Brooke Geery

Blogs

Ripped from the archives

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Top Chef Part 3

After losing the soup off, and the Totino's Party Pizza challenge, I figured it was time to let some other people do the cooking. I brushed up on my hosting skills by studying Padma for weeks (not really) before we headed to Seattle for this latest Top Chef installment. This time it was legendary pro snowboarder Peter Line competing against my former challenger, Party Time Nate, and the theme was hot dogs! Peter was kind enough to host in his insane Seattle pent house that sort of made me feel bad about my own home. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on being a pro snowboarder after all... It was…
Read More

States #17-20: PA, Delaware, Maryland and VA

I was sitting in my Macro Economics class at Plymouth State College when Matt Ruby and I decided we were bored with New Hampshire and would drive to Virginia to skate the new Vans park the next day. So we did, and I crossed the remaining states on the I-95 corridor off my list, circa 1999. 17.    Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent much time in PA until Sarah decided she was moving there. I drove with her to Philly and we sat in her newly rented, empty apartment drinking the few Yuengling’s we’d picked up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the state (since you can’t just go…
Read More

Cafe Magnolia

1522 SE 32nd Ave Date of visit: February 3, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $20 We're really winding down this project -- basically the places left to go are either not really on Hawthorne, or just plain scary. Magnolia fell into the former category with it's slightly off-the-beaten-path location on 32nd. We were actually trying to go to Chance of Rain cafe, the former occupant, but it's gone, Magnolia is open and there we were. I gathered this was more of a breakfast spot, the waitress was sure to let us know they served it all day, although the menu options were not very extensive for either meal. I…
Read More

States #21-23: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

Circa 2000 (no pay at the pump!) Ahh the Midwest. It's really a hard place to avoid if you want to get to one coast from another by car, so it's fitting I would hit all these states on my first cross-country trip in 2000, and have been back many times since. 21. Ohio Cleveland rocks! For a long time Ohio was a drive thru state, but during my two-month stint in Chicago, I ended up in Kent for a video premiere. I ended up making friends there, and subsequently spending a decent amount of time in Akron and Ravenna. Random. 22.    Indiana Definitely a drive-thru state, in fact, it’s…
Read More

States #24-26: Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado

Circa 2000 My first cross country road trip, right after my Freshman year of college at PSC in the year 2000, took me to a ton of new states, so many in fact, I am breaking them into two posts. I've also been back to each of these states many times and they are big, and unavoidable (also CO has good snowboarding.) 24. Iowa Dexter, IA. Circa 2006 I spent a night in Ames, a college town USA, a college town that could have been anywhere, but just happened to be in the middle of Iowa. On the same trip I skated the Council Bluffs skatepark where I found it…
Read More

State #27: Montana

Circa 2001 In scenery alone, Montana is my favorite state. They aren’t kidding about that whole “big sky” thing. I took one snowboard road trip here in college, and have since made it a regular stop on my cross-country trips, staying in Missoula courtesy of the Graham brothers on multiple occasions. [gallery=27]
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More