I moved to Portland, looked around, and realized that something was missing. Something really important to me; Can someone tell me where exactly is the gay neighborhood?
Didn't think so.
'Cause there doesn't seem to be one. I dearly miss my sense of belonging to a bigger swarm of humanity I can relate to. So I'm starting this blog, but it's not about lil' ol' me.
It's about US.
It's FOR us.
You and me and as many Mister Nice Guys as we can gather. If this blog was a game show, you'd be the contestants, the audience AND ol' what's-his-name. I'd just be Vanna, straining mightily to look intelligent, holding up those big letters so's everyone can see them.
It's an attempt to make an online neighborhood and community, to share some realness, some joy, and occasionally even some righteous indignation (did I mention all my underwear was stolen out of the laundry room last week? Sick bastard! More about that later, with pix of my elegant solution)
I'm thinking, wouldn't it be great to tell you about places I've discovered around town, hear about your own favorites, rant about common problems, howl at the moon, and even plan some picnics or meet-ups when the weather gets a bit nicer?
I'm a list-maker, and I started a list of all the topics I'd love to talk with y'all about but I got carried away, REALLY carried away, and it's got over 200 topics on it already with more flying into my head every few minutes.
But enough about me, and my plans. PLEASE CHIME IN! Introduce yourselves.
How about starting by posting a comment telling me what your favorite place to go on a romantic date in Portland is. I'll tell you mine. Promise. And I'll introduce my sure-fire secret weapon for meeting and chatting up cute strangers.
Stay tuned! xoxo for now.
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Vanna, It's great to have you in Portland! Welcome. I can't wait to
ReplyDeletehear about the underwear incident. It should only happen to me. I'd
have to get new shmatas! sb
Hey Vanna, er, Mr.Nice Guy, welcome to Portland!
ReplyDeleteFavorite romantic date spot? Driving around Sauvie Island, or better, riding a bike, in the off-season. It's a good place for a long conversation.
It has beaches, beautiful pastoral scenery, and lots of photo ops. You can walk on the grounds of the old historic Bybee House, have a picnic on the beach (one section is clothing optional), see llamas and long-horn cattle if you're lucky.
There's a great place to buy amazing plants, Cistus Nursery, which my gay-dar told me is gay-owned, although I don't know that for sure.
Make sure to get a daily parking permit though, at the first little store after the bridge. You have to have them to park on the island.
Greetings Vanna -
ReplyDeleteFavorite romantic place to take a boyfriend would probably be a leisurely hike through the trails around the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge, perhaps followed by a dinner on the Washington side of the gorge at Skamania Lodge.
Yes, as a native Portlander, there used to be a gay neighborhood of sorts in Northwest Portland west of the 405 in which people call 'the alphabet district' today. Stark street was called 'vaseline alley' and it would be where everyone would go to party.
In a way, it may be good that there no longer is a gay neighborhood in PDX as it means we are beginning to be accepted in Portland by everyone in the City of Roses.
Hello from a fellow Portland blogger.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the neighborhood!
Hello, darling Michael!
ReplyDeleteI love a good night on the town, and there are plenty of GREAT spots IN PORTLAND that are totally worth trying for a memorable romantic date.
My bf and I FINALLY tried Caffe Mingo recently, up on NW 21st Ave. It's absolutely perfect for a date. It's like stepping into a cute little european bistro - small, warm lighting, and a enough bustle in the open kitchen to be entertaining and not distracting. G R E A T food and drink here, and its a surprisingly good deal. Everything about this place is comfort. The interior, the food, the other guests...
We literally lost ourselves in conversation as our various courses came out. Lots of nightly specials that are so so good.
The other nice thing about a dinner at Caffe Mingo is that after dinner, you can easily stroll around NW Portland and grab a coffee, a sorbet, or just enjoy the sights.
:) Try it.. You won't regret it.
Ooooh, It's so great to hear from all of you!
ReplyDeleteBlake, coming from a celebrated boulevardier such as yourself, Cafe Mingo will be the first place I take Mr. Wonderful, the very minute I track him down.
Then we're going to the gorge, and Sauvie Island. Oooh, I can't wait!
At this point all I can hope for is finding a guy who's up for adventure. I don't care if he's wearing a grass skirt and authentic coconut bra, as long as he's got the needed confidence to pull it off, I'm in!
A hui hou! (that's Hawaiian for goodbye for now)