4 • 02 • 08 - PDX bound. An idea I had a while ago with Craig Champion recently began to get some wheels. Recently we asked Andy Blumberg to come on in as producer. Yesterday Andy and I did an awesome day trip up to the Portland area to speak with über company NIKE and their NIKE 6.0 department. Champ was supposed to be along for the trip but a week prior he slammed while shredding the gnar up at June Mountain and fell down went boom. A broken elbow and separated tricep muscle was the end result. Needless to say ol' swell-bow wasn't coming along only days after his surgery, so Andy and I made the trek without the Champion one.
If you haven't ever been to Portland ( then where have you been??) I highly suggest making the trip. An awesome departure from the LA vibe into a cool, mellow and friendly atmosphere of artsy/kinda hippy / chill people all seemingly riding fixed gear bikes. Andy, obviously in LOVE with the city, had our breakfast and lunch spots already picked out. The Doug Fir for breakfast. Conveniently nestled into the Jupiter Hotel. A reinvented Best Western Motel turned style boutique hotel and restaurant and bar. AWESOME service and food. I will definitely go back.
We then made our way to the NIKE campus in Beaverton. This was my first time to the 16 billion in revenues company. Can I say holy fuck? HO-LEE-FUCK! The campus is a collection of about 16 buildings surrounded by running trails, soccer fields, football fields, running tracks and interwoven with various tennis courts. Not to mention the Olympic sized pool and various basketball courts. And people were actually using these facilities when we were walking in! I think it is safe to say that NIKE employees most definitely practice what they preach.
without too much detail our meeting went as good as it could have and we left the NIKE campus elated. What to do now before our flight back to the city of Angels? Lunch? Why not? And the Ace hotel's Clyde Commons restaurant was our destination. Another cool restyled, but still fits in, boutique hotel restaurant with a KILLER Whiskey menu along with an amazing burger. A couple of pints in we were ready to go home and pass out.
Some of the things we saw and did while in Portland:
- Street people ( they seem to be everywhere)
- Powell Books. Famous store Portland seems to be known for, but we didn't have time to browse
- The sunshine. Go figure
- A ton of people on Fix Geared bikes
- Mr. Mark Welsh and wife Leigh along with their new human
- Athletic people
- Cool brick buildings
