of fenouil off jamison square complete with my favorite white twinkle lights.

the cooks hard at work on the kitchen line.

fenouil is at 900 nw 11th 503.525.2225

j & m cafe

2010-03-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

i think one of the first restaurants i visited after moving to portland was the j & m cafe. my best friend loved to eat breakfast there so she took me there soon after my arrival in town. i think it was the first place i ever dined that let you help yourself to your own mug from the mug tree and pour your own cup of coffee. i loved this concept. just because you need to wait to dine doesn't mean you should have to wait on your coffee!

i have no idea how long j & m has been open. i've been here over 11 years and i'm sure it had been open many years before i came to portland.

one of the things i love about j & m is their consistency, great service, great food, great atmosphere. i have never had a bad experience in this restaurant, they know what they are doing and they do it well.

i love the big open and airy space. even on our darkest days here in portland it seems sunny.

here's the ever famous mug tree. you can choose your mug depending on the days mood.

some of my favorites at the j & m are the mess of potatoes covered in fresh house-made salsa, bagel and lox plate and my very favorite dish, the j & m plate. it's like their own version of eggs benedict. i like to substitute fresh tomato slices for the bacon so it's not so heavy.

when i first moved to town and a few years there after, there was a big group of new mexico transplants living in portland. we liked to meet for brunch at j & m most weekends. as i am the last one to remain here, i really miss my get togethers there. i still go there and think about all of the good times we had--and then i send texts to my friends back in the southwest letting them know i am dining there without them. i do need to guilt them a little bit for abandoning me!

if you have never been to j & m, you must go. it is one of the great old gems that is still survivng.

j & m cafe is located at 537 se ash 503.230.0463

tumblin' tumbleweed

2010-03-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

my friend kjirsten and i took a "girl's day" yesterday and headed over to the alberta arts district. i don't make it to this neighborhood as much as i would like to and it was a beautiful day so we really enjoyed ourselves.

my favorite store on alberta is the cute little boutique, tumbleweed. and since i don't make it here very often, i love to see it change every time i go in. i think the key is that they keep a relatively small inventory so it is always full of new items. this is also great because you don't have to worry about running into other girls wearing the same thing you are.

hey, that's me in the window! i wish i could learn to take photos without this happening. anyway, they always have the cutest windows.

and again a terrible photo of a beautiful space. i always get nervous taking photos in shops because i'm afraid they will think i'm trying to steal all of their great ideas. no, guys, it's not that, i just have to pass all of my favorites on to my blog friends.

i hardly ever leave this store without making a purchase. yesterday it was a decorating book that i can't wait to get home to and read.

visit tumbleweed at 1812 ne alberta 503.335.3100 open 7 days a week.

portland, i'm back!

2010-03-03T09:07:00.001-08:00

well, i was never really gone. this work "trip" got to be local this time. i had a very busy two weeks preparing for and then working the portland spring home and garden show out at the expo center. if you have never attended this show, try to make it next year. if you are planning any home building or remodels, this is an amazing resource for EVERYTHING home and garden related.

of course i loved this portland ace hotel display in the pendleton woolen mills booth. pendleton made custom blankets for the ace portland and ace new york. i especially love the portland blanket because of the famous portland elk. does this elk have a name? i don't know. when i used to bus it downtown, i would pass by the elk every morning and say hello to portland. and of course the elk was featured in my all time favorite film, my own private idaho.

what are your plans and projects for the spring? i must say i was very inspired by the home and garden show and can't wait to tackle a few home projects.

it's good to be back with my little blog, is still heart you dearly (or elkly?) portland!

martinotti's

2010-02-19T20:26:00.000-08:00

right next door to radish underground is one of the best european markets in portland called martinotti's.

i discovered martinotti's my first weekend in portland when i was staying at the infamous ben stark hotel (now the hipster ace hotel). it's a great little italian market in the heart of downtown just a few blocks from powell's books. it has an espresso bar, cafe and italian market and deli. it's a great place to find many of those items from your trip to italy that you loved so much. and they have an amazing deli counter. my only complaint is they don't have those weird nescafe instant cappuccinos. did you ever see those when you were in italy? you pour it in a cup with hot water and it foams up like a real cappuccino. i don't even want to know what it is that causes the foamyness but i loved those things, i even brought a few packs home. oh please, martinotti's get me some of these!

they are celebrating 32 years of business in downtown portland.

just look at this beautiful meat counter.

