Schoolhouse Rock

I have my first official Portland hangover. It feels pretty much like a hangover from anywhere else. Actually, I'm taking a bit of poetic license here b/c I don't feel that bad, plus, I'm still fighting off whatever cold seems to be coming my way, so it may be more of that than too much beer.

We went out last night with Alison & Dave. Alison is the PortlandGirl we met in Orlando through Kirk & Chris & I'm so happy we know her b/c she's totally fun & cool! Dave is her boyfriend & he's equally as cool, so they're a great match. We drove into Portland to meet up with them at The Kennedy School which is such an innovative place, I wish everyone was with us to experience it. We learned that it's part of a chain of McMenamins pubs around Oregon & Washington state, but it's so much more than a pub; it's part restaurant, part hotel, part art gallery, part movie theater, part brewery & part movie studio (ok, I made that last one up, but the rest is all true)!

It's called The Kennedy School b/c it used to be an elementary school & the wave of grade school nostalgia that comes over you as soon as you walk inside is hilarious! Each bar (there are several bars within the building) is in what used to be a classroom. There are chalkboards everywhere & signs in the hallways that point to 'Home Economics' & the 'Gymnasium'. The smoking room is called Detention. There's a Principal's bench that looks just as scary as an adult as it did as a kid & don't even get me started on the bathrooms with that tile floor that just screams fifth grade. How smart is that (pun fully intended)?! It's just the coolest place! If you've got time, check out the website (www.mcmenamins.com), it's a good one.

We had one of those great nights where the conversation flowed as easily as the beer. We hung out in the Cypress Room bar for a few hours before going out to the patio of the Courtyard Restaurant for some dinner. The food was excellent. I had the Marrakech chicken sandwich with apricot chutney & lemon-pepper aioli...a great combination of flavors. Alison called Kirk & Chris to let them know we were all missing them & even though it was 12:00 a.m. their time (oops!), Kirk called back on his way home from hockey practice. Has it really been just over a week since we had dinner at their house? It feels like a long time ago & it made me realize yet again how much we're going to miss having those guys nearby.

For some reason, this all feels very normal, like we've been here for longer than just a few days. I haven't once had my 'uncomfortable' feeling, which happens to me sometimes in new situations; it makes me feel unsettled & anxious, like my body is telling me something doesn't quite feel right. It happens often during job interviews, when I know the place I'm in isn't the place I'm supposed to be. But so far, Portland just feels right.

Later,
PortlandGirl