My First First Thursday
The original Portland Thursday event is First Thursday. Alberta's Last Thursday was derived from this event. Along with gallery openings in Old Town/Downtown, a Street Gallery is open in the Pearl. For my first First Thursday experience, I decided to visit just the Pearl. It is an easy and fun walk from my new house.
The weather has been trying for Spring. We're still getting drizzle and 50s, but yesterday managed sun and 60s. As Teresa and I walked East through Nob Hill to the Pearl, we passed many people in short sleeves and others lounging at outside tables. The weather bell curve isn't as pronounced as Maryland. We had milder weather in the winter, but I am not digging cold weather in late April or May. Locals say it has been an unusual Spring. Where are the 70s?
As we reached NW 12th & NW Everett, we decided to walk North. Every restaurant was packed; people filled the outside tables. I saw many parties spilling out of condos. Its a great feeling to be in the city at a public event. Once we reached NW Johnson, we cut over to NW 13th. The road was closed from NW 13th & NW Johnson all the way up to NW 13th & NW Everett. Each block or so was designated for a specific type of art. We first perused the jewelry section. Teresa loved a Eugene, OR based silversmith's work, but her prices were a bit high. Next we walked through the artwork block. I really liked Dominique Garcia's Haiku Paintings. We've been purchasing reasonably priced local art for the house and have a couple already on the wall. Unfortunately, someone beat us to the punch and placed a deposit on the piece we liked. Maybe later in the summer, we'll get lucky.
Our walk back toward Everett was planned; Whole Foods was participating in the action with a beer and sausage tasting. One of the best things about the grocery stores in this state are their beer and wine tastings. Free beer is awesome! This particular event was coupled with the Deschutes Brewery Pub Granding Opening. I tasted the Green Lakes Organic Ale and Inversion I.P.A. In my opinion, the IPA is better. The Ale didn't have much bite. I couldn't tell you the name of the sampled Bratwurst, but it was good.
The samples made us hungry, so it was time for dinner. I figured it would be a good idea to stick in the Pearl. I'm anxious to try all the restaurants around the new house, but it was almost 8pm. It was time for a tried, tested and close place: Rogue. After a quick walk, we found an outside seat. Another cool thing I've noticed about this town, well, area of the world, is the daylight hours are looong. Its only May, and the Sun doesn't completely set until about 9pm. It was kind of cold, but the sun kept us warm. I decided to keep the meal simple with a couple of Dead Guys, hummus and clam chowder.
The walk home was gorgeous. In the twilight, Nob Hill is even more beautiful than the day. I guess I am partial; Sunrise and Sunset are my favorite times of day. Either way, the tree lined streets of Victorian homes look amazing in the fading light. I'll have to brush up on long exposures and try and take some pictures.
I did enjoy First Thursday. I'll be attending a few more through the season. It might be nice to visit a gallery or two. There didn't seem to be too many in the Pearl, but I'll have to make my way over to Old Town. Before the season is over, it would be awesome to add a piece of local art to the collection. No matter what happens, I'll always enjoy a warm walk through the city.
