It’s a place on my Must-Visit list… when I was clearing out mum and dads stuff after their deaths in ‘22 I came across a letter Bill Bowerman had written to my dad encouraging him to take a scholarship to UoOE… he’d previously chatted about it and how close he got to accepting. He always thought of Oregon in a very special way - loved visiting Eugene with mum and the state as a whole… when I visit I’ll also call on Willy Vlautin who I vowed to buy a beer for (after he did this for me at a show at the UK and we chatted fave books for ages!). I also have an Oregon Ducks T-shirt which dad got me… it’s a lovely lurid green of course 🤣
I too am from Oregon (Rogue River and two gorgeous and unforgettable winters on the coast in Rockaway Beach) and now live in Maine, across the country as from Oregon as it's possible to get and still be in the US. I felt every word of this.
Were it not for crazy real estate prices, that's where I'd be still. (Were it not for Visa issues, I'd be in Liverpool permanently, but that's another story.)
PS The Oregon coast is the eighth wonder of the world. I've traveled a lot and never have I seen any natural beauty that even remotely compares (and yes, that includes Maine).
🥴 This is how I ended up in Maine. It's Oregon-y, but I can actually have 6 acres and a lovely house next to a lake for less than most people's car payment.
Because of certain television programs, I tend to associate Oregon with the eerie, weird, and strange- and also Powell's Books in Portland, which I hope to visit one day.
What a lovely love letter to the great state of Oregon!
I moved to Oregon sight unseen in my 20s, inspired largely by the mystical tones of the jazz ensemble called — what else — Oregon. I still tell the story of stepping off the plane in Eugene and instantly feeling like I'd arrived at my true home.
I lived in Eugene for a few months, then moved to Corvallis for graduate school. When I was done, I would've done anything to stay in the state, but there were no jobs for someone like me.
I've only been back a few times, and not in a very long time. But I still think of it as home (as your post, Kevin, predicts I would!).
Okay, okay. I know no one wants to see anyone else's home movies. But since we're here, I'm including this video of a family trip back to Oregon 15 years ago (!). The music in the background is Ralph Towner (from the band Oregon) playing Icarus. Video includes downtown Portland, Portland rose garden, Yachats and many other coastal towns, University of Oregon, Oregon Health Science Center, dunes, sea lions, Multnomah Falls, Hood River, and more. Even if it feels weird to watch someone else's home movie (replete with struggling teens!), hopefully some Kevin Alexander fans will appreciate the beautiful song that (for me) engenders what Oregon is all about...
This was a lovely read to wake up to. Thank you, Kevin, for sharing your love letter to home with us all.
I first came to Portland in 1990, when I was looking at Grad schools. I was deeply entrenched in grunge (The Screaming Trees, in particular) and a couple of garage-psych bands from Portland. I went to Seattle first and was quite disappointed. It's geographically beautiful, but there was a coldness to it that made me feel like I wasn't welcome. We then traveled down the 101 to Astoria and then over to Portland.
In 1990, Portland was a much smaller city, it was gritty (the Pearl didn't exist - it was just dark warehouses with the 24-hour Church of Elvis!), yet it had a charm that I never forgot. I also grew up in Cleveland, so gritty didn't bother me. In 2006, when my wife and I were discussing leaving London, where to go was a significant discussion. NYC, SF, Boston, and Seattle were all discussed. But, in the end, it seemed crazy to uproot and leave London for another expensive city, so we chose Portland. My wife had never even heard of Portland but was curious to learn more from me. In April 2007, we flew from Heathrow to Seattle, rented a car, and drove down to Portland for a 10-day visit. As we crossed the Fremont Bridge and my wife got her first view of the skyline, I could tell she was excited. We spent the next 10 days looking for houses, flew back to London, and prepared to move our lives 6000 miles away. In July 2007, we arrived with our 2 kids, our beagle, a cat, and no jobs. We eagerly awaited the arrival of our crate with the stuff that we kept, which was still on a ship somewhere on its way to Oakland and then a train to Portland. Our furniture eventually arrived, we soon found work, and our Portland life began. I lived in London for 14 years, and in July, my wife will have lived in Portland three years longer than I lived in the UK. Time flies.
Since arriving here in 2007, Portland has definitely changed. It's no longer the small city that it once was. "Portlandia" did a lot to change that. And Portland is certainly not immune to social problems. All cities, however, have their issues. And I do believe Portland will bounce back. Its neighborhoods are still the same. - they are vibrant and quirky, with great nightlife, restaurants, and bars. There's a definite charm to Portland and its tree-lined streets. Every day, we walk miles and ride our bikes all over town. Since moving here, we have missed the diversity of London and good comedy, and we wish Portland had a more vibrant visual arts scene. But we love film and music, and so many great small and international films come through here, as do most bands/musicians not named T. Swift.
