Old Buildings, New Business

One of the things I love about Portland is how people here care about preserving the old buildings. Take for example The McMenamins. Not only have they bought some of the coolest old buildings in the city, but they've turned some of them into movie theater/restaurant/bars. A few of us went out to the Bagdad Theater in the heart of the Hawthorne District and watched Spiderman (again) last night. The McMenamins theaters are set up so that every other row of seats has been pulled out and replaced with long tables, so you can watch the movie and eat your meal at the same time. We sat up in the balcony with a pitcher of beer and a slice of pizza. Does it get any better than that? The Laurelhurst Theater over on NE Burnside isn't a McMenamins, but it offers the same deal where you can get pizza and drinks to take into the theater. Then there's the Pearl District right downtown which used to be an industrial area but is home to some buildings which date back to the late 1800's that house some of the coolest art galleries and cafes in the area. Even the unsavory parts of downtown are being restored and buildings that were once run down and dirty are being given a facelift by new tenants like my cousins, who own Pambiche and Canita. So, come visit. I can't get enough of this city and I'd love to show it to a newbie....