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July 14th, 2006
So our friend is on “vacation” with her boyfriend...and her boyfriend’s parents... and her boyfriend’s family's family, and she’s regaling us with tales of the “fun” she’s enduring. Things like a shared hotel room - with twin beds for her, her BF, and his mom and dad (who snores, natch.) Oh, and hundreds of mosquito bites. It’s sort of a family reunion, too, so all the rellies are there to see one another...not some random girlfriend who’s been dragged along. And to make matters worse, she is working during the vacation, so she’s tied to her laptop in the hotel room while the boyfriend is off with his relatives, playing golf and paddle-boating and having lots of outdoor fun. We were telling her that she is going to need a vacation from her vacation! All those people having fun, and all she has to show for it is a mess o'mosquito bites and a greater appreciation of the phrase "Me Time." Poor thing. We're hoping she'll come visit us in PDX to let loose a bit...to check out our live music scene, visit one of our wonderful spas, dine at fabbo restaurants, and of course, shop like she was born to do it...heck, even if she doesn't come out here, we might just pretend that we are the ones on vacation! Fire up the credit cards, make some reservations, call a cab! Portland, here we come! |
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Portland Picks: |
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| 1 | Flourish In Your Home Decorating your home is an ongoing process, at least it is for us. We find little treasures here and there that we fall in love with, then we get home and find no place to put them. And we hear it’s even more of a conundrum for our friends with discriminating tastes! When they ask us where to find the best in antiques and home furnishings, we can only suggest that they run around town, going to different shops, to find what they are seeking. There are fabulous places to shop in Portland, but sometimes someone asks if there’s just one place where they can find everything. Flourish Interiors |
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| 2 | She's a Gypsy Oh, Portland, you hippie goddess you. We love your earthy ways and your floaty skirts and bohemian jewelry. But we also love when you dress up, all saucy-like, and wow us with your chic sense of style. And thanks to Gypsy Chic on Mississippi, which just opened this week, now you can have both, all the time! At first we saw the summery slip dresses and halter tops, then we discovered the cutest zip-up hoodies and yoga pants, and put an outfit together that is office-worthy as well as date-worthy: an Asian-print A-line skirt, a tank top with a silk-screened Buddha, and the sweetest little tailored short-sleeved jacket made of a sweatshirty material. Bohemian Babe meets Lucky Magazine at Gypsy Chic, and it's affordable, too. You can walk out with a new outfit for under $100 and feel like a million bucks. They also carry accessories like leather belts, sparkly scarves, shell earrings, wood bangles and silver jewelry with semiprecious stones. Plus they are all original designs - the owner's and her tailor's in Thailand. We are hoping that they start to carry some larger sizes (though some do go up 14) since they have the dedicated tailor. And the clothes are fair trade and eco-friendly, too. So PDX! Gypsy Chic |
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| 3 | Feel the Chi We've known about acupuncture for years and years, but A) never had the cajones to try it, and B) didn't realize it was so good for you in so many ways. We recently got educated and took the plunge...and it was so less scary than we thought! |
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| 4 | Unleash Your Inner Uma Ever just felt like kicking some (expletive deleted)? Do you want to get in shape and get tough, too? We personally love getting all up in it when we work out – we do Pilates and Yoga, but there’s nothing like a good, punch-and-yell workout to get our blood flowing, that’s for sure! We love the experience of Poekoelan at One With Heart Tulen Center in Southeast Portland. It’s an Indonesian martial art that brings balance to the body and mind, and it’s surprisingly perfect for women, men, and kids. (There's even a kids’ after-school program with transportation included!) So cool, seriously. One With Heart Tulen Center |
  onewithheart.com |
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| 5 | The Press Club So we’re walking down Clinton, trying to work more exercise into our daily lives (and hey, at least it’s downhill as you head west), and lo and behold, we find something that makes us stop in our tracks. A new place to keep us from motoring: The Press Club. Open just over a month, The Press Club offers wines by the glass or bottle, bottled beer, high-quality sodas, French-press Stumptown coffee, Pearl Bakery pastries, snacks like crepes, sandwiches and desserts, and a selection of magazines and literary journals. Really, it’s just like Paris on the Willamette! They’re open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, so if you’ve got that wine jones at, say, 11 a.m., feel free to imbibe. |
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| 6 | Delivery for the Persnickety We love delivery, we just wish there was more available to us than Pizza Hut. We spend so much time driving hither and yon that once dinnertime rolls around, we much prefer to stay in the comfy comfort of our home than go out looking for grub, or more daunting, go out to the grocery store. Sometimes even going to the dry cleaners can sometimes feel like a monumental task, so wandering the aisles of Ye Olde Megamart just ain’t in the cards. We daydream of having a house manager that would do all these things for us, and we could concentrate on more important things like facials and frivolous luncheons with the ladies. Well…to tell the truth…we have found a masseuse that makes house-calls, and a personal trainer that comes to us, and Organics to You for fruit and veggies. And actually, we could have our dry cleaning delivered. So how about our groceries too?Well, what do you know? We have found the mother lode. The Grocery Bag does the shopping for you, if your shopping preference is New Seasons, or Whole Foods, or some other particular shopping for the persnickety. Whatever your bag, the Grocery Bag is it! Give them a shout and let the Grocery Bag do the shopping for you! www.grocerybags.com |
