Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1994)
The X-Ray Cato, located lust over the Burnside Bridge on the west side ot the river, Is an underground rock club with live music nightly. \ (h^ not head to tfye tyhedium-sized metropolis that sits only two hours to the north. Sire, it's no ttle — not as ngy, no space needle — but if you know where to go, a weekend in Portland can be a refreshing week end away from the city locked in the 1960s. Story by Dave Charbonneau Photos Courtesy Daily Vanguard -f\<ed of t/jp rivals Mayberry' Powell's Books on West Burnside Is supposedly the biggest book store this side ol the Mississippi. Rowe Junior High (Southeast ol Portland cn Mitwaukie) — Essential tor history butts This is the |unior high school which Tonya Harding attended In fad. up f the road about a mile is Milwaukie High School, the school which Harding dropped out of after her treshman year La Luna (Southeast Portland) For great music and reasonably priced beef tins is the place to go Bands tike Smashing Pumpkins and Mudhoney have played there m the last three months and on any given weekend one of Portland's better bands is usually on the bill, and it's an all-ages club X-Ray Cate (West Burnside) — Tins lit tle hole m the wall is another rock club A very underground atmosphere with tons o( velvet paintings, and a groovy jukebox with Devo and Elvis songs You can also get stuff like peanut butter toast at the snack bar One problem the place is all-ages place with no beer but that brings us to the next place Caribou (West Burnside) — Right across the street trom the X-Ray is this bar It has the cheapest prices you could ever hope to find Drinks (beer and well drinks) are a dol lar, every night, all night So, in between sets at the X-Ray, you can run across the street and have some good cheap fun The Mission ;NW Portland) Quiif a cool place to go ana dnnk McMenamiri's tine nncrobrew and watch a movie tor a dollar Microbrews (Everywhere) — Virtually everywhere you go in Portland, you're bound to find a rmcrobtew The best is Bridgeport Brewpub (NW) Others include Wtdmer (SW). McMenamm's (about ?0 locations) and Portland Brewing Company (NW) Dot's (SE Belmont) — A very hip little place that I've never actually been to, but I hear it's supposed to be pretty cool Unfortunately, it burned down a couple of months ago but should be reopened within the next month or two Mike’s Driv»-ln (Seliwood and Milwaukie) — Great yogurt shakes and hamburgers with eggs can't be beat No where to sit but it's good food tor cheap Foster Drive-In Theater (SE Foster) — When was the last time you went to see a movie al a drive in7 Well, this is your calling It opens in March and usually has current releases Load up the pil lows and blankets in station wagon and catch a double feature like the good ol' days with ma and pa Powell's Books (West Burnside) — If there's a book you want to find. Powell's will have it It's supposedly the biggest book store this side ol the Mississippi Coftee shop and everything It's amaz ing there's not a place like this in Eugene Record Stores — There are virtually 15 or so independent record stores through out Portland. Or course, there's Tower Records (NE 102nd and Halsey) but the real finds are Ozone (W Burnside). Locals Only (SW 2nd). 2nd Avenue | (SW 2nd) and Music Millennium (NW r 23rd and E Burnside) t The Trallblazers — It you got a lot ot money, why no pick a weekend when the Blazers are playing at the Memorial Coliseum Just wait outside on the side walk and watch the scalpers come run ning You could probably get a pair of tickets tor Si00.00 maybe less it you wait until tip-off, not that I've ever done it. Plttock Mansion (Northwest, just follow Burnside up the hill) — For romantic types, take a walk around this historic mansion I don't know why it's historic, but it looks cool. Other places of note The Lotus — Dance, drink and party with weird people! The Lotus is one of the more trendy spots In Portland to go dance the night away with people from all walks of life. Anywhere between NW 21st and 23rd — The hippest part ol Portland About 200 bars and good restaurants and plenty of Yuppies Kennedy used to hang out here (and I don't mean JFK) The Portland Zoo — Follow the signs Portlands. In all her majes tic beauty, sits atop the ontryway ot The Portland Building near Portland Stale. Rowe Junior High, located In MHwaukie. la where Portland s own Tonya Harding spent two years ol school Student learns new definition of freedom Mandy Baucum in the /ungle near Shuahutindi. I was tired of silling. I had been on the