And, of course, there is no shortage of fantastic record stores!
I love this. The view from the Fremont is incredible too. When it was still just "NW Portland," the Pearl was full of quirky characters, cool places, and was just sketchy enough to be interesting. My guess is almost all of them were priced out long ago.
A lot of great bands/musicians come from the state; Sleater-Kinney, Everclear, The Dandy Warhols, Portugal. The Man, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Modest Mouse. The Portland Symphony is top notch, too!
Portland is one of my favorite weekend getaways from Seattle! Much like photographing the iconic airport carpeting, recording video of crossing the bridge from Vancouver is mandatory!
Thanks for the PDX love letter. I’ve spent the past 30 years in and out of portland. Interesting to watch it evolve. It’s been about 10 years since I moved but I will always call the PNW home.
I love Portland, one of my favorite cities. There is an alternate timeline in my life where if something slightly different happened 5 years ago, I would be living there. So, it remains a place I enjoy visiting. I just walk around, hang out at Powells, drink beer and coffee. I am going back in the fall for a Ducks game. I've heard Austen is a great place to see a game.
I grew up in Oregon for the most part. Moved around as a kid. Lived in Southern California, Washington, Oregon, Washington, and then settled back in Oregon.
I would really like to know how many concerts we attended together without know each other. Did you every go to any of the dance clubs that I was spinning records at during your club days?
Sometimes! Usually, it would be somewhere like Confettis, or another one further up Burnside whose name escapes me. Portland Underground, maybe? Embers & Panorama* as well.
*I think this was the one closest to Powells that was almost like 3 clubs in one? I might be off here.
It’s a place on my Must-Visit list… when I was clearing out mum and dads stuff after their deaths in ‘22 I came across a letter Bill Bowerman had written to my dad encouraging him to take a scholarship to UoOE… he’d previously chatted about it and how close he got to accepting. He always thought of Oregon in a very special way - loved visiting Eugene with mum and the state as a whole… when I visit I’ll also call on Willy Vlautin who I vowed to buy a beer for (after he did this for me at a show at the UK and we chatted fave books for ages!). I also have an Oregon Ducks T-shirt which dad got me… it’s a lovely lurid green of course 🤣
As it should be! #GoDucks!
My state! And I run a tour company that takes people daily to the places you mentioned.
Nice! What's the company's name?
I too am from Oregon (Rogue River and two gorgeous and unforgettable winters on the coast in Rockaway Beach) and now live in Maine, across the country as from Oregon as it's possible to get and still be in the US. I felt every word of this.
Were it not for crazy real estate prices, that's where I'd be still. (Were it not for Visa issues, I'd be in Liverpool permanently, but that's another story.)
PS The Oregon coast is the eighth wonder of the world. I've traveled a lot and never have I seen any natural beauty that even remotely compares (and yes, that includes Maine).
100% yes to this!
Rockaway Beach! Another fave. As for PDX, I've been priced out too.
🥴 This is how I ended up in Maine. It's Oregon-y, but I can actually have 6 acres and a lovely house next to a lake for less than most people's car payment.
I really need to go back to Maine. I had a great time, but would like to see more than just Portland and Kennebunkport.
I always wanted to go to Oregon. Damn you COVID, you pushed me out from right next door(California) and now I’m back in Berlin, Germany.
Next time!
I’ve never been to Oregon but I could feel right there when reading this!
I hope you make it there some day!
Because of certain television programs, I tend to associate Oregon with the eerie, weird, and strange- and also Powell's Books in Portland, which I hope to visit one day.
Powell's is so worth the journey. Give yourself a day or two.
Travis is right; Powell's alone is worth a trip. I used to get lost in there. It was wonderful.
What a lovely love letter to the great state of Oregon!
I moved to Oregon sight unseen in my 20s, inspired largely by the mystical tones of the jazz ensemble called — what else — Oregon. I still tell the story of stepping off the plane in Eugene and instantly feeling like I'd arrived at my true home.
I lived in Eugene for a few months, then moved to Corvallis for graduate school. When I was done, I would've done anything to stay in the state, but there were no jobs for someone like me.
I've only been back a few times, and not in a very long time. But I still think of it as home (as your post, Kevin, predicts I would!).
Okay, okay. I know no one wants to see anyone else's home movies. But since we're here, I'm including this video of a family trip back to Oregon 15 years ago (!). The music in the background is Ralph Towner (from the band Oregon) playing Icarus. Video includes downtown Portland, Portland rose garden, Yachats and many other coastal towns, University of Oregon, Oregon Health Science Center, dunes, sea lions, Multnomah Falls, Hood River, and more. Even if it feels weird to watch someone else's home movie (replete with struggling teens!), hopefully some Kevin Alexander fans will appreciate the beautiful song that (for me) engenders what Oregon is all about...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYZyOonis5U
This was fantastic! Thank you for posting it here.