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| 7 | A Girl’s Best Friend…Food! One should never shop when one is PMSing. Unfortunately that can be when the urge is greatest. I went to this store and impulsively purchased jeans, sandals, and a top I thought I had to have but when I got home I looked like I had uni-boob. And the jeans that I thought made me look thin in the store made me look like I had very short stout little legs, the exact opposite of what I was going for, once I saw them in my bedroom mirror. In fact I hated every single purchase just an hour later. It was a phenomenon. Obviously my judgment was hormonally clouded. Really the only thing one can count on when they are in that state is eating. And nothing can satiate like a hearty carb-loaded brunch from the delish Tin Shed on Alberta. Tin Shed Garden Cafe |
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| 8 | Daria Rocks We are so not impressed with celebs. In fact, we make a point of ignoring them so they don’t think we think they’re neat. Okay, maybe if they’re hunky—we would chat up Colin Farrell for example, and we’d love to hang out with Stephen Colbert—but in most cases we give them the cold shoulder (because we’re sure this ruins their day). But local darling Daria, from 105.1 The Afternoon Buzz, is one gal we’d like to be pals with. She’s one of those people that could just go by her first name: like Madonna and Cher, there’s Daria. Usually not easily impressed, when we met her we found ourselves all giggly. And when we heard her Local Entertainment Guide picking Portland Picks, we were in love. Here’s a snippet below: We heart Daria! This is from Daria’s Local Entertainment Guide, which aired Thursday, June 29, and Saturday, July 1, on 105.1, The Buzz:
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 1051thebuzz.com |
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| CD Pick of the Week: | |||
Who knew our corner of the world had such great music? We came across this eclectic mix of some of the best summer sounds from P-town and other West Coast cities at our bank. That’s right, we said “bank.” Umpqua Bank has uncovered some of our hometown’s best kept secrets like Rye Hollow, Stephanie Schneiderman, Easterly and Ohmega Watts – and packaged their music on a clever CD for the entire world to hear. The compilation album, titled “Discover Local Music Vol. 1: Sacramento to Seattle,” is a collection of songs from the bank’s popular Discover Local Music Project, which launched last summer at Umpqua’s store in the Pearl. Inspired by a college road trip in a ’69 Buick, the album is the ultimate “mix-tape” and has inspired us to get in the car, turn the music up, roll down the windows and drive…now if only our boss was cool with us taking the rest of the summer off to hit the open road… Before your next summer road trip, we highly recommend stopping by your local Umpqua Bank (www.umpquabank.com for locations) to pick up this essential summer soundtrack. CDs are $12 and coming soon to the iTunes music store and CDBaby.com. Discover Local Music: Vol. 1: Seattle to Sacramento Playlist
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Lusting for Sugar You know how we feel about local designers, and we found another who is making fun things that are totally lust-worthy, unique, handmade, and affordable. Christina of Sugarlust makes adorable items like messenger bags, ties, coin purses, clutches, totes, necklaces and earrings out of reclaimed and recycled materials. Her eye for whimsical goodness is so good – the sweet, girlie designs are candy-colored and sometimes sparkly and always too cute. So good! So sweet! www.sugarlust.com |
 sugarlust.com |
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| 2 | Hands Off My Drink!
Whenever we are at a party we have this reputation of sipping off everyone else’s cocktails. We just pick up whichever is closest, assuming it must be ours. Honestly, we lose track of ours far too easily. But now we have found a fun way to never mix up your drinks again: chalkboard coasters. Everyone gets their own coaster and their own colored chalk to write their name, doodle impressively and protect their toddy. And if you dare, you can even go ‘round and scribble little love notes to others. www.plumparty.com |  plumparty.com |
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| 3 | Wet Bikini? You’re at the beach, your suit is wet, you gotta change and scoot. What’s a girl to do? Get the Wet Bikini Bag, of course. Yet another clever must-have for your beach bag. This bag has an inner plastic lining so the water from your wet bikini will not seep through to the other items in your bag. This is a definite must-have for the girl-on-the-go who needs to get up and go. The bag is adorned with sequins and embellishment to make safeguarding your things stylish and glamorous. www.wrapables.com |
 wrapables.com |
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| 4 | Sassy Glassy Nothing sets the mood of a room like a zillion flickering votives…and there’s no better than glassybaby. Glassybaby is all the rage in Seattle and they are taking the world by storm. What is a glassybaby? A glassybaby is physically a small, colored, glass cup, candleholder, or vase. They come in 53 different colors that you can mix to create a stunning, flickering picture for a quiet vigil or a bustling party. As glasses, glassybaby are beautiful and useful: they act as cups and goblets, and they’re dishwasher-safe. Whatever your mood, a glassybaby can keep your home inviting and full of spirit. |
 glassybaby.com |
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| 5 | What’s New?
