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September 15th, 2006
Hello, my name is ____ and I am a jewelryaholic. That’s not even a word, but it should be a real condition, and worthy of serious consideration. Possibly even treatment. We can’t help ourselves when precious little baubles call to us from behind glass display cases, saying, “Take me home! You know you love me!” We are powerless to resist. Honestly, we have so many earrings, rings, and perfectly fetching necklaces that we often can’t decide what to wear. So we have a new tactic: A three-day jewelry cycle. We wear the same pieces for three days in a row. That way, we feel like we get our money’s worth, and that they’ve been seen by the world. It also makes us feel less guilty when we replace them oh-so-quickly with a new little lovely. With three days of high-volume wear, those “old” things have a good run, you see? (Wait…oh no…justification…that’s a sure sign of denial!) |
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Portland Picks: |
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| 1 | Olde Tyme Goodness We enjoy being girly girls. The traditional gender lines between men and women can blur so much nowadays, but thankfully, our DNA gives us the right to wear sparkly necklaces, high heels and red lipstick on Saturday nights, and have car doors opened for us. Plus, we get to ooh and ahh over perfect little teapots and frilly handkerchiefs and picnic baskets and nobody says boo about it. Which is why we love Porch Light. Open just a week, this sweet little shop purveys all sorts of girly goodness goods, and specializes in vintage and vintage-reproduction pieces from the 1910s, 20s, 30s and 40s. Music from those eras plays in the background as you wander from vignette to vignette, looking at vases and boxes, silver trays and scented soaps. And everything is so well-priced! You can shop to your heart’s content without taxing your bank account. Highlighting the perfectly chosen wares are cufflinks made from old typewriter keys, jewelry made with pieces of vintage china, baby bibs made of vintage fabric, and note cards made from vintage wallpaper. It’s an enticing amalgamation of all things feminine, with just enough whimsy and just enough olde tyme nostalgia to make this a regular stop on our Sunday shopping jaunts. So stop in yourself, and tell them Portland Picks sent you! Porch Light |
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| 2 | Caffeine Dreams Can Come True Seattle has nothing on us—Portland is a coffee-fueled town. In some neighborhoods you can’t walk two blocks without running into yet another java purveyor. We ourselves have had days on NW 23rd where we were so strung out from the three iced mochas—from three different coffee joints—that we came home with new shoes, new sheets, new earrings and a new nervous twitch that didn’t subside until 2 p.m. the next day. Ferreals. So when we happened upon Bean—tucked into what is shaping up to be a truly funky little corner at 15th Ave. and Prescott—we felt immediately at home. Bean is spacious and light-filled, with a roll-up door that’s always open, tempting cupcakes kept teasingly under glass, and an aroma of java goodness that calls you in from the street like a mythical siren. You’ll find the typical coffeehouse players here: espresso, macchiato, breve, café au lait, soy milk and Italian sodas, but you’ll also find a very art-friendly scene, with huge chalkboards at perfect little-kid height (plus giant pieces of chalk), cool paintings, and cool new magazines. Bring the kiddles—or that hot guy from your after-work art class who’s been giving you the eye—Bean has a couple of deep, art-deco-ish booths that are perfect for a caffeinated snog. Bean |
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| 3 | OMG, Shoes Some people love that new-car smell. And while the aroma of a brand new ride is heady indeed, our primary aphrodisiac here at Portland Picks is New Store Scent. Shoefly’s come to the Pearl and they’re leaving their doors open to let that “freshly opened” fragrance waft outside like a beckoning lover. For downtown dwellers who dig the Bridgeport Village store but don’t want to fight the traffic—oh heck, for all of us who love stylish footwear—come on down! Check out offerings like Dolce Vita, Charles David, Cynthia Rowley, and Bronx, as well as hats, belts, and sumptuous leather bags with just the right amount of hobo. Shoefly’s having loads of sales on summer shoes, and showing all kinds of sophisticated luxe goodness for fall. This Shoefly store also marks something new for the company: Shoeguy, with hip kicks for when your guy wants to shed his Birks or Caterpillar boots. The store is so new that it’s not even on Shoefly’s website yet. But we swear it’s not a mirage. We travel far and wide to bring you the freshest of the fresh in openings—and sometimes wind up hobbling in our chic threads across uneven pavement when the streetcar doesn’t come, but ne’er you mind! We’re happy to do it. Really! Because, OMG, shoes. Shoefly |
