Neighborhood:
West Burnside Drawing Portland State University students and city center junkies, this ’hood mixes some of Portland’s oldest high-density dwellings with flashy (and spendy) new apartments. (read more) Fehrenbacher Hof (1225 SW 19th Ave., 223-4493) is a grand old house converted into a comfy coffee hangout for locals, and the Goose Hollow Inn (1927 SW Jefferson St., 228-7010) is a PDX classic, known as much for its killer sandwiches as for its owner, former Portland mayor Bud Clark. In the summer, stop by for a Reuben and a brew on the way to PGE Park (1844 SW Morrison St., 553-5400) for a Beavers game (although one brew leads to another, which in turn leads to saying to hell with minor league ball and watching MLB action on TV over Reuben number two). PGE Park hosts more than baseball: The Timbers USL soccer squad starts up every April, and PSU’s Vikings football team takes over in the fall. During games, the area is overrun with cars, pedestrians and occasional fireworks displays. Goose Hollow is the last in-town stop for the westbound MAX before it dives underground, tunneling out to the zoo and westside suburbia beyond. If you need a relaxed and comfortable place for out-of-towners to stay—away from the downtown bustle, yet within walking distance of everything—opt for the swanky, silver screen-themed, Portland-centric Hotel deLuxe (729 SW 15th Ave., 219-2094). —Deeda Schroeder.
Featured in Drink 2008
Everyone says this Burnside institution is great because it’s so unpretentious. I’m going to go out on a limb and say its unpretentiousness is so extreme the bar has crossed into a parallel reality of come-as-you-are exclusivity. This might be one place where the universal “no shirt, no shoes, no service” rule doesn’t apply—at least around closing time. If I could rename this bar, I would call it Debauchland. (Or add a subtitle: Death in the Afternoon.) It’s pretty great. The urinals are like giant half-barrels—don’t miss the strategically placed WW sticker. The bartenders are friendly but brook no shit. And there’s a test-your-strength machine where you punch a bag as hard as you can. Oh, the Matador. Loved by many, feared by 12-steppers. Olé!
Perfect Patron: Trucker-hatted twentysomethings righteously pissed about the looming 2009 smoking ban but too hung over to do anything about it. (CP)
HAPPY HOUR NOON-7 PM DAILY: $1 PBR, $2.50 WELL DRINKS.
CRAZY WEIRD GAMES, POOL, VIDEO POKER, TV, JUKEBOX.
Corey Pein
