Stop 5: Portland

Taddle Creek landed in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, July 31st, a couple of days ahead of what would be the magazine’s first-ever out-of-country event, so it took some time out to see the sights. Incorporated in 1851 and with a current population of just over 500,000, Portland is considered by many to be an extremely livable city, and Taddle Creek must say it agrees. Portland is home to a very inviting and accessible waterfront, a seemingly excellent transit system, and what appears to be a vibrant arts scene. Bike lanes are plenty, cars stop for pedestrians, and the population seems generally friendly. Portland also contains the famous Powell’s Books, along with several smaller alternative bookstores, such as Reading Frenzy. The Portland Art Museum has a fine collection of native art, and seems very comic friendly; Taddle Creek was fortunate to see not only all the original pages of R. Crumb’s recent Genesis adaptation, but also got to sit in on a Q. & A. session with Joe Stacco. The little-known Portlandia statue is not to be missed, and the taste of Voodoo Doughnut is matched only by its excellent spelling ability. Unfortunately, the variety of street food is matched by a staggering number of street people, which is the one, albeit large, black mark on an otherwise amazing city.

Taddle Creek is glad its stay in Portland was so enjoyable, because its event, held at the White Eagle on August 2nd, was a bit of a bust. Neither Lee Henderson nor Peter Darbyshire were able to attend due to family emergencies, but Mike Christie, who appears in the Out-of-Towner issue, drove down from Victoria, and Catherine McGuire, also in the summer issue, drove over from Sweet Home, Oregon, to read. Christine Delea, a writer friend of Cathy’s who lived nearby, agreed to step in at the last minute to fill one of the empty slots, which was fortunate, because her attendance really filled out the crowd, to say the least. But the show must go on, and on it went, to the delight of the bar staff and the . . . sparse crowd. The White Eagle is a beautiful bar, and the magazine is sorry it wasn’t more of a draw. Thankfully Taddle Creek wasn’t the only entertainment for the evening. A band followed and in fact almost started to set up during Mike’s reading, which probably would have disturbed no one.

Nonetheless, Taddle Creek and the authors had a nice time (it was nice to meet Cathy, one of the magazine's rare foreign contributors), and there are no regrets about visiting this fine town.