True beginnings - spring in puddletown

spring in portland
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Well, spring is finally arrived. will it last? probably not. we'll probably have some sort of freak snow storm at the beginning of may or something. oh well, i am going to enjoy the flowers and the smells and the growing grass and the influx of life. it's great to see the little ones run frantically throug the growing grass and playing.

today, after some work training and a visit with the teeth torcherors, i ventured home a long way. with the emerging sun, i decided to walk - yes, i'm going to walk home. i know it's been awhile, but quit picking on me..... i began in the lloyd district and ventured over to n.e. MLK and then north. in lloyd, MLK is pretty busy and dangerous. not much to report here. once i crossed n.e. broadway, i began to feel like i was entering a neighborhood. granted, i was still on MLK, but it was like crossing some sort of barrier. as i proceeded i began to thing - what is the difference between this area and my neighborhood? not much. the difference is that mlk is a busy street. no one, no matter what they say, wouldn't want to live on a busy street like mlk, powell, burnside, sandy, etc. there's just to much noise, traffic, and other crap that follows. mlk is notorious for being known in all of portland as where prostitutes hung out. when i was a teenager, it was explicitely stated - mlk and north portland are off limits- dangerous - gangland etc. i digress.
i wanted to highlight some great locales on mlk for anyone not familiar with the area. want a nice workingman's hangout? hit the Neighborhood Dive -

a great place to sit at the bar, have a nice cold Pabst Blue Ribbon and watch a game. the clientele are accepting and fun.

after your pabst, you may be a bit hungry. if so, head accross the street to Echo -

Echo is a new restaurant that offers a full bar and dinner at night. A and I had the vodka infused oyster shooters that were trully amazing. i also remember enjoying the atmosphere and food. most recently, i've been back for cocktails, but not for dinner. Echo too has suffered from being a gem in an area where the neighbors are craving crushed stone. up the street is one of our favorite restaurants in portland - Queen of Sheba -

Queen of Sheba offers traditional ethiopian food. we discovered QOS a few years back when it was first opening. the owners are a wonderful couple and family and treat you as if you were in thier home. the food is amazing and flavorful. lamb, okra, salad, spice, lentils, etc. all of this is served upon a moist spongy flat bread which you used with your fingers to pick up the goodies and feed yourself and your partner. it is tradition for families and lovers too feed each other in this way to show affection and love. props to QOS.

as i round n. russell, i come upon Russell St. Bar-B-Que.

I have not had the honor of visiting this establishment, but have heard wonderful reviews. with A being a lacto-ovo-pesca-vegatarian - i'm limited in where we can go for din din. and i respect her because she keeps my waistline in check.

am i blogging to much about my 30 minute walk? tough - just deal with it.

down russell, i came accross a new ballroom some portland guys are working on. if my memory serves me right, i believe meow meow used to be next door and the had to close for one reason or another. the ballroom -

i am looking forward to the opening of this locale. every city needs more locations for music. even if this isn't our type of music or performance, it will bring culture into the hood.

when i came upon n. williams, then fremont and then mississippi, i kept feeling i had already told you about this area. granted, things are changing, so i will be monitoring the change. i did come accross something i haven't blogged about in awhile - random clothes:

night night.