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| 4 | Better Get Mako All our friends are having babies. We’ve passed the first wave of them and now we’re in like, the eighth iteration of the baby production. That’s a lot of showers. Some of us feel as if we’ve actually gone through the whole pregnancy thing on a phantom, sympathetic basis. Even from 3,000 miles away. And it all seems like it’s been going on for so long that soon their babies will be having babies. But wait, aren’t we all kind of, well…babes? Shopping for…babes? Where were we? Oh, right, go to Mako. Mako’s been around 20 years and the store’s longevity reflects the inventory—always current, always adorable, and always well-made. The apparel is the cutest of cute—think shirts with trucks on them for boys, and tiaras for girls (or switch it around if you want, heck, we don’t judge). And look for Little Levi’s and Baby Bjorn and placemats that help the babe learn—oh my! And with the rains due in soon, don’t miss the baby wellies! We will be the best Auntie ever. Except, wait—maybe we already are. Mako |
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| 5 | Meatless Wonders We love going to Seattle. Sure, it means dealing with horrendous traffic (even on the weekends) and sales tax, but we always seem to find a new gem that makes all the hassles worthwhile. However, we'll be the first to admit that we don't go as often as we used to...and that can be directly attributed to Vegetarian House. You see, a big part of our early trips up north was a visit to Bamboo Garden, an all-vegetarian, kosher Chinese place. It was (and still is) utterly, deliciously fabulous and there was absolutely nothing similar in Portland. Then one year, everything changed, and the next thing we knew Vegetarian House had opened and there was one less reason to spend $40 on gas. Vegetarian House offers all the benefits of eating healthy with none of the downsides of giving up meat. There is fake chicken, shrimp and even squid, each one prepared in a manner that fools the mind as well as the stomach. Scared of faux fish? Tofu and veggie options abound, all with flavorful sauces that tickle the tastebuds. Trust us, if you've ever felt deprived after giving up beef with broccoli or hot and sour soup, you'll be thrilled to have Vegetarian House right in your own backyard. Take that, Seattle! Vegetarian House |
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| 6 | Aging with Grace No, not your Aunt Grace, though she is a special person. We’re talking aging with grace. i.e., we totally want to age gracefully...but not as fast as we’re supposed to. And thankfully we have pretty good genes, but we’ll admit that we’re in it to win it. That’s why certain things, for instance, laser treatment, are appealing to us. What a miracle! We can reverse years of sun damage from our sun lamp/silver blanket/baby-oil drenched youth. And we’ve figured out where to go: EMIT MedSpa. We just tell our friends we have an appointment “at the spa”....but really we’re having a microdermabrasion treatment with a refreshing and healing ultrasonic facial, or we get a combination of ultrasound and electrical therapy from one of their licensed, trained nurses, who will apply a conditioning gel that penetrates deep into the tissue to rehydrate the skin and promote collagen production. This superior gel stimulates cellular activity and increases DNA and protein synthesis (did you figger we knew such big words?) while feeding your skin with soothing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant nutrients, a la an ultrasonic facial. It’s no biggie; it’s a walk in the park, really, but with big results. Frankly, this is our new kind of spa...efficient and to the point. You get the relaxation with results, and then some. (And we’ll keep the secret of how you look so good.) EMIT MedSpa |
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| 7 | Date Night Normally we don’t clump up our picks since there’s so much to say about each of them, but we had such a great, romantic date night with the husband the other evening we had to Pick it in whole. We started out with a foot bath and tea on the rooftop terrace at the Aequis Spa, then we were guided, relaxed and floating zombie like, to the Clocktower Suite for the best massage of our lives. Truly it was otherwordly. (And girls...one word....Jesse!) After our amazing couples massage at Aequis, which really does deserve a whole page (caveat: know your date well for this), we were off for the best vodka martini in the whole wide world (swear!) at the Driftwood Room in the Hotel deLuxe. To clarify, the Hotel deLuxe is new (it’s the revamped Mallory), but the Driftwood Room, thankfully, is untouched from the remodel, and is still romantically cozy, a warm and fuzzy icon from the past. But it’s even better now, because the service is impeccable, the cocktails are timeless, and the atmosphere is tops. And the