Speaking of deals (who isn’t speaking of deals these days?), here’s a little something you should be getting out to, while the getting is good.

Wednesday nights at Jimmie Mak’s jazz joint on NW 10th, you can see the legendary Mel Brown Quartet for a mere $5. For over 20 years, the guy’s been wowing jazz fans with both original and classic arrangements.

It’s worth it just for Mel. The guy exudes happiness when he’s playing. Plus, he’s one of the best drummers I’ve ever seen. His band is great too with pianist and musical director, Tony Pacini; bassist Ed Bennett; and guitarist and arranger Dan Balmer. This is the kind of old-school stuff I dig.

Go before 7 p.m. and get in on the $5 happy hour menu, including some very tasty Greek dishes, and then stick around for the music. Think of it as your own private stimulus package.

Later,

Keith

(thanks to Marilyn M on Flickr for the photo)

Discovered a great store this past weekend. If you dig music, and also want to rack up some good karma points, this is a good spot for you.

We headed out to SE Hawthorne last Saturday (had a great breakfast at the Bread and Ink Café ― if you haven’t been to the waffle window I just don’t know what to say to you). Down the street is Global Exchange. That store rocks! Everything is imported, fair trade. And it smells great in there.

But the best part is the instruments. They have these cool drums from Indonesia, bells from Ghana, and these noisemaker things from Peru. We bought a recycled tin thumb piano from Burkina Faso and cruised down the street, plinking away, celebrating our find and our good karma.

Later,
Keith

It’s on the other side of the Hawthorne Bridge on Madison and is called the Retro Image Apparel Company. The place has some of the coolest, most unusual cycling jerseys. Stuff I’ve never seen before. A lot of the images are taken from what look like old posters. But there are others with the Grinch on them or Popeye.

They share the huge space with BicyclingHub.com, which itself has a huge selection of clothing, gear and whatnot for the bike-minded person. But Retro Image is worth checking out. So ride on in. And there’s stuff for men and women by the way. Forgot to mention that.

And thanks to bikeportland.org for pointing me there.

Later,
Keith

I wish I would’ve known about this place before all my Christmas shopping. Though actually maybe it’s better to do it now. I’m talking about Talula’s, which thankfully is just a stone’s throw from us.

They have joined the ranks of those who married peanut butter with jelly and gin with tonic. Talula’s combines a shoe store, with labels from designers like Miss Sixty, Bronx, Vince Camuto and DKNY, and a foot spa. I know.

You’ve shopped. You’ve toiled at a hot stove. You’ve endured in-laws, or are still and need an escape. You deserve a reward. Thank your feet with a new pair of shoes and a bit of ped pampering. I don’t even have any in-laws and I deserve it.

See ya,
Emily

Where do we live anyway, Minnesota? What is it with this weather? Blizzards? I thought the globe was supposed to be warming. Anyway, if you’re like me and you’ve still got shopping to do, may I remind you about NW 23rd.

If you’ve stayed at Hotel deLuxe before you’ve no doubt wandered around NW 23rd, but I’d say it’s probably the best shopping in the city if you’re looking for a special, one-of-a-kind something.

It’s outside, but you can warm up in all the boutiques while you search for everything from shoes to accessories to lingerie to beauty items. OK, there are a few chain stores, too (Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Urban Outfitters).

I recommend some spicy Thai for lunch.

Stay warm,
Emily

I want to make it as simple as possible for family and friends this Christmas. All I’m looking for is lift tickets. Easy. I don’t even care if it’s to Timberline or Meadows or whatever. I’m not picky.

If you just don’t feel like you could sleep if all you got me was a season pass to Meadows, then I could use the following items from the following locations. Again, trying to make it as simple as possible. No need to thank me. It’s my pleasure.

Snowboard bindings – Try REI at NW 14th and Johnson.
A new shell (with a hood) – Maybe Mountain Shop on NE Broadway
Oakley goggles – I’ve seen them at the US Outdoor Store on SW Broadway

Just let me know if you need any more ideas.

Later,
Keith

I think I’d heard about these kazoo guys before but figured it was just kind of a one-time thing. But I guess they’re actually a band. Who knew? They call themselves the It’s a Kazoo Christmas Group. Hard not to love something like that. I’ve always said Christmas needed more kazoos.

If you’re as curious as I am about what the heck A Kazoo Christmas might sound like, they’re blowing it out at Bridgeport Village on Dec. 13 from 2-4 p.m. Word is you can even pick up your own kazoo for $5. Maybe they’ll let you join in the joyful noise.

Oh, and Emily tells me that Bridgeport Village, which is actually a few minutes south of the city, is a good outdoor mall. So there you go. You can do some Christmas shopping too.

Later,
Keith

Here’s one I can’t vouch for yet as I think they’re new, but I applaud the ambition of the Irvington Artisan Market.

If you read this blog, you’ve already discerned from the stuff I tend to write about that I love me some art. In my experiences, it’s just a great way to exercise your senses, both in creating it and in experiencing it.

So I think it’s great when some enterprising grassroots group has the wherewithal to organize themselves to show and sell their work. This particular effort, which has a nice little blog with artist profiles, plans to include all kinds of handmade stuff, from jewelry, to apparel to home décor. It’s not too early to think Christmas presents…

See ya,
Emily

You can file this under “Things to do close by.” The Audubon Society of Portland is having its fundraiser over at Montgomery Park, which is close to our fair Hotel deLuxe.

Called the Wild Arts Festival, it’s apparently been around for some 28 years. I apologize to all birds that I’ve never heard of it. But I’m all for art and fundraising for good causes, so I say bravo and mark your calendar for Nov. 22-23.

I don’t know much about this genre of art, but there are more than 100 who will be present at the event, including Sue Allen, Amanda Houston, Larry Olson and Otter Bear Studios. I see that Ursula LeGuin will also be there. Excellent.

So if Wall Street gets $700 billion, how about passing along a few dollars to local artists to benefit the Audubon Society, hmm?

See ya,
Emily

Talking about interesting stores, I walked by one this weekend in N.W. that just blew my mind. It sells only one thing. I guess that’s not actually so weird. Baskin Robbins sells only ice cream. But they sell … salt. That’s it. Salt. Different kinds of salt.

Who knew there were different kinds of salt? I mean, are some less salty than others? And it wasn’t cheap either. I don’t know. Do people demand choices for their salts? People here are saying yes and that if I cooked I’d know. So to all you cooks, now you can finally have that specialty salt you’ve been waiting for.

Later,
Keith

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