Every year Oprah reveals her “favorite things” list to an audience of self-help-reading, home-at-3pm-tv-watching followers who ooh and ahhh appropriately in honor. Well I have a list too, and while I may not have throngs of devoted fans (or one devoted fan), for whatever its worth here is my official 2007 Christmas favorite things, places, or events.
1. Office on Alberta:
For designers by designers this funky little store in the hipster-converted Alberta is always a stop on my Last Thursday excursions. November’s Last Thursday on Alberta lacked the abnormal circus-like quality of the summers past, but a few diehard fans braved the cold rain and made it out to Office’s Let Her Press exhibit of top Portland female artist’s designs for the letterpress. Amy Ruppel’s work was my favorite, seen here.
There is something very romantic about the letterpress. The thick paper, bright colors and rich texture are qualities of the artform that are often lost in modern design. Its a borderline obsession for me and it was all I could do but to run my fingers across the grooved shapes pressed into the fibery goodness. I get all tingly just thinking about it, thank you Office.
2. Green Dragon on Belmont:
The Green Dragon is the latest brewery to hit Portland, and it is becoming a favorite. They currently have a unique guest tap selection, but look for the first batch of their own beer in January. The food is fantastic, I am obsessed with the Mediterranean bread salad in all of its olive oil soaked goodness. PLUS, there is a glass of chalks and the tables are chalkboards, so you can doodle freely and, on a whim, express love to your dining partner, or write a limerick (if that is more your style) without the guilt of publicly defacing property.
3. Willamette Valley Thanksgiving Wine tours (self-guided)
From beer to wine, your cant beat WV’s pinots. I am thankful on Thanksgiving weekend for all the fantastic wineries that open early, close late, charge $5 for flights and send you away with a glass. This year my friends and I piled into 3 cars and made a 5 winery tour. 20 plus samples later and we didnt even mind the 99W traffic jam.
Adbusters fights to free the media and drive consumer behavior towards products and messages that are more egalitarian and environmentally sustainable. They are culture jammers on a mission and armed with a pool of talented designers, artists and writers. Vive la resistance!
My favorite first Thursday stop, this Portland art gallery always has cutting edge artists, less crowds, full artists bio books, and my favorite microbrew on ice. Check out It’s Kind of Endless an exhibit by Meg Peterson this Thursday, Dec 6th.
