Portland K

Kennedy School
Saturday, January 14
Today we take a reverse field trip and go back to school. The Kennedy School was a elementary school in Northeast Portland from 1915 until its close--due to low enrollment--in 1975. It also served as a community center. The building was eventually condemned but the neighborhood saved it from demolition, and in 1997 it re-open as a McMenamins theme park, sort of. McMenamins is a very popular Northwest chain of pubs, restaurants, movie houses, and inns. All these amenities are here at the Kennedy School, plus a few more.

I wander the hallways: classrooms have been given over to guest rooms and on some evenings the place is turned into a veritable School of Rock, with live music. There's a brewery and movie theater and outside there's a hot tub or "soaking pool." The McMenamins' obviously had a lot of fun in designing the place--there is both an Honors Bar and Detention Bar, at least that what the signs say, both are locked. On this Saturday afternoon there are professional workshops and a few private parties going on in some of the rooms, including the library. My favorite thing is the art (painting, sculptures, murals) that line the hallways, along with old pictures of students. On the whole it's a clever concept, but I get the feeling that I'm not really here at the right time and I cut out early, feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the whole thing.

So I drive through through the neighborhood, determined to make something more out of the afternoon and a little cafe catches my eye--Vita, a vegetarian place on Alberta Street. I sit at the bar and strike up a conversation with the young woman across from me, Joan. She has been in Portland less time than I. We chat about the city and other places and when I mention that I once lived in Boston, well, it turns out we are both Red Sox fans and that is an instant bond anywhere in the world! I order the corn pancakes with Hazelnuts on her recommendation and we chat for about 20 minutes. And this is really the magic of the Portland Project--I go out for one thing, but in the end, I find something wonderful and unexpected, a nice encounter with a delightful person over a delicious meal. I couldn't have ask for more.