What brings you to town, Dan? Business or personal?

Voodoo Doughnuts has always kicked ass, and hopefully always will.

But yes, I noticed on Saturday on my way to the Waterfront that there was a line as well, although not as long as what Mr. Savage reports.

Portland welcomes you as always, Dan. Enjoy your stay.

@voodoosucks One can also walk across the bridge to the other Voodoo Doughnuts location. Still often a line, though, since the brain wizards in mgmt decided that one register - when there's clearly enough room for a second - was sufficient.

I had a friend in town over the weekend, and everyone back home told her she had to try Voodoo. We decided to wander past while browsing downtown attractions but balked at the line, which ran almost all the way down to Burnside.

Then we wandered into Stumptown and were greeted with another ridiculous, malformed line of people waiting around for their dose of Portland hype. We bailed on that too.

It's gotten to the point where anything that was hip five years ago has become so annoying that only toursts bother enduring it. You came to Portland for a donut and a cup of coffee? They don't have that stuff in New York or LA or Cleveland?

Put a three-hour queue outside your snooty pizza place-- that'll attract the Food network.

Stupid. Voodoo does nothing well food wise and the kitsch is cool once while stupid drunk. I can buy a box of maple bars and a pack of good bacon for $6, eat it at home/work/the park with friends.

@chunty are you talking about kens or a pizza scholls?

Let's not forget the fact that their doughnuts are actually really good and make Krispy Kreme's maple bars taste like a bleached asshole.

@miguelaron I only have experience with Ken's, and we endured 45 a mere minutes of hype-wait for that one. I don't have the patience to deal with Apizza-- I've got better things to do, and they usually involve beer.

Y'know, I've always felt like VooDoo Doughnuts, while good, are a bit over-rated. Which is also how I feel about Alex Chilton, and every time I bring THAT up, I get jumped on by every wannabe rock critic savant within earshot, so... Nevermind.

I wouldn't necessarily agree that Voodoo Doughnuts are overrated (although Voodoo-based Photoshop contests over on Oregonlive are … the entry I supplied didn't even make the final cut. It was brilliant. They are dillettantes. I am still bitter about this). My favorite doughnut in the world is a maple-frosted old-fashioned, and I've tried one from my local doughnut house and the one from Voodoo just seems better – the doughnut itself has more bread-like flavor, and the frosting is sweet but not as sickeningly-sweet.

But leave it to Dan Savage to lift the rock of culture and show us the yicky stuff underneath. I think Voodoo is cool, but the lines – ye gods. That takes the bloom off the rose, doesn't it?

I'm reminded of the insane lines for the entirely banal product at Krispy Kreme that existed for months and months. Go over to KK now … nearly deserted. People would have killed for a place in line at that donut shop when it opened. And the product is no more or less ordinary or banal now than then.