Pdx Nightlife

[Okstate]

2

[Okstate]

Originally Posted by ericb4prez

great to see a thread like this started on here...

i make my living in the nightlife game in Portland...on the DJ side of things.

fortunately for me, i get to travel, otherwise i'd go crazy with the lack of nightlife options in portland.

east is a great bar, and i hear they're going to be making it a lot better in the near future. just an inside tip.

almost 3 strikes.

Any updates Eric?

[dkealoha]

I had been meaning to try Mint/820 on NE Russell for a long time and finally went on Friday. The drinks were all very good, so was the food and the atmosphere. Very dark lounge inside, large deck outside. The music from White Eagle next door kind of drowned out the downtempo music playing at Mint but overall it was a good experience.

[Okstate]

Portland makes it expensive to "test the waters" with the nightlife scene. I personally prefer an edgy-contemporary venue that is very dark & you could almost get lost in. Add in some house music & bam that would be my place. The reason I say it's hard is b/c some venues have amazing websites then turn out to be crap shoots. Then there are those that look like crap shoots which turn out to be a success in my book. Maybe a less polished Blonde (bar in KC)

[ericb4prez]

i actually just got done DJing a gig in KC...

and they have this new area called the Power and Light district that's like a shopping mall of bars (but in a good way) in that you can roam around from place to place and there is something for everybody.

blonde is a great spot out there too.

as i've said a million times to anybody that asks, the main thing limiting the nightlife in portland is the OLCC and their oppressive policies.

number one would be the inability to offer bottle service, which is in most places i play, half of their business...with a lot less of a cost associated.

the east thing sounds like it isn't happening...yet.

[ericb4prez]

something like the power and light district in the rose quarter would be amazing...there's adequate parking, plus it would add some vibe to that area, which is such a ghost town unless there is a major event going on.

http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/

holler.

[Okstate]

Could anyone compare/contrast NW 21st Vs. Pearl District night scene? Besides the obvious layout of either district, is one more popular with a certain type of crowd than another? I would think either would draw from a similar type based on the relative high profiles of each respectively. My sister is flying in from Oklahoma to visit the city for the 1st time & I want to take her out one night. I can't do any "pre" visiting because my wife & I have a child with no personal contacts...Aka babysitter

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by Okstate

Could anyone compare/contrast NW 21st Vs. Pearl District night scene? Besides the obvious layout of either district, is one more popular with a certain type of crowd than another? I would think either would draw from a similar type based on the relative high profiles of each respectively. My sister is flying in from Oklahoma to visit the city for the 1st time & I want to take her out one night. I can't do any "pre" visiting because my wife & I have a child with no personal contacts...Aka babysitter

it really depends, 21st is going to be a little bit younger crowd and the Pearl is going to be a little bit older crowd. Feel free to send me an email, I would be happy to give you a few tips if you wanted.

[dkealoha]

NW is more everyone & everything. Pearl depends on where you go. If you go to Henry's on a Friday night, it has turned into somewhat of a meat market of jock-ish guys and girls dressed like hookers from Beaverton. If you go to Bluehour, it's kind of an older "cougar" pickup spot.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by dkealoha

If you go to Bluehour, it's kind of an older "cougar" pickup spot.

you know, I just cant stop laughing at that comment, I just realized how true it is. for some strange reason, it never dawned on me.


though I would like to comment, that I think Saucebox is heading in that direction, or at least the direction where older men hit on younger women to make themselves still feel attractive.

[Okstate]

We (sister & I) decided to go out several nights just on a smaller scale each night. I'm thinking about hitting up 3 different areas throughout. NW 21st one night, Pearl/downtown another (The Nines, Saucebox, district/vault?), and the other will be an eastside locale...maybe hawthorne, belmont, mississippi, alberta. Not sure which of the east side would be most appealing. I'm looking for somewhere "smallish" or low-key maybe (Aka not henry's, bridgeport etc..)

