Why PDX is so fabulous
Trip Start
Jul 01, 2004
1
61
68
Trip End
Ongoing
Portland,
United States
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
So I've been wanting to write for quite some time. January infact. But things got crazy.
My plan was to write about the great things in Portland and show pictures. I'll do a little of that. I've got three whole months to sum up. It'll probably be quite short and sweet.
As I probably wrote earlier I fell in love with Portland around Sept. It kind of just hit me. So much awesome stuff to do, really interesting and neat stuff. Beautiful places to ride your bike to. Really great vegan food. Amazing vegan desserts. Good music. Fantastic movie theatres.
One thing I did before I left was go to a movie in as many indie theatres as I could
Alberta Street Co-op
. I didn't hit all of them but hit quite a few. Coming back to Toronto makes me so mad. Portland is 1/3 the size and has about 10 more independent cinemas than we do. Some of them are pizza and beer places where you can get the above and while you watch a movie. Some only have one screen and have been showing films since the 20's. Some are really elaborate on the outside and some are just pretty plain. Every one is located in an interesting neighborhood. One brought me to section of town I'd never been in. Mostly houses and a small strip of cafes, restaurants and the theatre. There was a pizza place that had vegan cheese. Even the pizza places in the hip parts of town didn't have vegan cheese. There was a cafe that had free wireless and great pie. A Middle Eastern restaurant with cheap date candies. The Mission theatre downtown was interesteresting because it use to be a church. The seating was very pub like. The windows were drawn with heavy curtians, although some light leaked through edges and audience members were fixing it themselves. Saw Running with Sccisors there - very very bad movie.
Got to the Bagdad (again? I can't remember). It's fucking marvelous. I saw For Your Consideration there. The next Waiting for Guffman. Really GOOD movie. I was like the only one laughing outloud constantly!
The Laurelhurst use the be called Urinhurst
bird house
. It's fine now. Can't remember what I saw. The Hollywood is a theatre I found myself constantly going to because they always show good things. I saw the Jim Jones movie there and it was quite emotional. Really got me thinking...
Cinema 21 was in the yuppie neighborhood. I saw a couple films there. It's a nice theatre but I don't rightly like being around the digs.
5th Avenue is an interesting theatre because it's run by the university so the prices are cheap and some of it is really newish while the seats are very uncomfortable. Jonathan and I saw something there and I saw The Take as well. Avi was there and it was kind of funny. I think he saw my OCAP button...
Kennedy School is quite the weird theatre. it's in a school with a bunch of bars, a soaking pool, a gift shop, hotel rooms etc. The seating is mostly couches and chairs that are too soft.
I really liked biking the half hour to St. Johns because not only where there two cinemas there but the best vegan food in all of Portland or possibly North America was there. Oh man did I love eating at Proper Eats! The best tempeh reuben I've had in my life. Carmelized onions and who knows what else... I got my hair cut in St. Johns too because it was cheaper and the woman's name was Cookie... Unfortunately the area is being gentrified and soon the cheap ass food stores, the old bakery and the Sally Anns will probably be moved out. There's an Indie book store there too that Joe said was his favourite in all of Portland (not sure why tho!).
I finally got to see a film at the Moreland in Sellwood. I also found out, a little too late, that there are some great antique stores right there
Bookstore wall
. I already knew, of course, that Sellwood contained the great Oaks Park and the amazing Piece of Cake bakery that serves heavenly spelt vegan creations (although very pricey). I think I must have ranted about Oaks Park in a previous entry. Oldest amusement park in Portland, or probably the Northwest, over looking the Willamette. Wooden roller rink in tip top shape and you can skate to a real wurlitzer organ thursdays and sundays. Fantastic.I went to quite a few films at Clinton Street cinemas. It's a very dark and dingy kind of place but it's by two good record stores. Jamie and I saw some movie about New Wave or something and ate garlic fries across the street at Dots talking punk rock afterwards...
Northwest Film Center - although I love their programming - had to move from the Guild to the Art Galleries Whitsell Auditorium. I don't like that space so much. It's too clean, they take your bags, no eating or drinking, no popcorn, can't see subtitles. I saw many films there however.
I caught some films at a place by a group that for the life of me I can't remember. Basically a film club who show FILM. The place gets cold because they have to shut off the heat - the fucking thing is so loud. It was great to see 16mm tho..
The collective at Liberty Hall shows videos every month and they are all political and all very intriguing. They serve food, very yummy food, before hand :)
I'd always pass CinemaMagic but never got to see a movie there. They were always playing crap.
Jonathan and I were also really lucky that we got to the Drive In on hiway 99. It's about an hour from Portland. Too bad most Drive Ins are drives from the city!
Now here are some pictures and stories that don't have anything to do with movie theatres!
