TanQ is one among the rash of graphic design/philanthropic mash-ups that have grown in popularity over the past five years or so, wherein a monthly design (usually, as is the case here, a tee shirt) is sold to specifically benefit a rotating non-profit. These projects always seem as though they are difficult to retain momentum […]
Portland
Posted inPortland
Not Invited to Sauvie Island’s Nude Beach: Barbed Wire
Ah, Collins Beach on Sauvie Island. One of only two clothing-optional beaches in Oregon, in the summer Collins beach is always full of old dudes and their tiny dogs and… barbed wire? The state put up barbed wire fences on one end of Collins Beach in response to a lawsuit filed by neighboring homeowners in […]
Posted inPortland
Chloe Sevigny Sighting!
Yesterday, someone yelled across the office, “Chloe Sevigny has been spotted over at the Moon and Sixpence!” And I was like, “Okay!” Because maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not, and while I think Chloe Sevigny is alright, I’m still kind of like “eh.” BUT! Now I’m thinking it was true because of this little industry […]
Posted inEvents
The Big Float and “Myths of the Willamette”
The second annual Big Float is almost upon us! This Sunday, hordes of revelers will overcome their longstanding (and unnecessary) fears of swimming in the Willamette by donning life jackets, hopping on inflatables, and floating their way across—right in the heart of downtown, where if founder Will Levenson has his way, there will someday soon […]
Posted inArtsy
Now Open: The Faux Museum
Photo courtesy of the Faux Museum Back in the 1990s Portland had something called the UFO Museum. The place was strewn with random bits of plastic, odd paintings, miscellaneous weird visuals, and the like. As a teenager obsessed with Monty Python, Kafka, and sundry weird shit, I loved it. The Faux Museum, now open in […]
Posted inPortland
Don’t Hit on People in this Bar.
We were getting in the SW Ankeny “carfree alley” to celebrate intern Suzette Smith’s last day at the paper (goodbye wonderful Suzette!) when she gestured to the bar Central and said, “It’s against the rules to hit on people in that bar.” “What do you mean it’s against the rules?” I said. “They have rules. […]
Posted inPortland
Crowd Source Time! Suggestions for “Portland as Fuck”
GUYS. Our good friend, and one of this city’s greatest comedians Ian Karmel is writing another sure-to-be hilarious piece for the Mercury, quite possibly titled, “PORTLAND AS FUCK.” In this feature, Ian will actually do (and report back on) all those things that Portland is supposed to be famous for… just for example: Stand in […]
Posted inPortland
Another Mini-Retail Explosion
The list of new independent shops I need to check out is starting to get lengthy. Since winter gave way to spring, a tidy pile of new addresses have quietly cropped up, expanding our already abundant options for quirky shopping based on the personalities, specialties, and obsessions of creative small business owners. Until I’m able […]
Posted inFashion
Beaumont to Debut New Retail Program
On Wednesday, businesses in “Beaumont Village,” the up and coming stretch of Fremont that begins around 42nd and extends east from there, are debuting “Shop the Block,” a group sale event much like that of virtually every other hub of independent retail in town. They’re also launching a neighborhood “Shop Card” that rewards visitors to […]
Posted inPortland
Be a Blogtown Spy: Audition for The Real World: Portland!
Okay, so it’s like this: WE NEED YOU TO AUDITION FOR THE REAL WORLD: PORTLAND, AND BE OUR SPY. Naturally, we’d do it ourselves, but we’re all too old. Here’s application info from last night’s Craigslist posting: If you’re 20 years old or older and appear to be between the ages of 20-24, you could […]
Posted inBooks
Reflections Coffee/Talking Drum Books to Close
The Skanner has a slightly heartbreaking article about the imminent closure of Northeast Killingsworth’s Talking Drum Books and the attached Reflections Coffee. The article describes Reflections as a long-time community gathering space for Northeast Portland’s African American community, and points to its closure as yet another effect of gentrification in the area: The store has […]
Posted inPortland
Seen Today in PDX: Girls Gone Educated!
Spotted by Blogtown Hot Tipper “RT” in front of the Nines Hotel around lunchtime. I’ve never heard of the “Girls Gone Wild University.” Is it an Ivy League school?