Driftwood Room is such a happening spot, with gorgeous gals and guys mixed with the old guard who you know hung out there even back in “the day.” The music, the drinks, the ’sphere...it takes you back. Then there was dinner at Gracie’s, where we were taken care of so well. Our sommelier was extraordinary and brought us exactly what we needed for each course. This is a new restaurant—a destination restaurant—much like Blue Hour, Wildwood and Oba—and one that will certainly become a mainstay in Portland. After dining, (and perhaps to justify the coolness factor of this new hot establishment), we were directed to the roof where there was a huge open party going on, full of cool peeps, with a big bar and an interesting indie movie on an outdoor screen. In fact, the whole experience was so fabulous that we’re ready to do it all again, exactly the same! It’s official: we have found our new hangouts! Aequis Spa 419 SW 11th Ave., Penthouse Suite Portland, OR 97205 503.223.7847 www.aequisspa.com The Driftwood Bar and Gracie’s At The Hotel deLuxe 729 SW 15th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97205 www.hoteldeluxeportland.com 503.243.5623 |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Think “Paper”! We were just in a store where they proudly proclaimed that holiday shopping begins October 20. That's not even post-Halloween! But we'll just put this out of our mind and think about gift-wrapping for other occasions, be they birthdays, anniversaries or weddings. That's where Whimsy comes in, making presents as much fun for the giver as the receiver, with fashionable prints that would look as good on a wall as on a package. Our personal favorites are the collections, which feature two sheets of each design for a total of eight pieces of colorful eye candy. There's one for dogs and one for "dudes," as well as variations on Asian and garden themes. Such charming choices that we won’t wait for the holidays! |
 whimsypress.com |
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| 2 | When Conversation Eludes You We've all had those moments when we're hosting a party and the conversation suddenly...well...lags. Rather than placing blame (even though we know exactly whose fault it is), why not just pick up TableTopics? These convenient cubes contain guaranteed party-starters with questions perfect for families, couples or a group of girlfriends. Who can help but laugh thinking back to their all-time worst haircut? Or what item of their partner's they'd most like to toss in the trash? Our favorite question—if you had to gain 10 pounds what would you eat to gain the weight? And the answer? Definitely chocolate-chip cookies. |
 tabletopics.com |
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| 3 | Tummy Honey |
 mothersintuition.com |
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| 4 | Have Your Art and Eat it to We recently went to a 40th birthday party fit for, I don’t know, Oprah, Queen Elizabeth….trust us, it was out of this world. I kept whispering to my husband, “I want a do-over.” Attention was given to each detail including the most incredible whimsical cake I have ever laid eyes on. It was magical, something out of Alice in Wonderland, and it tasted heavenly too. I learned later it was one of Polly’s Cakes. If you want to make a statement at your next shindig…Polly’s Cakes for sure. |
 pollyscakes.com |
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| 5 | Wash Your Hands This is such a ridiculously cute idea: SquidSoap. Getting the little ones to really wash their hands, versus a quick run through the faucet, is a daunting task. And according to the CDC, the easiest way to prevent illness is simply regular hand-washing. Well tell that to your five-year-old. SquidSoap is a fun soap dispenser designed for teaching children healthy hand-washing habits. It works by applying a small ink mark on a person's hand when they press the pump to dispense the soap. The ink will wash off after the hands are washed for about 15-20 seconds, which is the time recommended by most doctors. Why didn't we think of this, darn it? |
 squidsoap.com |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Runway to Rooftop Nordstrom, in partnership with Portland Institute for Contemporary Art and Portland Monthly, presents a fashion runway show and rooftop party showcasing new fall designs with all ticket proceeds benefiting PICA’s artistic programming.
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 pica.org |
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| 8 | lucy warehouse sale
All sales are final. Cash or check only. |
 lucy.com |
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Are you interested in advertising in Portland Picks? We’re just starting to put together our Holiday Gift Guide, our annual issue devoted to all things gift-worthy! Drop us a line if you’d like to be a part of this fabulous special issue (or simply reply to this email). |
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