01 / FROM THE NEWSROOM
The Island of Misfit Toys
Artist Davis Wohlford made hundreds of handmade misfits. His characters are performing at imperfecta, and the story behind North Pole Studio makes them even more wonderful.
Read the story ↗PORTLAND · OUR HOME BASE
Portland, explain yourself.
A city with old horse parking, a tiny drive-in, and thirty enormous painted crows was never going to let me have a normal Tuesday.
ORIGINAL NORTHWEST REPORTING ✳A NOTE FROM OUR LITTLE NORTHWEST NEWSROOM
I came to Portland hoping to rebuild my life. Then I discovered people were tying little plastic horses to old curb rings, a restaurant had once delivered turkey sandwiches by rowboat, and somebody was turning an empty storefront into a theater smaller than my living room. The questions started piling up. I haven't stopped asking them.
This is our Portland shelf: original reporting on local artists, oddball traditions, genuinely good places to eat, and people who make the city feel less anonymous. I don't want to send you out with a list of adjectives. I want you to know who made the thing, why it happened, and whether you can go see it.
Start with whatever makes you laugh or wonder. Then follow the official links inside each story. When the date matters, we'll tell you; when an event has passed, it stays a reported story rather than being sold as tonight's plan.
THREE PORTLAND STORIES TO START WITH
The people behind the peculiar.
Read the original story, follow the official links, then decide what to do with your afternoon.
02 / FROM THE NEWSROOM
A tiny drive-in in an empty storefront
Downtown windows have become free, after-dark art. The miniature drive-in is real; our story explains the makers, the street address, and the times to look.
Read the story ↗
03 / FROM THE NEWSROOM
Portland still has horse parking
Those old curb rings once held actual horses. Then someone tied a tiny plastic one to a ring, and Portland turned a little joke into a delightful sidewalk tradition.
Read the story ↗KEEP GOING. THERE'S PLENTY MORE.
Something else caught my eye...
04 / FROM THE NEWSROOM
The giant crows Portland gave presents to
People began leaving feathers and shiny rocks for thirty artist-painted crows. Read how an art trail found its way into the city's heart—and to a children's hospital benefit.
Read the story ↗
05 / FROM THE NEWSROOM
Terra Mae, and what being cared for tastes like
A Portland restaurant story about the people in the kitchen, the little gestures in the dining room, and a meal that became something worth writing home about.
Read the story ↗
06 / FROM THE NEWSROOM
A Portland restaurant delivered sandwiches by rowboat
An 1894 flood, a legendary restaurant, and a family business with history that outlasted the high water. The true people behind the excellent absurdity.
Read the story ↗BEFORE YOU FIND YOUR KEYS
Looking for something to do in Portland this week?
Check the live Weird Weekend Desk for actual dates and organizers, or the events calendar for a wider range of Portland activities. Those are the places to look when you have a Saturday to fill.
If your idea of a good afternoon involves food, start with Eat + Drink; if it involves a walk through an extremely peculiar neighborhood, look for our 120 adventure ideas or use the Passport Map. My job is to point you toward real stories, not invent tickets or promise a shop is open without checking.
Portland's people make the strangest bits interesting. That's why I always want the name of the artist, the chef, the volunteer, or the neighbor who first had the idea.