martinotti's is at 404 sw 10th 503.224.9028

and i apologize in advance but i have a big project at work next week so posts may be slim. i do have some other great european markets i've recently discovered that i want to tell you about so i'll try to get these up asap. in the meantime, have a great weekend and enjoy our rare dose of february sun.

tanti baci!

radish underground

2010-02-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

last week i finally had the opportunity to stop into a store that i have been hearing a lot about lately called radish underground.

radish is a boutique and gallery space with a focus on independent artists and visual designers and each month they feature a representative artist from each of those two arenas.

in addition, both of the owners are artists in their own rights and have a clothing line as well.

i loved their windows for the valentine's holiday.

one of my all time favorite hippie fonts!

if you haven't checked out radish underground, then head on over. it's in that new little pocket of shops just off of sw burnside and 10th.

414 sw 10th 503.928.6435

i heart these

2010-02-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

when lorenzo's daughter saw the heart cookies that i posted last week, she wanted to do her own version for valentine's day. so yesterday, she and her friends produced these works of art.

there were a few "jackson pollock" cookies because she said she needed to fix some of the others artwork!

happy valentine's my sweets!

2010-02-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

i hope you all have a happy valentine's weekend with your sweeties. and if you don't have a sweetie (i was single for my share of valentine's days, too), here's a little something to at least make you feel better.

these beauties can be found at the daily cafe at 902 nw 13th ave 503.242.1916

xoxoxo lorenzo
now let's just hope it doesn't keep pouring all weekend!

ink and peat

2010-02-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

i've mentioned this shop before but it's never had a proper post of its own so today we're going to one of my favorite stores in town, ink and peat.

ink and peat is in a beautiful renovated space over on n. williams kitty corner from pix. it specializes in flowers, plants and home decor. they have a great book collection, there were at least ten i would have loved to have bought yesterday. and right now is the perfect time to stop in because they have wonderful valentines cards and chocolates. they carry wares from local artists and small independent vendors and just have a truly unique inventory. and most importantly, the shop is full of amazing flowers, air plants and succulents. i mean, you just walk in here and can feel all the oxygen.

they have their own blog that you can see some of their beautiful floral arrangements and wedding photos. so go and check out their work.

if i could, i would just live here. so don't mind me if i'm sitting on their chaise eating chocolates and reading decorating books!

ink and peat is at 3808 n. williams 503.282.2700

little red lanterns

2010-02-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

the other night i passed by the buddhist temple in hawthorne and had to stop to admire the beautiful red lanterns. it was a crisp, clear night and between the trickling of the fountain and the lovely red glow of these lanterns i was reminded of why i love my neighborhood so much.

if you're over by the barley mill at 17th and hawthorne go and have a look.

basta!

2010-02-08T15:59:00.001-08:00

ok, i have to admit that as long as i've lived in portland, i had never eaten at the restaurant bastas until last week.

yes, i know, it's been here since 1992 and is still around so clearly it's doing something right. perhaps it's the fact that the exterior looks somewhat like a defunct IHOP that i had not ventured in until last week. not that i have anything against IHOP, it serves it's purpose, it's just a trattoria in the shape of an IHOP is a little bizarre.

a friend suggested we go there for dinner because we were over in nw very close by. i hemmed and hawed a little but then she said that they have happy hour all night every night. well that always get my attention so we decided we would have dinner there. and it was good and it was cheap.

and once you are inside, it's not so much like an IHOP!

yes, i said it, happy hour all evening long.

our spread including italian wine, mussels, caesar salad, spaghetti and meatballs and risotto. i was really excited to try the quail on the menu but they were out of it that night. however, everything we did have was very good.

and on the way out, i had to get a shot of one of the nicest fish aquariums i have seen in a long time.

bastas is still located at 410 nw 21st 503.274.1572

moule moule

2010-02-05T14:39:00.001-08:00

i don't know why but i just love saying moule. such a cool word and an even way cooler store. and guess what? this weekend they are having and amazing rachel mara sample sale. her designs are going from $10 to $150. i found the cutest little slip dress for $10 complete with rainbows and unicorns and i'll dream of wearing it when the sun finally comes out for a while.

i shot these photos of her windows several months ago and they are so perfect for this post. see, i've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use them. the dresses were made of the store's tissue paper!

but you'd better get there soon, i seriously doubt there will be much left!

