In the future, when bikes dominate the world (according to our
crystal ball, this will happen shortly after gas hits $10 a gallon or
runs out entirely), businesses that have already adapted to bikes and
to serving customers on bikes will be poised to take over. Meet those
businesses now—and become a regular, before all the bike
parking’s taken up.
Think they’ll be eating pizza in the future? Mmmm… sure. Why not.
But even when every last drop of gasoline is gone, green-thinking
businesses such as Old Town Pizza (226 NW Davis, 5201 NE MLK) and Hot
Lips (2211 SE Hawthorne, 1909 SW 6th, 721 NW 9th, 5440 NE 33rd) will be
more than prepared; because they’re already using bicycles to deliver
their tasty pies! Old Town, for example, has been delivering pizza
exclusively via bicycle for the last four years, using either “box
seat” bikes (pizzas are loaded into a trailer up front), or trike style
where the pizzas are carried in back. Hot Lips has also recently joined
the bicycle delivery game with a bike and trailer for each location,
delivering up to 10 blocks away (if it’s more, they use the electric
car). So give these delivery folks an extra big tip—they’re
busting hump to feed you AND protect the environment! WSH
Leatherman product designer Jeff Castro launched BikeRacker back in
March, as a way to supply temporary bike racks to big local events and
businesses. Remember the May Obama rally in Waterfront Park, when
people were piling their bikes on top of each other, and scrambling for
a spare piece of steel railing? Or the Handmade Bike Show back in
February, when everyone was locking bikes to anything they could find?
BikeRacker (bikeracker.com) will
make such clusterfucks a thing of the past. MD
God bless BikePortland’s Jonathan Maus. Since arriving in Portland
from California, he’s found the perfect forum to put his journalism,
photography, and advocacy talents to use by starting bikeportland.org. It’s a news source,
discussion forum, social forum, and event calendar, and it generally
drives the bike world here in town. Sam Adams has got nothing on this
dude when it comes to promoting Portland as a bike-friendly city. And
he sells Google ads, so it’s entrepreneurial, too! MD
Portland’s most rickshaw-tastic form of transportation, pedicabs
have enjoyed an increasingly high profile downtown. The two pedicab
companies in town, Cascadia Rose Pedals Pedicab and PDX Pedicab, offer
the same basic service—you hop in a basket, somebody pedals you
around—with a few minor differences.
Cascadia drivers (pedalers?) work for tips (usually between $10-30
per ride), and since they have 25 cabs at their disposal, a call to
Cascadia usually results in a cab picking you up in about five minutes.
You can also call make reservations and get either special rides
through the city ($50 an hour) or, if you’re super lazy, have someone
pedal you around for a full day ($250 a day; 421-7433 or rosepedals.com).
Portland’s other pedicab joint, PDX Pedicab, charges on a “weight
vs. incline” system that generally works out to be about a buck a
block. PDX Pedicab has eight cabs throughout downtown, and can dispatch
one to you usually between five and 10 minutes, and they also have a
reservation system ($50 per hour, $250 per day; 733-4222 or pdxpedicab.com). PDX’s cabs also boast
iPods, so you can kick back in style: Never before has “Ridin’ Dirty”
sounded so legit as when you’re being pedaled through the Pearl. EH
When the carpocalypse comes down, what will satisfy our weary
souls as we navigate through the hulking wrecks of petroleum-deprived
vehicles? It will be the tinkling bells of pedal-powered sweet
delivery. But why wait ’til the oil dries up? There are a few
bike-powered goody providers who are already roaming Portland
streets. Sol Pops (solpops.com) can be found at various
Portland Farmers Market locations, with their brightly colored bike
cooler, selling refreshing frozen-fruit bars. They’re perfect when the
weather gets warm (if it gets warm). Lulu’s Confections can be brought
right to your door or office. Her “normal-sized” cookies and bars range
from the old standbys to more adventurous fare that include ingredients
like rosemary and cayenne (lulusconfections.blogspot.com).
Finally, Portland’s beloved Staccato Gelato (staccatogelato.com) one-ups the old
gas-guzzling ice cream truck, by peddling homemade gelato all around
town. PAC
Want a delicious vegan snack? Well, sure, who doesn’t? But how about
getting said snack without the hassle of dismounting from your sweet,
two-wheeled ride and locking it up? Hell, with Black Sheep Bakery’s
“Bike Thru” (833 SE Main) you can consume a tasty, and cruelty-free,
bakery treat and a nice hot cup of joe while still wearing your
helmet.
