Portland Camera Stores Hot Spots and Must See

Portland Hot Spots

Portland is in the midst of a heat wave we were at 78 Tuesday...forecasts are at best educated guesses but next week looks warm and dry as well (the top on my Miata has been down since late January)

portland had huge anti war protests (BLUE state here) and more of the same are planned on 3-19...in 2003 the city core was paralized and cops and protesters got into a number of scuffles with clumps of both being pushed into the river from the bridges clogged with people and burning flags. Got some great pix last time...

Portland has short blocks and a very efficient mix of mass transit including light rail street cars and such...www.trimet.org has trip planners. it is also bike friendly. It would be an easy 10-15 minute walk to Citizen's or Pro Photo...from the Hilton. Portland is an alpha-numeric grid counting up on both sides from the Willamette (Wil LAM ET) river. SW SE NW NE West is west side of river east is east. N/S divider is Burnside...downtown core does not fit this grid but Pearl District (google Portland and Pearl District) Powells Pro Photo etc do... Ankeny (A) Burnside (B) Couch (kooch C) Davis (D) you get the idea...pick up a copy of Wilamette Week Newspaper free and a great guide...

Camera Stores **=must see

Downtown on 5th and Washington is Camera World...the shell of the once independent mail order giant is not a local outlet of Ritz Wolfs chain...that said they have a ton of old stock they seem to me motivated to unload...worth 2 second check...

Citizens Photo SE 7th and Alder. Local alternative weekly (Willamette Week) gave these guys the Best of the City Award a couple years ago with copy that said they looked like they spent a bit too much time under red safelights inhaling...aging hippie chic meets digital. 709 SE Alder. 503 232 8501 x6 ask for Jim Max or Bob...and if you want a long discussion about cameras (large format) studio lighting or guns ask for Brian.

Pro Photo 503 241 1112 18th and Marshall (M) where the pros go. Friendly staff lots of new everything. Good used too. Doug and Tom (Tom is usd guru) are worth meeting.

**Blue Moon Camera and Machine 8417 N Lombard about 15 minutes from downtown. Worth a field trip. Imagine a THRIVNG camera store that also sold typewriters circa 1950-1965. Run by Jake and Zeb and the team...nothing digital here. SUPERB lab...huge selection of cameras (from minox to 8 x 10 Deardorff) Leica Hasselblad you name it it is here. Jake is also the world's largest retailer of typewriters....find a way to get here and bring a roll of film for processing!

Suburban Photo Beaverton Joe is a good guy if you are staying way out on the west side check them out they are right next to the main Beaverton Post Office...

Eating and Drinking

Oregon Wine on Broadway cross the street in front of the Hilton stroll past Pioneer Courthouse Square (Portland's Living Room an urban brick park) 4 blocks down from the Hilton is a great wine bar featuring hundreds of Oregon wines (Oregon has 254 wineries).
Amity (45 minute drive www.amityvineyards.com) ha the best views should anyone wish to tour Oregon wine country Amity's site and folks can help you. Photo tours are also welcome. Tell Myron or Elizabeth that Mark sent you.

Donuts? Voodoo donuts. Google them

Portland also has the most breweries per capita than any city Black Lab Brewery , Widmer Guest House (google) Old Lompoc worth checking out.

Tugboat which has been discussed before here is 7 blocks from Hilton and worht the trip. Sadly Bridgeport is being renovated... Google Portland and brewpub...you can't go wrong even the chain pubs (Rock Bottom) have been dressed up here

Since St Patricks is about the same time as the conference check out Kells and Paddys... (google for info)

NY Pizza? Try escape from New York NW 23rd and Hoyt 23rd is also a key shopping district for trendy shops...

Speaking of which for trendy botiques NW 23rd is great as is SE Hawthorne and NE Broadway

Edgier (SP) bars and shops are on North Mississippi and also google Portland and Last Thursday

Art Galleries? Google Portland and the Pearl District.

Portland Art Museum (short walk) has several great shows of photogs now.

Have fun

Mark
Received on Thu Mar 10 11:56:53 2005