[tworivers]

What about Holocene at Morrison and 10th? It's a beautiful space and pretty representative of non-generic Portland. #1 nightclub in the city IMO. I'd also recommend Tiga at NE Prescott and 15th if you want smallish/charming/neighborhood-y. From there you could check out Vendetta on Williams at Skidmore and then Moloko on Mississippi. Or do it in the reverse and start with dinner at Lovely Hula Hands on Mississippi.

[zilfondel]

Originally Posted by Okstate

Could anyone compare/contrast NW 21st Vs. Pearl District night scene? Besides the obvious layout of either district, is one more popular with a certain type of crowd than another? I would think either would draw from a similar type based on the relative high profiles of each respectively. My sister is flying in from Oklahoma to visit the city for the 1st time & I want to take her out one night. I can't do any "pre" visiting because my wife & I have a child with no personal contacts...Aka babysitter

The Pearl District HAS a night scene? What have you been smoking??

Edit - Oh, Bluehour. And I suppose there are a couple places around Glisan or Everett, plus the pubs. Hmm... its the Pearl, what can you really say?

This, coming from an eastsider!

[Okstate]

^ well Zilf lets hear your recommends! I just can't get over the fact that in Portland there isn't a "string" of laid back neighborhood bars that are non-food places while not being a dive at the same time. Don't you guys ever feel uncomfortable trying to get your drink on while looking at the next table over eating their calamari/pizza/ahi tuna sliders?

Tworivers- Moloko looks very promising, as does the Miss. area in general.

[maccoinnich]

Hey, been lurking on this forum for a while now. Interesting to read what's going on.

I'm kind of considering moving to Portland, from Scotland, in the autumn (fall). I love Portland, and my sister lives there, so I've got free rent for a month or two. I spent the summer of 2004 living/working in Portland, but being only 19 at the time, I didn't have much of an opportunity to explore the bars and clubs. (A travesty, I felt, given that I'd been legally drinking in Scotland for over a year by then...)

I was wondering, given Portland's well known musical pedigree, if there were gay club nights or anything that veered away from the cheesy pop end of the spectrum? You know, more Sleater-Kinney (to name a local band) than Katy Perry. This isn't like a make or break thing—it certainly doesn't exist here—but it would be nice.

EDIT - actually, speaking of SK, can anyone place exactly where the photo on this album cover was taken?

[dkealoha]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

you know, I just cant stop laughing at that comment, I just realized how true it is. for some strange reason, it never dawned on me.

Hehe... well I work upstairs from Bluehour at W+K so a lot of people here go there for lunch/happy hour but it's sort of a known joke in the office that it's the cougar hot spot.

Side note...

I really like the bar setting at Urban Farmer in the Nines. It's a little confusing at first to just sit on the couches in the lobby and wait to be served from the bar, but it's a nice change from the usual bar scene.

[philopdx]

Originally Posted by Okstate

^ well Zilf lets hear your recommends! I just can't get over the fact that in Portland there isn't a "string" of laid back neighborhood bars that are non-food places while not being a dive at the same time. Don't you guys ever feel uncomfortable trying to get your drink on while looking at the next table over eating their calamari/pizza/ahi tuna sliders?

Tworivers- Moloko looks very promising, as does the Miss. area in general.

You know speaking of that, is there some kind of city ordinance that a bar has to derive 10-15% of its revenue from food? Someone told me that once, and I'm not sure if it has any basis in fact. Couldn't find anything on Google. If that's the case, then it would explain our abundance of foody bars.

As far as recommendations, I've always liked Uptown Billiards on 23rd. Nice space, good service.

[zilfondel]

Oregon law requires anyplace that vendors alcohol to sell food during hours of operation...

[horatioalfonzo]

The ONLY good thing about the OLCC is that all bars must serve some kind of food, only taverns can get around this law. I think it is awesome because it makes for great food all around town. You can actually get a decent meal at happy hour.

[Okstate]

That would explain it!

Dkealoha- WTF...you lived in the Pearl & worked near SoWa. Now live in SoWa and work in the Pearl