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Most proper college towns have at least one musty, old basement dive that swapped its pool tables for a handful of rickety Maytags that "fell off the back of a truck." Portland deserves something similar but a little more upscale, and we have it with Spin Laundry Lounge (750 N Fremont St., 477-5382, spinlaundrylounge.com). Spin offers a sleek, sun-bathed room where young and hip NoPo can sip Upright Engelberg Pilsner ($4.50) and espresso while washing the sex off their Company Store duvet covers. With its proximity to Mississippi Avenue, it's a minor miracle the airy, aquamarine-hued warehouse that Spin calls home wasn't snatched up by EDM bros with grandiose plans to flip it into the next Holocene. Here, understated electropop by Röyksopp and Four Tet commingles with the hypnotic din of Space Age Electrolux machines (all accept credit cards) for a soothing ambience. A DJ would be right at home on the mezzanine, but a midcentury modern sectional fills the space comfortably for now. The spartan cafe/bar setup has a purposeful mix of uppers courtesy of a Rancilio coffeemaker outfitted with beans from Fog Valley Roasters and downers by way of cans, taps and wine bottles. Throw in some small plates and panini, keep the doors open until midnight, and you have a utilitarian neighborhood cafe that brings in folks who don't even have clothes to wash. For those who do, Spin is a classy alternative to eating takeout from Horse Brass and drinking Old German from a paper bag while waiting for one of the few washing machines that takes cards to become available at Belmont Eco Laundry.
WWeek 2015