Archive for February, 2013

Tweet Since I moved here three weeks ago, and even when I visited, I noticed the dirth of ethnic diversity in central Portland and in the close-in neighborhoods. So I decided to investigate why this may be and found a great resource in Carl Abbott’s book, Portland in Three Centuries, the Place and the People, published in 2011. Below is the story of the nonwhite population of Portland, with an emphasis on the African American story, based on Abbot’s book. I will publish it in two parts. This is part I. In the 1860s, Portland’s African American population grew from…

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Tweet Today’s post is the fifth installment in my new series Discovering PDX, where I am documenting my experiences as a newcomer to the City of Roses. My mission to find the perfect coffee shop in Portland continues, and though I haven’t found it yet, I am definitely enjoying the search. My friend Luis Till continues to give me good recommendations and he mentioned that there was a Townshend’s in the southeast. When I was in Portland about a month ago apartment hunting, I frequented the Townshend’s on Alberta in the northeast. With excellent teas, friendly service and great wifi, it was…

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Tweet Today’s post is the fourth installment in my new series Discovering PDX, where I am documenting my experiences as a newcomer to the City of Roses. My mission to find the perfect coffee shop in Portland continues. Yesterday, I biked through this awesome street, Ankeny Avenue, and noticed Crema Coffee and Bakery out of the corner of my eye. My friend Luis Till had mentioned Crema as a place I should check out, so I promised myself that would be the next spot I try. What it has going for it: Location: Crema is about a 10 minute bike ride away…

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Tweet Today’s post is the third installment in my new series Discovering PDX, where I am documenting my experiences as a newcomer to the City of Roses. My mission to find the perfect coffee shop in Portland continues. Today I find myself at the Stumptown Coffee Roasters on Belmont. Stumptown is legendary and has several locations in Portland as well as locations in Seattle, New York and Los Angeles. The coffee is amazing and is served at many fine establishments here in Portland. But as you know, I’m not a coffee drinker, but a tea drinker, and the perfect coffee…

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Tweet Today’s post is the second installment in my new series Discovering PDX, where I am documenting my experiences as a newcomer to the City of Roses. As you saw from yesterday’s post, I have not yet found the perfect coffee shop in Portland. But my spirits are buoyed after my experience at Oblique Coffee Roasters this morning. Below is my review. (Thanks to Carl Metz for the recommendation.) What it has going for it: A Great Story: In 2006, the owners, Heather and John Chandler saved this 1891 Victorian building from demolition and turned it into their home on the…

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Tweet I am starting a new series called Discovering PDX, where I will document my experiences as a newcomer to the City of Roses. This is the first installment of the series. My first order of business in Portland is to find the perfect coffee shop that I can work from, hang out and make new friends. To this end, I am on a mission to try different coffee shops until I find the perfect one. I have a point of reference, Lux Coffeebar, which was the perfect coffee shop for me in Phoenix and which ended up having a…

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