You know it’s going to be a good weekend when, upon arrival, you’re met with a kegerator. Georgia rolled into Portland late Friday night and arrived at our good friends (and fraternity brothers of Pat and Chase’s), Mike Dineen and Bobby Legaye’s apartment. The boys ushered us into their apartment to a welcoming party in our honor, fully stocked with a kegerator of Natty Light (our favorite!). The night was spent meeting Bobby and Mike’s friends and coworkers, giving tours of the bus, maybe, just maybe, partaking in a few beer bongs, and enjoying late-night drinks on the bus rooftop. The next morning, we hobbled over to a local sports bar for a glamorous $2 breakfast and, once filled with pancakes and eggs, made out way to the Pearl District for a scheduled interview with Ben Weyerhauser of Rags & Ribbons, a favored band among the local Portland music scene. The interview with Ben, which took place in one of the Pent House lofts of the Pearl District apartment building (those views!), was extremely informative and eye-opening as Ben spoke to the saturated Portland music scene and the benefits of working within a community of musicians and artists. We said our well wishes to Ben, afterwards heading downtown Portland for the annual Oregon Brewer’s Festival. For the entirety of the afternoon we tasted local Oregon beers and enjoyed getting to know a few new favorite breweries. Hey Ninkasi, Hallie and I see you… As the evening wore on, we made our way back to Bobby and Mike’s apartment to greet two more Colgate friends and alum: Mack Woodruff and Sam Leff! Remember Sam from Pittsburgh? Mack and Sam are in the midst of a cross-country road-trip towards Los Angeles, where Mack starts work at a talent agency in just a few days. The gang, once reunited, enjoyed a few drinks and made their way to the bars on 21st Street in Portland. The evening was spent enjoying a few “local” musicians take on some karaoke songs (Mack and Sam’s rendition of Chris Brown’s “Forever” will, for lack of a better word, forever be engrained in our minds), hosting countless rounds of “who can take their shirt off the fastest?” and subsequently filming it (over and over and over again).
The next morning was made more tolerable with another $2 breakfast and a trip to the NIKE campus, where both Mike and Bobby work. Our personalized tour of the workspace ended with a trip to the employee discount store—the boys were finally given their ideal shopping trip! Newly outfitted with swag, the gang made its way back to the apartment. While the boys visited the Oregon Brewer’s Festival, Hallie and I met up with Hallie’s friend from camp and Sasquatch festival friend, Katie Kelly, for dinner at Por Qué No? Tacos. We reminisced on our first year at Sasquatch Music Festival together (four years ago!) and learned about the “real” Portland, hipsters, weirdness and all. We met back up with the boys for a Sunday night locals concert at Rontoms bar—Hands In and Hustle & Drone, both Portland-based groups, rocked the house with synth-fueled beats and indie-electro hits. We had a few drinks, took a few photobooth pictures, and ate a slice of pizza (because honestly, there are way too many pizza places in Portland to not eat some pizza). It was a great end to a weekend well-spent in Portland. The next morning we said our goodbyes to Bobby, Mike, Mack and Sam, and headed out towards the coast once again. Of course, we had to stop at Voodoo Donuts and the food carts of Portland to get in our fair share of locally famed foods. Thanks for a great weekend, Portland—we couldn’t have asked for better friends to spend the weekend with while in your fine city. Stay weird, Portland! We’ll miss you.