Portland and the Bluesfest

Katie D.

July 7, 2010 - 8:32 PM

Portland in July is a beautiful place. Especially Fourth of July weekend, when a huge portion of the downtown waterfront area becomes home to a massive blues festival to benefit a local food bank.

The waterfront area is my favorite part of Portland anyway. I love the bridges, I love the running paths along the river edge, and I love the physical presence of water in the middle of a city. Denver is a great place to live, but it's not big on water in general, or rivers in particular. So I have a deep and enduring love for water in any quantity, especially when it happens right in the middle of a busy, bustling city.

But then add some fabulous blues to that waterfront. Add thousands of people crowding three stages to hear world-class blues music. Also add a flotilla of small boats parked right up by the riverbank, crowded with people and pirate flags, to hear the music as well. And in all that fabulous mix, add Portland at it's finest: the middle-aged middle-class straight-edge types rubbing shoulders with the crazed hippies and washed-out motorcycle gang members.

Beautiful indeed.

Plus I was there with some real Portland kids: friends who had grown up there and were constantly running into various members of their extended group. I love that about Portland: you would think a city that size would mean the East Coast alienation from people (no offense, East Coasters) and the standoffish way of dealing with people. But Portland is the opposite, it seems. People mill around, bumping into friends and being kind to strangers. Not in every instance, of course, but more often than not. They shared their lawnblankets, and didn't complain when my group of TALL friends stood to see the bands better.

And Portlanders love their music. Music and microbreweries seem to be the pet passions of inhabitants of the Willamette Valley. With local pride to spare.

The rest of my weekend was also spent in a haze of Portland oddities and places of interest. We went to some funny restaurants, including Rimsky Korsakoffee, the self-described "home of the casually threatening atmosphere." It's my favorite dessert place in Portland, with a wait staff equally likely to turn a cold shoulder or sing you a personalized song. This weekend we hit a singing mood, and the place was the perfect combination of the quirky and the hilarious (if you are ever in Portland, you MUST visit, and when you're there you have to climb up to the second floor to see the bathroom. Can't say why, only that it's not an experience to be missed.)

July Fourth is also a great time to visit Portland because of the fireworks. A massive, extravagant fireworks display on the river. Fourth of July at its very best, with a blues soundtrack to kick things off.

This summer I'm really taking advantage of Eugene's proximity to a host of activities and places. I wouldn't let an occasion like Bluesfest pass any more than I could imagine a summer without time on the beach. Portland's easy to get to, either by train (my favorite) or with the multitude of other Euenians heading north for the weekend.

In fact, I'll be heading back in just two weeks. One of my favorite bands, the New Pornographers (don't let the name fool you: they're pretty a wholesome indy-rock band), is playing in Portland on July 16th. There's a big group heading up for the weekend to rock out to some fabulous music. Can't wait...and I'm hoping this musical trend keeps up for the summer!