I Still Heart Portland

A whole year has passed without one entry. Portland I still love you. But I have to say you gave me a hard year. I haven't been able to enjoy you to the fullest this year. But I really shouldn't complain. Every day there is so much to love. There's never a dull moment in this city. Thank you for keeping us busy.

Perfect Overcast Day

How can an overcast day be perfect or loved? Imagine riding your bike, jogging, or hiking a long distance and barely breaking a sweat. That's a Perfect Portland Overcast Day. It's not hot, it's not cold. It's not raining. It's just gray. And as you ride, jog or hike you think "gee I sure am glad it's not 95 and sunny right now." And as soon as you finish your strenuous morning activity and take a break to have an afternoon snack on the bank of the Willamette, the sun comes out and warms you. The sky has suddenly turned from gray to blue. And you fall in love with Portland all over again.

Pete Yorn

I heart Pete Yorn in Portland! Saturday night, August 21, Pete Yorn played The Roseland Theater on Burnside. I've been a big Pete Yorn fan since about 2001 or 2002? His album, musicforthemorningafter, is on my "records I couldn't live without" list. I love every song...almost equally. Although Kink FM (here in Portland) was the first station to play a single from that album back in 2001, he doesn't seem to have the fan following that he does back east. I'm from Nashville. And I can vouch that Nashville LOVES Pete Yorn. Nashville pretty much loves all singer songwriters...but that's a different story. This blog is about Portland! As a fan, Pete not having a huge following in Portland was a boon for me!! My husband and I stood right up front under the stage. There wasn't much elbowing or personal space infringement to get this great spot. The floor was maybe 1/3 full? Maybe 1/2? The balcony seemed to have a pretty solid crowd. Personally, I prefer our floor spot at the front. And I have to mention that I also absolutely loved Max the tambourine man! He's a huge asset to the show. He sells t-shirts at the back, but runs up on stage for various songs and rocks out on the tambourine like no one you've ever seen!! It was a great show!

The City of Roses

I heart Portland because I can walk down the street on any given June or July day and the smell of roses will drift into my nose. In the photo above Quinn and I were standing on the corner of a very busy intersection waiting for the bus and this beautiful rose bush kept us company and tickled our senses. I heart Portland because I'm raising a child who really does take time to stop and smell the roses.

Portland Providence Bridge Pedal 2009

To write about summer in Portland is often going to involve writing about bicycles. The Portland Providence Bridge Pedal is a quintessential Portland event. It truly embodies the spirit of Portland. Thousands of folks ride together criss-crossing over the Wilamette River on their chosen course: 11 Bridge, 38-mile; 8 Bridge, 24-mile; or 6 Bridge, 14-mile. The highlights of the day are crossing the Marquam and Fremont Bridges normally reserved for interstate traffic. Most people take a break atop these bridges to relish the height, the accomplishment, the views, the freedom and the scene. Live music and refreshments make the moment sweeter. Portland mayor, Sam Adams, greets riders on the Fremont Bridge handing out pocket-sized Portland by Bike maps and has his photo taken with eager participants. Down at the finish line Sunshine Dairy hands out chocolate milk and popcicles. Ahhhhh victory! And all for a good cause, too. Partial proceeds go to the Providence Heart and Vascular Institute.

Tour de Coops

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 25 from 11am - 3pm you can tour different chicken coop options around the city on the Tour de Coops. Folks will be opening their backyards to other city chicken enthusiasts and the curious. Twenty-five homes will open their backyards for this self-guided adventure in East Portland. Tickets are $10 and support the fabulous local non-profit Growing Gardens. The idea of this event makes my heart do somersaults. I love my city and all my chicken-loving friends!

Sunday Parkways

Photo: Benjamin Rue

Even from far away, I still love Portland. Today NE Portland hosted the event Sunday Parkways. The city closed off 7.5 miles of streets to car traffic. I wasn't there. I'm in Nashville right now, but I can imagine the scene. People biked, walked, jogged, maybe even stilted their way around the route. This is Portland's 2nd year to host the event. (See a really awesome movie of last year's event) And this year they added 2 more dates and 2 more quadrants of the city. NoPo hosted the event in June. And SE will host the event in August. Sunday Parkways is aimed at bringing communities together for a fun-filled, relaxed Sunday. The route joins public parks that are hubs for the days activities and food vendors as well as informational booths.

The idea of Sunday Parkways was inspired by Ciclovia, an event in Bogota, Columbia. Every week on Sunday, from 5am to 5pm, the city closes 70 miles of streets to traffic and nearly 2 million people fill the streets. People bike, walk, run, skate, dance and build community. You can watch the Bogota event on Streetfilms. What an amazing and awesome event to bring people out of their homes and bring them together!