This was a lovely read to wake up to. Thank you, Kevin, for sharing your love letter to home with us all.
I first came to Portland in 1990, when I was looking at Grad schools. I was deeply entrenched in grunge (The Screaming Trees, in particular) and a couple of garage-psych bands from Portland. I went to Seattle first and was quite disappointed. It's geographically beautiful, but there was a coldness to it that made me feel like I wasn't welcome. We then traveled down the 101 to Astoria and then over to Portland.
In 1990, Portland was a much smaller city, it was gritty (the Pearl didn't exist - it was just dark warehouses with the 24-hour Church of Elvis!), yet it had a charm that I never forgot. I also grew up in Cleveland, so gritty didn't bother me. In 2006, when my wife and I were discussing leaving London, where to go was a significant discussion. NYC, SF, Boston, and Seattle were all discussed. But, in the end, it seemed crazy to uproot and leave London for another expensive city, so we chose Portland. My wife had never even heard of Portland but was curious to learn more from me. In April 2007, we flew from Heathrow to Seattle, rented a car, and drove down to Portland for a 10-day visit. As we crossed the Fremont Bridge and my wife got her first view of the skyline, I could tell she was excited. We spent the next 10 days looking for houses, flew back to London, and prepared to move our lives 6000 miles away. In July 2007, we arrived with our 2 kids, our beagle, a cat, and no jobs. We eagerly awaited the arrival of our crate with the stuff that we kept, which was still on a ship somewhere on its way to Oakland and then a train to Portland. Our furniture eventually arrived, we soon found work, and our Portland life began. I lived in London for 14 years, and in July, my wife will have lived in Portland three years longer than I lived in the UK. Time flies.
Since arriving here in 2007, Portland has definitely changed. It's no longer the small city that it once was. "Portlandia" did a lot to change that. And Portland is certainly not immune to social problems. All cities, however, have their issues. And I do believe Portland will bounce back. Its neighborhoods are still the same. - they are vibrant and quirky, with great nightlife, restaurants, and bars. There's a definite charm to Portland and its tree-lined streets. Every day, we walk miles and ride our bikes all over town. Since moving here, we have missed the diversity of London and good comedy, and we wish Portland had a more vibrant visual arts scene. But we love film and music, and so many great small and international films come through here, as do most bands/musicians not named T. Swift.
And, of course, there is no shortage of fantastic record stores!
It's now home.
I love this. The view from the Fremont is incredible too. When it was still just "NW Portland," the Pearl was full of quirky characters, cool places, and was just sketchy enough to be interesting. My guess is almost all of them were priced out long ago.
Enjoyed the read. I'll just go ahead and add Dead Moon, The Wipers and Mississippi Records, and the list goes on...
Yes! Dead Moon rules.
A lot of great bands/musicians come from the state; Sleater-Kinney, Everclear, The Dandy Warhols, Portugal. The Man, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Modest Mouse. The Portland Symphony is top notch, too!
Indeed! And so many others that for whatever reason live on only the memories of people lucky enough to have heard 'em play.
Well said... well said.
Thank you, Keith!
Portland is one of my favorite weekend getaways from Seattle! Much like photographing the iconic airport carpeting, recording video of crossing the bridge from Vancouver is mandatory!
100% mandatory!
Thanks for the PDX love letter. I’ve spent the past 30 years in and out of portland. Interesting to watch it evolve. It’s been about 10 years since I moved but I will always call the PNW home.
Same!
I received no Valentines today. No texts, no letters, no cards, no emails. Am I unloved and unwanted? I don't know.
I mentioned it on Notes, but I'm glad you're here!
I love Portland, one of my favorite cities. There is an alternate timeline in my life where if something slightly different happened 5 years ago, I would be living there. So, it remains a place I enjoy visiting. I just walk around, hang out at Powells, drink beer and coffee. I am going back in the fall for a Ducks game. I've heard Austen is a great place to see a game.
It is! And, as they say, "it never rains at Autzen stadium."
I grew up in Oregon for the most part. Moved around as a kid. Lived in Southern California, Washington, Oregon, Washington, and then settled back in Oregon.
I would really like to know how many concerts we attended together without know each other. Did you every go to any of the dance clubs that I was spinning records at during your club days?
Great read.
Sometimes! Usually, it would be somewhere like Confettis, or another one further up Burnside whose name escapes me. Portland Underground, maybe? Embers & Panorama* as well.
*I think this was the one closest to Powells that was almost like 3 clubs in one? I might be off here.