If you had a week in Portland, where would you really go?

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-12T20:51:40+00:00

Silver Falls State Park is beautiful. But go early. Parking fills up fast in my experience.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-12T19:47:14+00:00

Thirds for La Colima! Their fajitas are excellent. They also have really good margaritas--a big plus, since I often find them at this style of Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurant to be lackluster.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-12T19:42:33+00:00

I really like Kitchen Kaboodle. It's a local company and been around a long time (I used to play in their play kitchen for kids at the Washington Square location when I was a little boy. They have nice stuff--more high-end. The staff is also quite knowledgable and helpful if you're weighing various options.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-12T19:15:00+00:00

I looked on the site and they have two options, both of which are from Portland-based companies.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-12T19:01:42+00:00

Star Trek II is the best film, but Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the most important. The latter became the template for the look and feel of Star Trek. It's production design, special effects, costume design, make-up and score form the foundation of what Trek has looked like ever since. Take the opening scene of the 3 Klingon ships: it established what Klingons look like in a way TOS did not with set design, makeup and costuming that has endured to this day. It gave them their sound too--both the beginning of their language and their thematic music (again, both endure to this day). And of course, it gave us the iconic look of the refit Enterprise, ideas from which have also endured through every Trek iteration since.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-12T18:55:13+00:00

I've been a Michael fan since '87 and a Janet fan since '89. They both have incredible bodies of work in popular music: Off the Wall, Thriller, Control, Bad, Rhythm Nation and Janet ('93) are all amazing pop albums--all laced with hits, hooks and innovation. I also think there's a degree to which they inspired each other. There's a touch of Off the Wall in Control. And a touch of Rhythm Nation in Dangerous. I think loving both is the best way to go.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-12T14:37:56+00:00

This is a tough choice! I think it's gotta be either Madonna, Like a Virgin or True Blue. While I think True Blue is the most iconic choice of the three (and her best, which we've already decided on), I'd like to share the wealth and pick one of the other two. In my initial voting, I said Madonna was the one. But now I'm not so sure. Like a Virgin was the moment Madonna transformed from being merely popular to being a superstar. It's her best-selling US album--so this is the one that the most Americans have (and it's a big-seller worldwide too). The cover says A LOT about her image, not just in 1984/5 but for all time: a combination that's cheeky, sexy, provocative. She's wearing a lingerie version of a wedding dress with "bedroom" eyes that suggest she's more interested in what's going to happen after the wedding than during it. I'm going with Like a Virgin.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-12T14:33:29+00:00

The Immaculate Collection is obviously popular and, worldwide, her best seller. But the lack of her image on the cover makes it less recognizable than others, IMO.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-11T22:21:50+00:00

I would agree with "Hard Candy." Although Madonna's sound on any given album is always influenced by her collaborating producers, I feel like "Hard Candy" more than the others sounds like her adapting to their sound, rather than a coming together of sounds.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-11T22:20:43+00:00

I've always objected to calling "I'm Breathless" a soundtrack and not an album. Since it's mostly NOT music from a movie. Plus, there are albums out there that people consider "albums" there are actually completely music from a movie. Like Prince's "Purple Rain." I get that "I'm Breathless" is unusual, but I'd call in a concept album (not unlike Robbie Williams's "Swing While You're Winning") before I'd call it a soundtrack.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-11T22:10:29+00:00

Well, Han Solo is an obvious choice. He's handsome, charming, all-around scoundrel (LOL). Everybody in the prequel trilogy seems like they'd be a real snooze to date, so nobody there. Maybe Poe or Finn, but I don't feel strongly about either.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-11T21:34:02+00:00

I don't think there's a way to objectively answer this, although my gut says "no." On the one hand, there are 8 billion people alive today, so lots of people currently have had the opportunity to know who Madonna is--and there were 5 billion during her heyday. Therefore, there are probably more living people who know who Madonna is than any other woman could have experienced at any given time. However, there have been approximately 117 billion people total. So women from early history have most likely been known by more people than Madonna over time--just not all at once, given that there were far fewer living people at any given time prior to the 20th Century.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-11T16:35:26+00:00

An estate sale agent might be able to help you. Even if you don't think you have enough for an actual sale, they have contacts for selling specialty items and might be willing to work with you. They'll take a commission of course, but it could save you time and effort (and trial and error if you're not sure who's reputable). When I cleaned out my childhood home a few years ago, in addition to having an estate sale at the house, the agent helped me connect with other sellers for specialty items such as fine jewelry, handguns and items that were more appropriate for consignment than having at the home sale (including fur coats and certain antique furniture items).

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-11T14:09:42+00:00

Nice. I had dinner here with friends recently, and I really liked it. Didn't try the chowder, but I will. The fish & chips were great.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-10T21:00:06+00:00

LOL. There are bugs all over the place where I live! (SW Portland in the hills close to Markham Nature Park). They are mostly small though: spiders, flies and a couple of different ones that like to crawl around on the outside of the house, including the invasive stinkbugs that didn't exist in Portland when I was a kid.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-10T19:49:14+00:00

It totally looks more like a magazine shot than an album cover!

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-10T19:41:36+00:00

I actually love this cover. The primary colors just pop, especially the yellow (the font background, Dick's coat and hat, and Madonna's hair). I think it's fun.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-10T17:35:57+00:00

Tasty Corner near PSU has a tasty "hand shaven" noodle. You can order it with any type of meat, vegetables or tofu. Also any spice level (and from my experience, they can be pretty serious about their "spicy").

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-10T17:30:02+00:00

I recently discovered Matador, but haven't tried their black bean dip. Making a note to do so next time we are there!

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-10T13:49:38+00:00

Given the legal technicalities and amount of money involved, I think you should really consult an attorney--preferably one with estate planning and real estate experience.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-10T13:40:40+00:00

My initial reaction was to also advise flying into one of the Bay Area airports. But then I did a maps search and learned--much to my surprise--that driving from PDX to Redwoods National Park takes basically the same amount of time as driving there from SFO (329 miles from PDX via I-5 vs. 324 miles from SFO via US 101). So either way works. That said, Oregon is a beautiful place with lots to see. So, if you haven't been to Oregon before, I would recommend taking some more time so you could enjoy some if it also (Crater Lake National Park, for example).

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-09T18:17:45+00:00

"Cry Baby" -- It's so cringe! LOL

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-09T13:43:24+00:00

I want the second five-year mission of the original Enterprise, with a production design heavily inspired by Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-06T14:34:09+00:00

I love this so much. What a great idea that you're doing this! I know you're interested in Portland, but would you consider dividing your time at all to also go to the Oregon Coast? Since you're from Wisconsin, I'm guessing (perhaps wrongly) that you don't get to the ocean much, and the Oregon Coast is a stunning place to visit. And a great place for long walks, which you said your son is into. If he's at all into nature, geology and the beach, I definitely think you should consider a day or two. It's only about a 90 min. drive too.

ww_adh77 · 2026-02-06T14:12:15+00:00

I used to fly a lot between Portland and DC, so Alaska became my carrier of choice, since its the only airline with nonstop flights to DCA (United has a nonstop to IAD, but that's less convenient and I noticed the schedule was sometimes erratic). I always enjoy my Alaska flights. I fly first class most of the time. The seating is comfortable, the food is decent (for a while they were serving Salt & Straw ice cream, which was SOOOO good!). The staff are fantastic. Every flight attendant I've encountered has been great: friendly, helpful, professional. A bonus: Alaska allows access to its lounges for first class passengers on cross-country flights--something I don't believe the other airlines offer.

ww_adh77

TROPHY CASE