We're officially in the month of the wedding, which means that my stress level is about insane. But that's OK, as I am assured that this is 100% normal for brides-to-be...
This has to be one of the finest ways to spend an evening here in Portland. Well, if you are a nerd like myself, that is. Ground Kontrol is a classic arcade, featuring all the best of arcade games from the original Ms PacMan and Frogger to slightly newer yet still older Mortal Kombat as well as the hilarious original Dance Dance Revolution. They also have a wide selection of random pinball machines, many featuring truly awful movies (Demolition Man, point and case). And the best part? All of the machines play for a quarter or two. This means that your five dollars can go a long way, especially if you know what you are doing. Sadly, I do not. I loose right away (especially when I have no idea what is going on -- I still don't know how the Track and Field game works, despite almost two dollars worth of attempts). But it is fun even if I can't get past level one in Joust!
I am now about to recommend a hotel that is far, far, far too cool for me. This is a young and hip place that makes me feel geeky and deprived of a date to prom simply by walking through the lobby. (Side note, I did have a date to prom, which is good. But he made me buy my own ticket to prom, which was bad!) The Ace Hotel (www.acehotel.com/Portland) is billed as "vintage-mod", "boho grand" and as a "super-cool grass-roots hotel". Hummm... I think I'd go with the former rather than the latter (doesn't the use of the phrase 'super-cool' kinda by definition make it NOT so?). The Ace is actually the second hotel by the Ace group, the first of which is located in Seattle. Inspired by rock and roll bohemia, all 79 rooms at the Ace feature local and national artistry as well as recycled headboards (made from army ponchos, but rest assured they don't look like ponchos) and reclaimed wood desks and furnishings. The retro feel comes, in part, from the historic nature of the building in which it is housed. Built in 1912 (and used as a set while filming Drugstore Cowboy in 1989), the hotel has many vintage touches such as an old fashioned photobooth and vintage refurbished deep-soak bathtubs. And if you book one of the 14 suites, your room comes complete with turntables and crates of vintage vinyl.
I don't know how I made it through the first 13 years of my life without eating any Thai food. I don't recall feeling deprived of such deliciousness, but then again you never miss what you never had, right? Actually, I did eat a lot of noodles as a kid. Spaghetti noodles. I must be part Italian, which would explain my thick and curly chest hair! OK, maybe I didn't eat THAT many spaghetti noodles, but I can say that eating multiple bowls of the stuff helped prepare me for the goodness that is Phad Thai. Of course, the famous peanut-noodle dish has a reputation as being something that only foreigners would eat. Well hell, I can't use chopsticks well so I must qualify as a gastronomical tourist.
(Tom Yum Soup from Typhoon)
Not too shabby! This B&B is close to our neighborhood, a little over 2 miles away from our current location in Multnomah Village. The B&B is located in a residential district on the hill. From downtown Portland, if you look SW the skyline is dominated by Marquam Hill, aka "Pill Hill". The OHSU campus, along with two children's hospitals, are located at the northern portion of the hill. Much of the remaining land is occupied by a variety of houses closely packed on twisting roads. Terwilliger Vista is fortunate to occupy a gorgeous Georgian style home that has an actual lawn instead of simply existing on stilts. The view from the house is spectacular, and an evening stroll along Terwilliger will yield breathtaking views of downtown Portland.
Ah, Portland, thy endless supply of local breweries never ends! If you are ever in the Hollywood district in Portland (NE, close in to 84), please take some time to swing by the Laurelwood Pizza Company. We always order the same thing: a thin beer crust topped with garlic infused oil, three cheese blend and roasted garlic. This pizza is so good, even the chef complimented our choice of ingredients! The crust is light and tasty, and who can really go wrong with garlic and cheese? Laurelwood is especially generous with their roasted garlic (we, as die hard garlic fans have no problem with this, but others with whom we have shared this pizza have elected to take off 50% of the roasted goodness), so you may not wish to have romantic plans for the rest of the evening. As a perfect compliment to the pizza, you can also enjoy a Spaceman Stout or a Tree hugger porter. We both favor darker beers, but we've been told that the free range red is also quite delish. I support the free range red mostly because the logo features a big chicken, which as many of you know is a major part of my research. Associating work with beer is always helpful...
toasted coconut cream (Andy's Favorite) buttery vanilla cupcake with toffee chips baked right in, then topped our classic vanilla cream cheese icing and hand toasted coconut flakes. a written description will not do this cake justice.
if you are one of those people who “does not like coconut”, then great. more for us!
vanilla-toffee with chocolate buttercream (Jackie's Fave)
buttery vanilla cupcake baked with toffee chips right in, iced with our fluffy chocolately buttercream and sprinkled with crispy toffee bits. it’s for when you’re feeling sophisticated.
Thats quality with a K, my friends... Only in Portland would a B-movie from the 1980's headline a film festival (which, by the way, also featured RoboCop 2). All that I can say is, wish you were here!
Pho Van is hands down one of our favorite restaurants. We dined thee yesterday and enjoyed our favorites Vietnamese dishes (#50 Bun Ga Lemongrass chicken with vermichelli noodles and salad for me, #31 Bo La Lot make-it-yourself beef and la lot leaves spring rolls with fresh herbs and vegetables), which were delicious as usual. The motto of the resturaunt is "An Ngon", which means "Eat Well", and while dining here you feel that you are truly eating food that is both incredibly tasty and somehow healthier for you than the heavier dishes that populate many restaurants. The flavors at Pho Van are amazing, ranging from richly marinated meats to very light herb salads. And if all of the culinary goodness wasn't enough, Pho Van is one of the best Cheap Eats in Portland. Our meal for two plus beverages was under twenty dollars, which left just enough leftover to walk next door for some chocolate from Moonstruck Chocolates (more on that later).