1225 nw everett 503.227.8530

mossy tree

2010-02-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

while out for a walk with the dogs last week, i came across this wonderful mossy tree. it reminds me of the holidays, i'll have to go take another photo next time it snows.

happy wednesday! don't let this grim weather get you down.

pick pok

2010-02-01T14:52:00.001-08:00

last night lorenzo and i decided to go out to dinner and i wanted to take him someplace i thought he would really like. he loves to experiment with food and loves asian based foods so i thought we'd go to the restaurant pok pok because he has never been there. i've only been there once before so it was a treat for me as well, since i have a habit of going to the same places over and over.

what i remember from the last time i dined there was the fact that most of their plates were grilled, as they do at ping. this time, however, this did not seem to be the case as i noticed many more options on the menu.

there were quite a few diners braving the cold weather outside under the colorful lights. i'm kind of a wimp, though, and prefer to dine inside.

i do however, love the way they have the patio lit up.

inside the restaurant was warm and cozy. we sat at the bar which i always enjoy and we had really great service from the bartender.

we enjoyed a beer as we waited for our dinner. for dinner, we had the pok pok green papaya salad and had them cut the spice down a little as we knew our entree was going to be very spicy. for our entrees we ordered the boar collar meat rubbed with garlic and with a chili-lime sauce. this was good but very, very spicy. lorenzo was sweating and should be cured of anything that could potentially be coming on for the rest of the winter. we also ordered some curry noodle soup served with grilled chicken and crispy yellow noodles. this was my favorite dish of all. i can't wait to back and try this one again but we both decided we needed our own bowl instead of sharing it, it was that good.

i usually try to take pictures of our dinner but this time we dug right in before i remembered. that's how excited we were.

pok pok was the perfect place for a cool winter's night meal and spicy enough to really warm us up.

3226 se division 503.232.1387

my candle burns...

2010-01-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

of course i have to quote the original st. vincent when talking about the young st. vincent aka annie clark.

i first listened to st. vincent solely due to the fact that she shared the name of my favorite poet. i was happily surprised when i really liked her music as well. "paris is burning" is my favorite of her songs and i've just listened to her new single actor which is very cool as well.

st. vincent is playing next week february 6th at the doug fir. she has two shows on saturday, one at 6 and one at 10.

i missed her last time she came through town so i really hope to catch her this time.

the factory

2010-01-30T14:23:00.000-08:00

this post may be a little late but there is a really cool flea market going on today from 10am-7 at the portland garment factory.

the garment factory was started as an answer to the problem local designers were facing when trying to make their designs come to life on the local front. there wasn't a reliable workroom for people to utilize to see the manifestation of their creations take place, other than sending it out of town or doing it themselves on a much smaller scale. hence, the garment factory was created to address this issue and it seems to be doing very well.

the garment factory does pattern drafting, line production and sample construction so designers can keep the work within the city limits.

so back to that cool flea market. there will be vintage clothing, records and other weird stuff according to the portland mercury. the mercury states that se stark and 79th is the new 12th and hawthorne so we'll just have to see about that!

the garment factory is at se 79th and stark 503.752.4030

(photos courtesy of portland mercury)

the brasserie is back

2010-01-29T17:37:00.001-08:00

i'm so happy the brasserie is back!

originally opened in 1978, the brasserie montmartre closed several years ago as the building underwent some major renovation. then i heard that everything inside had been auctioned off and although there was a sign on the front that said it would re-open, i feared it was gone.

well guess what? it's back and i couldn't be happier. when you need a taste of paris, the brasserie can pacify you until you are able to hop on air france and head over the atlantic.

oh i can't wait for les steak frites, and they have the best stuffed dates. oh my gosh, i'm so hungry!

i love, love love their giant mirror behind the bar. and the rest of the restaurant is beautiful but updated from the original decor, which i think is a good thing.

brasserie montmartre is still in it's original location at 626 sw park 503.236.3036

gus and tinkerbell

2010-01-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

my man gus van sant and jena malone have teamed up together to do a short film for opening ceremony directed by another portland director m. blash. in the film, the elfin jena, wearing another portland namesake, pendleton for opening ceremony, dances and twirls around gus practicing her martial arts as gus seems to be transfixed by a twinkling tinkerbell flitting around him. and while i'm totally endeared to gus, this one's a little bizarre!

i never have good luck downloading youtube video on blogger so you'll have to go over to youtube to check it out and let me know what you think.

gus, you know i still love you but not your strongest performance!

accanto e buono

2010-01-21T17:07:00.001-08:00

in italian accanto means "next to" and that is exactly what the charming cafe accanto is in relation to the very well-known restaurant, genoa.

