Starbucks Reserve flagship Portland store

The coffee snob that lives a hearty life inside me generally says “Starbucks” as much as Harry says “Voldemort.” But I am attracted to the only Starbucks in the world outside Seattle that is offering food, wine, and a different atmosphere from the Starbucks I fled years ago. This company has taken its lashes from this town. In SE Portland rocks were thrown through a shop’s windows, and the neighborhood rose such a stink that the store closed up.... Read More

HMCS Whitehorse + Dunderdon

June is parade month in Portland, which includes fleet week as part of the Rose Festival lineup. Our friendly neighbors to the North usually compliment our banks with a ship or two and this year I toured both the Saskatoon and Whitehorse which are twin Kingston class coastal naval defense vessels. Canada has 12 of these 55 meter steel beauties, 6 on each coast. They’re not heavily armed, but more used for surveillance. The Whitehorse, where I spent most of my time, was... Read More

“The Tree of Life” review

“Tell us a story from before we can remember.” Terrence Malick as a director polarizes his viewers. There are hordes who would rather clean cat litter all night over sitting in a theater under the weight of one of his films. For the record I adore this mans work, and relish in the opportunity to enjoy his films on the big screen. It is a rare event, after all, since his feature-length debut in 1973 with Badlands, Malick has only directed 5 films. Just about once a... Read More