Your baby should and will have style immediately upon exiting the womb. Because it’s your baby, of course, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But also because you, wise Mama, shop at New. This Portland “mompreneur” just launched NewForBaby.com that offers newborn clothing that fits, in modern colors and fresh, mix-and-match designs. And these are tagless, with foldover cuffs, snaps at the neckline and low-rise pants (let’s show off that new belly button for heaven’s sake). Be one of the first to discover New! |  newforbaby.com |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Tootsie’s 2-4-1 Pedicures in July Bring a friend to Tootsie’s for a pedicure, and get one free for yourself through the month of July! Tootsie’s is a new shoe store on 23rd that has not only shoes, but handbags, belts…and pedicures. Treat yourself to a plush spa pedicure, then dip those pretty toes into hot kicks from designers like Kors, BCBG, Laundry, Pink, Cynthia Rowley, Betsey Johnson and oodles more. |
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| 2 | Mississippi Street Fair – Happening Tomorrow! The 5th annual Mississippi Street Fair is happening this Saturday, the 15th, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Festivities include a music stage, a kids’ dance stage, an all-acoustic stage, the High Noon Parade, a dunk tank, clowns and face painting, drum-making, and skateboarding demos. There’s also a pet talent show at 10:15 a.m., a fashion show at 3 p.m., AYOS (the alternative school) Bingo from noon-4 p.m., a plant swap/farmer's market from 10-11:30 a.m., a BBQ Rib contest, a Widmer Beer garden, a Crow Bar margarita garden, a community garage sale, a horse-drawn trolley, kids’ carnival games, and tons of arts and crafts vendors as well as community service booths! Is there anything else on Earth they could offer? Oh yes, the boutiques will be open, too! So get down there! Make a day of it – have some fun! |
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| 4 | Mother/Daughter Empowerment Workshops This Precious Relationship is about empowering young women to create the lives of their choosing - and Workshops for Women believes there is no more important role model than a mother. So let's roll up our sleeves, work and play together...to create something grand. |
 workshopsforwomen.net |
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| 5 | All that Jazz Our favorite haunt, Elephants Deli, is doing a summer Sunday Jazz series throughout July and August. |
 elephantsdeli.com |
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| 6 | Feelin' Groovy at Portland Children's Museum's Baby Woodstock It's the Age of Aquarius at Portland Children's Museum! Break out your bell-bottoms, your love beads, and your flower wreaths! Follow the vibrations all the way to the Children's Museum where your family can enjoy eight mind-altering musical performances. Activities include tie-dye, beading and braiding. (Bring your own t-shirt to tie-dye. They w ill also have plain white bandanas available for purchase for $3, while supplies last). |
 portlandcm.org |
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| 7 | An Evening with Aaron Meyer
From 4:30-8 p.m., August 5, Cooper Mountain sponsors an evening with Aaron Meyer with proceeds going to the Pink Phoenix Dragon Boat Team—the first all breast–cancer survivor team in the United States. There will be a silent auction, as well, with merchandise donated by community members. Aaron will play from 5-7 p.m. Tickets for the event are available at Fruition, 1037 NW 23rd Ave., Portland, 503.219.8600 or through the winery, 503.649.0027, and check out: www.pinkphoenix.org |
 pinkphoenix.org |
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So we got a note from a friend regarding last week's comments about not paying more for shoes than for a car payment. She reminded us that some things, like well-made shoes, are more of an investment than, say, "fun" shoes that won't last but a season, and that many local retailers sell such items because the designs, materials and construction are so otherwordly fabulous that they feel privileged to bring such wonderful things to Portland shoppers. And we agree. At Portland Picks we have all kinds of shoppers on our staff, those that prefer and pony up for fewer key high-end items that have longevity, and those that love and seek the bargain, and of course those that do a little of both. Like our fair town, we're a reflection of shopping diversity, and lucky for us, Portland is filled with shops for all of us. |
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