as i mentioned last week, i had the opportunity to tour the newly re-opened genoa. it has been beautifully redecorated and now does'nt look quite so intimidating to go inside.

but my favorite is the cafe next door (where the space sat empty for 30 years) appropriately called accanto.

this is more my dining style!

the cozy corner entry next to genoa.

the charming italian ceramic dinnerware and vino bianco.

the well-stocked bar.

i ordered my wine and then saw that they have a fabulous list of house cocktails of which i will be sampling on my next visit.

the atmosphere and service was really great and i can't wait to go back again. this neighborhood really needed a little wine bar. they have an amazing selection of wines and also small plates and entrees to choose from. my friend and i had a cheese and bread plate that served as dinner due to really large portions of cheese. oh this girl can't live on bread alone, she must have the cheese as well!

oh yeah, and on february 1st, accanto will begin having happy hour twice daily, from 3-5 pm and late night.

accanto is on the corner of se 28th and belmont.

a trip to genoa

2010-01-21T17:04:00.000-08:00

one of my funniest memories of my travels in italy was the train ride from pisa to genoa. i had been studying italian in lucca for a month and was headed to paris on the train. i was in a car with five older italian women from sicily. they had been talking about me the entire time, mostly just curious about me and why i was traveling alone. of course none of this was said to me directly because none of them realized i could somewhat understand them, i just nodded and smiled. as i departed to change trains in genoa, i said in the very best italian i could muster that i had enjoyed the ride with them very much and to have a nice trip. they all just looked at me for a moment and then burst out laughing as i got off the train.

i thought of this story every time i would drive past the restaurant, genoa on belmont. well this thought and also, "what the heck is behind those windows?" i never understood why a restaurant would want to cover up their windows so people couldn't see in. and being that i don't go out to seven course meals very often, i had never dared to go inside. i knew the place had a great reputation and had been around for a long time but it just seemed unapproachable like some kind of private club.

well let me tell you, that was the old genoa. driving by the other night i was shocked to see that there is life on that corner now and you can see in the windows!

so last week a friend suggested we visit the cafe side of the restaurant called accanto (more on that later) and i jumped at the chance. after we had a snack at accanto, my friend ran into an acquaintance and he invited us in for a tour of genoa's new digs. and while i still don't often have the opportunity to eat a multiple course meal, my curiosity was satisfied and the restaurant is very lovely.
they just reopened after a three year break and it's so good to see this corner looking fabulous and fresh.

so here's a little tour of the "new" genoa for you (i apologize for the photos, i forgot my camera and took these on my phone).

the bright new sign is so much more inviting.

and the pretty new dining room.

so if you haven't been to genoa lately andiamo, andiamo! let's go to genoa!

2832 se belmont 503.238.1464

saks alive

2010-01-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

i had to run down to pioneer place today and as i was walking back, i came across these fabulous windows at saks fifth avenue.

recently i have been wanting a feathered mask but i don't really need a feathered mask or have an occasion to wear one. then this thought immediately brought me to pnca's now defunct dada ball and that just made it worse because i loved the dada ball.

then i read the caption in the window, it says beaux-art ball february 6th portland art museum. well i really need to get out more because apparently the portland art museum has been hosting the beaux-art ball for two years, now going into it's third year. this year's theme is "come as you art" and it encourages its guests to "let their icons inspire their attire". the event includes a procession that winds through downtown art galleries, seattle's burlesque star, lily verlaine, gang of four's dave allen and new york band morningwood.

the beaux-art ball dates back to the 1600s in paris when students would celebrate the end of the school year by creating elaborate costumes and throwing a celebration.

now many organizations use this style of ball as fundraising, such as the portland art museum. tickets are available through the portland art museum.

oh, i'm so excited, i might just get that feathered mask yet!

at the barre

2010-01-18T16:37:00.001-08:00

let's get right to the point(e), a ballerina i am not. other than my short time in gymnastics preparing for my career as a trapeze artist, i chose to focus more on sports like soccer, track and tennis rather than ballet or gymnastics due to the fact that i have never considered myself to be all that graceful. this doesn't mean that i haven't always been fascinated with ballet, however.

there is a little ballet studio across the street from my house and on warm nights, i like to open my windows and i can hear them practicing to classical music. this is one of my absolute favorite things because it makes me feel like i am living in paris.