Not far away in inner Northeast Portland, there’s the new Voodoo
Doughnut (1501 NE Davis). The brand-new expansion—they even
relocated their grease from their original spot—of this
delightfully fattening Portland institution is widely known for their
generosity toward local bicyclists. Voodoo’s new digs feature an
immense bike parking area—which sure beats the clutter of
downtown, or trying to park next to those creepy dumpsters on SW
3rd—which will soon be covered, plus they are planning bike-in
movies as well. Now tell me, what is better in this cruel, cruel world
than watching a free flick while deep-throating their epic Cock-n-Balls
doughnut? Nothing, that’s what. EAC
Wanna see Portland? There’s no better way to get out and about than
with Portland Bicycle Tours, offering extensive glimpses of the Rose
City without being trapped in the back seat. The tours take you to
Portland’s landmarks, parks, and bridges for interactive sightseeing
that’s as up close and personal as it gets. There are a number of
different tours available, and the itinerary can be customized to suit
your interest. Since this is a great experience for out-of-towners,
bikes and gear are supplied, although you’re certainly welcome to
provide your own. Tours are offered from Fridays to Sundays and cost
$20-80, depending on the length (less for kids). More info at portlandbicycletours.com, or
contact intrepidexperience@gmail.com.
NL
After a long bike ride, nothing sounds better than a warm cup of
coffee. The Little Red Bike Café (4823 N Lombard) offers that
hot, brown pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, with robust espresso
drinks, vegan baked goods, and an absolutely delicious array of
sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. There’s also homemade ice cream,
but the real draw for cyclists is the adorable “bike-thru window”
(walking up is okay, too), where you can pick up all your treats
without leaving the saddle.
Okay, I lied. There is one thing is better after a long bike
ride, and that’s a cool pint of freshly brewed beer. Hopworks Urban
Brewery (2944 SE Powell) is located on the decidedly not bike-friendly Powell Boulevard, but it’s a sanctuary for cyclists amid
the fast-moving traffic. The building is eco-friendly, the ingredients
are all organic, and the business is a model of sustainability. But as
noble as these factors are, they’re pretty much irrelevant once you
wrap your lips around a glass of their smooth, refreshing pilsner
lager, or their crisp, biting IPA. So jaunt over to Hopworks, where the
beer is truly fantastic, and where your bike will be safe and sound in
their super-sized bike rack. Just try to avoid all the SUVs in the
parking lot. NL
Buying into a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, where you pay a
subscription fee at the beginning of the growing season in exchange for
a weekly share of the produce) supports local, mostly organic farming,
and tickles the old Michael Pollan fancy—plus it saves on
transportation fuel. Kollibri Sonnenblume’s Sunroot Gardens takes these
virtues to the extreme. Looking for local? Sunroot’s comes from a
collection of gardens and greenhouses scattered right through town,
mostly in Southeast. The variety of plots complements a variety of
crops (last year’s crop had over 100 varieties, with new ones added to
the current season), but even with these multiple locations
Sonnenblume’s footprint is low. He uses a bicycle for almost
everything, keeping the entire operation 90 percent car-free. Imagine
an urban landscape where access to quality food is not dependent on
oil, and even the immediate future looks a little less dystopic. MS
When the car-based economy collapses and the rest of the world gets
REALLY GRUMPY because they can’t make it to Starbucks to get their
triple grande nonfat extra-hot lattes, Portlanders will be smug and
caffeinated (in other words, business as usual) thanks to two
forward-thinking coffee purveyors, Courier Coffee (couriercoffeeroasters.com) and
Café Velo (cafe-velo.com).
Courier’s owner Joel Domreis is a self-taught coffee wiz whose beans
are considered some of the best in town—oooh, Stumptown, better
watch your back. Domreis delivers his beans via bicycle to a select
group of restaurants that include sel gris and Nutshell—with a
clientele like that, the kid’s obviously doing something right.
Café Velo, meanwhile, keeps the crowds at the Portland Farmers
Market caffeinated out of a portable cart that moves around via, you
guessed it, bike. Choose your beans from a selection of Stumptown
Coffees, then wait while a friendly barista grinds it fresh and brews
to order your very own cup. AH
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