hus for 10 hours with only one bathroom break, and nil I wanted to do when 1 reached the bus terminal in Quito was to look for the restrooms. Through the crowd of dark-skinned people hurrying around me 1 saw a flight of stairs and the haven I was looking for at the end. After spending almost throe months in Ecuador as an exchange student, my friend |nn and I hod been through this ritual a few times before. But this time we had brought our own paper with us (because many bath rooms don’t even have someone selling toilet paper outside - there simply isn't any). This time there was a woman selling toilet paper, but we informed the woman that we wouldn't need to pay. Although the woman seemed fairly upset with my decision to refuse her services. I continued into the bathroom. As I neared the horrible-smelling stall. I realized that the woman had followed me and was now becoming somewhat hysterical. I still ignored her, determined to hold my own. Wasn't it a public bathroom? I entered the stall and put my camera bag on the ground as far from the used pieces of toilet paper as I could. Looking up 1 saw the short woman holding the stall door and yelling at me. She was talking Spanish really fast, too fast for me to understand. Even though 1 had difficulty understanding her 1 repeated again in her language, "► already have toilet paper!" Watching the woman and my reaction. |un seemed a little afraid. I fumed at her in English about the annoying woman and her hysterit reaction to my rebellion "No. no. no sunoritu." she kept repeating like a mother forbidding her child. "This bathroom isn't public." she repeated several times for my understanding. I didn't think she was telling the truth but I didn't want to argue. Defeated. I relumed to the bathroom door and paid the five measly cents. Jen laughed at my belligerence but com plained along with me about the many times we had l>een taken advantage of. Later I told my host father, Patricio, about the incident. He told me that the restroom was public and that the woman should have let me enter without paying, The view from the top oi an open air bus over looking the Jungle at dusk. The oil pipline follows along the road. "I should have jusl sat down and gone to the bathroom right in front of her," I said, still fuming about the unfairness of it all. "You know what she probably would have done?" he laughed at my indignation. "She probably would have pushed you off the toi let." ( That wouldn’t have been loo hard, consid ering there was no lid on it.) "It would have been easier to just pay her the 100 sucres," he said. "What is that in American money, like five cents or some thing?'' Embarrassed, I realized the different way of thinking between Patricio and I His idea of freedom is totally unlike mine Freedom to him is being able to take a stop sign as a suggestion and not an order Freedom to hirn is if a police officer pulls him over, accepts his bribe and allows him to continue toward his destination Freedom to him is being able to drink a beer anywhere he wants. Freedom to him is being able to enjoy see ing a few cows herded across a busy street in downtown Quito, population 1.2 million. His life is one with less structure and fewer rules, fie is free to do as he pleases and to experience life with all its flaws and glo ries. For me. freedom comes from laws. My rights are something I can point to in a book or constitution. I can point to a rule and jus tify a wrong or unfairness. If someone wrongs me, I can file a lawsuit or talk to my congressman. One of my Ecuadorian professors used to call the American attitude toward justice, " I ho religion ol democracy. My first reaction was one of defense, but then I started to think aliout it I remembered that once I watched Judge Wapnor preside over a case where a man was suing for five cents, the return of a pop can. I also remem bered my own behavior in the bathroom and tlie 10 cents I refused to pay. Who was I to go against the grain and make a big fuss about my rights? Maybe somebody from the United Status would have admired rny tenacity, but most of the women in the bathroom just lookud at me like I was crazy. Maybe I had it all wrong. I thought. But I still couldn't let go of my original feelings. Isn't justice what gives us hope that someone is on our side? How many laws will it take to achieve real justice? I can't dm ide whose system I think is tau ter. or even that I should. But I know for sun* that when it comes down to fighting over a piece of toilet paper, I've taken my freedom just a little too far. - Mandy Buucum Oregon Daily Emeudd