RE: "On the Waterfront" [Feature, April 29], a history of the Portland Waterfront, which included a reference to today's Old Town neighborhood as "a hybrid skid row and clubbing district."
I really enjoyed Joe Streckert's article. However, you should note that "skid row" was originally "skid road." This referred to the log rafts and the men who worked them.
Isaac Hudson
RE: One Day at a Time [April 29], in which columnist Ann Romano encouraged her readers to donate to relief efforts in Nepal.
HI FRIENDS AT THE MERC—I've been a faithful reader since your inception... and ever since then, you've grown and I've grown. I'm no longer waiting tables—I'm helping keep track of all the love and donations that flow into Mercy Corps to help with Nepal. So you can imagine my surprise when Ann Romano recommended Oxfam for Nepal relief! Umm, hello, Mercy Corps has been your local humanitarian relief org since the 1980s! We're not religious, we're in 40-plus countries, we're super-efficient, smart as all get-out, and totally dedicated to helping whenever there's big trouble. So dear Ann and friends, we love you. Next time, hopefully you'll love us back.
Faith
RE: "The Check Is in the Mail" [News, April 29] regarding the Portland Development Commission's attempts to wrest valuable downtown property from the hands of the United States Postal Service.
Hard to see this becoming anything other than more generic luxury condos with a bold mix of yoga studios and coffee shops on ground level. Gaze up at the wealthy 60-something retirees lounging on their balconies, sipping protein shakes, and reading Sunset magazine.
Posted by Chunty McHutchence
RE: "PDX for Sale" [Everything as Fuck, April 29], in which Ian Karmel ponders the phenomenon of Portland-themed tourist trap shops.
I totally get how reductive a store like that is... but it's not any different from a store selling silly NYC junk or an LA store selling fake autographed Marilyn Monroe photos.
Posted by Amy Tegge
A guy [who] moved away from Portland is making money by writing about Portland to Portlanders. Go be symbiotic with Los Angeles. The IRONY!
Posted by David A. Pope
Honestly I'm so entrenched in my life and work and such that I don't often notice this kind of stuff, but I was randomly on a rare visit to NW 23rd/21st last night, and on Mississippi last week, and I gotta say yeah, there's "follow your dream/support local" and then there's "repackage that dream/stay local long enough to franchise it," and I'd say we're skirting that line at the very least.
Posted by Todd Berry
The "dream" of Portland is no longer to see your bar/restaurant/craft/venue get successful—it's to see it hit national- and international-level recognition. I mean, shit, dig deeper and you'll find the same groups of asshats buying up dive bars over and over again and homogenizing them, promising all along that they're honoring the history and preserving character, etc. I call bullshit on all of that. It takes real neighborhoods and makes them into phony plastic hashtags, landmarks to pose in front of and brag about on Instagram.
Posted by Chunty McHutchence
RE: "The M Word" [Cannabuzz, April 29], a consideration of the growing movement to drop the word "marijuana."
Sure there may be a growing movement to use the word "cannabis," but it's gonna be called many different names. "Weed" and "pot" are still very popular with many age groups and demographics. Cannabis is also more proper. It's like calling beer "ale."
Posted by HighAbovePortland.com
I agree, cannabis is the best name but it'll be very slow to convert the language. My main annoyance is labeling even the most casual of smokers a "pothead." It's like referring to someone who has a glass of wine a month as a lush or an alcoholic.
Posted by assisse
CONGRATULATIONS TO assisse for defending the existence of the moderate cannabis user. Making MCUs feel comfortable and respected is gonna be great for Oregon's impending new green economy. Meanwhile, assisse gets two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, where the seats are comfortable and the refreshments respectable.
