There used to be a place on Belmont. Sweetwater’s. It had this excellent Caribbean food. The food was interesting and delicious and the place was perfectly decorated. They existed for a few years and then just disappeared into restaurant oblivion. Which must be quite a busy place.
But there is a spot in Hillsdale, just a bit outside Portland, and it’s sort of the new Sweetwater’s for me. It’s a lot smaller and less urbany, but it reminds me of Sweetwater’s. Maybe it’s because I love to travel and the place is all about travel. It’s called Salvador Molly’s.
The point is it’s just a nice, comfortable place. Caribbean, Mexican, Cuban food. Cuba Libres and Mojitos. And when you order spicy, you get spicy. The have a “wall of flame” for those people willing to eat an entire order of their habanero poppers with habanero salsa. Don’t you want to be a member of the Great Ball of Fire family?
This is where I should probably just link to Keith’s previous post from last year. I wait for MusicFest NW. I don’t know how many times Keith and I have mentioned it in our posts. I should search to see. That and the Brewer’s Fest. The festival has just gotten better every year. The last couple of years I checked the lineup early and bought a handful of the CDs from the bands I hadn’t heard of, which I also did this year.
Among these acts I’d say I’m most eager to see The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I really like the CD and it seems like a sound that would be great live. The same with Portual. The Man. But maybe the worst name for a band ever, or least since The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
There are something like 18 venues participating this year. I don’t know if that’s the most but it just seems like an incredible number. How many other performance venues can there be in Portland?
For $60 you get a wristband that gets you into every show for three days at all those venues. It’s like a larger, real-life version of what you do on iTunes anyway.
How many 150th birthday parties have you been to? None. Well, here’s your chance. We’re having a big one going on at Hotel deLuxe. We’re not 150. It’s Oregon’s 150th. And in honor we’ve got a special offer, of course. That’s how we roll.
The details are that you get a limited-edition Pendleton wool blanket. (If you don’t know about Pendleton blankets, you don’t know about warm. A great combination of art and utility.) There are also two commemorative stainless steel water bottles and Friends of Trees will plant six native trees in your name. I don’t know if they’re in your name or bear your name. That part’s unclear. But it’s six trees either way.
Oh, and you also get a room, and unlimited in-and-out valet parking at our really cool, but not 150-year-old (but pretty historic), hotel.
As the name may suggest, it’s art, and it’s in the Pearl. How is it different from the plethora of other art festivals around town? Here’s how: First… OK, it’s really not that different, but art festivals are fun, and what’s wrong with that?
The thing that is so great about these events, in my opinion, is that there’s so much to see. I’m not much into carnival rides or petting zoos these days, so give me a little painting, a little sculpture, something new and a “why didn’t I think of that?” and I’m a happy woman.
The event takes place on Labor Day weekend in the Northwest Park Blocks: food, music, theater, hands-on activities for kids and adults in the Education Pavilion, and a whole lot of art. And what’s wrong with that?
It’s tough these days, when Portland is growing so quickly and attracting more visitors than ever, for any one hotel to be distinctive. I can honestly say, though, that having done a bit of traveling myself, I think our hotel is one of the most interesting you’re likely to find — even our meeting rooms.
Most of your bigger hotels provide spaces for big parties, events, and meetings. But, if you’ve ever spent a day in one, eating stale muffins and drinking weak coffee, or sitting through a slew of wedding toasts, I’ll bet you can’t remember anything unique or distinctive about them. Not so at the deLuxe.
The beautiful historic architecture and unique décor practically guarantee that. If you end up at a wedding, bar mitzvah, or even a dental conference here, you won’t soon forget it. And here’s a recommendation if you’re the planner and are searching for the right place for your event: Try our Screening Room. And no stale muffins.
We’ve been over this. This is hands-down my favorite event Portland has to offer. It’s the one that brings beer aficionados (and, OK, a lot of people who just love to drink beer, any beer) from around the world to Tom McCall Waterfront park every July (this year July 23-26). And, I’m not exaggerating. Last year I met guys from Chile, Germany (no surprise there) and Sweden.
This year again offers over 80 beers from all over the country, everything from lagers to stouts. There’s live music all four days, and booths featuring folks who make beer, grow beer-making plants, write about beer, and collect all things beer-related.
As always, the venue is chock-a-block with fantastic food vendors. Don’t forget to grab a little snack between beer samples. Somebody’s gotta drive…
On six consecutive Tuesdays this summer, you can enjoy music, after closing, at Portland’s Classical Chinese Garden, in Chinatown. Go early, walk the gorgeous gardens, and stay for a unique concert experience.
The six week lineup just began last night with The Shanghai Woolies, a jazz/swing/pop spin-off of the über-popular Pink Martini, headed up by trumpeter Gavin Bondy. Next Tuesday will showcase soul/pop duo Curtis Salgado & Alan Hagar. On the 21st, catch the traditional Chinese violin, zeng (Chinese zither), and bamboo flute performance of the Portland Classical Chinese Trio. Round it out with a unique harmonica (yes, harmonica) experience by jazz/tango/blues phenom Joe Powers.
Dinner boxes will be available from some of Portland’s best Asian restaurants. Aren’t you intrigued? I’m adding it to my list of must-dos this summer and I think you should, too.
On the gray and rainy days in P-town, when I’m wondering if the sun will ever shine again, I try to remember one of the best things Portland summers offer: beer. I’ve been a loyal fan of the Brewer’s Fest since I moved out here, but that’s not until July. What to do until then? Well…
On the last weekend in June, head over to the North American Organic Brewers Festival at NoPo’s Overlook Park. Breweries from North America, England, Scotland, Germany, and Belgium will be represented, showing off everything from pils to porter.
In addition to promoting organic beer-making, the festival will have sustainability-oriented vendors and non-profit organizations showing off their wares. And, it just wouldn’t be Portland without a squad of local food carts, including fare for you veggies. Whoever said beer wasn’t good for you?
Who doesn’t love watching films from the rooftop of the deLuxe? Nobody. Our summer line up of films has been released and you should just hope there’s room up there for you and your friends on one of the nights.
There’s a different movie showing every Thursday, starting July 16th with “Duck Soup”. For the full summer line-up, visit the NWFilmCenter’s “Top Down” page. Other titles not to miss include “The Secret of Nimh” and “The Son of Frankenstein”.
The evening begins at 8pm with live music, food, and drinks and then the movie begins soon after, between 8:45pm-9:15pm or whenever dusk sets in. Unfortunately, you can’t bring pets, but don’t let that be the reason you skip out.
For more information, read Willamette Week’s write up about the summer film festivities going on in our beloved city. Hopefully I’ll see you there! I’ll be the one hogging all the front row seats.
If you have never been to Portland’s Gay Pride Festival, make this the year you just do it. In a city renowned for its diversity and free thinking, this is a great way to show your support. Plus, as festivals go, it’s a fun one.
It runs from June 13-14, with the parade starting things going at noon on Saturday. But, hold on to your boas: Just to keep it interesting (um, more interesting?), for the first time ever the celebration will kick off with a race. Oh, but not just any race… The parade will begin with the one-mile Portland Drag Race. Use your imagination, but expect rhinestones, feathers, and wigs.
For the second time, PGE, by purchasing enough carbon offsets from the Climate Trust of Oregon, will help make the Gay Pride Festival carbon-neutral. It’s one example of the festival’s message this year, “United We Stand.” So, let’s.
