Going Down South

Day after tomorrow will find me back "home".
I actually have 3 "homes" I could potentially be referring to any given time you hear me say "I'm heading home". Currently, the home longest in the running is the ever expanding Vancouver, WA where I attended high school and my parents still reside. Though second place Olympia is catching up to it.

The teenage "cool places to hang" that hold the most nostalgia for me (surprise upon surprise) but hardly NONE of those cool places were in Vancouver. Most were found within the city limits of Portland, OR.

Some of youthful Rekoj's favorite spots were and still remain:

Anna Bananas Coffeshop

Powells Bookstore (best on a NW rainy day)

The Roxy (though no longer the same)

The Church of Elvis (currently struggling - go buy their stuff!)

Twist (I SWORE that someday I would have Twist dining set)

Beulahland

Uretech (was always the second part of an afternoon to Powells)

Hawthorne District (first "city" neighborhood I ever fell in love with)


And so many more. These are my "old school" spots of Portland. Things have been changing these days in Portland. What used to be more rough around the edges is being softened by a mass epidemic of knitted cozies, coffee shop communities and gentrified neighborhoods. It seems that even the puddles attend a weekly stitch and bitch.
In summary, Portland now has the kind of artistic support network that I left home looking for all those years ago.

Would my life be different if I had stayed and attended school in Oregon? No doubt. Could I really look back and say I'd change things now if I could? Nope.

Yes indeed Portland is established and hip and cool and filled to the brim with artists of success. Seattle is trying, but it just ain't there yet.
But it is kinda exciting to be a part of the ground level of getting it there.

At least that is how I feel right now. We'll see if I'm still singing the same tune after this Sunday's Crafty Wonderland show at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland.
Monday mornin's blog post could find me humming up a moving van?
Not too likely but dreaming sure is fun ; )