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A wall-like structure is materializing around what has long been a glaring vacant block on North Fremont between Williams and Vancouver. It’s not the kind of wall you would expect. There’s no barbed wire fence or unfinished plywood mounted here to prevent loitering or other unwanted activity. Wrapping around the corner of Williams and Fremont are shoulder-high panels depicting a vibrant spectrum of images, ranging from more...
We all know her. That woman with no money who looks effortlessly chic every time she steps out of her cheap apartment. Rather than $200 tank tops or a 90-minute beauty routine, these days her secret might lie in versatile garments accented by bold cocktail rings and layered metal bands. “They’re a really easy way to punch up an outfit without worrying about necklines and shirts,”said Irina Schaffer, a local more...
Get your art on, people, it’s (nearly) fall in Portland—and that means even more art. All flavors of music. Visual art. Performance. Dance. Storytelling. Festivals, shows, and on-going series that will surely amuse, entertain and inspire. All coming at you in rapid succession. Here's a snapshot of the wide-ranging must-see events of the upcoming fall arts season. Enjoy! Sack Lunch Concerts at the Old Church more...
Green Tour de Force: 9th Annual Build It Green! Home Tour on September 25 Tickets are on sale for the 9th annual Build It Green! Home Tour on Saturday, September 25. Included in the 21-home tour is a straw bale house—the first to be permitted in Portland—and a Victorian home that received energy-saving upgrades from the Clean Energy Works program. There will be contractors and homeowners at each site to share their more...
While most environmental advocates are fighting to keep our skies blue, our water clear, and our outdoor air clean, the Josiah Hill III Clinic wants to make our indoor environment a healthy place to live. Not many people realize that our indoor air is generally 5-20 times more polluted than the air we’re breathing in the great outdoors, and we spend up to 90% of our time inside, blissfully unaware of the increased risks. There more...
Bald eagles come to visit their friends at the Oregon Zoo. People spot them in the trees outside the cage and ask the zoo to check if some of their animals escaped. Maybe you've seen a bald eagle: they're prevalent in and around Portland. Along the zoo's Cascade Canyon Trail, I walk with Amy Cutting, assistant curator of the Great Northwest exhibit. She tells me the first time a bull elk showed up on the other side of the more...
Portland's only charitable pet food organization is helping keep dogs and cats well-fed and healthy during tough economic times. more...
Six Great Things to Do This Weekend... Do it yourself, do it with friends, but do it soon. Summer's making its curtain call, but there's still plenty to do while it lasts. Scavenge the city for a hidden treasure, dance with giant puppets or drink the Oregon moonshine (i.e. small-batch microbrews). LEARN Wild Foods in Wilderness Survival Where: 4125 N Colonial Avenue When: Sunday, August 29, 1 p.m.-4 more...
Ever noticed how many bumpers around town shout out “I HEART Wood”? Portlanders love wood and working with it. My own love affair with woodworking was short-lived. I still have the squirrel bookends and oversized key-shaped key holder I sawed and sanded (and sanded) for shop class in sixth grade. These days, I’ve retired the drill press, table saw and sandpaper in favor of the local talent’s more...
“What you're seeing is the first succession in a six tier food forest,” garden manager Angela Goldsmith tells me as we walk over the pebbled paths in Fargo Forest Garden, one of several Food In The City projects sponsored by Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust (OSALT). It's a sunny afternoon, and what I'm seeing is an abundance of wildflowers, birds and bees on a space that used to be nothing but more...