well, have you heard about the workout called barre3? it is a new workout system that combines yoga, pilates and ballet all in one. i know i can handle yoga and pilates and i figure it can't be all that much ballet in a 60 minute workout so i'm going to give this class a shot. i did hear, though, that it is an insane workout and that you will be unable to move the next day. while this doesn't sound all too appealing, i feel like i need something this serious to work my post birthday, christmas, new year, business trip body back into shape.

there are two barre3 locations in town:
one in the pearl at 1000 nw marshall 503.206.8308
and one in se at 2523 se 22nd 503.206.4453

you can purchase a beginner's trial of 3 classes for $30. i looked at the schedule and there is a class called barre3 rebound that sounds perfect for me. it has a maximum of 12 participants, it's set to classical music and each client receives individual help with posture and poses.

you never know, there may be a ballerina hiding inside of me just waiting to get out. swan lake, here i come!

(photos courtesy of kim weston)

a year in pictures

2010-01-14T16:59:00.001-08:00

because work was so busy with the holidays, i wasn't able to get a new year's post up. i decided i would post a year in pictures on lucie's blog since i find myself taking more pictures of her than anything. so go check it out. oh yeah, and happy new year! here's to a great 2010.

syke'd

2010-01-12T16:55:00.001-08:00

hello portland, i'm happy to be home. today i ran all of my errands, cleaned the car and took lulu on a nice walk. whenever i get back from a trip, i like to reconnect with portland by getting out there and back into my old rhythm. oh, i'm happy to be home!

this morning, i picked up the mercury to see what shows are going to be in town and i'm stoked to see that jesse sykes will be playing tomorrow night at my favorite local music venue, mississippi studios.

jesse sykes

i've recently become introduced to her music and i really like her a lot. she reminds me of the music my mom would listen to when i was growing up like june carter and loretta lynn but with a darker, less polished side. and her looks remind me so much of the beautiful bobbie gentry.

since, i'm still getting settled in, i don't even know if i can make the show. i hope tickets are still available. i'm definitely going to try to make it out tomorrow night. oh portland, i've missed you and your wonderful places.

hello portland

2010-01-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

hello portland, i've missed you!

i had to go out of town for a business trip and with all of the holiday madness, i wasn't able to get any posts done before i left. but, i had a really great trip and two long flights to think about my little blogs and i'm so excited about our new year and i can't wait to share lots of new things with you all.

i had a nice time in atlanta (including some awesome meals) but i'm still happy to say, i heart you portland.

(photo courtesy of dieversa)

i'm blue... and red and white

2010-01-03T19:02:00.001-08:00

one of the qualities i really wish i had was the ability to shop better in thrift stores. i see my friends come back with the coolest finds from these stores but i can never quite get it right. i don't think it would be unreasonable to say that the few things i actually did purchase at a thrift store did not last very long at my house before finding their way back into the goodwill cycle.

i think part of my reason for the lack of thrifting skills is the fact that my mother used to constantly drag me to thrift stores and flea markets, which was usually the last thing i wanted to be doing--that and the fact that i cannot shop very well in unorganized stores. i like everything to be in it's place, organized by size and color and have room to slide back and forth on the rack or rounder. i also have this challenge in large department stores because their goal seems to be to cram as much on to one rack as possible out on the floor. why? would it be too much of a challenge to put say one or two of each size out at a time and then fill in as needed? do you really want to buy something that they have multiples of in stock just to assure the possibility that you will show up to work one day wearing the exact same outfit a coworker is wearing? yeah, not for me.

but i do like old things and the more i want to own my own little shop, the more i want to train my eye to find the gems out there. so i ventured out to gladstone this weekend to check out red white and blue because it has come highly recommended by friends of mine who like to thrift. and i was very pleasantly surprised. it's a thrift store that is organized, just imagine! i didn't have a lot of time to shop so i plan to head out when i can throw myself into shopping because i just know they have some good stuff hiding in there.
(photo from vjpdx)

i especially loved the way they had the toys bagged together with some very peculiar toy combinations.

have you been to red white and blue? if not check it out. and let me know if you have any other suggestions. i'm expanding my thrift-shopping horizons.

red white and blue is at 19239 se mcloughlin in gladstone.
(toy photo from spychic)

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2009-12-29T14:57:00.000-08:00

hurray, it's finally snowing in portland. here are a few shots of this season's first snow that i snapped in the pearl today. i'm happy that it is snowing now rather than smack dab in the middle of the holiday shopping season like it did last year. hey, let's have a snow day tomorrow!

look at this great door in the snow

glisan glistens

it's really coming down now