What We Saw – Cars

1975 Ford Mustang

1962 Pontiac Star Chief

1963 Ford Thunderbird

1961 Rambler American Deluxe

1968 Chevrolet Chevelle 327

1962 Porsche 356B 1600 S T-6

Only in Portland

Last night, as I walked back from watching Monday Night Football downtown, I passed a series of small Christmas trees outside the Nines Hotel near Pioneer Square. Setting aside the fact that it is only early November and there were already Christmas decorations, I saw something very unique. Each tree had a string of white lights that were attached to a small solar power chip. There must have been eight or so trees, all with their own solar chip. Only in Portland.

Game Day

With the weather growing colder, the days growing shorter and the rain increasing each week, we decided it was about time to invest in a board game. While shopping at REI for rain coats, Morgen stumbled across the National Parks version of Monopoly. There are several dozen different parks, monuments, battlefields and historic buildings to choose from as you customize the board however you like. We did play for a few hours today with the very predictable result of Morgen thrashing me as the outcome. Hopefully we can also find a copy of Trivial Pursuit.

Editor’s note: Dear Mao neglected to rely the specifics of the thrashing. His ultimate demise came with his landing upon my property of the John Adams household (the former Park Place) and the presence of a ranger’s station (hotel). Rent on such a property totaled $1500. With his current financial state of $28, nine properties and one animal (formerly Railroad card), Mao attempted to mortgage his holdings and sell back his tents (houses). Even with foreclosing upon all of his earnings, he still came up $150 short. Therefore, I triumphed with $2230, fourteen properties, two ranger stations, three animals and both utilities. Mao may chalk up this victory to his poor luck with card and board games, while I know it is due to my sheer brilliance in Monopoly.

A Great Visit with Melinda

 

Another horse found along NW 23rd

Happy Halloween from Bridgetown

Blazers 96 – Rockets 87

Last night I went with my buddy Matt to the Portland Trail Blazers’ first game of the 2009/10 season against the Houston Rockets. The atmosphere was great as the fans wanted a win on opening night to help get the bad taste out of their mouths from the way the Portland Timbers soccer season ended. Ok, maybe that was just me, but the crowd really was good and pretty vocal in support of the Blazers.

Travis Outlaw had a great game off the bench as LaMarcus Aldridge got into early foul trouble. Newcomer Andre Miller’s debut was solid and Brandon Roy made a few clutch shots down the stretch to preserve the win after Houston’s comeback in the fourth quarter.

Brandon Roy Shooting Free Throws in the Second Half

It was the first time I’d been to the Rose Garden for a game as we moved here just days after the 2008/09 season ended at the hands of those same Rockets. The gym was pretty nice, open and loud. We sat pretty far up into the upper deck but because we were on the corner, our angle was nice. And what made the whole experience even better was the fact that we could take the light rail directly to the stadium on about a twenty minute ride. We were in and out of the Rose Garden in less than four hours.

Greg Oden Winning the Opening Tip-Off

Nob Hill Bar and Grill

Anyone who has ever wandered up and down NW 23rd Avenue knows that in terms of food and drink, there aren’t a whole lot of local, authentic options. Sure there’s Kornblatt’s or NY Pizza, but for the most part, the commercialism of that particular street has choked out the little guys in favor of Williams Sonoma and Starbucks. But there is a shining beacon of local Portland in the form of Nob Hill Bar and Grill. It sits at the corner of NW 23rd and NW Lovejoy, right where the streetcar turns.

I went there last night to watch Monday Night Football with some friends and was very impressed. It was unpretentious, the service was great and friendly and perhaps most importantly, there wasn’t the constant thumping of artificial hip hop playing as a soundtrack. Instead there were probably fifty people enjoying a few beers or watching the admittedly dreadful football game. Monday’s feature $0.50 tacos and the beer prices were pretty reasonable.

The point is, if you’re looking for somewhere that’s a little more local in flavor and not trying to attract a collar-up crowd, Nob Hill Bar and Grill is worth visiting.

Horses along NW 23rd

What We Saw – Cars

I have patiently waited so that this blog does not turn into a car blog alone. But now that it’s been about a month since my last cars post, here are several more interesting and old cars seen in NW Portland.

1968 Ford Mustang

1970 Mercedes Benz 280SL Hard Top

1966 Ford F100 Custom Cab Truck

1968 Volkswagen Bus

1973 Volkswagen Squareback Station

1969 Plymouth Valiant Signet

1980 Ferrari 308 GTS

1983 Datsun 280ZX T-Top

1966 Volvo 122S

1969 Chevrolet El Camino 350

1955 Chevrolet Apache 31 Ambulance

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air