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www.sundayterritorian.com.au Sunday, September 1, 2013. Sunday Territorian. 39
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NTNE-WS-DA-TE:1-SEGE:39 CO-LO-R: C-M Y-K
sundayterritorian.com.au SUNDAY TRAVEL
Escape www.escape.com.au
Press for customprinting ontheir century-old letterpressandboarddouble-decker busLodekka, home to fine vintageclothing andaccessories.There’s a collectionof foodcarts centred aroundGermanbarProst onNorthMississippiSt—tortillameetsKorea atKoiFusion and classicwaffles atMissKate’s SouthernKitchenaremypicks.MissingLinkhasquirky and collectable popculture figurines andLand isstockedwith plenty of craftyPortland thingswith an artgallery upstairs. Skip over toTheMeadow for craft finishingsalts, artisan chocolate andaromatic bitters.
TheAlbertaArtsDistrictalso formspart of thenorth, gothere if only for the ice creamatSalt&Straw—pearwith bluecheese, cinnamonsnickerdoodle orwhateverwacky flavour of themonththey’ve comeupwith (vanillawith ancho chillies and cajetawhile Iwas there).
NORTHWEST
The first streetcar linewas builthere in 2001.Alongwith anumber of clever urban renewalprojects, the abandonedwarehouses andblightedlandscapeof thePearlDistricthave beenbrought back to life.The gentrified area is now
home to beautiful galleries,restaurants and apartments.
Stop byHouse of Lolo forlocally ownedanddesigned silkdresses and a great collectionofdenim.National retailerAnthropologie has everythingfrom fashion andhomewares towallpaper andbird feeders.
AtOlympicProvisionsNW,old-craft curing techniqueshave created award-winningchorizo, saucisson and salamiand theEuropean-stylerestaurant is the perfect place toenjoy finewine and charcuterie.
Housed in the oldPortlandArmory, theGerdingTheater ishome to thePortlandCentreStage and is the first LEED-
Certified (Leadership inEnergyEfficientDesign) theatre intheUS.Go there for quirkylocal performances.
SOUTHWEST
Southwest Portland is thebusiness endof town—tallbuildings, performance artvenues and thePortlandStateUniversity. It’s alsowhere you’llfind downtownPortland, theplace to call home,with plentyof hotels includingTheNines,which sits abovedepartmentstoreMacy’s.
Fromhere there’s easy accessto public transport, includingthe streetcars and theMAXLightRail that connects
FROMthe400varieties of saltyou canbuy atTheMeadow toburritos designed to fit in yourbike’swater bottle holder,chances are, if you’re nerdyabout something, you’ll find akindred soul inPortland.
It’s a philosophy that goesagainst the grain ofmodernAmerica,where craft culture isking. You can taste it in food, seeit in fashion, hear it inmusicandwalk it in the streets.
While speakingwithMarcus,an enthusiastic local, I askedthe bestway to describe “craftculture”.He jokingly replied“think about a bunchof peopledoing things in themostdifficultway imaginable—that’s craft culture”.
The aspirations of businessowners are to beunique, notimitated and inmost casesintentionally small.
For some, the definitionofsuccess is to own their own foodcart. There are 600 inPortland;chefswith decades ofexperience are contentworkingfor themselves in a portablekitchen thatmayhave taken aslittle as $US10,000 ($A10,901)to set up. Youdon’t need amilliondollars—whichbringsa lot of creativity, and edginessto themarket.
Of coursewhen it comes tofood it’s not just aboutwhat youeat, it’s also aboutwhat youdrink.A strongbarista culturemeans you canget hold of agood flatwhite. Craft distillingis big—vodka,whisky, brandy,gin and there are 52 breweriesamongapopulationof 600,000.
There are five distinctneighbourhoods, eachwiththeir own look and feel.
Burnside St separates the cityfromnorth and south, theWillametteRiver fromeast towest, andwhere the river bendssharply youget thenorthernpart of the city.
Spend (at least) half a day ineach so you can savour theirunique interpretationofwhatcraft culture is.
NORTHPORTLAND
NorthPortland is the bohemianpart of the city. Tasty nSons onNorthWilliamsAve is the spotto stop for brunch. There’s apenny-farthing stencil stuck tothewall and a butcher out theback. They’re famous for theirgrilled bacon-wrappeddateswithmaple syrup andalmonds—a steal at $2. I also tried thecast iron frittatawith butternutsquash, brussels sprouts, leeksand fetta ($9) and apolenta andsausage ragoutwith stretchymozzarella for $9. The food isdelicious and fantastic value.
Walkup the street to Lark
downtown to everywhere,including the airport.
Group andbusiness diningworks especiallywell atVitalyPaley’s restaurant Imperial, justtwominutes’walk fromTheNines hotel.
Try theOregonAlbacoretuna cevichewith kale and rawvegetable salad for somethinglight or the organic half-chicken and ember-roastedcarrots to see thewoodfiredrotisserie in action.
Get your craft-culture fix atPendletonStorewoollenmillsfor beautifulwoollenknits andblankets andCacao for theirhouse-madehot chocolate andchoice in local chocolatiers.
NORTHEAST
Anewstreetcar line alongwithanumber of urban renewalprojects is bringing themostlyindustrial streets of theNortheast back to life.
Head toBreaksideBreweryonDekumSt for a lambwich, abeer sampler tray anda side ofsweet potatowaffle fries. Luccadelivers finewoodfired pizzaandhouse-curedmeats on 24thAve and stop byVoodooDoughnuts for a sugar hit.
Burnside St is the place forlovingly reworked vintage andRedux for handmade indiejewellery, gifts and cards. Toysto be treasured are inhighdemandat SpielWerkToys onNorthWilliamsSt.
SOUTHEAST
Althoughno longer new, theSoutheast is still part of thatinner-city cool.Well-established restaurantsand shops drawa loyalfollowing, attracting a youngliberal, hipster crowdwithplenty ofmicro-breweries,restaurants andbars.
There are countless vintagefinds throughoutPortlandbut aparticularly generoussmattering canbe foundalongtheSoutheast’sDivision.
If you like knitting your owngrandpa cardiganshead toYarnGardenorHappyKnots forkitsch crochet and craft supplies.
Thewriter was a guest of Travel
Portland.
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Portland food carts; a frittata from Tasty n Sons;Portlatland food carts; a fritttland food carts; a frittata from Tasty n Sons;a frittataa frittata from Tasty n Sons;ittataittataPortland food carts;ts; a fra frittata from Tastysty n Sons;tland food carts; a fritta frittata from Tasty n Sons;a frittata
charcuterie from Olympic Provision; Tasty nrcurcuterie from Olympic Provision; Tasty nrcuterie from Olympic Provision; Tasty nrcuterie from OlyOlympimpic Provision; Tn; Tastasty ny nrcuterie from OlyOlympimpic Provision; Tn; Tastasty n
Sons’ decor. Pictures: Chanel Parratt
Foster culture ofquirky creativity
Whether you visit
five districts in
this US city or just
pick one, you are
sure to find
something
different, writes
Chanel Parratt
GO2PORTLANDGETTING THERE
Qantas and Virgin
Australia fly direct from
Sydney, Brisbane and
Melbourne to Los Angeles,
with codeshare flights to
Portland.
STAYING THERE
The Nines from $US269
($A292) a night.
thenines.com
More: travelportland.com
Foster culture of quirky creativity